1 to 3 Years:
Laundry Basket Rides
• Requesting – push your child, stop, wait, see if he requests for “more”
• Prepositions- in/on/out/around
• Action Verbs- stop/go, turn, spin, ride
• Cause/effect- you say “ready set” wait, then “go” as you push
Bubbles
• Any bubbles will do to work on requesting and cause/effect
• You hold the bubbles and wait, see if your child requests for “more”
• Actions Verbs- blow/pop/go/fly
Peek-a-Boo
• Cause/effect- child pulls on blanket, causes you to say “boo”
• Joint attention- your child looks at you and shares attention in the game with you
• Eye contact- cover your eyes to draw attention to your eyes and encourage eye contact
• Turn taking- take turns “hiding”
4 to 7 Years:
Magnets and a Cookie Sheet
• Concepts- put magnets on the top/bottom/middle of the sheet
• Vocabulary- talk about the names of the magnets and describe the magnets
• Follow directions- “Find the animal magnet,” or “Find a blue magnet.”
• Requesting- ask for “more magnets” or request the specific magnet that he wants
• Answer wh-questions (“Where is the dog magnet?”)
Puzzles
• Vocabulary- work on names of things with noun puzzles, work on describing the puzzle pieces
• Matching- colors, numbers, pictures, etc…
• Requesting- you hold the puzzle pieces and your child requests for which ones he wants, one at a time
Shaving Cream
• Follow directions- put the shaving cream at the top/bottom/middle
• Literacy- draw letters, numbers, and scribbles in the shaving cream
• Concepts- on/off- wipe it on and off the bathroom tub walls
8 to 12 Years:
Dinner Time
• Follow directions- give directions such as “Put out three plates, forks, and one big spoon” while having your child set the table
• Vocabulary- talk about and describe the functions of items used at dinner time
• Social skills- take turns asking/answering questions at the dinner table, practice manners such as saying please and thank you, cleaning up, etc…
After School Snack Time
• Expressive language- have your child describe the ingredients and steps necessary to make his favorite snack
• Follow directions- make microwave pop corn, read and follow the package directions, have him tell you how to make it
• Vocabulary- sort your after school snack foods into categories (e.g., fruits, veggies, healthy and junk foods)
Cartoon Section of the Newspaper
• Inference skills- make guesses as to what makes the cartoon funny
• Non literal language- cartoons are usually full of idioms and metaphors, talk about the literal and non literal meanings of the cartoons
• Expressive Language- write and draw your own cartoons, talk about what makes them funny