Things to do at home

FUN THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR CHILD

Plan an outdoor nature walk/scavenger hunt. Create a list of nature items for your child to find on the nature walk. Collect the items in a bag to bring home to explore.  Use the nature collection to create art. Arrange the collection in various ways and take pictures of the masterpieces.

Pajama dance party. Put on your pajamas and have a family dance party together to your favorite songs.

Family game night. Introduce your child to your favorite childhood board game. Create new memories of the game.

Save recyclable materials. Work together to build a tall structure using recyclable materials.

Make cards and decorate them. Send the cards to family and friends to help brighten their day.

Involve your child in chore day fun. Have your child help match socks and take turns tossing the sock balls into the laundry basket.

Hide puzzle pieces to seek and find. Help reinforce alphabet, shape/color, or number recognition skills by hiding the puzzle pieces around for your child to seek, find and practice naming that puzzle piece before putting it back on the puzzle.

Kitchen band. Use various bowls, pans, spoons and other items found in the kitchen to explore sound with your child. Sing a song together while playing the kitchen band “instruments”.

Bake together. Choose your favorite recipe and have your child help measure, pour, and mix the ingredients. Deliver some of the baked goods to your neighbor to show you care.

Build an indoor obstacle course. Have your child help you think of ideas for items to add to the obstacle course to move over, under, around and through.

Read a story together. Next, act out the story with your child and record your performance to watch together.

Decorate a journal together. Have your child decorate the cover of a notebook with stickers or washi tape. As your child draws and writes in their journal, you will have a keepsake of your child’s early writing skills. Model writing by creating your own journal to share writing time with your child.

Read a book together. Make costumes and/or stage props for your favorite stories. Attend story hour at your local library or book store.

Create your own puppets and put on a puppet show. Simple puppets can be made from old socks, gloves, tongue depressors, etc. A “stage” can be a chair, table or anything draped with a towel or tablecloth.

Compose a story together. Enlist your child as the illustrator.

Rhythm Fun. Clap, hum, whistle or tap the rhythm of a tune and have your child guess the song (this can be a great car game, too).

Get active together. Visit a local gym and see what children’s programs are offered. Go for a bike ride or walk around your neighborhood and look for signs of the seasons changing, colors, shapes, etc.

Get creative in the kitchen. Bake cookies, cut up fruit for a salad, or make soup together. Involve your child in selecting ingredients, measuring and mixing.

Have your child help set the table. Count how many forks, plates, napkins and other items are needed for each family member.

Make cleaning fun. Provide a pail of soapy water and let your child wash his/her toys, play equipment, bike, or household items. Have a “car wash” for toy vehicles.

Stargaze together. On a clear, starry night lie down outside and see if you can find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion’s Belt and other familiar constellations. Count how many stars you can see.

Go on a shape hunt. See how many circles, squares, triangles and other specific shapes you can find around the house. This also works with colors, letters and numbers.

Put together a family photo album. Have your child add decorations to each page and then dictate to you what to write under favorite photos that he/she has chosen.