Activity Suggestions
6 to 12 months
- during bath time, name each body part as you wash it
- play "this little piggy went to market" or "head and shoulders, knees and toes" in the bathtub
- put a favourite toy in front of the child, just out of reach; wait and see how he/she tells you he/she wants it
- sing songs or nursery rhymes
- name objects the baby looks at or touches
- play up & down games-pick baby up high and say "up, up, up"
- take turns hiding either behind your hands, a towel or blanket, then moving it away, saying "Where's Daddy?", "Here I am" or "Peek-a-boo"
- play "where did you go?" when putting on shirts over the child's head
18 months
- put objects in plastic containers
- shake them
- open and close them
- take things out and put things in
- use words like "in", "out", "more" and "shake"
- sing simple repetitive songs like "Old MacDonald had a farm"...pause to see if your child will name any animals
2 years
- sing simple songs with actions "Itsy bitsy spider", "Round and round the garden"
- hide objects under/behind pillows, blankets, furniture. Ask: "where's the ball?" , "find the teddy"
- Take turns stacking blocks; talk about where you're putting them, big blocks versus little blocks, and what colour they are
3 years
- read books with pictures and take turns telling little stories about the pictures
- make-believe play with or without toys (pretend to go shopping, dress-up, play with pretend toy garages, dollhouses, kitchen sets...)
- sort pieces of clothing together with the child while doing laundry (sort by colours, size, who it belongs to, type of clothing...)
- arrange times for children to play with other children their age
4 years
- make puppets from socks or paper bags; let child make up and tell stories using them
- play simple board/card games helping them to match and name colour/shapes, count and follow directions (Snakes and Ladders, Go Fish)
5 years
- play simple board/card games (checkers, tic tac toe)
- involve your child in "jobs" around the house
- have your child help with baking; talk about the amounts you measure, what order the ingredients are added, and how long it will bake
- read longer stories and talk about why/how things happened, moral to the story, etc...
