Texture Time at the Playground
Here's What To Do
1
While on a trip to the playground, find different textures to do this activity. Some examples: slide, monkey bars, rubber ground covering, wood chips, grass, rocks, leaves.
2
Together with your child, touch the surfaces of different playground equipment and describe the textures you notice.
3
If your child is able, ask them to describe the textures of the playground equipment.
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Rub your fingers together and let your child know you will use your fingers to discover textures today.
E
Engage:
- Follow your child around the playground and notice what equipment attracts their attention. If your child gets on the slide say, “I'm noticing this feels smooth.”
- Ask your child what they notice. "How does this swing feel?"
E
Encourage:
- If your child is having a hard time describing the texture, give them a choice of descriptive words. Like: "Is this slide hard or soft? Warm or cold? Smooth or bumpy?"
- Ask your child to find other equipment or objects on the playground that have the same textures of your examples.
R
Reflect:
- What descriptive words does your child seem to know? Which ones are they still working on?
Not quite ready?
Ask your child to name the different objects they see at the playground (slide, swing, etc.).
Ready for more?
Ask your child to imagine playground equipment they'd like to build. Would they make a bumpy slide or a smooth one? A hard swing or a soft one?
As your child masters this skill...
They will use descriptive words to explain how textures feel