“Stop”. “Yield”. “One Way”. These are just a few of the signs that children see almost every day when driving in the car with mom or dad. Young children have not yet learned, or are just beginning to learn, how to read these sorts of words, but most are innately curious about what those colorful signs mean.
Use the mystique of the common road sign to your advantage, by creating a game with hidden learning opportunities. Children will love to play grown-up by “driving”, just like mom and dad. As you help them create traffic signs you can subtly help them learn by explaining the individual letters, how they create each word, and what it means.
What You Need:
What You Do:
License Plates: Cut pieces of poster board the same size as license plates. Then pull out an atlas or U.S. map and point out some possibilities. Use this as an opportunity to talk about the differences between our country's regions. Once your children have chosen a state, you can look online for a picture of its license plate, or just set them free to create their own design!
Traffic Signs: Make a few traffic signs, such as caution, stop, one way, pedestrian crossing, and yield. Leave a few blank pieces of paper and ask your kids to create a new kind of traffic sign from their imaginations. Maybe when their sign is held up, all drivers must turn left immediately, or maybe it's a sign that means speed up, rather than slow down...
Driver's Licenses: Make your little drivers official, by cutting paper or cardstock into small rectangles and writing “Driver's License” at the top. On the left-hand side, write “Name,” “Age” and “Birthday.” Then draw a small oval shape on the right side and ask your kids to create their own picture. Make enough copies so that each child has one.
Once you've got all you need in hand, round up the kids and ask them to hang their traffic signs around the backyard. Put up the signs you have made, too, and be sure to explain what they mean. Tape a paper license plate onto each child's bike. And make sure each has a driver's license in his pocket, just in case. Then encourage the kids to hit the "roads", following the rules.
In addition to being a lot of fun, this activity helps teach pre-reading skills. After you set up the activity, it can remain there until it rains. This way your child has the opportunity to play and learn every day. Just beware of the backseat driver, since now they'll know exactly what “yield” means!
Recommended Reading
By Laura Davy
Adapted from Literacy Play Over 300 Dramatic Play Activities That Teach Pre-Reading Skills, ed. Amy Cox, Sherrie West. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2004. www.gryphonhouse.com
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