Monday July 6th / Hallway Letter Hop
Do you have a foam letter mat? This is a letter recognition activity that requires a Full Body Response. This is much better than sitting at a desk and trying to memorize letters. Get 'em moving!
Toddler:
Lay out the foam letters on the floor. Don't have foam letters? Make a set of the alphabet using stencils. (laminate them) Start with your child's name. What is the first letter of their name? This is a great letter to start with. Ask them where it is. Now show them several times. Ask them again and see if they can do it on their own. Another trick I used to teach my toddler the ABC's is that we always change her diaper on the foam letters. (Before you say that is gross.. I do not let anything touch the letters because I put the new diaper under her before taking the other one off AND it is cleaned after each change.) Anyways, I ask her what letter she wants to change her diaper on. This appeals to the toddlers need for control as well. If she says "A" and lays down on a different letter I just tell her the correct letter. Then while she is laying there I tell her the letters all around her head.
Preschool:
Be prepared to demonstrate! Preschoolers need you to model what you want them to do. Then do the activity WITH them. Lastly, let them do it on their own. This is a great formula for every thing you want them to do! Don't have foam letters? Make a Hopscotch type board outside with chalk, but put the alphabet in the squares.
Lay out the foam letter down the hallway.
You jump on the letters like hopscotch and say what letter you jumped on.
You and your preschooler jump down the Hallway Letter Hop together several times.
Now let them do it on their own.
Tuesday July 7th/ Toddlers and Nesting Activities
Toddlers love nesting activities. This means putting things inside each other. Try things that require a particular order.
You can use:
measuring cups
measuring spoons
cardboard boxes of different sizes
pots and pans of different sizes
nesting cups you buy for toddlers
anything will work!
Start with only three sizes. Small, medium and large of the object. Show your toddler how they fit inside each other and come apart again. See how long it takes them to try it on their own. Let your toddler play with this idea for awhile and master it before introducing more sizes. Once they have it add a few more of the measuring cups, spoons, or what ever object you are working with.
Tuesday July 7th / Slap Jack Card Game
Preschooler
You need:
One deck of Cards
Show your child which cards are jacks.
Deal the cards evenly.
Pick up your piles and flip them over one at a time.
While you turn over each card look for the jack.
If you see it, SLAP IT!
If you slap a non-jack, you owe the other person a card.
If you have more than two players and one person runs out of cards they can still play and slap a jack to get back in the game.
--You could call out what cards you flip to practice numbers.--
Wednesday July 8th / Twinkle Twinkle Song and Star Project
Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less. Today try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark,
— Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
You can cut out stars of construction paper and hang them from the ceiling in your toddlers room. Add a little glitter to each one. When it is bedtime and dark, lay down and shine a flashlight on the stars. The glitter will "twinkle" as you sing together!
Wednesday July 8th / Young (Mad?) Scientist / Pulley's
This is another preschool activity about simple machines. It goes with the lever and ramp, if your child loved those.
You need to purchase a pulley and rope.
We actually have one inside and one outside.
The one inside is small and hard to work with.
The one outside is much bigger and better made.
We hung it from a tree and attached a bucket. Let the fun begin!
Show your child the pulley before you hang it. Show them how it works.
Tell them it helps lift heavy things.
Attach it to a tree or swing set.
Attach a bucket to one end.
Let them put numerous things inside the bucket and try to lift it.
We used balls, sticks, and water. My son was surprised how heavy the water was!
The rope sometimes ends up at the top of the pulley and I have to get it down...
Other questions:
What happens when you pull the string hand over hand? (One side goes up , while one side goes down.)
Can you hold the string and back up?
How do you make the bucket come down fast? slow?
What else can you lift?
Why would you need a pulley?
If you have a tree house this would be GREAT!!
Thursday July 9th / Feed the Birds
Toddler or Preschooler
You need:
Pine Cone
Peanut Butter
String or Cord
Scissors
Spoon
Birdseed
1. Tie your string around the pine cone first, before it is too sticky. Leave enough string to tie it a tree or outside your window.
2. Spread Peanut Butter all over pine cone and into the grooves.
3. Lay bird seed out on a plate and roll pine cone in it. Gently press extra birdseed onto pine cone.
4. Hang your new feeder in a spot your child can see it and watch the birds.
Consider that your child will have an easier time seeing the birds from inside if it is hung near a window.
Friday July 10th / Nature Walk / Shape Hunt
Toddler and Preschooler:
You need, just to go outside and take a walk!
Look for different shapes today.
What can you find that is a circle?
What can you find that is a square?
What can you find that is a rectangle?
What can you find that is a triangle?
We have a neighbor with a triangular window!!
Hey, did you know a stop sign is a octagon? (8 sides) Stop at the stop sign and count all the sides!
Be sure to look at: windows, street signs, plants, flowers, doors, house shapes, etc.
EXT: Read a few books about shapes before and after your walk. We read Bob the Builder: Shapes. Bob finds shapes in what he builds and that helped us in our shape searching.
Saturday July 11th / At the Car Wash!
We know the kids love to play in water, let's put them to work! lol
Toddler and Preschooler
You need:
Buckets
Soap or Bubbles
Wash clothes
Water
Cars
You can let your kids wash your car. Keep in mind you will obviously need to finish this and they won't really be that helpful. :-)
You can use your outside play cars or get a bunch of their play plastic cars from inside. Line them up and have a pretend car wash!
Ext: Take your kids to a drive through car wash or go to a car wash fundraiser and see a real live car wash!
I think playing "Carwash" by Rose Royce is a must too!
Sunday July 12th / Sign the ABC's
Have you ever considered learning the ASL alphabet? Watch the video and teach yourself first. Then teach your kids.
Toddlers:
When you first learn the ASL alphabet you probably can't sign the alphabet and sing it because the ABC song goes too fast. This is actually good for toddlers. You need to slow down and say each letter and think about the sign. It gives your toddler something to watch and they hear each letter and associate it with the sign.
The ABC song also confuses many toddlers and preschoolers into thinking LMNO is one letter or word!
Preschoolers:
They have the ability to learn the ABC's in sign. It will not happen over night but is a great way to learn letters. Once my son could sign the alphabet he wanted me to finger spell words for him. I am much better at finger spelling thanks to him! He can tell me what word I spelled if I do a short word like mom or cat. We have had a lot of fun with this but it took time to develop.
Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!
If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid. -Thomas J. Watson, Sr.
RSS Feed