Author: Five Ones

Go through the ABCs with your child and make the shape of each letter with your bodies. How would you make the letter A? Make a triangle with your arms above your head and your legs standing wide. Can your child make the letter B with their body? Take turns making the other letters!

Ask your child to create a path to get from one side of a room to the other without touching the ground. Use pillows, newspaper, or whatever is handy. Make it harder by seeing how far or fast they can go. Or limit what they can use to make the path to make it more… Continue reading The Floor is Lava

Ask your child to play a game of pretend catch. Imagine you’re holding a ball and throw it to them. Encourage them to throw it back to you. Try making the ball bigger or smaller. Talk with them about what you’re doing: “I’m going to throw it fast! Get ready!”

With your child, place something round—like a ball or stone—in a big spoon. Can they walk across the room holding the spoon without dropping the object? Talk back and forth about how they keep the ball from falling. Come up with new ways of moving, like on tiptoes. See what happens.

As your child plays, encourage them to find something to climb over or crawl under. What about something they can roll on the ground, bang like a drum, or balance? This game is fun inside or outside. Talk with them about it. What was the same and what was different?

Does your child love to throw things? Set up an experiment together. Get different safe things for them to throw, like a scarf, rolled up socks, a paper cup, etc. Which one can they throw the farthest? Talk about what they notice.

Challenge your child to move as slowly as possible to get somewhere, like to a nearby tree. How slowly can you both move? Try different ways to move, like by hopping or jumping.

Walking somewhere? Turn your trip into “Follow the Leader.” Ask your child, “Can you do what I do?” while you pat your head. Then switch it up. If you pat your head, have them pat their stomach. Keep switching!