Social-Emotional Development
Calming Strategy - Dog Panting
Demonstrate panting like a dog. Encourage your child to pant like a dog with you. Explain that this type of breathing brings air down into our lungs to help improve thinking and bring a calm feeling.
Cognitive Development
Where is the Dog?
Gather an empty box and a stuffed dog (another animal can be substituted for the dog). The box is the dog’s house. Ask your child to place the dog in various locations in relation to the doghouse, such as behind, in front of, over, under, inside and outside.
Play a hiding game with the dog. Hide the dog and provide clues for your child to find it using location words. “The dog is behind the couch.” Or they can search for the hidden toy and then tell you where they found it using location words. Give them the chance to be the one hiding the dog, too.
Language Development
Trainer Says
Help your child practice their listening skills by playing “Trainer Says”. This is played like “Simon Says”. When you say, “Trainer says pant like a puppy,” your child would pant. If you say, “Pant like a puppy”, your child would not pant because you didn’t say “Trainer says,” first. Continue playing asking your child to do different dog tricks.
Physical Literacy
Dog Chase
Have your child pretend to be a dog (or another pet) that has gotten away from its owner. You are the owner and chase after your “dog”. After a few chases, have the dog chase the owner.
Creative Activity
Pet Rock
Look outside with your child for a potato-sized rock(s). Invite your child to decorate their rock using paint and a paintbrush (crayons will work if you don’t have paint). Glue on googly eyes, if you have them, or draw and cut eyes from paper and glue on with white glue. Voila! You have a pet rock. Your child could also make their pet rock a home or bed, give it a name and feed it.
https://playtolearnpreschool.us/pet-rocks/
Additional Resources
https://adventuresinfamilyhood.com/20-virtual-field-trips-to-take-with-your-kids.html - Here is another virtual field trip site to check out. You will find links to art museums, zoos, aquariums and some famous sites around the world.
https://www.abcya.com/ - This website offers a wide variety of free educational games for Pre-K through grade 6 children.
Learning at Home Preschool Week 8
Learning at Home Preschool Week 18
