Social-Emotional Development
Calming Strategy
Eye Rest
Eye Rest-Place your hands over your eyes (palms over eyes and fingers resting on forehead) and breathe in and out slowly while gently massaging your forehead with your fingertips.
Explain to your child that most spiders have eight eyes (some have less) but don’t see very well. They depend on sound and movement to guide them.
Cognitive Development
Number Line Game
Make 2 sets of 1-10 numeral cards. Use one set of numeral cards to set up a number line with your child on a table or the floor. Shuffle the other set of numeral cards and set face down on the table or floor. Have your child draw one card from the pile and place a small toy on that numeral on the number line. Have your child choose another card from the pile and determine if she needs to move the toy forwards or backwards to reach the numeral shown on their new card. Then ask “How many jumps forward or backwards do you need to go to get to (name of numeral)? Jump the toy to the new numeral. Then have your child draw another card and repeat.
Language Development
Metamorphosis
Discuss or view the life cycle and metamorphosis of a butterfly. Here is a 4-minute video to use, if you like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvmQiWpgX5c
Write out the word metamorphosis. Invite your child to copy the word. Have your child count the letters in the word. Have them look to see if any of the letters from their name are in the word metamorphosis. Ask “Which letters are used twice in the word?” Encourage your child to draw butterflies and caterpillars on their paper.
Physical Literacy
Playing Catch
Play catch with your child. Use a large soft ball for beginners and a smaller ball for more advanced catchers. For those baseball fans, you could try using a mitt, if you have one. Playing catch improves both throwing and catching skills. Have fun!
Creative Activity
Crazy Bug Hat
Invite your child to make a crazy bug hat. Make a headband from paper strips to fit your child and staple ends together. Encourage them to use a variety of materials (paper, chenille wires, feathers, wiggle eyes, paint, egg cartons, pom poms, buttons, crayons or markers, etc.) to create a crazy bug hat. The crazier the better.
Additional Resources
www.stevespanglerscience.com – Click on the Free at Home Experiments in the upper right-hand corner to access hundreds of at home science experiments.
https://www.seussville.com/ – Dr. Seuss themed printable pages, activities, crafts and more.