Puzzles are easy to make at home. You can also personalize them and make as many as you wish. Print a favorite digital photo to at least an 8-by-10-inch size. Cut a piece of cardboard the same size as the photo and glue the photo onto it. Cut the photo into large puzzle pieces for your child to put together. Make the individual pieces in simple shapes for small hands to work with.
Set out a basket of five to 10 items that your child uses every day, such as a hair brush, a favorite toy, a spoon, a sock and a book. Tell your child to look closely at the items, then close her eyes. Take one of the items away and see if she can name what the missing item is when she opens her eyes.
Musical games are simple and fun to play at home. Play some music and have the children run and dance while the music is playing. They will have to "freeze" as soon as you stop the music. Whoever is still moving when the music stops is out; the last child left is the winner. Or play musical chairs using the same method, in which everyone races for a chair when the music stops.
Attach a long piece of string to a long wooden dowel or stick. Tie a magnet to the other end of the string. Cut out enough fish shapes for every letter of the alphabet and mark each fish with a letter. Attach a paper clip to each fish so the magnet can pick it up. Let the children "fish" for letters. If they catch one, they have to name the letter. If they are right, they keep the fish; if not, they throw it back. Whoever has the most fish at the end of the game wins.