Creativity: Learning Activities and Games

In the Kitchen

In the kitchen, you and your children can do many things together: put away groceries, prepare meals and snacks, or set the table. Every family member can have a job to do! Your children will feel good about their successes as they use their large and small muscles and look for shapes and colors. Be sure the kitchen is a safe place. Keep sharpobjects out of reach. Remind the children about family rules in the kitchen.

Activities

Help your children become aware of the differences in food.

• Talk with your children about the size, taste, texture, and color of foods. Help them recognize the differences between rough and smooth surfaces, salty or sweet tastes, and the odors of certain foods.
• Ask them to talk about changes in foods as you cook them ("How did it look when it was raw?... when we started to cook it?... how does it look now?"). Help your children to compare the before and after.
• Talk with your children about any foods that have special meaning to your family.

Look for shapes or colors around the kitchen, in and on the cabinets, and on the refrigerator and stove.

• Ask your children to find circles, triangles, or squares.
• Play the game, "I see something you don't see and the color (or the shape) IS ." Your children can name the items or foods that are in the kitchen and that fit the description until they get to the item you have in mind.

In the Bathroom

The bathroom is a great place for children to learn hygiene and practice using their muscles by brushing their teeth and combing their hair. While they're taking a bath, they can learn math and science concepts such as sinking and floating, full and empty. Safety tip: Always stay with your children when they are in the bathroom! Put red duct tape on all hot water faucets for safety.

Activities

Make faces in the mirror with your children: move your tongue, make a kiss, wiggle your nose.

• Talk with your children about all of the things they can do with their eyes: blink, stare, wink.
• Use mirrors to name body parts.

Look for ways to use different senses in the bathroom.

• Feel and talk about different textures: soft cotton, hard soap, smooth wall, slippery sink.
• Smell different things: toothpaste, soap.

In the Bedroom

The bedroom can be a place where you and your children play together, read stories, and talk about almost anything! Your children will learn a lot of self-help skills in the bedroom. They will be very proud of their new abilities.

Activities

Read to your children daily.

•  Tell a story or read a book to your children at bedtime
•  After you've finished reading, ask your children to tell you all they remember about the story.
• Encourage your children to make up and tell stories or repeat a story you have read.

Let your children know that books are special.

• Make a library shelf or book area with your children.
• Use different print materials often: borrow from the library, make homemade books, and look at junk mail, greeting cards, newspapers, or magazines.

In the Family Room

The family room can be a place for both quiet and noisy activities. Your children will develop their social skills by learning how to be by themselves or how to be part of a family group. Tell your children which items in the room are on the "Be Careful Touching" or "Do Not Touch" list. Here are activites to build both large and small muscles. The family room is a busy place.

Activities

Talk about sounds

• Ask your children to point to the direction of the sound and describe it.
• Ask your children to tell you about all the things that make loud or soft sounds such as the TV, the radio, etc.
• Sing songs together: old favorites, nursery rhymes. Use a wooden spoon or thick stick as microphone.

 Talk about:

• The names of all the furniture in the room such as the lamp, table, and couch.
• Family stories about the children's grandparents, family histories and when your children were babies.
• The things your children make.
• Your children's favorite TV shows.

In the Community

Children should go outdoors everyday for fresh air, fun, and exercise. You and your children will have greater freedom outdoors to jump, hop, swing, look, and listen. Let your children make noise. Remind them about any rules you have for playing outside.

Activities

Talk about all the things you and your children see in the sky, near the house or apartment

• Colors
• Bright sun
• Moon
• Neighbors
• Cars
• Shapes
• Dark clouds
• Stars
• Snow
• Houses

Talk about:

•   The names of the animals and insects they see and hear.
•   Where your children think the animals live, how insects build their homes, and where they get their food.