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Training Pets (7-30-15)

Plan to take your child to see animal training classes. Talk to the workers about what types of animals can be trained, how long it takes, and how important the owners are to the success of the training. If you own a pet, decide whether training classes would be helpful for your pet and family members. If you do not own a pet yet, decide whether you want to arrange for training classes for your pet if you get one at some point.

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Bringing Stories Alive (7-29-15)

Draw a story. Have your child draw the pictures for a story. It can be a story your child tells you (or has told you in the past) or one you tell your child. Even older children can enjoy doing this if they have any interest in art. They might prefer to use photographs, make a movie, or cut out magazine pictures to illustrate the story.

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Your Child, the Storyteller (7-28-15)

Help your child tell you a story. Notice the types of characters he chooses – children like him, superheroes that can’t be real, or animals that come to life. Notice what the problem is in the story and what feelings are in the story – is someone mad, scared, happy, sad? About what? Notice how the story ends – good, not so good, or not at all. If the story doesn’t end at all, you could talk about possible ways it might end and let him choose the way he likes best. If your child is old enough, you could have him write his story or use a keyboard, if he is old enough to learn this important skill.

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Sunday Sundaes (7-27-15)

Make your own ice cream sundaes. Set out several ice cream flavors and toppings and let each person make their own. Once their sundaes are built, let each person tell the group what it is and what it is going to taste like – as though they were the star of a cooking show.

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What Does Your Child Wonder About? (7-26-15)

Play “What Do You Wonder About?” Pick a state or country to learn about. Ask your child, “What Do You Wonder about Alaska (or any other state or country he might be interested in)?” You’ll need your computer or some books to find answers to his questions. Here is how you play.

You each take turns asking the question, “What do you wondered about …?”
After each question, the person being asked the question makes a guess about the answer and the other person agrees or disagrees.
Then, look up the answer together in a book or on the computer.
If the question is too complicated to easily find an answer, break it down into parts and try to find an answer to just part of the question. Over time, keep looking for more information to add to the answer until your child is satisfied with the answer. Remember, young children like simple responses, so don’t dig more deeply than your child seems to need.

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Designing a Room (7-25-15)

Make a new room. Choose a spot in the house – child’s bedroom, play area, TV room, etc. Tell your child you are going to play being “designers.” Together, take all the moveable stuff out of the room. Tell your child he can decide where to put things back into the room. Tell him you will leave the room “his way” for one day to test how it works, and when the test is over, you will be in charge of what to do with the room. Take before and after pictures. Be sure to check in with your child about how the room worked during the test period.

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Acting Out (7-23-15)

Let your child choose a favorite story and act it out. Pick out just one small section of the story, if your child is young. You can do several sections with older children. You can have neighbors join or you can each play different parts. Make up costumes from things you have around the house – just different hats can work, if that’s all you have. If you are playing more than one part, having a different hat for each part can help you switch from one to another. Perform the “play” for your family or neighbors. Be as fancy as you like – with tickets, refreshments, etc.

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Build and Play (7-22-15)

Build a tent or fort. It can be in or out of the house. You can use a real tent or blankets, tablecloths, and furniture. Let your child decide what the tent or fort is all about – a secret “mom and me” club, hiding out from monsters, a lab for making a power potion, etc. Once the fort is done, play pretend together. Let your child know when you start playing pretend and announce when you are done pretending.

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Jokes (7-21-15)

Ask your child to tell a joke as his “ticket” to each meal and for each ride in the car. For young children, ask them to make a silly face or a silly sound. For older children, you can find knock-knock jokes, riddles, and plays on words at the library or on the Internet. Read some jokes to your child and let him repeat them through the day or print them for your child and let him read them through the day.

Examples:

Q: Knock, knock—-Who’s There?—-Who—-Who Who? A: Is there an owl in there?

Q: What gets wetter the more it dries? A: A towel.

Q: Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long? A: Because then it would be a foot!

Q: What has one head, one foot and four legs? A: A Bed

Q: How many letters are in The Alphabet? A: There are 11 letters in The Alphabet

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Puppet Fun (7-20-15)

Have a puppet show. For puppets you can use stuffed animals, dolls, hand puppets, marionettes, and even old socks that you have drawn faces on. The show can be inside or outside. A stage can be a chair, table, rock, box, etc. Make up the story and name the show. Perform it for the family or neighbors. Be as fancy as you like – with tickets, refreshments, etc.

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Scream for Ice Cream (7-19-15)

Make homemade ice cream. It’s National Ice Cream Day in the United States. You can find recipes in most cookbooks, at the library, or on the Internet. If you want an adventure, try making ice cream the old fashioned way in a tin can. Or, use an ice cream maker, if you have one or can borrow one. Some recipes don’t require any special equipment – they just go directly in your freezer. Little known fact: it has been reported that there are over 1000 different ice cream flavors.

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My Game; My Rules (7-18-15)

Help your child make up a new game. It can be a physical game, like a ball game or running/jumping game. Or, it can be a card or board game. If starting from scratch to come up with a new idea for a game is too difficult, try making changes in a game your child already knows. How else could Chutes and Ladders be played? Or baseball? Let him make up whatever rules he wants as long as they are not unsafe or hurtful to other players and are set BEFORE the game is played (not to be changed during the game). Be sure to play the game after it is created. Discuss how well your child liked the game and whether it could be even better with some additional changes in it.

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Make-Believe Art (7-17-15)

Do an art project with your child that is about adding something to his dress-up stuff. It could be making hats to go with clothes he has. It could be making “extras” like magic wands, tools, etc. It could be whole costumes made out of craft paper or newspaper. It could be props like ovens, hideouts, or walls made from cardboard boxes or blocks. Be sure to play together to try them out once they are made.

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What If I Could … (7-16-15)

Ask your child a “What If” question about something she is not yet able to do. For example, “What if you could go to school every day like big sister? Or, “What if, you could fix your own snacks when you were hungry?” Listen to your child’s answers and enjoy her imagination. You can also get clues about what preparation she needs in order to do what you have asked about.

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A Treasure Hunt (7-15-15)

Have a treasure hunt. Hide one or more treasures (candy or trinkets). Use different colors of chalk to write clues on the sidewalk. Make it very simple or more difficult depending on what your child can handle. You can use pictures for non-readers. If you invite neighbors to your hunt, have different colored treasures and clues – one color for each child so they each have the fun of finding their own treasure and they are not rushing to be the first to find a single treasure. If a child is having difficulty, let him ask someone for help.

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A Picture Says 1,000 Words. (7-14-15)

Let’s shoot it. Have a photo shoot. Gather lots of fun things for the kids to wear and stand beside to have their photos taken. Dress-ups will work great for this, but even if the kids have grown out of their own dress-up clothes, you can find some things in your closets for them to use. You can also use places to create fun pictures like under a chair or table in the family room or in a tree in the yard. Be sure to display the pictures afterwards. It can be either a paper display or a digital display.

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Boo-Boo Kit (7-13-15)

Let’s get prepared. Help your child make his own Boo-Boo kit. This is a collection of things he can use to help himself when he gets hurt. It is not to replace the family first-aid kit. It is something extra to encourage your child to be responsible and confident about taking care of himself as he grows older.

1. Pick out a container. It could be plastic, cardboard, cloth, or even a paper bag. Let your child decorate it with crayons, markers, or paint. Make sure he can open and close it easily.

2. Work together to find things to put in the Boo-Boo kit. Make sure they are safe things that he will be able to use himself if he gets hurt – special band aids, muscle wraps, stuffed animal, a small toy, a book. Don’t put in anything (for example, medicines or creams) that could be dangerous, if he were to get in the kit without you there.

3. Decide where to put the kit. Make sure he can easily get to it.

While working on this kit together explain what things you think he can do for himself when he is hurt. Remind him that if he were hurt, two people would be ready and glad to take care of him – you and him.

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It’s Good to Show-Off – Sometimes. (7-12-15)

Let’s show off. Help your child organize and perform a “kids show” with kids from the neighborhood. Younger kids may need you to be the director, come up with the plan, and help them rehearse. Older kids can develop their own plans and get ready. If they need help, you can offer to set up a place for the show and notify an audience (other parents and neighbors). The show can be as simple or involved as you want. If you want to make it very real, the kids can even make tickets and snacks. Clap and celebrate at the end. Tell each kid why you are clapping – you loved his song … her dance made you feel happy … he made you laugh … she had such a great smile.

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“Doing” Art (7-11-15)

Let’s do “Doing” art. Make a list of things your child can do by himself. Come to an agreement about the things he thinks he can do and things you think he can do. Let your child draw a picture for each thing on the list. A picture can be as detailed or as simple as your child wants (and is able) to make it. He can use pencils, crayons, paints, cut out pieces of paper, pictures from magazines – whatever type of art your child likes. For example, a shoe can represent him being able to tie his shoes or a big smile that he can brush his teeth. For younger children, you can be a helper. Have your child tell you what he wants to have on the page, and you can do the drawing. Attach the pictures together to make a “book.” Make each drawing be a separate page. Have fun giving the book a name. Be sure to share it with friends and family. You can also keep it and add to it over time.

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Scavenger Hunting (7-10-15)

Let’s go-a-hunting. Plan a scavenger hunt. The younger children may need it to be in their house or yard. Older children could have it be throughout the neighborhood. Also for older kids, you can have them use their camera to take a picture of what is on the scavenger hunt. This makes it possible to use more interesting things even though they can’t be disturbed or moved – like a green car, an oak tree, a blooming rose, sleeping cat, or a for sale sign.

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Tea Time (7-9-15)

Let’s have a 4:00 party. Have a tea party. Try to follow the old-fashioned “rules.” You can find them on the Internet or at the library. Be sure to talk about “manners” for tea parties – for example, how to set the table, serve the food, and use “please” and “thank you.” You can invite other kids and adults or just dolls and stuffed animals. Don’t forget to include the boys. No reason they and their superheroes can’t attend. By the way, the “proper” time for tea is 4:00 pm. But, if you can’t arrange your party for that time, have fun with the fact that it is 4:00 somewhere else in the world. For example, it is 4:00 pm in Rome, Italy at 10:00 am Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

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Preparing for the Not-So-Good (7-8-15)

Let’s play “What If.” Play “What If” about “not so good” situations. You can play it anywhere – in the car, on a bus, in a waiting room, at a restaurant. It takes no equipment other than brains and willingness to use them. Ask a “What If” question and take turns answering it. For example, “What if you and your brother were really, really mad at each other? Or, “What if it rained almost everyday on our vacation at the beach?” By listening to your child’s answers you can learn how well prepared he is for difficult situations. By offering your own answers you can make sure your child has heard some good ways to handle those situations. It is important that you do not “correct” your child’s answers. Instead, set some rules ahead of time. For example, “Your answers cannot include anything that would hurt another person or thing.”

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Having a Pet Party (7-7-15)

If you don’t have a pet right now, make plans for what the day will be like when a pet is added to your family. Consider the needs of the pet when you plan your celebration. Make sure the activities and the food are all good for the pet. Remember that people food is often not good for pets, and certain types of play (for example, fish out of water or birds out of cages) can be bad for a pet.

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Sound Alikes (7-6-15)

Let’s play “Sound Alikes.” Take turns thinking up words that sound alike but have different meanings. For example, “dear” and “deer.” Or, “see” and “sea.” Once two “sound alikes” are suggested, continue adding more, if you can think of them – like add “C” to “see” and “sea.” By the way, these are called “homonyms.”

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MYopoly (7-5-15)

Let’s go past “GO.” Create a MYopoly board. MYopoly is your very own personal monopoly game. Make up your own monopoly board where all the properties fit a topic your child is interested in. For example, for younger children, all the spaces could be “treat” shops around where you live (ice cream, candy, cupcakes, etc.) or all the parks and types of play equipment (jungle gyms, swings, etc.). For older children, the spaces could be baseball properties – like ballparks around the country and the transportation to get there (trains, planes, or busses) or the properties in your neighborhood (houses where their friends live, stores, parks, etc.) Use your imagination. Draw the board and make (or collect) tokens that fit the theme.

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Celebrate! (7-4-15)

Celebrate something important related to the country you live in or the culture you are part of. For example, celebrate the Fourth of July (Independence Day) in the U.S. Enjoy your celebration to the fullest, but remember special days are not always “perfect.” But, even when events aren’t prefect, they can still create wonderful memories. At the end of the day, be sure to talk over all that was good about it.

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Wheel Out the Fun (7-3-15)

Let’s wheel away. Plan a “wheels parade.” Gather neighborhood kids with their bikes, big wheels, scooters, wagons, skates, and anything with wheels. Let them decorate their wheels (colored paper, ribbons, poster, flowers, balloons, etc.) and then parade around the neighborhood.

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The Power of No Words (7-2-15)

Let’s read without using words. Go to the library and ask the librarian where to look for books without words. You can ask to see some by Barbara Lehman or David Wiesner as a start. When you tell your child the story represented by the pictures in the books, use words, character names, and details that are familiar to your child. On some pages you can ask your child to tell you what is happening and help tell the story.

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A World of Art (7-1-15)

Do a “My World” art project with your child. Use whatever type of art your child likes – drawing, sculpting, painting, dancing, singing, photographing, etc.). The idea is:

1. Your child should be at the center of the “world” being created;

2. The “world” should include who and what is most important in your child’s day-to-day life;

3. The “world” should show how those important people and things look next to your child – are they close, far away, big, small, bright, faded, etc.?

4. Be sure to display the finished product.

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