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Activities
When it’s dark outside different things come out to play. You might hear them banging across the roof or hissing at each other.What do you think it could be?You or your child might have noticed in the morning that things have changed since you went to bed. Have plants been eaten or is there animal poo on the ground?What do you think it could be?
We went to visit the city one day and caught a tram along the way. What do you think we noticed that day?Lots of different noises – car horns tooting, trucks reversing, clocks chiming, people talking, water rushing and tram bells sounding.Lots of shiny windows – different shaped ones, reflective ones, open ones, ones with writing and ones you can see through.Lots of signs –
Get ready, get set, go! There are lots of different ways that you can have races at home, at the park or at the beach. You can race against each other or just against the clock. You and your child can run, jump or hop over a set distance. How fast can you run from here to the tree? Can you get there as fast if you hop? What about if you crawl? Reusable grocery bags make
Packing up time can be turned into a fun learning experience when you and your child share the task together. Talk about where each toy belongs before you put it away, so that your child is able to predict where to place items.We have lots of different toys to pack away. We can put the blocks in the basket and the cars in the bucket. We can roll up the car mat and pop it
Painting is a wonderful activity that can be enjoyed inside and outside and does not always need to include paint. On a hot day painting could be a bucket of water and a paint brush, making designs and swirls on the path, watching to see how quickly the hot sun makes the water disappear.Shaving cream is another wonderful substitute for paint. Your child can spread and move the
When children use tools to pick things up they are building muscle strength and developing coordination. One way to do this is to give your child plastic tweezers to pick up items and transfer them from bowl to bowl. You could use coloured pom-poms, beans, pasta, shapes, gumnuts or cotton balls. Helping to serve up food with kitchen tongs is another way to develop hand control.
Is it a plane, is it a bird, is it Superman? No, it’s a jumbo jet bringing families home!Often when you are outside or travelling around with your child they will notice a plane in the sky. When they do, talk to them about what they can see.Can you see the plane flying in front of the cloud? Do you think it is a big plane or a small one?That is a very big plane. How many
The sun has been shining, the plants have all grown and now it is time to prune. Talk with your child about which plants need to be pruned and how you will do it. Do they need to be cut in a special way or can you decide how much you want to cut off?The roses have flowered and we need to cut off the dead heads so more buds will grow.It is very difficult to walk down the path
Reading can happen anywhere and everywhere. We read signs, recipes, information on packets and tins, bus timetables and menus. A love of words and language can be encouraged by reading books together.
As the seasons change the weather will change and we will see changes happening to the plants and trees in the garden. Talk to your child about the names of the seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter - and the order they will follow. This may include looking at the calendar and highlighting the different months of the year that match the seasons.