Kiddie Academy is dedicated to making every moment a teachable moment. Given how busy all working parents are, squeezing educational activities into your everyday life makes a lot of sense. Here are five quick ideas for games you can play with your child while standing in line, waiting for a meal at a restaurant or even while driving.
- As you’re driving, challenge your child to see how many numbers she can find along the way. Look for street signs, license plate numbers and retail signs, and ask her to read the numbers she sees. It’s a fun activity, and builds her number recognition skills, a building block for math instruction.
- I Spy is a classic game that’s perfect for building critical thinking, vocabulary and observation skills, among others. Take turns giving clues and guessing the answers to things you see in your environment.
- When you’re waiting for a meal at a restaurant, you can play the “Disappear” game, designed to sharpen memory skills. Place four or five objects on the table (sugar packets, napkin, pen, etc.). Have your child study them for a few seconds and then close his eyes. Remove one object, and see if he can tell you which is gone.
- Sing a song together. Music, especially when paired with movement, can improve a child’s gross motor skills and improve her listening skills.
- Play “Name Five Things.” This simple game involves creating lists of like objects. For example, name five red things, or five animals, etc. This sorting, comparing and classifying activity builds both both math and reading skills.
Posted in:
Miscellaneous
