Now that we finally have some good weather…
…What are some things I can do outside with my child?
There are so many things you can do outside together… here are some games you can play (whilst still building your child’s skills):
- ‘I see’/‘I spy’ games. This game can be used to target a number of areas:
- Sound–letter links: You can do this with letters (e.g. I spy something starting with the letter ‘m’) or you can do it with sounds (e.g. I spy something that starts with the ‘sh’ sound)
- Language: You can do this with clues (e.g. I spy something that grows, it has leaves, it is tall….) or with colours (e.g. I spy something green …)
- You can also practice asking questions (e.g. Is it…? Does it have…?)
- You can practice your sounds and/or fluency whilst giving and receiving these clues
- Talk about the weather and build the vocabulary around this (e.g. It’s sunny. I feel warm. I can see shadows. I can see the sun etc.) You could also use the weather as stimuli for a writing task (e.g. One sunny Thursday …)
- Play ‘hide and seek’ or a ‘treasure hunt’ game and discuss where people/items are hiding (e.g. behind the tree, under the trampoline, on the slide, in the play house)
- Collect items and discuss what the items are used for, who might live in them, where you find them etc. Hide them in different places and then say ‘where’ you have hidden them. If your child is up to writing stories they may pick a few items and try to create a story about them. You could even use these treasures to make some creative artwork to give to a friend/family member.
- Playing quick thinking games with a ball such as:
- I will say a category and you have to say something in that category before you throw/catch the ball (e.g. things that flyàbird, plane, butterfly, kite, helicopter etc)
- I will say a word and you have to say a word that relates to my word before you throw/catch the ball (e.g. prince-princess- castle- house- roof- ladder-hammer-builder etc)
Have fun and enjoy the sunny weather!!!!