Category: Play with

Sitting in traffic makes anyone antsy. So turn it into a clapping game with just a few simple rules. If the radio is on, have your child clap to the music. If you turn the radio off, they stop clapping and freeze.

Play “The Big Game” by naming something big. Then ask your child, “Can you name something that’s bigger?” Take turns and keep playing until you come up with the biggest, most gigantic, huge thing you can think of. Switch it up and name the smallest thing you can think of.

While waiting, challenge your child to see how long both of you can be silent. Let them be the timer. You can use your face and body movements to communicate. Whoever stays silent the longest wins!

While at the park, play a game of “Stop-and-Go” with your child. When you say “go” you both run, dance, and jump around. Then, when you say “stop” everybody freezes. After a few rounds, let them be the one to shout the commands.

Going out? Grab a container and see what you and your child find that’s safe to pick up. Do you see some rocks to bring home and decorate? Do you see some leaves to glue into a collage? Do you see a bug to watch before you let it go? Continue watching and talking about… Continue reading Nature Picking

Waiting is a part of life. Do you wait in line at the store, at a doctor’s office, or for a ride? While you’re waiting, pretend you’re a newscaster. Using your pretend microphone, ask your child questions: “What do you see? Who else is here? What do you think is going to happen next?”

Choose an object in your home, like a used paper towel roll, and challenge your child to see how many different ways they can use it. It can be a telescope, a tunnel for something small, or a musical instrument like a horn. What other items can they find around the house to explore? Take… Continue reading Object Fun

Make today “Peekaboo Day.” See how many times and ways you can play “Peekaboo” with your child. Catch their eye around a corner, through your fingers, over a book, from under a chair.

How many ways can you play “Peekaboo”? You can hide your eyes behind your hand, or use a hat, a napkin, or whatever is handy and then say “Peekaboo!” Help your child take a turn. What can they hide behind? Saying “I see you!” when one of you stops hiding should make you both laugh.

Place your baby on their back and dangle anything safe, handy, and interesting just out of their reach. Encourage them to follow the objects with their eyes and head or to reach for them. Comment on how hard they try, “You almost touched the spoon!”