Here is an activity to support your preschooler’s development.
What You Need:
- Bag or box to hold collected objects
What To Do:
- Walk outdoors with your child and collect natural materials such as small rocks, sticks, twigs, and dried leaves that you find.
- Encourage your child to sort the objects into piles of the same types of items. For example, one pile of rocks, one of leaves, and so on. Talk about how the items in each pile are alike or different.
- Ask questions such as, “Which pile do you think has the most? Which one has the least?”
- Confirm guesses by counting the items with her.
Look outside and talk about the weather.
What You Need:
None
What To Do:
1. Look outside and talk about the weather. For example, “It’s raining today. The rain helps the plants to grow.”
2. Sing songs about the weather. Here is one, sung to the tune of “Bingo.” It is fun to sing during any kind of weather.
There was a time when we got wet,
And rainy was the weather.
R-A-I-N-Y, R-A-I-N-Y, R-A-I-N-Y. (Spell out letters.)
And rainy was the weather.
There was a time when we got blown,
And windy was the weather.
W-I-N-D-Y, W-I-N-D-Y, W-I-N-D-Y (Spell out letters.)
And windy was the weather.
There was a time when we got hot,
And sunny was the weather.
S-U-N-N-Y, S-U-N-N-Y, S-U-N-N-Y (Spell out letters.)
And sunny was the weather.
Make feeling face cards to identify emotions
What You Need:
- 8 cardboard squares or index cards
- 4 pairs of feeling faces (e.g., happy, sad, angry, scared) included in this packet, or use photographs or drawings
- Scissors
- Glue
What To Do:
- Make “feeling face” cards by either using real photographs of your child/family members making different feeling faces. Print two copies of each or use the illustrated faces.
- Cut the pictures to fit the size of the cardboard squares and glue it to the squares. Remember to have two sets of each picture.
- Play the game: Lay one set of the picture cards picture-side up spread out on the floor or a table. Place the other set of the picture cards in a stack picture-side down.
- Have your child flip over the top picture card in the stack, and find the matching one on the table.
- Say the name of the feeling as your child flips each one over. For example say, “That girl is making a happy face. Can you find the matching happy face on the table?” Continue playing for as long as your child is interested.
Delicious healthy snack
What You Need:
- 1 large banana, cut into ½ inch pieces
- ¼ cup vanilla yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons of oat and honey granola cereal
What To Do:
- Divide the sliced banana pieces between two plates.
- Place 2 tablespoons of yogurt on each plate.
- Place 1 tablespoon of granola cereal on each plate.
- Have your child use a fork to pick up a slice of banana and dip it into the yogurt, then roll it in the cereal.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Adapted from Keiki Can Cook! by the Hawai?i State Dept. of Health
Strategies for establishing a secure, strong, loving relationship with your infant.
What You Need:
None
What To Do:
- Constantly observe baby. When he is displaying an emotion such as distress, disgust, or interest, respond immediately.
- Using your knowledge of the situation, describe and label the infant’s emotions. For example,
- “Maddie, you are crying. You must be hungry. Let’s warm a bottle and eat.”
- “Isaac, you are smiling. You are happy. You like when daddy holds you in his arms.”
Adapted from Creative Resources for Infants and Toddlers
