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Playing with a big block of ice can keep your child interested for a long time.
What can you do with a big cardboard box? Next time you have a large cardboard box give it to your child to play with. Encourage them to use their imagination. I wonder what this big box could be. What does it look like to you? Turn a box on its side with the opening facing out. If you add a cushion or rug you’ll have a cosy nook just right for reading or dreaming.
Everyone celebrates birthdays differently, sometimes there is cake. What would happen if there were twins? Would you make one big cake or lots of little ones? How many cakes will we make? How many of the cakes will be red and how many will be yellow? If we make 12 cakes will there be 6 red and 6 yellow? We are going to make lots of little cakes for the twins.
Hop, hop, hop and stop. Help your child to draw a hopscotch course with chalk on cement. You can make the course as long as you like, but it usually has about 8 or 10 squares. Draw a set of single and double squares - like a ladder, but with extra bits. Write a number on each square of the course. Let’s write 1 on the first square and 2 on the next square. What number comes next?
Christmas can be a great time to make your own biscuits. Once you have made and rolled out the dough your child can help you to cut out the biscuits. What shape will they be? How many will you make? Do they all need to be the same shape? Talk with your child about why you are making the biscuits and how many you will need.
There are many different activities that you can do at the beach and talking to your child about what they would like to do will help you to decide what type of beach you will go to. The beach can be a very relaxing and restful place where you can talk, read, build sandcastles and lie on the sand. It can also be very active and involve going for long walks, running, playing or swimming.
Jump like a kangaroo, hop like a frog. Next time your child is up and moving around, challenge them to a game of imagination. Can you jump like a kangaroo? How does a frog jump? How many different animals can you and your child pretend to be?
If your baby has started to crawl, this game will challenge them and introduce them to lots of textures. Lay out a course using things from around your home. You can use things like different textured bathmats, some cushions to crawl over, a large box to crawl through, a footstool to crawl around or an old shower curtain or fluffy blanket to crawl on. Encourage your baby to
Your baby could hear you talking even before they were born. They recognised your voice right from the start. They might not understand the words that you say, but they will be listening and learning. You can talk about what you are doing right now and what you are going to do.
Your child can learn a lot when cooking with you. Why not make a cake together? What does the recipe ask for? Do you have all the ingredients? Can you see if we have some milk and 4 eggs in the fridge? How much flour do we have? Is the jar full or getting empty? While you are making the cake, read out the recipe for your child to follow. Show them the numbers and words in the recipe.
