Weekly Planner - Learning Through Play WWW - Empoweredparents.co

Learning
Through
Play10 MINUTES
A DAY
Weekly
Activity
Planner
www.empoweredparents.co
Month 1, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Make a 'touch and feel' bag
Sensory, language & thinking
Fill a large, soft bag that you can't see through with random items you find
around your house.
Your child must reach into the bag, feel each item one at a time and guess
what it is.
Easier: Use familiar items such as favourite toys, blocks, etc.
Advanced: Choose a category of similar items (e.g. stationery), describe the
texture and shape of the items.
Play 'Who Am I?'

ACT I V IT Y 2 Gross motor, thinking & listening
Think of an animal and say "who am I?"

Take turns imitating an animal by acting out its movements.
Add the animals' sounds to make it easier.
Examples - tortoise, crab, elephant, seal, snake, butterfly, rabbit, dinosaur.
Following 2-Step directions

ACT I V IT Y 3 Listening skills, gross motor & working memory
Teach your child to listen with fun, multi-step, movement directions.

Start with 2 and give up to 4 for older children.
Examples:
Sit down on the floor and close your eyes
Touch your head and turn in a circle
Stand up and pretend to be frozen
Do a jumping jack and then sit on the chair
Make a chalk city

ACT I V IT Y 4 Creativity, planning, fine motor & midline crossing
Draw a large chalk city on a pavement or outdoor surface.

Discuss and plan what every city needs - roads, schools, shopping centre,
park, town hall, houses, hospitals, trees, etc.
Add to the city with props and toys - cars, blocks, plastic animals & figurines.
Finger rhyme: My Rabbit

ACT I V IT Y 5 Fine motor, language & listening
My rabbit has two big ears,

(hold up two fingers to make ears)
And a funny little nose.
(join all fingers together into a pointy nose)
He likes to nibble carrots,
(make nibbling motions with fingers)
And he hops wherever he goes.
(make hopping movement with entire hand)
Month 1, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Play 'I Spy With My Little Eye'
To play this, choose an object around the room and give your child clues with
descriptive language to guess what the object is.
Describe objects based on colour, shape, quality, function, sounds, etc.
Easy example: "I spy with my little eye something metal and pointy that we
use to cut".
Story: Wake Up Mum

ACT I V IT Y 7 Listening, language & imagination
Read the story 'Wake Up Mum' to your child. (from the Story Pack)
It's about two little bears who try to wake up their mother after winter.
Ask your child to draw a picture of the story before you show the illustration.
Drawing portraits
ACT I V IT Y 8 Creativity, fine motor & body awareness
Pretend to be famous artists who draw portraits (show your child examples).
Sit opposite each other and draw each other's portrait, from the shoulders
up.
Before beginning, discuss all the body parts and features of the face,
clothing, etc.
Compare portraits and display them.
Ice-tray fine motor fun

ACT I V IT Y 9 Fine motor, early maths (sorting) & concentration
You will need a bucket, pair of tweezers and an ice-cube tray or egg carton.
Collect tiny natural items (leaves, stones, twigs, flowers) in the bucket.
Lay them on a table.
Get your child to pick up each object with the pair of tweezers and sort and
categorize them into the compartments of the ice-cube tray.
If you cannot get outdoors, use beans, pastas, lentils, buttons, etc.
Action rhyme: Hop a Little, Jump a Little

ACT IV I T Y 10 Gross motor, language & listening
Hop a little, jump a little

One, two, three;
Run a little, skip a little
Tap on knee;
Bend a little, stretch a little,

Nod your head;
Yawn a little, sleep a little,
In your bed.
Month 1, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Play 'Would You Rather?'
Higher-order thinking, logic & reasoning
This game presents children with an option of two choices. The child has to
look at both options and decide which of them he/she would rather be.
Examples- Would you rather?
be an ant or an elephant?
have a pet lion or a pet giraffe?
fly an airplane or sail a boat?
have a brother or a sister?
live on the moon or live in a spacecraft?
Make playdough
ACT IV I T Y 12 Fine motor, early science concepts & measurement
Make a batch of easy playdough to play with. Involve your child in reading
this recipe, measuring out the ingredients, adding water and mixing it.
Recipe:
2 cups flour, 2 tsps vegetable oil, ½ cup salt, 1 cup water, Food colouring
Mix the flour, vegetable oil and salt together in a bowl.
Add a drop or two of food colouring to the water (watch how it mixes with the water).
Add water slowly as you mix the dough to the desired consistency (Only use what you need).
Store: in a sealed container.
Can you spot the animal?

ACT IV I T Y 13 Visual perception (visual closure)
Find some pictures of animals in a magazine or book.

Cover a portion of each animal (showing just a trunk, leg, head, etc) and ask
your child to guess the animal.
Discuss the features of each animal using descriptive language - furry, large,
pointy, feathers, etc.
Musical statues
ACT IV IT Y 14 Gross motor, body control and listening
Play fun songs and dance freely. When the music stops, you and your child
must freeze and not move.
If you move, the other person wins the round.
Try these songs on YouTube:
Rock and Roll Freeze Dance – Hap Palmer, Frozen Kidsicle Freeze – Wendy Rollin,
Stop at the Lights (Look Both Ways) – Wiggles, S.T.O.P. Song with Actions – Patty Shukla
Counting rhyme: The Ants Go Marching

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting (one more) and rhyming
The ants go marching one by one Repeat the verses, changing the number of ants and the action line:
Hurrah, hurrah The ants go marching two by two, The little one stops to tie his shoe
The ants go marching one by one The ants go marching three by three, The little one stops to climb a tree
Hurrah, hurrah The ants go marching four by four, The little one stops to shut the door
The ants go marching one by one The ants go marching five by five, The little one stops to take a dive
The little one stops to suck his thumb The ants go marching six by six, The little one stops to pick up sticks
And they all go marching down to the The ants go marching seven by seven, The little one stops to pray to heaven
ground The ants go marching eight by eight, The little one stops to roller skate
to get out of the rain The ants go marching nine by nine, The little one stops to check the time
Boom boom boom The ants go marching ten by ten, The little one stops to shout, “The End!”
Month 1, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Play 'Odd One Out'
Thinking, categorizing & vocabulary
Gather four items/objects - 3 of a similar theme and 1 that does not belong.
Some examples are 3 fruits and a chocolate, 3 red items and a blue item, or 3
socks and a glove.
Ask your child which one is the odd one out. If she guesses correctly, ask
"what's my rule?' (it must be red, it must be a fruit, etc.)
Story time: Asking closed questions

ACT IV I T Y 17 Listening for meaning
Choose any story to read to your child.

Ask closed questions (questions that have a definite answer - not opinions
or answers that may vary).
Examples: What is the bear's name? Where was the crocodile going?
Paper plate face paint

ACT IV I T Y 18 Observation skills, fine motor & visual perception
Paint animal faces onto paper plates (or directly onto you/your child's face if
you have real face paint).
Choose an animal from a book or a picture and study the features of the
animal.
Use paint or oil pastels and paint the face of the animal onto the paper plate,
taking care to add as many features and details as possible.
You can also used old makeup such as lipsticks, eyeliners and powder eye
shadows. If you are feeling brave. let your child paint an animal onto your
face using old makeup.
Sorting the laundry

ACT IV IT Y 19 Categorizing and sorting (early maths)
Sort out the laundry basket together.

Categorize by person, then by item (socks, tops), then by colour.
Action rhyme: The Wheels on the Bus

ACT IV I T Y 20 Gross motor and listening
The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town. (Roll hands)
Repeat the entire verse with each of these movements:
The wipers on the bus go “Swish, swish, swish” (Make windshield wipers with arms)
The door on the bus goes open and shut (Cover eyes with hands)
The horn on the bus goes “Beep, beep, beep” (Honk horn)
The money on the bus goes “Clink, clink, clink” (Put money in cash box)
The baby on the bus says, “Wah, wah, wah!” (Hands in fists rub eyes)
The people on the bus say, “Shh, shh, shh” (Pointer finger to mouth)
Month 2, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 What's the song?
Listening and memory
Play a game of 'What's the song' by saying popular lyrics and asking your
child to think of what song they come from.
Choose one line, such as "three bags full" and let your child guess the name
of the song.
For younger children choose easier lyrics, or say a whole verse.
Play 'Kim's Game'

ACT I V IT Y 2 Visual memory, sequential memory & observation
Place 5 items on a tray- objects, pictures, letters, etc.

Cover them with a cloth and ask your child to name the items.
Advanced: Mix the order of the items and get your child to place them in
sequence; take an item away each time and ask what is missing.
Mud painting
ACT I V IT Y 3 Fine and gross motor, art appreciation & creativity
Look at pictures of cave men paintings with your child.

Pretend to be cavemen by painting on an outside wall with mud and a
paintbrush.
Paint animals, landscapes, people, etc.
Shortest to tallest
ACT I V IT Y 4 Visual perception and early maths
Sort items in the house from shortest to tallest and vice versa.
Use food items (boxes, tins, cartons), dolls/toys or books in a shelf.
Then, ask your child to place the members of the family in a line from
shortest to tallest.
Finger rhyme: Grandmother's Glasses

For this rhyme, use a high-pitched voice for the first verse (grandmother) and a deeper voice for the second verse
(grandfather).
These are grandmother’s glasses,

(hold the fingers around the eyes in the shape of glasses)
And this is grandmother’s hat.
(make a hat shape with both hands above your head)
Grandmother clasps her hands like this,
(clasp hands together)
And folds them in her lap.
(fold hands in your lap)
These are grandfather’s glasses,

(hold the fingers around the eyes in the shape of glasses)
And this is grandfather’s hat.
(make a hat shape with both hands above your head)
This is the way he folds his arms,
(fold arms)
And has a little nap.
(cock head to the side with eyes closed and pretend to sleep)
Month 2, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Aim and throw
Eye-hand coordination, finger strength and gross motor
Build finger strength by crumpling newspaper into a ball with only one hand,
then swap to try the other hand.
Aim and throw into a laundry basket.
Bring the basket closer for young kids and move it further for a challenge.
Story: Puppy Dreams

Read the story 'Puppy Dreams' to your child. (from the Story Pack)
It's about siblings who get a puppy and try to find a name for it.
Go on a listening walk
ACT I V IT Y 8 Listening (auditory discrimination) and memory
Go on a walk outdoors and listen and name the sounds you hear, or lie down
and close your eyes in the garden and name the sounds as you hear them.
Tell your child to remember the sounds and see how many sounds he/she can
recall later on in the day.
Make a nature collage

ACT I V IT Y 9 Fine motor control, visual perception and creativity
Make a nature collage. Go outside and collect grass, leaves, rocks, twigs, etc.
Glue them onto a piece of paper.
Each thing you find in nature will represent a different shape you can talk
about with your child. Use the items of different shapes and sizes to create a
picture, whether it be an animal, building, or object.
Counting rhyme: Hickory Dickory…Crash

ACT IV I T Y 10 Counting, listening and language
Hickory dickory dock. A squirrel. A monkey.

The mouse went up the clock. Hickory dickory dock. Hickory dickory dock.
The clock struck one. The squirrel went up the clock. The monkey went up the clock.
The mouse went down. The clock struck three. The clock struck five.
Hickory dickory dock. The squirrel went down. The monkey went down.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Hickory dickory dock. Hickory dickory dock.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
A snake.
Hickory dickory dock. A cat. An elephant?! Oh no!
The snake went up the clock. Hickory dickory dock. Hickory dickory dock
The clock struck two. The cat went up the clock. The elephant went up the
The snake went down. The clock struck four. clock.
Hickory dickory dock. The cat went down. Oh no!
Tick tock. Tick tock. Hickory dickory dock. Hickory dickory dock.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
Month 2, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Egg box sorting
Visual perception, sorting and attention span
Use an egg carton or a plastic container with partitions.

Sort buttons, beads or coins into the separate sections.
Categorize by size, colour, shape or other attributes.
Make a dough name

ACT IV I T Y 12 Fine motor, early science concepts & measurement
Involve your child in mixing a batch of easy salt dough - mix 1 cup flour and
half a cup of salt, gradually add 1 cup water.
Make your child's name from dough letters and place onto a baking sheet.
Optional: Bake for up to an hour to dry and harden. Paint and decorate.
Make sound jars

ACT IV I T Y 13 Sound awareness and science concepts
Fill glass jars with different amounts of water.

Tap them with a spoon to make sounds.
Arrange them from the lowest to the highest sound.
Build a fort
ACT IV IT Y 14 Gross motor and problem solving
Challenge your child to build a fort or tent in the living room.

Use blankets, sheets and large pillows to build structures.
Play inside the fort.
Action rhyme: Open, Shut Them

ACT IV I T Y 15 Bilateral coordination and gross motor
Open, shut them

(separate hands and put together again)
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(tap hands twice on lap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Give a little clap
(clap hands twice)
Month 2, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Toy sort
Categorizing and sorting
Tidy your child's bedroom by sorting all the toys.

Choose categories for them such as soft/hard toys, quiet toys or musical
toys, wooden and plastic, etc.
Story time: Asking open questions

ACT IV I T Y 17 Listening for meaning
Choose any story to read to your child.

Ask open questions (questions that have answers that vary and encourage
your child to develop opinions).
Examples: Do you like bear's house? Why is monkey angry?
Hedgehog paper weight

ACT IV I T Y 18 Fine motor, creativity & measurement
Mould a hedgehog with a ball of playdough or even moulding clay that can be
left to harden and set (a potato will work too).
Carve a face onto the hedgehog with a toothpick and use a marker to outline
the features in colour.
Then, create all the spines of the hedgehog by sticking toothpicks all around
the body, taking care to make them similar lengths.
Bean bag hockey

ACT IV IT Y 19 Gross motor and eye-hand coordination
Play hockey inside the house or on a smooth outdoor surface.

If you don’t have child-sized hockey sticks, use sticks, brooms or any bats.
Use a beanbag as a puck or ball, and set up goals with tape.
Counting rhyme: How Many Fingers on One Hand?

ACT IV I T Y 20 Body awareness and intro to multiplication
This is a fun song if you sing it with the original version which can be found on
YouTube. Search for "How Many Fingers on One Hand?" by Super Simple Songs.
How many fingers on one hand? (repeat 3 times)

Let’s all count together.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (repeat 5 times)
How many fingers on two hands? (repeat 3 times)

Let’s all count together.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (repeat twice)
Clap clap clap your hands (clap 5 times) - (repeat the set 3 times)
Clap your hands with me.
Repeat with 'how many toes on one foot?', then 'how many toes on two feet?'.
Month 3, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Balloon Toss
Eye-hand coordination and aim
Fill balloons with flour or water (and embrace the mess).

Outside, toss the balloons at a target (like a spot on the wall) and watch them
pop open.
Story time: Build a story

ACT I V IT Y 2 Thinking, imagination & language
Make up your own story with your child.

Start the story with one line, such as "There was a little bear who lived in the
forest".
Taking turns, add one line each to the story and listen to the storyline twist
and turn as you each take it in different directions.
Leaf rubbings
ACT I V IT Y 3 Fine motor & visual perception
Collect leaves outdoors (or use coins).

Place the leaves under a paper and rub over them with chalk, wax crayons or
oil pastels.
Watch the patterns emerge on the paper from the veins of the leaves.
Pick up sticks
ACT I V IT Y 4 Fine motor control & concentration
Play this old game with a set of pick up sticks or use twigs to improvise.
Hold all the sticks upright together in a closed fist and then let go. Let the
sticks fall naturally wherever they land.
Taking turns, pick up one stick at a time. You are only allowed to touch and
take one stick and the stick is not allowed to move any of the other sticks or
you'll forfeit your turn.
The winner is the person with the most sticks at the end.
Finger rhyme: Two Little Dickie Birds

ACT I V IT Y 5 Fine motor and language
Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall,

(both index fingers in air, wiggle both of them)
One named Peter,
(wiggle one index finger)
One named Paul.
(wiggle the other finger)
Fly away Peter,
(draw the hand with “the Peter finger” behind you and hide it)
Fly away Paul.
(draw the hand with “the Paul finger” behind you and hide it)
Come back Peter,
(bring the “Peter finger” back to the front)
Come back Paul.
(bring the “Paul finger” back to the front)
Month 3, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Ice cube play
Sensory play and early science
Play with ice cubes in water and watch them change form as they melt.
Add a drop of food colouring to the water before freezing it for more effect.
Discuss how some materials change form - liquid, solid, gas, etc.
Story time: Discussion

ACT I V IT Y 7 Language and vocabulary
Choose any book to read to your child. Before you begin, have a discussion,
asking questions such as:
What do you think this story is about?
What do you see on the front cover?
What is the title of this book?
Do you think it's an information book or a story?
Where can you read the blurb of the book?
How do I know who wrote the book?
What is an illustrator?
Listen and draw

ACT I V IT Y 8 Listening and memory
Your child listens to your instructions and draws what you tell him/her to.
Give a younger child simple directions and an older child more advanced
directions. Give one direction at a time.
Examples:
Draw a garden: Draw a happy monster:
Draw some flowers on the ground Draw a big circle
Add a tree on the ground Add a smile inside the circle
Draw a bird flying over the flowers and Draw 3 eyes inside the circle
tree Draw 2 noses inside the circle
Add raindrops in the air Add 5 legs around the circle
Draw a worm on the ground
Make patterns
ACT I V IT Y 9 Early maths and visual perception (early reading)
On large paper, draw rows of patterns (shapes) that are found in common
letters, such as zig-zags (letter A). Trace over them with beads or dry pasta
shapes.
Examples of patterns:
U U U U U; / / / / / /; V V V V V; I I I I I I; C C C C C; O O O O O; X X X X X;
Counting song: Ten Little Fingers

ACT IV I T Y 10 Number concept
Ten little fingers, ten little toes,

Two little ears and one little nose
Two little eyes that shine so bright
And one little mouth to kiss mother goodnight.
Month 3, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Play 'Broken Telephone'
Listening skills
Play this around the dinner table with at least 3 people.

Choose a word or short phrase and whisper it to the person next to you,
taking care not to let anyone hear.
Pass the message around the table. The last person says the phrase out loud
and the first person says if it is correct or if the message has been broken.
Take turns sending a new message around the table.
Make a name plate

ACT IV I T Y 12 Fine motor and letter recognition
Make a name plate for your child to keep.

Write the name in pencil in large letters on a piece of cardboard. Trace the
name with liquid glue and paste stones, beans, lentils or sand on the name
to form the letters. If you don't have liquid glue, use sand and a glue stick.
Paint the wall

ACT IV I T Y 13 Fine motor, gross motor & midline crossing
'Paint' the walls outside with large paintbrushes and water. On a hot day,
watch the water dry and then paint another coat of water.
Use outdoor wall paintbrushes or the biggest art brushes you have, which
encourages your child to cross their midline as they 'paint' a large surface.
Make a nature necklace

ACT IV IT Y 14 Gross motor, body control and listening
Use a cotton thread/string and a large kids' sewing needle or a regular one
with adult supervision.
Collect pretty natural items such as flowers and leaves and thread them onto
the string or cotton to make a necklace.
As an alternative, thread the items onto a pipe cleaner and close to make a
necklace.
Song: Who Took the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?

ACT IV I T Y 15 Coordination and clapping to a beat/rhythm
Find this song on YouTube to see the clapping motion. It is a 3. Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
simple pattern of clap hands together, then tap your thighs, Bear took the cookie from the cookie jar
and repeat. Who, me? Yes, you!
Not me! Then who?
1. Who took the cookie from the cookie jar? Penguin!
Panda took the cookie from the cookie jar
Who, me? Yes, you! 4. Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Not me! Then who? Penguin took the cookie from the cookie jar
Rabbit! Who, me? Yes, you!
Not me! Then who?
2. Who took the cookie from the cookie jar? Kangaroo!
Rabbit took the cookie from the cookie jar
Who, me? Yes, you! 5 Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Not me! Then who? Kangaroo took the cookie from the cookie jar
Bear! Who, me? Yes, you!…
Month 3, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Lightest to heaviest
Vocabulary and measurement
Choose a category of objects, such as toys, food items, toiletries, etc. Collect
a few items - less for younger children.
Take two items at a time and ask your child which is heavier? Which is
lighter? Order all the objects from lightest to heaviest.
For young preschoolers, order from smallest to biggest.
Story time: Developing opinions

ACT IV I T Y 17 Listening and developing personal opinions
Choose any book to read to your child and while reading, ask questions that
encourage personal opinions, such as:
Do you think Cinderella should have gone to the ball?
Was Jack's mother right to be upset with him?
How would you feel if you were the wolf and no-one liked you?
Do you think it's right to go into someone's house without permission?
Do you think it's important to be beautiful?
Block printing
ACT IV I T Y 18 Creativity and fine motor
For this painting activity, use wooden blocks in various shapes.

Dip the blocks into a tray of paint (or on an ink pad) and print on paper to
see the different shapes.
Play 'Restaurant'
Pretend to have lunch or dinner at a restaurant where your child works.

Get him/her to set a table for you, seat you, give you a menu, take your
order, 'write it down', bring your food and bring the check/bill.
Older children can make you a snack or coffee to drink at your table.
Make a menu with pictures of food as an art activity. Make money or use play
money and teach your child about paying with money.
Counting rhyme: Ten In a Bed

ACT IV I T Y 20 Counting backwards - concept of one less
There were ten in the bed

And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out
Repeat verses until there are none left in the bed:

There were nine in the bed…
There were eight in the bed…
There was one in the bed... (and the little one said, “Alone at last!”)
Month 4, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Play 'I went to the zoo...'
Memory, thinking & vocabulary
One person starts the game by choosing an animal and saying "I went to the
zoo and I saw a lion".
The next person repeats the line and adds a new animal to the list: "I went to
the zoo and I saw a lion and a gorilla".
Keep going in turns as long as you can, without repeating an animal or
leaving any off the list.
Make a book
ACT I V IT Y 2 Fine motor, creativity & attention span
Make a book by placing a few sheets of paper together, folding them and
stapling the centre to hold them together.
Retell a popular story, such as 'Goldilocks and the three bears' and write a
brief version of the story on the pages, leaving lots of space for illustrations.
Ask your child to draw pictures for the story, then 'read' it to you.
Play 'What sound is that?'

ACT I V IT Y 3 Listening skills (auditory discrimination)
Blindfold your child with a scarf or piece of fabric.

Make household sounds and ask your child to identify the sounds. Swap and
let your child blindfold you.
Examples - open the refrigerator door, switch on the blender, close a
cupboard door, take an ice cube out of the tray, switch on the tap, peel a
banana, boil the kettle.
Scavenger hunt
ACT I V IT Y 4 Language, visual perception & counting
Make your child a fun scavenger hunt - either outdoors or indoors.

On a sheet of paper, draw some basic pictures - a leaf, flower, a twig, a
stone, etc.
Your child must find the items and place them on top of the pictures.
You could give a score based on how many items were found.
Action rhyme: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

ACT I V IT Y 5 Gross motor & language
Watch the actions for this fun song on YouTube. Search 'Zoom, Zoom, Zoom:
Storytime Song' by Jbrary.
Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon (repeat)

If you want to take a trip,
Climb aboard my rocket ship.
Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!
Month 4, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Match the leaves
Matching and shape recognition
Collect a few leaves of different shapes and trace around each leaf on a
sheet of paper.
Ask your child to match the leaves to the correct outlines. Paste them onto
their matching shapes.
For younger kids, use leaves with different shapes, for older kids, use
similarly-shaped leaves.
Story: Five Rats and a Funny Top Hat

Read the story 'Five Rats and a Funny Top Hat' (from the Story Pack).
It's about rats who try to sneak past a sleeping cat.
Ask your child to draw a picture of the rats hiding behind the top hat.
Sort the cutlery

ACT I V IT Y 8 Sorting and categorizing
Do a spring clean in your house, while learning at the same time.

Empty your cutlery drawer and ask your child to sort it by utensil (knives,
spoons, forks, etc.) and sort the categories further (tablespoons, teaspoons,
dessert spoons, serving spoons, etc.)
Make a magic potion

ACT I V IT Y 9 Early maths (recipes and counting) & early science concepts
Use a pot or a bucket and pretend to make a magic potion, with ingredients
from the garden.
Write a list of ingredients for this potion: 3 items that float and 3 items that
sink. If you don't get the right combination, the potion won't work.
Use a big wooden spoon to stir it.
Action song: The Hokey Pokey

You put your right foot in,

You put your right foot out,
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That’s what it’s all about.

You put your left foot in…
You put your right hand in…
You put your left hand in…
You put your right shoulder in…
You put your left shoulder in…
You put your right hip in…
You put your left hip in…
You put your whole self in…
You put your hair in…
You put your tongue in…
Month 4, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Match the socks
Matching and concentration
Either do this when you need to pack laundry away, or to make it more fun,
empty your/ your child's sock draw.
Put on a timer and see how quickly your child can match all the socks. Then,
restart the timer and try to beat the time. For young children, just match the
socks without the timer. Then fold them and pack away.
Name tracing
ACT IV I T Y 12 Pre-writing skills and sensory learning
Spray shaving cream onto a tray and trace your child's name with his/her
finger (or a stick) in the shaving cream.
Alternatively, use a tray of sand.
Bean bag freeze dance

ACT IV I T Y 13 Eye-hand coordination, listening and concentration
This is a variation of the traditional freeze dance, also called musical statues.
Turn the music on and dance with your child while tossing the beanbag to
and fro.
When the music stops, you both have to freeze in position. If you get hit by a
flying bean bag, you cannot move, catch it or duck because you’ll be “out”.
Maths for dinner

ACT IV IT Y 14 Early maths - counting, one-to-one correspondence, more and less
When you prepare for dinner, get your child involved in counting out all the
cutlery, crockery and ingredients you'll need.
Ask younger children for - 3 plates, 3 sets of knives & forks, 2 potatoes, etc.
Ask older children: How many plates do we need? Can you bring me enough
potatoes so that everybody gets one? There is already one glass on the table, how
many more do we need?
Song: Teddy Bears' Picnic

ACT IV I T Y 15 Singing, melody & rhyming
This is a fun rhyming song to teach your child and sing along to the melody. Find it on YouTube
by searching 'Teddy Bear Picnic the Kaboomers'.
If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today you’d better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain,
Because today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.
If you go down to the woods today you’d better not go alone.

It’s lovely down in the woods today but safer to stay at home.
For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain,
Because today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.
Picnic time for Teddy Bears.

The little Teddy Bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares, and see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gad about,
They love to play and shout, they never have any cares.
At six o’clock their Mummies and Daddies will take them home to bed,
Because they’re tired little Teddy Bears.
Month 4, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Positional language picture
Positional language and cutting skills
Teach your child positional language by pasting pictures from a magazine.

Cut out pictures of objects, people, animals, etc. Give directions for where to
paste them, one at a time.
Example: Paste the table in the centre of the table. Put the cat on top of the
table and the bunny under the table. Place the person next to the table.
Story time: Learning to deduce

ACT IV I T Y 17 Higher-order thinking skills
Read any story to your child and ask questions to teach how to deduce from
the information given. This means the answers are not in the text but are
inferred from given clues.
Examples:
How many bears live in the house? (there are 3 sets of everything)
Is it day or night in this picture? (there are stars in the picture)
Did the wolf kill granny when he ate her? (no, because she is rescued later)
Long jump competition

ACT IV I T Y 18 Gross motor skills
Have a long jump competition with your child. You are not competing against
each other but against your own records.
Mark off a starting point in your living room or outdoors if you prefer. Jump
off the starting point and put a piece of tape where you land.
Then keep trying to beat your record, moving the tape each time you go
further. Take turns trying to better your own distance.
Paper plate lacing

ACT IV IT Y 19 Fine motor skill - lacing
Punch holes around the edges of a paper plate (or around a piece of
cardboard).
Weave coloured wool/yarn around the cardboard cut out or paper plates.
Make bigger holes for younger children.
Draw a picture on the plate after and display the piece of art on the wall.
ACT IV I T Y 20 Action song: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Listening and gross motor
Here we go 'round the mulberry bush

The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush
Here we go 'round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning
This is the way we wash our face

Wash our face, Wash our face
This is the way we wash our face
On a cold and frosty morning
Repeat the verse with the following actions: This is the way we brush our teeth; This is the way we comb our hair;
This is the way we put on our clothes
Month 5, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Sound jars
Sound awareness and matching
Find at least 6 jars or tins that you cannot see inside and fill matching pairs
with the same materials (e.g. 2 with beans. 2 with lentils, 2 with macaroni).
Get your child to shake the tins and place the matching pairs together.
Bean bag racing

ACT I V IT Y 2 Balance and concentration
Have indoor or outdoor races, balancing a bean bag on your heads, or make
a start and end point and when reaching the end, place another beanbag on
your head for the next round.
See how many bean bags you can carry before they fall off.
If you don't have bean bags use sock balls.
Leaf printing
ACT I V IT Y 3 Fine motor and shape recognition
Pour some paint into a shallow tray and collect some fresh leaves.
Dip the leaves into the paint and press them onto a sheet of paper to make
beautiful leaf patterns.
Pasta sort
Make a 3D pasta collage by glueing and pasting pasta shapes onto paper.
Before beginning, provide a tin of mixed pasta shapes and ask your child to sort them into different
containers, by shape.
The pasta shapes can be painted when the glue dries.
Finger rhyme: Here is the Beehive

ACT I V IT Y 5 Fine motor and counting forwards & backwards
Here is the beehive, (clench fist)

Where are the bees? (hold other hand out in gesture of wondering)
Hidden away where nobody sees. (shake index finger of free hand)
Watch and you’ll see them come out of their hive,
(point to clenched fist with index finger)
One, two, three, four, five. (bring out fingers of clenched fist one at a time)
Here is the beehive, (clench fist)

Where are the bees? (hold other hand out in gesture of wondering)
Flying around all the flowers and trees.
(open fist and wiggle fingers up in the air)
Soon they will come home from their fun, (lower the wriggling fingers)
Five, four, three, two, one.
(bring fingers back into the clenched fist one at a time)
Month 5, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Dance to the music
Dance and movement, listening
This game uses the whole body, actions and props to represent the music.
Use props such as scarves, streamers, ribbons, sticks to bang together, etc.
Use your body to make sounds – stamp feet, click fingers, clap hands, march,
tiptoe, etc.
Play different types of songs – nursery rhymes, classical songs, pop songs.
Dance freely together and let the creative juices flow by using the props. A
classical song could work well with a scarf or ribbon, an upbeat song could
be clapped to or the sticks could be banged together, a nursery rhyme could
be marched to (e.g. The ants go marching), etc.
Story: Friends in the Forest

ACT I V IT Y 7 Listening, language & thinking
Read the story 'Friends in the Forest' to your child. (from the Story Pack)
It's about a red fox and a grey fox who become friends.
Talk to your child about friends and how it's ok to be friends with people who
are different to us.
Play a board game

ACT I V IT Y 8 Taking turns & early maths (counting forwards and backwards)
Play snakes and ladders (or a similar board game) with your child.
If you don't have one, draw a basic board on cardboard with 20 squares. For
a dice, use a paper divided into 6 squares and throw a coin or a block. Use
the number it lands on.
Play 'Shop'
ACT I V IT Y 9 Money concepts, creativity & entrepreneurial skills
Make a pretend shop. Use a table or bookshelf and stock the shelves with
food items or empty boxes from the food cupboard.
Stick prices onto the items (start with numerals 1 to 5 for prices). Make paper
money or use play money. Make pretend receipts.
Make a sign with the shop's name.
Find a basket and go shopping at your child's shop, teaching about prices,
paying and receiving change as you go.
Action rhyme: The Elephant Goes

The elephant goes

Like this, like that. (Walk on all fours, moving slowly, like an elephant)
He’s terribly big, (Stand up, reach high with arms)
And he’s terribly fat. (Arms out to sides, to show how fat elephant is)
He has no fingers, (Make fist)
He has no toes, (Wiggle toes)
But goodness gracious, what a nose! (Make a trunk with arm)
Month 5, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Pillow fight
Gross motor - strength, aim, balance
Let loose and have some fun with a pillow fight. It's a great workout and will
build strength and balance.
Make sure to set some ground rules so no-one gets hurt and use soft pillows.
Make a puppet
ACT IV I T Y 12 Fine motor, language and fantasy play
Make a sock puppet with a long stocking type of sock that covers your arm.
Cut out eyes (or use googly eyes) and a tongue for a snake. Glue or stitch
the eyes and the tongue in place.
Practise putting your hand inside the sock and pinching the end between
your thumb and fingers. This is where you would want a mouth to be.
Wiggle your hand and sing silly songs, tell stories or engage in pretend play.
Big and small hunt

ACT IV I T Y 13 Visual perception and measurement
Go on an outdoor hunt (or indoor if you prefer) to look for things that are 'bigger than' and
'smaller than'.
Choose a small and a larger item to use as comparisons, such as a pebble and a pot plant.
Lo o k f o r t h i n g s t h a t a r e “ s m a l l e r t h a n a p e b b l e ” a n d “ b i g g e r t h a n a p l a n t . ” T a k e t w o s h e e t s o f
paper and write 'small' on one and 'large' on the other. Collect and place objects that are
smaller than a pebble on the paper, but draw the objects that are larger than a pot plant
(such as a chair, or tree) on the other page. Find 10 on each page.
Listen and clap

ACT IV IT Y 14 Listening and focus
Read any story to your child and tell him/her to listen for a particular word
(e.g. read Little Red Riding Hood and ask him to clap every time he hears the
word 'wolf').
For younger children choose easier words, such as a character's name, for
older children choose more challenging words such as 'because'.
Counting Song: Ten Green Bottles

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting backwards by one
Ten green bottles, Hanging on the wall

Ten green bottles, Hanging on the wall
And if one green bottle, Should accidentally fall
There’ll be nine green bottles, Hanging on the wall
Nine green bottles…

Eight green bottles…
Repeat verses until there are no green bottles left:
One green bottle, Hanging on the wall

One green bottle, Hanging on the wall
If that one green bottle, Should accidentally fall
There’ll be no green bottles, Hanging on the wall
Month 5, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Dominoes
Thinking, categorizing & vocabulary
Play a simple game of dominoes - shuffle and divide the tiles between you,
one person places a tile down, then take turns to add a tile to the domino
chain. You may only place a tile if the number of dots matches.
To make a set, fold a paper several times to make rectangles, cut out 28 tiles
and draw the following number of dots on each tile (left side; right side):
(0;0)(0;1)(0;2)(0;3)(0;4)(0;5)(0;6)
(1;1)(1;2)(1;3)(1;4)(1;5)(1;6)(2;2)
(2;3)(2;4)(2;4)(2;5)(2;6)(3;3)(3;4)(3;5)
(3;6)(4;4)(4;5)(4;6)(5;5)(5;6)(6;6)
Story time: Learning about character traits

ACT IV I T Y 17 Social and emotional development
Read a story to your child and discuss character traits.

Ask questions such as:
Who is your favourite character? Why do you like him/her? What qualities
does he/she have that you admire? Who is your least favourite character?
Why? Do you think Elephant is brave? Why? Does the snake learn to share
and treat others kindly?
Trace your shadow

ACT IV I T Y 18 Shape and science concepts
Stand in a sunny spot outdoors and show your child their shadow on the
ground.
Ask your child to stand still as you trace around their shadow with chalk.
Then, swap roles and have your child trace your shadow.
Look at and discuss other shadows made by trees, buildings, etc.
Make fruit salad

ACT IV IT Y 19 Fine motor control, threading & patterns
Using whatever fruits you have at home, make a fruit salad with your child.
Use a child-safe knife and let your child learn to peel, cut and chop the fruits.
Thread some onto cocktail sticks in a pattern to make fruit kebabs (one
grape, one piece of mango, one grape, etc).
ACT IV I T Y 20 Counting song: Five Little Ducks

Counting backwards by one
Five little ducks went swimming one day

Over the hills and far away
The little duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And only four little ducks came back
Repeat the verses, each time with one less duck until the last verse:
One little duck went swimming one day
Over the hills and far away
The little duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And then no more little ducks came back
Month 6, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Box construction
Problem solving, creativity & motor skills
Provide glue, scissors, tape, used toilet rolls and boxes in various sizes
(cereal or biscuit boxes, medicine boxes, equipment boxes, etc.)
Let your child construct freely, without directing the creation.
Rhyming game
ACT I V IT Y 2 Phonological awareness (rhyming words) and listening
Play a rhyming game with simple rhyming words.

Start with a sentence, such as "I see a cat", then get your child to add a
rhyming word, such as "I see a mat." See how long you can keep it going.
Then, start a new chain of rhyming sentences: "I see a dog", "I see a hog".
Allow nonsense words, as long as they rhyme.
Balancing competition
ACT I V IT Y 3 Gross motor (balance) and concentration
Time yourself balancing on one foot. Have a competition with your child and
see who can balance the longest, or put a timer on if you don’t want your
child to lose every round and see if your child can beat his/her previous time.
Stand and balance on one leg, then the other, with eyes closed, etc.
Place a bean bag or sock ball on your head and see how long you can keep it
there while on one leg.
Soup recipes
ACT I V IT Y 4 Number recognition, measurement and counting
Create a couple of ‘recipe cards’ using measurements expressed as numerals,

for example – 2 cups of water, 3 pinecones and have your child follow the
recipe card, combining everything together in a big tub, pot or bucket.
Draw the pictures for water, leaves, etc, instead of writing the words.
Then challenge your child to create a recipe for you to follow.
Finger rhyme: This is My Garden

This is my garden, (hold out right hand, palm facing up)

I’ll rake it with care. (make raking motion with fingers of left hand)
Here are the seeds, (pinch fingers together of left hand)
I’ll plant in there. (pretend to plant the seeds onto the right hand)
The sun will shine, (make the shape of the sun with two hands)
The rain will fall. (wiggle fingers to make the motion of rain falling)
The seeds will sprout,
And grow up tall. (push fingers of both hands together and upwards)
Month 6, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Clapping syllables
Syllables (phonological awareness)
Teach syllables by clapping to your and your child’s name together (e.g. Ma-
ry-anne, Su-zie).
You are clapping on each sound, not each letter! Call them beats to make it
easier to understand.
Then, introduce common words and clap the syllables together. Start with
one syllable (bed, door), then two (ke-ttle, mon-key), all the way up to 5
(con-gra-tu-la-tions, re-fri-ge-ra-tor).
Story time: Making predictions

Read any story to your child and ask questions to encourage making
predictions. Examples:
What do you think is going to happen to Little Red Riding Hood?
How do you think the story ends? (read most first)
What do you think will happen in this story? (read the beginning only)
How do you think the story begins? (read the end only)
Do you think this story will end happily?
What do you think character x will do to help character y?
Dribbling the ball

ACT I V IT Y 8 Position in space and eye-foot coordination
Place cones or plastic bottles (filled with water to stay upright) in a line.
Have running races, (or time your child) weaving in and out of the cones
Have a round of dribbling a ball with your feet through the cones.
Shape picture
ACT I V IT Y 9 Fine motor and shape recognition
Print a page of shapes or draw a few shapes onto coloured paper and cut
them out.
Give your child a tray with lots of coloured shapes and let him/her make a
shape picture by pasting the shapes together onto paper.
The end result could be a picture, such as a house, or just a collage of shapes.
Action rhyme: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

ACT IV I T Y 10 Gross motor, rhyming & listening
Row, row, row, your boat, Row, row, row, your boat,
Gently down the stream. Gently down the river.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, If you see a panda bear,
Life is but a dream. Don’t forget to quiver.
Row, row, row, your boat, Row, row, row, your boat,
Gently down the stream. Gently to the shore.
If you see a crocodile, If you see a lion,
Don’t forget to scream! Don’t forget to roar!
Month 6, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Body rhymes
Rhyming and body awareness
Teach rhyming by pointing to a body part and saying a word that rhymes with
it, instead of the correct word. Ask your child for the rhyming word that is
correct.
Example: point to your eye and say sky, point to your ear and say dear, point
to your hand and say land, etc.
Cloud stories
ACT IV I T Y 12 Visual perception and imagination
Lie on your backs outside and look at the clouds. Ask your child what
shapes he/she can see in them.
Make up stories about them. After, draw what you saw in the clouds.
Shaving cream play

ACT IV I T Y 13 Sensory play and creativity
Use regular or menthol shaving cream in its plain form or coloured with
washable paint/food colouring.
Squirt it onto the tabletop, on the pavement, in a messy play tray, or in a
small, dry water table. A little bit goes a long way.
Your child can draw, write, design, and smell. Encourage mixing colours and
see their resulting hues.
Try whipped cream on clean surfaces, for a tasting possibility
Cork printing
ACT IV IT Y 14 Fine motor and creativity
Save corks from wine bottles and use them in this artwork.
Pour a thin layer of paint on a tray and dip the cork into the paint, then
stamp and make patterns on the paper.
Substitute with any other object if you don't have corks - sponges, blocks,
stones, half a lemon, etc.
Counting Song: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting to ten, in twos
One, two
Buckle my shoe
Three, four
Shut the door
Five, six
Pick up sticks
Seven, eight
Don’t be late
Nine, ten
Do it over again!
Month 6, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Sock hide and seek
Counting and observation
Play hide and seek with socks by hiding them around the house or garden and then sending
your child to look for them. Give a point for each sock that is found.
Say how many you have hidden and ask your child to find them all. Count them as they are
found, one at a time.
Then swap and find the socks your child has hidden
Story time: Thinking creatively

ACT IV I T Y 17 Creative thinking and reasoning
Read a story to your child, asking questions to stimulate creativity. Examples:

Can you tell your own story about a girl lost in the woods?
Let's make up a new ending to the story!
Imagine Cinderella had not lost her shoe. What would have happened?
I will show you just the pictures and you can make up a story to go with them.
What do you think the house looks like?
Draw a picture of this story.
Write your own story and add illustrations.
Play dress up
ACT IV I T Y 18 Fantasy and imagination.
Play dress-up to encourage fantasy play.

Go through your cupboards and find fun items to wear - hats, scarves, formal
wear, fun shoes, etc.
If you have theme items, such as a pirates hat and accessories, take those
out and have a fun dress-up session.
Follow the actions

ACT IV IT Y 19 Listening and gross motor
Call out vehicle-type actions for your child to perform. For example, peddle
your bicycle, spin like a helicopter or drive the car. Get imaginative and you
could apply this to whatever topic (move like animals, act out parts of
fairytales, or fall like leaves).
ACT IV I T Y 20 Finger rhyme: Where is Thumbkin?

Gross motor and listening
(Start with hands behind back)
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?

Here I am. (bring right hand to front, with thumb up)
Here I am. (bring left hand to front, with thumb up)
How are you this morning?
Very well, I thank you. (Wiggle thumbs as if they’re ‘talking’ together)
Run away. (hide right hand behind back)
Run away. (hide left hand behind back)
(Repeat rhyme with each finger: Pointer, Tall Man, Ring Man, and Pinkie)
Month 7, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Play 'Tic Tac Toe'
Problem solving and thinking
Play tic tac toe, also called noughts and crosses, with a board or draw one
with 9 squares on a sheet of paper.
Let your child choose either 0s or Xs. Taking turns, add your symbol to the
board, with the intention of making 3 in a row - vertically, horizontally or
diagonally.
Teach the words vertical, horizontal and diagonal.
Draw the music

ACT I V IT Y 2 Sound awareness and emotional development
Provide large pieces of paper and pencils or wax crayons and ask your child to draw what
he/she hears.
You could draw: How the music makes you feel; Wavy lines or zig-zags to represent slow,
flowing music or fast, choppy music; Draw the beats you hear (e.g. draw short and long lines
for short and long sounds), etc.
Picture story
ACT I V IT Y 3 Listening skills and creative thinking
Find a story book your child hasn't heard before and ask him/her to tell the
story from the pictures.
Then, read the story and see if there are any similarities from the made-up
version.
Play 'Hide the Teddy'

ACT I V IT Y 4 Positional language
Hide a teddy bear or other favourite toy somewhere in the room. Ask your
child to look for it.
When he/she finds the toy, they must explain using positional language
where it was found, such as “under the table.”
Take turns hiding the bear.
This game may also be played in reverse, with you stating where your child
should look, for example "the teddy is under something", "the teddy is inside
something", etc.
Finger rhyme: Here is a bunny

Here is a bunny, (hold up two fingers)

With ears so funny. (wiggle fingers up and down)
And here is his
Hole in the ground. (make a hole with the fist of the other hand)
At the slightest noise he hears,
He pricks up his ears. (wiggle fingers)
Then he hops to his
Hole in the ground. (wiggle fingers into the hole in the fist)
Month 7, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Bowling
Play a game of bowls with some skittles. Place a few together, aim and roll a
ball to knock them over.
Don't have bowling pins? Make some with empty plastic bottles.
Bowling - skittles, bottles, race by weaving in and out bottles.
Move the starting point further away to make it more challenging, or closer
for a younger child.
Story time: The Spotty Grey Kitten

ACT I V IT Y 7 Listening, language & memory
Read the story 'The Spotty Grey Kitten' to your child. (from the Story Pack)
It's about a kitten called Grady who gets lost on a farm.
Ask your child to remember all the animals Grady wanted to go home with
and to draw them.
Make a macaroni necklace

ACT I V IT Y 8 Fine motor (threading) and early maths (patterns)
Make a macaroni necklace to wear.

Use macaroni or other pasta tubes with holes in them. Thread them onto a
string or yarn. Tie the ends together and wear it.
Older children can thread smaller pastas, younger children would find it
easier to thread rigatoni-type pastas.
Optional: paint the macaroni and dry it before making the necklace.
Patterns: Follow a simple pattern when threading, such as alternating
colours, or shapes of pasta.
Build a house
ACT I V IT Y 9 Construction and fine motor
Use a packet of matches and something to hold them together (Prestik, Blu
Tack, tiny marshmallows, tape, jelly sweets, etc).
Build a 3-dimensional house with the matches, explaining to your child what
3D means.
Young children will need more guidance with this and can make a basic house.
Counting rhyme: One, Two, Three, Four, Five

One, two, three, four, five,

Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right
Month 7, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Shape matching cards
Memory and matching
Make a set of memory game cards (or use a set you already have).
Cut a sheet of cardboard into squares and draw matching pairs of shapes -
hearts, squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, ovals, etc.
Turn the cards face down and shuffle.
Taking turns, turn over two cards at a time to find a matching pair.
If the pair matches, keep it, if it doesn't, turn it over and let the next person
go. The point is to remember where you saw a card when you need it next.
The winner is the person with the most cards at the end.
Listen and draw

ACT IV I T Y 12 Following directions and concentration
Your child listens to your instructions and draws what you tell him/her to.
Give a younger child simple directions and an older child more advanced
directions. Give one direction at a time. Draw these:
Draw a shape robot: Draw an autumn/fall picture:
Draw a square in the middle of your paper Draw 3 black trees with empty branches
Add a triangle on top of the square Add orange leaves to 1 tree
Draw two circles at the bottom of the Add red leaves to 1 tree
square Add yellow leaves to 1 tree
Add 2 small circles inside the square for Draw orange, red, and yellow leaves on the
eyes ground
Draw 2 rectangles onto the square for arms Add a yellow sun in the sky
Play 'Who Am I?'

ACT IV I T Y 13 Visual perception and thinking
Act out people in various career roles and ask your child to guess who you
are.
Examples: fireman, nurse, traffic officer, farmer, teacher, etc.
Swap roles and let your child do the acting.
Lego construction
ACT IV IT Y 14 Construction, fine motor and problem solving.
Challenge your child to build a Lego construction with a specific theme, such
as a shopping centre, a castle, a farm, etc. Do not direct the play much.
Use blocks or other construction toys if you don't have Lego.
ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting Song: Five Little Speckled Frogs

Counting (bakwards) and rhyming
Five little speckled frogs, Sat on a speckled log

Eating some most delicious bugs. YUM! YUM!
One jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four speckled frogs! GLUB! GLUB!
Four little speckled frogs…

Three little speckled frogs…
Repeat verses until there are no speckled frogs left:

One little speckled frog, Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs. YUM! YUM!
He jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were no speckled frogs!
Month 7, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Tooth brush painting
Fine motor and creativity
Pour some paint into a tray and use old toothbrushes dipped in the tray as
paintbrushes.
Provide different colours of paint as this makes a nice effect when the
toothbrush spreads the colours around the paper.
Story time: Connecting stories to life

ACT IV I T Y 17 Listening and higher-order thinking skills
Read a story that your child can connect to and encourage and discuss
connections between stories and your child’s own life.
Ask questions such as "Have you ever been in a similar situation? Do you
have one of those? What do you wear when it gets cold like that in our
town? Do you have a favourite toy like the boy in this story? Do you ever
feel sad like she's feeling now?
Play 'A Bird Flies'

ACT IV I T Y 18 Language (verbs), listening & gross motor
Teach your child to use action words (verbs) with this simple game.
Choose an animal, person or object (e.g. a bird), ask your child to think of
something a bird does.
Responses: a bird flies, a bird chirps, a bird sings, a bird hops.
Take turns choosing words
Messy play tray

ACT IV IT Y 19 Sensory and exploration
Let your child explore freely with a messy play tray, or any large container or
tray, on a tabletop or floor.
Examples of materials to use in the tray: sand, soil, flour, cornmeal, rice, salt,
pastas (coloured and plain), small Legos, dry cereal, buttons, bottle caps, or
any small manipulatives.
Add tools such as sifters, small shovels, spoons, small cars/trucks, and
measuring cups.
ACT IV I T Y 20 Finger rhyme: Ten Fingers

Fine motor, language and listening
I have ten fingers (hold up both hands, fingers spread)

And they all belong to me (point to self)
I can make them do things
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight (make fists)
I can open them wide (open hands)
I can put them together (place palms together)
I can make them all hide (put hands behind back)
I can make them jump high (hands over head)
I can make them jump low (touch floor)
I can fold them up quietly (fold hands in lap)
And hold them just so.
Month 8, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Make paper airplanes
Fine motor and problem solving
Show your child how to make a basic paper airplane and make a few
together.
Test if they fly, make amendments and adjustments to try to improve the
design, then rate their flying.
Optional: Decorate the airplanes.
Peg practice
ACT I V IT Y 2 Fine motor control and strength
Build finger strength and control by placing pegs around the entire
circumference of a paper plate, like the rays of the sun. Draw the sun's face
on after.
Start with the dominant hand then try opening and placing the pegs with the
non-dominant hand.
Use a cardboard cut-out if you don't have a paper plate.
Bean bag toss

ACT I V IT Y 3 Eye-hand coordination and aim
Play bean bag toss with a traditional cornhole/beanbag toss board. Cut a
hole out of a large sheet of cardboard to make one (or just use a basket or
other bucket as a target).
Aim the bean bags and toss them into the hole of the board.
Allocate points for each successful toss.
Dice matching
ACT I V IT Y 4 Number recognition
Write the numbers 1 to 6 on paper plates (1 number on each plate) or use

papers instead.
Roll a dice, then your child must stand on the plate with the correct number.
Then, let your child roll the dice and see if you stand on the correct number.
For older children, this can be played as a race where the first person to
stand on the correct number, wins the round.
Finger rhyme: Here is a Turtle

Here is a turtle. (make a fist)

He lives in a shell.
He likes his home,
Very well.
When he gets hungry,
He comes out to eat. (stick thumb out and wiggle it)
Then he goes back into
His house to sleep. (put thumb back inside fist)
Month 8, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Tight rope walkers
Gross motor - balance
Place a long string or skipping rope along the floor, or use a long wooden
plank, suspended off the ground on either side.
Pretend to be tight rope walkers, balancing along and walking slowly and
carefully, one foot neatly in front of the other.
Be careful not to fall into the crocodile pit below!
Story time: Sulky and Stubby

Read the story 'Sulky and Stubby' to your child. (from the Story Pack)
It's about a chipmunk with stripes who is judged for how he looks.
Ask your child to draw a picture of what he thinks Sulky looks like.
Egg and spoon race

ACT I V IT Y 8 Eye-hand coordination, concentration & balance
Use a boiled egg (unless you're feeling brave).

Race your child across the garden or room by balancing an egg each on a
tablespoon.
Try not to drop and crack the egg.
Name practice
ACT I V IT Y 9 Pre-writing skills
Practise your child's name by experiencing it with the whole body.

Write the name in very large chalk letters outdoors, then walk the letters,
tracing them as you walk around the lines.
Then, make a smaller name with chalk and trace the letters by running your
fingers along them. Let your child watch you trace the letters before having a
turn.
Action rhyme: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

ACT IV I T Y 10 Gross motor and positional language
Look up the actions on YouTube for this fun song.
We’re goin’ on a bear hunt, We’re going to catch a big one,

I’m not scared, What a beautiful day!
Oh look! It’s some long, wavy grass!
Can’t go over it, Can’t go under it,
Can’t go around it, Got to go through it!
Repeat the verse another three times, but change the 5th line in each verse:
Oh look! It’s a mushroom patch.
Oh look! It’s a wide river.
Uh, oh! It’s dark in here.

I feel something, It has lots of hair!
It has sharp teeth! It’s a bear!
Hurry back through the river, Back through the mushroom patch,
Back through the long grass, Run in the house and lock the door.
Phew! That was close! I’m not afraid!
Month 8, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Play 'Who's voice is that?'
Auditory discrimination
Play this game when other family members or friends are around.
Ask your child to close his eyes.
Then, someone says a sentence and your child must guess whose voice it is.
Monster walking
ACT IV I T Y 12 Gross motor - balance
Place soft objects, such as bean bags and pillows, on the floor.
Tell your child you're pretending to be friendly monsters, trodding across
the uneven surface (the body’s trunk works harder to keep upright).
Sand art
ACT IV I T Y 13 Creativity and fine motor (spreading)
On a sheet of white or coloured cardboard, get your child to spread some

liquid glue onto it.
An older child can spread patterns with the glue, a younger child can just
spread freely.
Collect some sand in a small container and sprinkle it over the glue, then
dust it off to reveal the artwork.
Garden scene
ACT IV IT Y 14 Tearing and finger strength
Make a garden scene with paper tearings.

Ask your child to draw the branches and trunk of a big tree on a sheet of
paper. (or draw one for a young child)
Find bits of green paper in a magazine (or use a sheet of green paper) and
tear it up into lots of tiny little pieces.
Using a glue stick or liquid glue, paste the paper tearings onto the branches
as leaves.
Draw the rest of the garden scene - grass, sky, birds, etc.
Counting Song: Five Little Snowmen

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting (backwards) and rhyming
Five little snowmen standing in a line

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, So fine
Melt in the sunshine with a sigh
We’ll see you next year, Bye Bye!
Four little snowmen standing in a line

Repeat verses until there are no snowmen left:
One little snowman standing in a line

One, So fine
Melt in the sunshine with a sigh
We’ll see you next year, Bye Bye!
Month 8, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Movement listening game
Listening, memory and gross motor
Play a movement listening game that involves listening carefully to and

remembering multiple instructions.
Make up a series of silly instructions – such as jump up three times, run
around the tree and hop back with feet together – and see if your child can
do them in the correct sequence and remember them all.
Start with only two instructions for younger children and add more as your
child’s age and skill allows
Story time: Alternate ending

ACT IV I T Y 17 Creative thinking
Read one of your child's favourite stories.

Stop halfway and say that you are going to make up a new ending to the
story.
Help your child, if necessary, by taking the story in a new direction and
asking what happens next.
Body part dancing

ACT IV I T Y 18 Listening and body awareness
Turn on the music and tell your child to “dance” only with the body parts you
specify.
They might wiggle their fingers, swing their right legs, or twirl their left arms,
keeping the rest of their body as still as possible.
Life-size portrait
ACT IV IT Y 19 Body awareness and attention to detail
Make a cool, life-sized portrait of your child.

Use a large roll of paper (the back of wrapping paper works well for this if
you don't have craft paper).
Lie your child down on the paper and trace around his/her body.
Your child can draw on the body parts (e.g. facial features) and clothes.
ACT IV I T Y 20 Clapping song: A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea

Bilateral coordination and midline crossing
Clap your hands together for one count and then clap one hand with your partner, then clap the other hand with
your partner. When you repeat the words three times, clap your partner’s hands three times.
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,

To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
Repeat the verse three times, using the following sets of words:
A sailor went to chop, chop, chop.
A sailor went to knee, knee, knee.
A sailor went to sea, chop, knee.
Month 9, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Play 'What Is It?'
Thinking skills and comprehension
This game is a variation of What Am I? It teaches children comprehension

skills by making them use the information they have to solve the riddle.
Choose an animal and describe it in a riddle: I’m thinking of something that
lives in the sea, has sharp teeth and swims very fast. What is it?
Once your child has guessed the animal, it is his/her turn to choose an
animal and make up a riddle.
Use a theme, such as animals, for a few rounds until your child has learnt
how to make up a riddle. Later, try a theme such as people at work (e.g. I
wear a long coat, I work in a hospital, I sometimes do operations. Who am I?)
Sponge painting
ACT I V IT Y 2 Creativity and fine motor
Pour some paint into a tray. Provide art sponges or used dish sponges.
Dip the sponges into the paint and stamp them onto paper, or smear the
paint on with the sponges and watch the colours mix.
Magic cup game

ACT I V IT Y 3 Concentration and memory
Place 3 cups upside down and use a small item such as a ball, figure or coin.
Place the item under one of the cups, and then move the cups around.
Your child must watch them move and then show you which cup the item is
under. This can be made harder by adding more cups, or moving them more
quickly, or shuffling more.
Your child may also like to switch roles and have a go at moving the cups for
themselves.
Play 'Traffic lights'

ACT I V IT Y 4 Memory and listening
Tell your child that when you say “green light” they may run, when you say
“red light” they must stop and when you say “amber/orange light” they may
walk.
As your child becomes more adept at the game you can add more
instructions such as “roundabout” to get them to spin around, “flat tyre” for
sitting down or “it’s raining” for windscreen wiper movements with the arms.
Action rhyme: I’m a Little Teapot

ACT I V IT Y 5 Gross motor, language & listening
I’m a little teapot (Point to self)

Short and stout, (Round arms and touch fingertips together in front of body)
Here is my handle, (Left fist on hip)
Here is my spout. (Bend right elbow, lift forearm and lower wrist to look like the
spout of a teapot)
When I get all steamed up, Hear me shout, (Remain in same position and nod)
Tip me over, And pour me out! (Tip sideways towards the extended arm)
Month 9, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Categories game
Listening, vocabulary and memory
Pick a category such as fruit, cars or animals.

Take turns to add a new word to the string of nouns in the category.
Make sure not to repeat any words and see how many words you can find
together.
Make it tougher with categories such as trees, or 'things you can sit on'.
Story: Learning to summarize

ACT I V IT Y 7 Higher-order thinking skills
Read your child a story and teach the concept of summarizing or eliciting the
main idea from a text. Ask questions such as:
What was this story about?
What is the main idea of the story? (in one sentence)
Can you tell me about the story in a few sentences? (summarizing)
What was the highlight of the story for you?
What was your favourite part?
Make a chalk house

ACT I V IT Y 8 Gross motor, creativity and fantasy play
Make a big chalk house outside by drawing a 2D overview of the rooms,

kitchen and other living areas.
Make it large enough for child to play inside and move between the areas.
Add props and toys such as figurines/dolls, miniature equipment, etc.
If you don't have an outdoor area, build the outlines of the house indoors
with tape, blocks, chairs, or anything you can improvise with.
Two step directions

ACT I V IT Y 9 Gross motor and listening
Give your child these fun, multi-step, movement directions. Make them up as
you go about your day. Start with 2 and give up to 4 for older children.
Walk along the fence and sit on the swing; Reach your hands over your head and clap your hands; Stand
next to me and hold onto my hand; Touch your toes and then spin around in a circle; Wash your face
with this cloth and comb your hair; Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and place the other slice
on top.
Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i o

And on his farm he had some cows, Ee i ee i o
With a moo-moo here, And a moo-moo there
Here a moo, there a moo, Everywhere a moo-moo
Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i o
Repeat with as many animals and sounds as you can think of.
Month 9, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Flamingo leg lifting
Gross motor and balance
Ask your child to stand sideways behind a chair and hold onto it for support.
Ask your child to pretend to be a flamingo and lift a leg at a 90-degree angle
and hold it up for a certain number of counts, such as 5-10.
Then let go of the chair and stand for a certain number of counts.
Pass the parcel

ACT IV I T Y 12 Listening and tearing skill
Wrap a fruit (or a treat) in multiple layers of wrapping paper.

Play some music and pass it back and forth. When the music stops, the
person holding the parcel must take a guess at what's inside and tear off a
layer of wrapping paper.
Then continue onto the next round. Let your child unwrap the last layer and
eat the treat.
Make an animal mask

ACT IV I T Y 13 Creativity, observation skills & fantasy play
Ask your child to choose an animal and look at pictures of the animal online
or in books.
Discuss the animal's features: whiskers, stripes, pointy ears, etc.
Make an animal mask with a paper plate or a round cardboard cut-out.
Provide markers, coloured paper, scissors, glue and other waste items.
Tie a string to the sides so your child can wear the mask and engage in
fantasy play.
Play 'Follow the leader'

ACT IV IT Y 14 Gross motor and body awareness
For the first round, be the leader and move in certain ways (walk, skip, hop,
etc.). Your child must mimic your movements.
Add different, smaller movements too, such as holding a hand up in the air or
bending both elbows out to the sides.
Then, swap roles and follow your child's lead.
Counting Song: Rabbits

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting forwards in threes
Rabbits-rabbits 1 2 3
Will you come and play with me?
Camels-camels 4 5 6
Why do you have a hump like this?
Monkeys-monkeys 7 8 9
Will you teach me how to climb?
When I have counted up to ten
The elephant says now start again.
Month 9, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Feel the shapes
Shape recognition and tactile
Cut out a few basic cardboard shapes and place them into a bag that you
can't see through.
Ask your child to reach into the bag, feel one shape and guess what it is.
Take the shape out and see if he/she guessed correctly. If yes, your child can
keep the shape, if not, throw it back in and shake the bag again.
Story time: Tell a familiar story

ACT IV I T Y 17 Memory and story-telling (speaking)
Give your child a favourite story (with lots of illustrations) and get him/her
to tell you the story from the pictures, and also from memory.
See how many details your child remembers of the story, from listening to
you tell it previously, and also if he/she uses the pictures to spur memory.
Tissue dance
ACT IV I T Y 18 Concentration
Each of you places a tissue on your head.

When the music starts, dance around, attempting to keep the tissue in place.
If it starts to fall, try to catch it and put it back in place on your head.
You are “out” if the tissue hits the floor.
Mosaic art
ACT IV IT Y 19 Fine motor control
Teach your child the simple craft of mosaicing.

Draw an outline of a picture or pattern (or use a colouring page) and mosaic
small items with liquid glue, packing them close together. Use small beads,
stones, sequins or mosaic tiles
ACT IV I T Y 20 Song: Animals in the Ocean

Sing this ocean song to the tune of 'The wheels on the bus'. Act out the
movements.
The sharks in the ocean go chomp, chomp, chomp,

Chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp.
The sharks in the ocean go chomp, chomp, chomp
All day long…
Repeat the verses, changing the animals and actions each time:
The turtles on the ocean go snap, snap, snap
The crabs in the ocean go click, click, click
The jellyfish in the ocean go wibble, wobble, wibble
The clams in the ocean go open and shut
The seahorse in the ocean rocks back and forth
Month 10, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Play 'Think fast'
Language, listening & thinking
You can play this game anywhere, but the best place is while driving. It’s a
great game for learning nouns and thinking fast.
As you pass things while driving, take turns naming as many things as you
can. For example, say “tree, building, sign, traffic light, shop, chair, grass,
clouds”, etc.
Try to keep an unbroken chain of words throughout the trip.
Animal dancing
Take turns with your child to be the leader.

Play some fun music in the background and the leader shouts out the name
of an animal.
You must then dance or move, pretending to be that type of animal. After a
few minutes, name a new animal.
Make animal noises to add to the fun.
Straw painting
ACT I V IT Y 3 Creativity
Pour paint (or several colours of paint) into plastic cups.

Dip a straw into the paint and then let the paint drop off the straw onto a
paper.
Blow into the straw and watch the patterns emerge as the paint gets blown
around the paper.
Play 'Hide and seek'

ACT I V IT Y 4 Thinking and planning
Play a game of hide and seek. Choose someone to count and someone to
hide.
If you're on, face the wall and count to 10 while your child hides, or vice
versa. Then, go and search for your child. Swap roles.
Action rhyme: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear, Turn around.

Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch the ground.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Tie your shoes.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, That will do.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Go upstairs.

Teddy bear, teddy bear, Say your prayers.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Turn out the light.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Say good night.
Month 10, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Number splat
Number recognition
All you need is a nice big roll of paper with numbers on and a fly swat dipped
in paint.
You call out the numbers and your child must swat them, thereby covering
them in paint.
You can play just as easily without the paint, simply swatting at the numerals,
but it’s far less fun than making a mess.
Story: The Mighty Meeting

Read the story 'The Mighty Meeting' to your child (from the Story Pack).
It's about a lion and an elephant who won't get out of each other's way.
Guess the songs

ACT I V IT Y 8 Auditory memory
Hum some familiar tunes (such as well-known nursery rhymes) and ask your
child to shout the name of the song as soon as he/she recognizes it.
Then take turns humming and trying less common songs when your child gets
better at this game.
Play 'Simon says'

ACT I V IT Y 9 Gross motor and following instructions
Start by playing the role of Simon, then swap roles later on.
Simon gives a command
Your child must only obey the commands that start with “Simon says.”
If you follow a command that doesn’t begin with “Simon says” you are out.
Examples: Simon says hug yourself; Simon says touch both elbows at the
same time; Simon says touch your right knee with your left hand; Simon says
fold your arms.
Action Song: Hop Little Bunnies

ACT IV I T Y 10 Gross motor
See the bunnies sleeping ’til it’s nearly noon.

Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
They’re so still, Are they ill?
Wake up, little bunnies!
Hop, little bunnies,
Hop, hop, hop (x 3)
Hop, little bunnies
Hop, hop, hop (x 2)
Repeat the verse, changing the movement to 'jump little bunnies.'
Month 10, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Move to the beat
Listening and rhythm
Search for the song 'Move to the Beat (The Sitting Movement Song!)' on
YouTube.
Play it in the background, sit next to your child and move to the beat
together while sitting.
Listen to the instructions in the song and follow the actions.
Play 'Hide and listen'

ACT IV I T Y 12 Listening and making associations
Blindfold your child and hide any instrument (such as a tambourine)

somewhere in the room where you are playing.
Tell your child what instrument he/she must find.
Your child then searches for the instrument while you play music in the
background.
Explain that when the music gets softer he is going further from the
instrument and when it gets louder he is getting closer to it.
Texture collage
ACT IV I T Y 13 Fine motor - tearing and pasting
For this tear and paste activity, make a texture collage with different
materials and types of paper.
Teach your child to tear the materials into small pieces and then arrange
them any way they like onto the paper.
Provide a small tub with various papers and materials for your child to
choose from.
Here are some different types: Tin foil; Regular computer paper; Tissue
paper; Newspaper; Cardboard; Magazine paper; Baking paper; Sticky paper
(tape or stickers); Wrapping paper.
Make a macaroni name

ACT IV IT Y 14 Shapes and lines (pre-writing skills)
Give your child small macaroni, beads or dried beans and build his/her name
with the tiny objects. You can also create shapes or other images.
If your child is too young, write the name in large letters on a paper and
trace the lines with macaroni.
Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

ACT IV I T Y 15 Counting (backwards) and rhyming
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes.
Knees and toes.
And eyes, and ears, and mouth and nose,
Knees and toes.
Month 10, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Fingers and toes
Fine motor, cutting and body awareness
Make hand and feet cut-outs.

Trace around your child’ hands and/or feet on heavy paper or paper plates.
Involve your child in cutting some of these out.
These can be decorated with crayons and markers.
Story time: Fiction vs non-fiction

ACT IV I T Y 17 Vocabulary - fiction and non-fiction
Read your child a fictional story, then read from a non-fiction informational
book.
try to find books in the same genre, such as 'The three little pigs', followed
by a picture book about farm animals.
Ask your child which of these books is 'true' and shares 'information' and
which are telling a story.
Teach your child the words fiction (story) and non-fiction (true).
Body sounds
ACT IV I T Y 18 Listening and body percussion
Think of ways to make sounds with your bodies, such as clapping, clicking,
tapping or yawning.
Then, one of you closes your eyes and guesses what body sound the other is
making.
Rock patterns
Collect rocks in the garden or park.

Paint patterns on the rocks with paint and thin brushes and use them as
paperweights.
Using old nail polish colours is a good alternative to paint.
ACT IV I T Y 20 Finger rhyme: Whale

Fine motor, language & listening
A whale is not as small as us (shake head and finger)

Most whales are bigger than a bus (stretch arms out wide)
A whale is not a fish in the sea (shake head and finger)
A whale breathes air like you and me (take a deep breath)
A whale can’t walk upon the ground (shake head and finger)
A whale must swim to get around (make a swimming motion)
A whale is a mammal like you and me (nod head and point to self and others)
But his home is in the deep blue sea. (make wave motion)
Month 11, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Picture copy
Fine motor and observation
Draw a basic picture on a whiteboard, then have your child repeat it exactly.
Have them try their hardest to get every single detail.
Gradually add more detail to make it a challenge for your child.
Drum rhythms
ACT I V IT Y 2 Auditory memory, rhythm & memory
Use a drum or an alternative, such as a pot or a box.

Use drums, or upturned pots and pans, to play rhythms.
One player “sends” the rhythm, by playing it on their drum, and the other
must then send it back, by playing it on theirs.
Take turns to come up with the rhythm.
Object hide and seek

ACT I V IT Y 3 Thinking and problem solving
Choose an object with your child (such as a teddy bear) and hide it
somewhere in the house while your child counts to 10, then says 'ready or
not, here I come'.
Your child must search the house for it. This game can last all day if you hide
it well.
For younger children, hide it in the same room you are playing in.
Hear the instruments

ACT I V IT Y 4 Sound awareness and musical appreciation
Search for 'Kids Nursery Rhymes Instrumental | Kiddiez Play' on YouTube.

Listen to the music and play a game where you shout out the names of
instruments as you hear them.
Give a point for each instrument they identify correctly.
Optional: Teach the instruments beforehand by listening to clips of different
instruments playing individually.
Action rhyme: One Grey Elephant Balancing

ACT I V IT Y 5 Gross motor and language & counting on
One grey elephant balancing

Step-by-step on a piece of string.
Thought it was such a wonderful stunt.
That he called for another elephant
Repeat the verse, increasing the number of elephants each time until the end:
Five grey elephants balancing.
Step-by-step on a piece of string.
All of a sudden the piece of string broke.
And down came all the ‘ele-folk’.
Month 11, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Study the picture
Observation and creative expression
Look at pictures of art online (or in your home).

Study each one for 30 seconds. Then ask your child questions about what
they saw.
Here are some examples of what to ask about: shapes, lines, colours,
movement in the pictures, people, styles (sketching, watercolours, etc.)
Sit outside and look at a tree or focus on an object indoors and pretend to be
artists, drawing every detail of what you see.
Story: Family Fireworks

Read the story 'Family Fireworks' to your child (from the Story Pack).
It's about a girl who gets up to mischief at her grandmother's house.
Ask your child to draw a picture of the girl and the granny looking up at the
fireworks, before you show the illustration.
Shape collage
ACT I V IT Y 8 Creative expression and fine motor
Cut out lots of tiny shapes from coloured paper (fold the paper in half to cut
out a few at a time).
Mix all the shapes onto a tray or plate and give your child some glue and a
sheet of white paper.
Make a paper collage, pasting the shapes freely all over the page.
Make a puzzle
ACT I V IT Y 9 Visual perception and shape recognition
Use a picture from a magazine or take a colouring page. Stick a cardboard to

the back of it to make it sturdy, making sure to spread a glue stick over the
entire back of the picture.
On the back of the cardboard, draw lines to divide the page into 12, 20 or 24
squares.
Cut out the squares and then let your child 'build' the puzzle.
Song: Mary Had a Little Lamb (With a Twist)

ACT IV I T Y 10 Language & listening
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.
Mary had a little lamb, and a big giraffe?!
Mary had a big giraffe, big giraffe, big giraffe.

Mary had a big giraffe whose neck was very long.
Long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long.
Very very very long.
repeat with:
A rhinoceros whose horn was very sharp
A kangaroo whose pouch was very warm.
A camel whose hump was very round.
Month 11, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Catch bubbles
Eye-hand coordination
Blow bubbles and challenge your child to touch every bubble.

This is challenging when you blow a few at the same time.
Make a simple bubble solution with dishwashing liquid and water.
Self portraits
ACT IV I T Y 12 Body awareness and planning skills
Stand in front of a full length mirror with your child.

Ask your child to name all the body parts, accessories and clothes he/she
can see in the reflection.
Challenge your child to draw a full self portrait, making sure to fit head to
toes on the page.
Toilet roll animals

ACT IV I T Y 13 Creative expression and problem solving
Provide used toilet rolls, scissors, glue, markers and other materials such as
string, googly eyes, fabric, tape, etc.
Ask your child to make a toilet roll animal out of the materials.
Allow your child to problem solve by not interfering too much as he/she tries
to find a way to keep the hair on, attach ears that stay upright, etc.
Mirror exploring
ACT IV IT Y 14 Emotional development (expressing feelings)
Use a mirror again, but this time a handheld one.

Tell your child to display various types of emotions on his/her face: happy,
sad, worried, scared, and silly.
What does each expression look like?
Challenge your child to draw the faces after studying them in the mirror.
Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

ACT IV I T Y 15 Gross motor and listening
If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands. (Clap twice)
Then your face will surely show it,

If you’re happy and you know it, Tap your toe. (Tap twice)
If you’re happy and you know it, Nod your head. (Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it, Do all three. (Clap twice, tap twice, nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it, Clap your hands. (Clap twice)
Month 11, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Clean up timer
Responsibility and time management
Introduce your child to the clean up song with a timer.

Find it on YouTube by searching for '5 Minute Clean up Song with Countdown
for Kids!'
Play it in the background and let your child see the timer on the screen. Use
it as often as you can to motivate your child to pack away after activities or
at the end of the day.
Story time: Who would you rather be?

ACT IV I T Y 17 Higher-order thinking skills
Read a story to your child. There should be multiple characters in the story.
Ask your child to think of which character they would rather be and then
give reasons for the choice.
Examples: Would you rather be Cinderella or the prince? Would you rather
be the wolf or the granny?
Life cycles
ACT IV I T Y 18 Science concepts and vocabulary
Take a walk outside and ask your child to think of all the living things that
need to grow and change, such as seeds growing into plants, butterflies
laying eggs that hatch caterpillars, fruit that starts as a tiny bud, growing and
ripening with time, etc.
Infuse the discussion with lots of new vocabulary.
Optional: draw some of the life cycles or look them up online.
Make a bookmark
ACT IV IT Y 19 Fine motor and creativity
Make a bookmark out of cardboard and decorate it by collaging it with leaves

or flowers.
If you can, laminate the bookmark or cover it with plastic.
ACT IV I T Y 20 Finger rhyme: Little Bunny Foo Foo

Fine motor, language & counting backwards
Little Bunny Foo Foo (make bunny ears with your fingers and make them hop around)
Hopping through the forest,
Scooping up the field mice (pretend to scoop up a mouse with your fist)
And bopping them on the head. (smack the top of your fist with your other hand)
And down, down, down came the Good Fairy, and said:
“Little Bunny Foo Foo
I don’t want to see you (wag your finger as if to say ‘no’)
Scooping up the field mice (pretend to scoop up a mouse with your fist)
And bopping them on the head. (smack the top of your fist with your other hand)
I’m going to give you three chances, (show the number of chances with your fingers)
And if you don’t behave, And then, I’m going to turn you into a…goon!”
Repeat both verses, each time the fairy gives one less chance until she finally says:
“That’s it.”
Then the Good Fairy came down, And then she turned Little Bunny Foo Foo into a…goon!
Month 12, Week 1
ACT I V IT Y 1 Floating and sinking
Science concepts
Do this activity in the bath, or in a tub of water.

Test random objects, containers and toys and each time ask if your child
thinks the object will float or sink.
Discuss why some of them are sinking and others float.
Frogs on lily pads

ACT I V IT Y 2 Balance and coordination
Lay some paper plates outside – fairly close together – and pretend to be
frogs jumping on lily pads, or animals crossing the river by jumping over
rocks.
As your child’s balance and coordination improve, move the plates further
apart and in various directions so your child has to map out a safe path
Play 'Keep it up'

ACT I V IT Y 3 Gross motor and eye-hand coordination
Blow up a balloon, or use a ball, and encourage your child to keep it in the
air as long as possible.
Keep it up by batting it upwards.
Have a competition with your child and see who has better skill.
Piggy bank jars

Make piggy bank jars with your child.

Make three jars:
One for saving money – this money could be taken to the bank and deposited into a
savings account.
One for spending – this jar could be for saving money to buy a specific item, or just for
general spending.
One for donating – teach your child to help those less fortunate by saving some change to
give to the needy
Label the jars and decorate them.
Discuss a plan for how to regularly save money in each jar.
Action rhyme: Raise Your Hands

Raise your hands above your head,

Clap them one, two, three.
Rest them now upon your hips,
Slowly bend your knees.
Up again and stand up tall,
Put your right foot out.
Shake your fingers,
Nod your head,
And twist yourself about.
Month 12, Week 2
ACT I V IT Y 6 Number clapping
Counting and listening
Clap your hands a number of times.

Your child must listen to the number and repeat the clap.
Vary the number each time, alternating between small and big numbers.
Story time: Learn about cause and effect

Read a story to your child and ask questions that teach the concept of cause
and effect. Some examples:
What do you think will happen if...
What did she do that made her friend angry?
What will happen if he does it a different way?
Why did that happen? What caused it?
What happened when the brother and sister didn’t listen to their mom?
Musical chairs
ACT I V IT Y 8 Gross motor and listening.
Place a few chairs around the living room.

Play some fun music.
When the music stops, run and sit on a chair as fast as you can. The first
person on a chair wins a point.
If you are playing alone with your child, make a rule that you can't sit on the
same chair twice.
Play 'What is it?'

ACT I V IT Y 9 Thinking skills
For this simple game, your child must close their eyes and count to 10 while
you hide any object behind your back.
Give your child a few clues, such as I'm blue, I'm cuddly and I have two eyes.
If your child doesn't guess correctly, allow questions, without asking directly
what the object is (Is it a pen?), but rather by asking questions like 'What
colour is it? What do you use it for? Is it fluffy?'
Swap and let your child hide an item, then give you clues.
ACT IV I T Y 10 Rhyme: Bed in summer

Rhyming and language
Look up 'Bed in Summer - mogo' on YouTube,

In winter I get up at night, And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see, The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet, Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?
Month 12, Week 3
ACT IV IT Y 11 Play 'In the river, on the bank'
Working memory and following instructions
Mark out an area using rope or tape that can serve as the river and have your
child stand on the bank of the river by standing outside of the river area.
The premise of the game is very simple – you will give instructions and your
child will do the opposite.
If you say “on the bank” the child will jump into the ‘river’ and if you say “in
the river” your child will hop back up onto the bank.
Make an obstacle course

ACT IV I T Y 12 Gross motor and following instructions.
Set up a simple obstacle course at home.

Use any of the following to build it: cones, laundry basket, tunnel, rings for
tossing, rolled-up newspaper sticks, chairs, tables, etc.
After you both do a few successful rounds, challenge your child to build a
course for you.
Make a paper bag puppet

ACT IV I T Y 13 Creativity, fine motor & language
Choose a character to make. If it is a rabbit, for example, you will need bunny
ears, eyes, nose, whiskers and a mouth. Cut out all the bits and pieces.
Use coloured paper, stickers and coloured pencils to create the features.
Create arms and fit them into the fold on the side of the paper bag, or just
draw them on the front of the packet.
Decorate the back of the puppet too. Bunnies need a fluffy tail, for example.
Practise slipping your hand into the packet and fitting your fingers into the
flap to move it up and down like a mouth. Now your puppet can talk.
Play 'How far?'

ACT IV IT Y 14 Early maths - measurement
Show your child how to measure (using non-standard units of measurement).

Using just their feet, children can walk heel-to-toe, counting how many steps
across the room, along the garden, etc.
Counting Song: The bees go buzzing

ACT IV I T Y 15 Rhyming and counting on by one
Sing this to the tune of 'The ants go marching'

The bees go buzzing one by one. Hoorah! Hoorah!
The bees go buzzing one by one. Hoorah! Hoorah!
The bees go buzzing one by one. The little one stops to have some fun.
And they all go flying high, in the sky. To go back, to their hive.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
The bees go buzzing two by two. The little one stops to sing a tune; The bees go buzzing three by three. The little one stops to scratch her
knee.
The bees go buzzing four by four. The little one stops to sing once more; The bees go buzzing five by five. The little one stops to exercise.
The bees go buzzing six by six. The little one stops to make a wish; The bees go buzzing seven by seven. The little one stops to ask
directions.
The bees go buzzing eight by eight. The little one stops to pollinate; The bees go buzzing nine by nine. The little one starts to fall behind.
The bees go buzzing ten by ten. The little one stops to shout, “THE END!”
Month 12, Week 4
ACT IV IT Y 16 Potato printing
Shape recognition
Cut up some potatoes into different shapes. Make sure to include some
geometric shapes along with abstract ones.
Then, dip them into paint and print onto paper to make a shape picture.
Story time: Make up a nonsense story

ACT IV I T Y 17 Creative thinking and imagination
Make up a fun nonsense story with your child. Make the plot line as
ridiculous as possible. Take turns adding to the story.
Example: There was once a pink bear. He lived in the sea. His mother was a
bunny who was very inquisitive.
Play hopscotch
ACT IV IT Y 18 Gross motor, balance and eye-hand coordination
Draw a Hopscotch court with 10 squares (8 for an easier version).

These are the rules but you should simplify them for younger kids:
One player goes at a time. Start in front of square 1 and throw the stone/beanbag into square 1.
Jump over square 1, landing in square 2, and continue jumping along the squares.
Hop on one leg on a single square and land with two feet where two squares are next to each other (one foot in each
square).
When you reach the number at the end, turn around and continue hopping back in the same way.
When you get back to square 2, bend over to pick up the marker on square 1, and jump over square 1 to finish the
course.
If you touch a line at any point, your turn is over and the next player goes.
If you did not touch a line, continue onto the next round by then throwing the marker into square 2 and hopping
through the course again (this time jumping onto square 1 but jumping over square 2 and landing on square 3).
The winner is the first player to complete all the courses in one round.
Each player must place the marker in square 1 at the start of each new turn.
Song writing
ACT IV IT Y 19 Rhythm, rhyming & creative thinking
Choose a well-known nursery rhyme with a fairly easy melody, such as Baa-
baa black sheep. Make up a new name for the rhyme together
Taking turns and going line-by-line, make up new words for the song.
Try to get the lines to rhyme in pairs. Also try to match the rhythm of the
song (e.g. My-name-is-A-me-li-a, My-bro-ther-is-much-ol-der).
ACT IV I T Y 20 Action Song: Shake My Wiggles Out

Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out I gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out
S h a k e , s h a k e , s h a k e m y s i l l ie s o u t Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out
And wiggle my waggles away And wiggle my waggles away
(shake body for entire verse) (yawn through entire verse)
I gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out I gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Clap, clap, clap my crazies out Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Clap, clap, clap my crazies out Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
And wiggle my waggles away And wiggle my waggles away
(clap through entire verse) And wiggle my waggles away
I gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out (shake entire body for verse)
Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out
Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out
And wiggle my waggles away
(jump through entire verse)

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Learning

Play 'Who Am I?'

Think of an animal and say "who am I?"

Following 2-Step directions

Teach your child to listen with fun, multi-step, movement directions.

Make a chalk city

Draw a large chalk city on a pavement or outdoor surface.

Finger rhyme: My Rabbit

My rabbit has two big ears,

Story: Wake Up Mum

Ice-tray fine motor fun

Action rhyme: Hop a Little, Jump a Little

Hop a little, jump a little

Bend a little, stretch a little,

Can you spot the animal?

Find some pictures of animals in a magazine or book.

Counting rhyme: The Ants Go Marching

Story time: Asking closed questions

Choose any story to read to your child.

Paper plate face paint

Sorting the laundry

Sort out the laundry basket together.

Action rhyme: The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round

Repeat the entire verse with each of these movements:

Play 'Kim's Game'

Place 5 items on a tray- objects, pictures, letters, etc.

Look at pictures of cave men paintings with your child.

Finger rhyme: Grandmother's Glasses

These are grandmother’s glasses,

These are grandfather’s glasses,

Story: Puppy Dreams

Make a nature collage

Counting rhyme: Hickory Dickory…Crash

Hickory dickory dock. A squirrel. A monkey.

Use an egg carton or a plastic container with partitions.

Make a dough name

Make sound jars

Fill glass jars with different amounts of water.

Challenge your child to build a fort or tent in the living room.

Action rhyme: Open, Shut Them

Open, shut them

Open, shut them

Tidy your child's bedroom by sorting all the toys.

Story time: Asking open questions

Choose any story to read to your child.

Hedgehog paper weight

Bean bag hockey

Play hockey inside the house or on a smooth outdoor surface.

Counting rhyme: How Many Fingers on One Hand?

How many fingers on one hand? (repeat 3 times)

How many fingers on two hands? (repeat 3 times)

Fill balloons with flour or water (and embrace the mess).

Story time: Build a story

Make up your own story with your child.

Collect leaves outdoors (or use coins).

Finger rhyme: Two Little Dickie Birds

Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall,

Story time: Discussion

Listen and draw

Counting song: Ten Little Fingers

Ten little fingers, ten little toes,

Play this around the dinner table with at least 3 people.