At bedtime, invite your child to close their eyes. Then imagine relaxing just one toe, then one whole foot, then one leg. Keep going through their entire body. Afterward, talk about how they feel. Give them a turn to lead you through relaxing.
Author: Five Ones
Compare stamps
Take your child with you to get the mail. Check out the different stamps and help them compare. Ask them, “Are these two stamps exactly the same? How are they different?”
Get dressed in a new way
Try getting dressed for bed in a new way. Ask your child, “What if we closed our eyes while we put on our pajamas for bed tonight?” Stay close by them to make sure it’s safe. Afterward, share what it feels like to get dressed “in the dark!”
Love connections
Take turns talking to your child about love connections. “I love you as much as a bee loves flowers.” “I love you as much as ants love sugar.” “I love you as much as a car loves gas.” Ask them to come up with one. Keep going back and forth.
Create a toy museum
Invite your child to find some special things and put them out like in a museum or store. Have them lead you through their collection. Ask them to share with you why the items are meaningful. Take turns choosing favorite things to share with each other.
Match the pattern
Do you have a muffin tin or an empty egg carton? Look for things that can fit inside each hole, like pen caps. Make a pattern, like one red cap in a hole, then two blue caps in another, then another red cap. Then give the caps to your child. Can they match the pattern?
The Pretend Game
Play a game where you pretend to be an animal, object, or someone you both know. See if your child can guess who or what you are. Clues like sound effects or movements are helpful. When your child guesses, have them take a turn and you guess. Enjoy!
Number order
Have your child look for letters or numbers in a specific order on signs and license plates. You can say, “Can you find a one and a two next to each other?” or “Can you find an A and an E next to each other?” Take turns and see who can find the most.
Clap when you see a color
Find a certain color car and clap once when you see it. When your child gets it, change the rules and clap twice when you see it. Then add another color and clap three times when you see it.
Dressing Mix-Up
When you’re helping your child get dressed, play “Dressing Mix-Up,” by asking things like: “Do your socks go on your hands? Do they go on your feet?” Put them on your hands, and pretend your hands are feet.
