Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
15m
Language & Literacy
Community I Spy
Plan an outing in your community, like a visit to the park, a pond, or shopping center.
Look around and identify an object whose name is a simple one-syllable word.
Play "I Spy," giving your child a hint about the beginning, middle, or end sound of a word. See if your child can guess it. Celebrate when they get it right!
Repeat with other words around you.
20m
Math
Color Hunt
Draw lines dividing a piece of paper into 6 sections. Color each section with one of the primary or secondary colors (red, yellow, orange, blue, green, and purple).
Work together to find differently-colored objects in your home.
Ask your child to sort the items by color, and to place them next to the corresponding color section on your paper.
Challenge your child to find a few objects that match each color.
15m
Creativity
Draw and Pass it Around
Create a picture together with your family.
Each person can have a turn to draw for a few seconds before passing the paper on to the next person.
After, describe your family masterpiece together!
If your family is large, or there will be a lot of wait time before each person’s turn, split into smaller groups, or sing a song while you’re waiting.
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
30m
Language & Literacy
Let’s Go to the Library
Go to your local library and find the infant and toddler part of the children’s section. Many libraries have child-size book shelves, carpeted areas, and soft furniture for small children.
Explain that this is a place where you can borrow books and take them home for a short while.
Browse the aisles and guide your child toward low shelves so they can select the books they want. Model gentleness with books and how to turn the pages without ripping them.
Have your child watch the check-out process. When the books are at home, emphasize that you're reading special books your child picked out. Continue to model gentleness and care for books.
10m
Math
Navigation Numbers
As you go about your day, point out numbers that help you travel from place to place (like: bus or train numbers, building numbers, or street names).
Ask your child what number(s) they see on the signs.
Spend extra time talking about navigation numbers that are important to your child (in your address, the number of the bus they take to school, etc.)
15m
Social-Emotional Learning
Caring and Helping
Play a game of pretend to practice showing empathy and kindness. First, ask your child to pretend they have a hurt foot, and show ways you can help them.
Next, switch roles. Pretend that you're upset because you lost your keys, and prompt your child to help.
Take turns using other pretend events:
someone is sick
a friend moved away
After playing this game, recognize and praise your child when they show kindness to others in real life.
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
30m
Language & Literacy
A Look in the Library
Go to your local library with your child or children and explore the different sections, floors, or special areas; point out important areas, like the children’s section and check-out/return desk.
Ask your child what kind of book they might like to check out (younger children may need to be given a list of choices).
Introduce your child or children to a librarian and explain that they are there to help people find books. Ask the librarian if they can help you find the kind of book your child is interested in.
Allow your child to choose the book(s) they want to check out. Explain that you'll need to take good care of the books you borrow, and you'll need to return them so other children can enjoy them.
30m
Math
My Schedule
Create a your child's schedule on large paper. Make a column for each day of the week.
Talk with your child about what happens each day. Write the events and times on the paper, leaving room for drawings.
Together with your child, decorate the poster with stickers, drawings, magazine photos, etc.
Ask your child to explain each day's schedule.
15m
Social-Emotional Learning
Outdoor and Indoor Helpers
Pick a simple activity outside where your child can help you, such as watering plants or collecting fallen leaves. Let your child choose what they’d like to do.
Offer gentle guidance as you do the task, demonstrating how much water the plants need, or how to rake the leaves into a pile.
Give your child the opportunity to try it, following their lead and making it fun. Acknowledge your teamwork as you go.
If you’re not able to go outside, choose indoor activities where the two of you can work as a team, such as putting away laundry, setting the table, or organizing their room. Any activity can be an opportunity for teamwork!
Use these activities to learn with your child every day!
30m
Social Studies
Build A Community
Talk to your child about the community you live in by listing and describing different places and spaces you frequent together.
Discuss the purposes of the places and spaces in your community.
Give your child building materials like blocks, legos, or magnet tiles to recreate buildings and spaces in your community.
When your child is finished building, ask them to give you a tour of the community.
20m
Math
Falling Leaves
Invite your child to gather 10 leaves and a long twig and make a tree out of it. If you don’t have real leaves, leaves that you’ve cut out of paper are fine!
Ask, “The wind blew two leaves off of our tree.” Blow and have your child remove two leaves. “How many leaves do we have left?”
Ask your child to check their answers. Help them count if needed.
Repeat and invite your child to choose how many leaves will fall off the tree.
15m
Science
3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
Explain that the "3Rs" are "reduce, reuse, and recycle," and explain what those words mean.
Together with your child, brainstorm items in the home that can be reduced, reused, and recycled.
Ask your child why they think reducing, reusing, and recycling can help people, plants, and animals.
Draw simple pictures of items you can recycle on a piece of paper. Display the poster near your recycling bin as a reminder.
