Getting your hair cut
Duration/age
What kind of hair does your child have? Is it long and straight or short and very curly? Does your type of hair make a difference to how often it needs to be cut?
Your hair is getting very long. You don’t need to get it cut because you can tie it up for school. Your brother needs it cut as it is getting in his eyes.
It is taking a long time for my hair to grow because it is curly and the curls spring up.
When it is time to get it cut, talk to your child about how short their hair will look. Explain how much hair will be cut off.
We are going to get your hair cut very short for summer so you will be cooler.
Materials you will need
- Your child
- Your child's hair
Skills this activity improves
Why does this matter?
When you talk to your child about their hair and how long it is, they are hearing and developing words to describe position and measurement.
When you ask your child questions about their hair they are practising listening and responding to a question. Through this they are developing thinking and problem-solving skills.
What does this lead to?
Developing language skills that includes listening and responding helps children to develop new words and language and to hear how sentences or questions are put together.
By listening then responding, your child hears how you talk and has the opportunity to try and respond using similar words and sentence structures. It is by practising with an adult - and hearing different styles of language - that children develop a rich expanded vocabulary. As a child’s language expands, the number of words they use in a sentence will also expand.
Language to use
- Hair, cut
- Long, short, medium
- Length, thickness
- Style
- Top, bottom, sides, back, front
Questions to use
- Do boys and girls have the same length hair?
- Why is curly hair longer when it is wet?
- Does all hair grow at the same speed?
Useful tips
- You might also like to take a look at the Washing your hair activity.
- Remember to talk to your child in your home language.
More ideas
- Look through old family photos. Talk about the different hairstyles each family member has.
- Make a family book about hairstyles.
Variation by age
Three to five year olds
- Borrow books from the library about getting your hair cut.
- Look through magazines with your child. See how many different hairstyles and hair lengths you can find.
- Sort and group your dolls by the length of their hair.
Questions to ask
- Can cats have long hair?
- Where does a dog go to get a haircut?
- Can you have both long and short hair?
Language to use
- Cut, wash, grow
- Long, short, medium
- Wavy, curly, straight, frizzy
- Front, fringe, back, sides
