Social-Emotional Development
Smell the Flower, Blow out the Candle
Show your child how to cup their hand, palm up and bring it to their nose and inhale deeply as if they are smelling a flower. Then put up their pointer finger on one hand like a birthday candle and exhale pretending to blow out the candle. Repeat three times. Bringing extra oxygen to the brain helps to relieve stress and bring calm.
Cognitive Development
Chalk Counting Garden
Using sidewalk chalk draw 5 circles on the sidewalk. Write one numeral (1-5) inside each circle. Encourage your child to draw the correct number of petals on the numbered circle to create a flower. They might want to add stems and leaves, too. This same activity could be done with paper and crayons.
Language Development
Parts of a Flower
Take a clipboard or other firm surface, paper, pencil and a magnifying glass, if you have one, outside and look for a flower to observe. Talk with your child about the parts of a flower and introduce new vocabulary words as you talk (pollen, petals, stem, roots, leaves). Encourage your child to draw a picture of the flower and help them label the parts when their picture is complete, with their permission.
Physical Literacy
Ball Dribbling
Show your child how to dribble a basketball or other large bouncy ball using two hands. Encourage them to practice. For a further challenge they can try dribbling with their right hand and their left hand.
Creative Activity
Tulips
Gather paper, a fork, a paintbrush and some paint. Encourage your child to dip the back of the fork into the paint and then press onto the paper. After stamping all their “tulips”, your child can add stems and leaves to their picture, if desired.
Additional Resources
https://www.storylineonline.net/ – Running out of books to read? Visit this website for a selection of books read aloud by actors and actresses.
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/index.php – This Centre for Early Literacy Learning website has some posters for parents on simple ways to enhance literacy learning through everyday activities and routines. From the home page click on products and then choose CELLpops and posters from the drop-down menu for ideas to use with your infant, toddler or preschool child.