Summer can be a magical time for children to create lasting memories and learn new hobbies. It can also be a great time to stimulate your child’s mind through creative play.
“Parents need to remember that play is the best form of education and learning at this age,” says Jo Ashline, a former kindergarten teacher from Orange. “Not everything they do has to be organized games or crafts. This age group needs plenty of sensory activities.”
Additionally, sticking to a routine and schedule may help you make the most of your child’s summer vacation. Once school ends, there tends to be an urge to throw rules out the window, but children ages 2 to 5 still need around 10 hours of sleep every night, nutritious meals every day and ample exercise.
Here are five ideas to ensure that your child’s brain doesn’t turn to mush and creative play is at the forefront this summer.
Five senses at the beach
What you need: paper, pencil, construction paper and crayons.
Before heading to the beach, teach your child about the five senses. Help your child find things at the beach to touch, taste, see, hear and smell. After exploring the sand and sea, have her draw a picture of each item she found. Miss-Kindergarten.com
Sardines
What you need: a couple of friends!
Sardines is a backwards version of hide-and-seek. The player who is “it” hides while all the other players close their eyes and count to 100. Then, as each player finds “it,” he or she hides in the same place until everyone is squeezed into the same hiding spot. The first player who found “it” is “it” for the next game. FamilyEducation.com
Sensory station
What you need: plastic bins (wide, shallow ones are best), big bags of pinto beans and rice, and dried pasta.
A sensory station is something that’s quick, easy and inexpensive, and can be set up indoors or outdoors. Fill each bin with one of the items, toss in some measuring cups and scoopers, and let your little one go wild. You can also hide small toys and do a little hunt. SpecialNeedsOC.com
Be a builder
What you need: building blocks, Lincoln logs and/or Legos.
Pull out all the bins and boxes of building blocks you have in the house and put them somewhere different from where the kids normally play – maybe the living room, or outside on the patio, instead of their bedroom. Encourage the kids to build common things as well as outrageous things they make up in their heads.
Clay letters
What you need: clay, a marker and paper.
Write a letter of the alphabet on the piece of paper and allow your child to roll and mold the clay into the same letter. Then, let him trace or write the same letter himself. Make your way through the alphabet, or practice spelling your child’s name. GreatSchools.org
Whatever you decide to do this summer, don’t make it seem like work. For young kids, stimulating their brains can simply mean helping with a new chore or grocery shopping.
Adding a fun twist to everyday activities is as easy as announcing it’s a new game.
