Play this game indoors or outdoors to promote vocabulary and a better understanding of language.
Start by calling out a word that rhymes with something in the room or area where you are playing.
Have your child run to find the thing that rhymes with the word you called out. For example, if you called out, "hair," your child might run to touch a chair. If you called out "cat," your child might run to touch a hat.
Play as long as it engages your child.
Play hopscotch with your child. This game helps exert energy while practicing counting and fine motor skills.
Draw a hopscotch board outdoors with chalk, or create one indoors on a rug with masking tape. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just make sure each square is large enough for the player's feet to fit into comfortably. Write a number in each square.
Give your child a bean bag or something to be used as a marker. Tell your child into which number to toss the bean bag.
Show your child how to jump into each square, with only one foot per square at a time. On the single number lines, you hop on one foot. On the double number lines you can use both feet. Avoid the square with the marker.
Count as your child works his way up and down the board, stopping to pick up the marker as he goes.
Play this game on laundry days to make the task fun, and help your child work on some fundamental matching and sorting skills so they begin to understand relationships between different things. This also helps children learn a sense of responsibility in doing chores and taking pride in helping around the house.
Start before washing clothes by having your child sort your laundry into piles, such as whites and colors.
Practice counting as you go, by counting how many shirts, pants or socks you put into the washing machine.
Continue the game when the laundry is dry. Give your child socks to sort to find the matching pairs. Have your child divide clothes into piles, such as shirts, pants and underclothes. Alternately, they can sort piles by whom the clothes belong to: mommy's, daddy's, mine.