Monday
PLAY
How is your child feeling today
?
Ask them to use words to describe how they feel. Have your child draw a picture about how they feel today.
GROW
During this time children are experiencing many different emotions and their behaviors might not make sense. Children can deal with stress in many different ways and it’s important to keep a positive approach and flexible spirit as you help them navigate their big emotions. Here are some online ideas to help your child express their emotions using words and art:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html
ESPECIALLY, FOR YOUR FAMILY
Pick up a Smarty Patch At Home Learning Kit at the Center. Call ahead and a staff member can bring it out to you! If you missed Monday, just call your Center to see if you can pick one up Tuesday.
Tuesday
PLAY
Ask your child about their favorite color. Next, look around your home to find five items which are the same color. For example, if the color is yellow, together look for 5 yellow items. Take about the different shades of the colored items. Which ones are lighter
?
Which ones are darker
?
Pick a couple items to draw using crayons, markers or paint in shades of your child’s favorite color. Using diverse tools to draw and create will hold your child’s attention for longer spans of time. Enjoy!
GROW
Learning colors is so much harder than numbers because the concept of color is an abstract concept. Color is a visual perceptual property of objects. Getting closer to nature is a wonderful way to explore colors. You can introduce the color of the leaves, grass, sky, tree-trunk and even the little birds flying through the space where you and your child play. Today take the colors you found inside… outside and enjoy drawing in a whole new space.
Wednesday
PLAY
Talk about rhyming words (hat, bat, cat, pat, fat). Let your child pick out their favorite story and read it to them. See if you can find rhyming words within the text. Use rhyming to sing a fun song about your child’s name. Sometimes nonsense words are more fun that the real words we use every day. Enjoy the joke as you continue to practice rhyming with your child this week.
GROW
The ability to recognize rhyming words is an important phonological awareness skill and there is a correlation between phonological awareness and reading skills. Children love repetition. They love reading the same books over-and-over again. This repetition is important in children’s learning process and should be encouraged. When your child reaches for the same book and says “Read it again” rest assured that hearing books again and again, is good for kids.
Reading to your child daily will help them develop a life-long love of reading! Thru the story, children are introduced to new words and concepts; all of which helps build their vocabulary. For more literacy activities check out
ESPECIALLY, FOR YOUR FAMILY
Thursday
PLAY
Let’s get moving! Put on some fun music and make an obstacle course in your home or backyard. For example: crawl under the table, jump over a ball, go between two chairs, and roll to the finish line while doing your best to follow the rhythm! So fun!
GROW
Music ignites all areas of your child’s brain development and supports skills needed to engage a lifetime of learning. It helps the body and mind work together and your child explores rhythm and the rhymes within each song or dance. Music is math, as each song has a tempo and this can be used to clap out the count!
Friday
PLAY
Grab a bag and go on a leaf hunt! Take a safe nature walk around tour neighborhood or local park and gather leaves to put in your bag. Once home, you can sort leaves into two categories, example: yellow leaves, brown leaves and green leaves. You can also make a pattern with the leaves or sort them into “big” and “little.”
GROW
Patterning and sorting are early math skills that help little ones prepare to take on higher level math concepts. Luckily math is all around us! Find ways to introduce math skills through the daily routines you share with your child—counting steps as you go for a walk, talking about the size and shape of items and using a ruler to measure everyday items. For more ideas check out the following article: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/299-help-your-child-develop-early-math-skills
