Allow your toddler to use soap and water to wash the car.
What You Need:
- Sponge
- Bucket
- Baby Shampoo
- Riding toy or pretend cars
What To Do:
- Fill a small bucket with soap and water.
- Encourage your child to wash his car using the sponge. Show him how to use his fingers to squeeze the sponge out and work those fine-motor skills!
- After he is finished washing his car, help him to hold the hose and aim it at the car to wash off the suds.
Safety alert! Young children can drown in just a few inches of water.
This delicious and healthy treat is a perfect snack to make with your keiki
What You Need:
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chopped parsley (or other herbs)
- 1 16-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
What To Do:
- In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Stir.
- Have the child add the beans to the mixture and mash it with a fork. Add salt, to taste.
- Have the child decorate the bean dip with cheese and assorted vegetables to make monster faces. Enjoy!
Adapted from
http://healthpoweredkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/After-school-Monster-Mash-Bean-Dip.pdf
A fun active game for preschoolers
What You Need:
- Foam Pool Noodles (cut in half)
- Frisbees or Plastic Plates
- String or cord for pulling the “fly”
- Fly template (draw your own or find in packet)
What To Do:
1. Poke a hole through the rim of a Frisbee or plate and insert a 4 foot length of string and tie a knot to secure it.
2. Make a copy of the “fly” and secure it to the Frisbee with clear packing tape.
3. Say to your child, “Your job is to swat the fly with this swatter (pool noodle).
4. Use the string to pull the “fly” as you drag and run with the Frisbee.
5. Switch! Have the child pull the fly while you try and swat it.
Adapted from: “Active play! Fun physical activities for young children”)
Introduce a variety of textures to baby
What You Need:
• Materials with different textures (e.g. furry, silky, bumpy)
What To Do:
1. Gather a few materials with different textures such as a fuzzy robe, silky scarf, and bumpy mat.
2. Hold the infant up over the fabric and let his feet feel the different textures. Talk to baby about what he is experiencing, “You are stepping on the fuzzy robe. It feels soft.”
3. Older infants may use their whole bodies to explore the textures. This will help baby to learn body awareness by using their sense of touch.
4. Change the materials with assorted textures to enhance this activity.
