Category: Play with

Have your child collect items like rocks and leaves. Arrange them in a pattern such as one rock, two leaves, one rock, two leaves. Then mix them up and ask your child to recreate your pattern. Can they remember the order? Have them take a turn making a simple pattern for you to remember.

Encourage your child to sort objects during cleanup. Talk about what you’re doing: “All of the small lids go in the little bowl and the big lids go in the big bowl.” Then mix it up and ask them to put the small objects in the big bowl. You can also sort by shape or… Continue reading Clean Up Sort

Ask your child to help you in the kitchen. Let them organize a shelf and find their own way to group things. If they need help, its OK to suggest things like “boxes here and cans there.” Or they could put crunchy food like cereal and crackers together. You can even give them a towel… Continue reading Kitchen Organizing

Try to prepare dinner in a new way. Ask your child, “What if we only used one arm to make dinner tonight?” See what you can do easily and what’s really hard. Share ideas back and forth about how you manage with only one arm. Then try, “What if you use your right arm and… Continue reading One-Arm Dinner

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?

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.

When you’re out with your child, team up with them to find colors. Have them point to something and name the color. Then you name all of the things you can think of that are the same color. Take turns playing this game.

Sorting the laundry? Encourage your child to help you find all of the socks and make a pile of them. Pick a sock and pretend it is a puppet looking for its matching friend. Celebrate when you find a match. Then let them take a turn as the puppet.

Include your child in common chores. For example, start with, “It’s time to sweep! Can you hold the dustpan for me?” Then, let them dump the dirt into the trash. Don’t be surprised when they ask you to hold the dustpan for them. Go back and forth. Taking turns is how they learn best and… Continue reading Help with Chores

Pretend to fix things with your child. With a plastic spoon, pretend to fix a hinge on a kitchen cabinet. “I’m fixing this broken hinge on the cabinet door. Now it’s your turn.” After their turn, hold out your hand saying, “My turn!” Keep taking turns, smiling while you work.