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What can you do with a big cardboard box? Next time you have a large cardboard box give it to your child to play with. Encourage them to use their imagination. I wonder what this big box could be. What does it look like to you? Turn a box on its side with the opening facing out. If you add a cushion or rug you’ll have a cosy nook just right for reading or dreaming.
Everyone celebrates birthdays differently, sometimes there is cake. What would happen if there were twins? Would you make one big cake or lots of little ones? How many cakes will we make? How many of the cakes will be red and how many will be yellow? If we make 12 cakes will there be 6 red and 6 yellow? We are going to make lots of little cakes for the twins.
Christmas can be a great time to make your own biscuits. Once you have made and rolled out the dough your child can help you to cut out the biscuits. What shape will they be? How many will you make? Do they all need to be the same shape? Talk with your child about why you are making the biscuits and how many you will need.
There are many different activities that you can do at the beach and talking to your child about what they would like to do will help you to decide what type of beach you will go to. The beach can be a very relaxing and restful place where you can talk, read, build sandcastles and lie on the sand. It can also be very active and involve going for long walks, running, playing or swimming.
Your child can learn a lot when cooking with you. Why not make a cake together? What does the recipe ask for? Do you have all the ingredients? Can you see if we have some milk and 4 eggs in the fridge? How much flour do we have? Is the jar full or getting empty? While you are making the cake, read out the recipe for your child to follow. Show them the numbers and words in the recipe.
Most children love to challenge themselves physically and explore the different ways they can move around, through and over different objects. You might find your child likes to try and balance on or along lines or other surfaces. Next time you are outside with your child or walking somewhere, encourage them to try a bit of balancing.
Blowing bubbles can be a fun activity to do on a very windy day. Watch the wind catch the bubbles and lift them high into the air. Try and track an individual bubble. As the wind catches the bubble and lifts it higher make predictions as to how high it will climb.
Let’s build. What shall we create? Will it be a zoo for the wild animals or a house for the snails from the garden to hide in? Maybe we can stack and stack and stack the blocks until they reach the sky!
A cardboard box car can be as simple or as fancy as you like. You’ll need a cardboard box that is big enough for your child to get inside. Which box can you fit in? Is it too big, too small or just right?
There is so much to remember in a day, a week, a month and a year. How do you keep track of what needs to happen and when? One way is to record an event on a calendar. Talk to your child about all of the different events that happen over the year. Explain that some things we can remember because they are regular events and happen every day or week.
