Tonight at dinner, talk about favorites. “What is your favorite color (animal, food, place, book)?” You start and then let your child have a turn. Keep going back and forth until you each name five favorites!
Category: 6 Loving Habits
Animal Adventure
Turn your living room into an “Animal Adventure.” Make an animal noise. Can your child guess the name of the animal? Can they copy the sound back? Now it’s their turn to make a sound for you to guess. See how many times you can go back and forth: “Woofff! Hissssss! Rooarr!”
Cook Together
No matter what you’re cooking, your child can be a helper. Give them a play-by-play of what you’re using. If it’s safe, let them touch, smell, or taste things too. Chat about what you’re making: “Red pepper makes the beans spicy.”
Food Five Senses
Food can exercise your child’s five senses! Let them taste a piece of the food and ask how it tastes, then have them smell it and tell you what they smell. Talk about the shape of it and how it feels to the touch. You can smell and taste it too.
Rhythm Clap
Tap a rhythm with your hands and let your child do their best to copy. Try different patterns of sounds and lengths, like clapping or opening and closing your fist. Then you can take a turn to copy what they do. See how long you can go back and forth.
Count Bites
Sometimes mealtime can be a challenge. Encourage your child to eat by offering them choices about how they eat. You can say something like, “Do you want two big dinosaur bites or four little bird bites?” Count the bites together and ask them to think of their own “Animal Bites” eating ideas.
Pretend Play
What can you find in your house to play pretend with your child? Offer them clothes, blankets, empty boxes, or clean and safe kitchen objects to use. Follow their lead and see where it takes you. If you need to, you can give them ideas like, “Should we build a boat or pretend to cook… Continue reading Pretend Play
Play Kitchen
Work together with your child to create a play kitchen by offering them pots, spoons, and other safe kitchen items. Use the top of a table as a stove and ask them what they need to make food, like soup. Pretend to put in ingredients and take turns stirring and tasting your creation!
Obstacle Course
Make an obstacle course today! Line up a few pillows for a jump or go under the table as a tunnel. Lines on the floor could even become a tightrope. Try one or two of these and then add on some of your own! Talk to your child about what they’re doing as they do… Continue reading Obstacle Course
Take Turns Taking a Bite
Encourage sharing and taking turns by asking your child to feed you, too. After they take a bite say, “My turn!” Open your mouth and see if they’ll give you a bite. Say, “Thank you!” and then prompt them to take a turn. They will love having a turn at being in charge!
