Author: Five Ones

When shopping, call out something you’re looking for on a shelf and have your child help you find it. Give them a clue: “It’s in a red box.” Can you do five in a row before you reach the end of the aisle?

Play a game by hiding something small in your hand behind your back. First, show your child the object, like a coin or a pen, in your hand. Put it behind your back and change hands or leave it in the same. Ask them to guess which hand the object is in. Let them hide… Continue reading Hide an object

When you’re waiting somewhere, ask your child to play “Find the Opposites” with you. You call out something big and they respond with the opposite, something small. Start with easy comparisons, like big and small, high and low, or near and far.

While waiting, look around you and try to spot things that start with a B. Take turns with your child spotting B’s (like babies, bottles, and baskets) and calling out the words to each other.

Have a little spare time or just hanging out? Flip through a book, magazine, or website with your child and take turns making up names for the people in pictures. Or use the people riding with you on the bus or in the park. Start naming people with A, then B. See how far you… Continue reading Name people

Invent a super silly handshake for you and your child. Take turns adding a step (like shaking twice). Repeat it until you both have it down. Now change one of the steps. How do they respond? Go back and forth between the new and old way.

Pick a letter with your child and try to find it everywhere you go. Take turns calling it out when you see it. If they see an apple for the letter A, then you have to find something next. See how many things you can find. Four? Ten? More?

As you sit with your child, hold their feet and touch each of their toes, making up a story about each one. The small one is a little piglet that goes “oink oink!” The next one is his big brother, etc. Keep going and respond to what they do and say!

Create fun and simple bath routines with your child. For example, every time you feel the temperature you can say, “Splish, splash!” When the bath is over, shake the washcloth saying, “Shake, shake.” Look for ways to add to the bath routine.