PARK & LEARN!

 

 

The summer has had us out and about most days – beach, pool, play dates, zoo visits – you name it!  But there are still days that we spend at home and even inside.  Today, inparticular, we stayed home and I had a major mission to clean the house.  Spending so much time out of the house and packing and unpacking bags has left a mess over here (even more than it usually is).  On days like these, I try to set up the boys with an activity that will keep them entertained and give me a chance to get some things done.  This is what we did today and they really enjoyed it!

My boys love any kind of vehicles, and Anthony (3 ½) especially loves roads and parking garages.  We’ve spent many hours on the floor drawing roads with all the houses on our street, Anthony’s school, relatives’ houses, highways, intersections, exit ramps and parking lots.  Today, we expanded on our regular roads and turned them into a learning experience.  I simply drew a few roads that all led to a parking lot.  I made lined parking spots and in each one put numbers, letters, and each of the boys’ names.  I told the boys that I worked at the parking lot and as they drove their cars around, I would tell them where to park.  I would call out a number, letter or one of their names.  While the boys were just playing the way they always do, they were also practicing NUMBER and LETTER RECOGNITION.  Anthony got a total kick out of this and since he does know his letters and some numbers, I started to make it a little more challenging for him.  Instead of telling him the number or letter, I would hold up a certain number of fingers to tell him which number and tell him the SOUND the letter makes to tell him a letter.  I only used numbers 1-5 and letters A-F.  Since Anthony especially enjoyed it so much, I’ll add more numbers and letters another day.  You can put anything in your parking spots and use it as a fun way to keep your little one busy and teach them at the same time!

 

Let me know how this one works out for you and your little one!

Love & Language,

Marisa