Kids Create Their Own Fun

Play Home-Made Hockey

Families can teach children to make their own games from material around the house. It’s an example of American ingenuity: making something from very little or changing the function to create a whole new product. This is a skill young children can be taught so they are never bored.
Teaching American Ingenuity
  Adam and Leah wanted to go fishing, but couldn’t do the real thing today. They started looking for poles, bait, line, and fish materials around the house.  They gathered yardsticks, yarn, refrigerator clip magnets, and paper clips. With help they attached the yarn, pole and magnets. They spread the paper clips around the floor in a small circle. The person who was “up” was given until the count of 5 to gather some clip fish during a turn. Then the next person took a turn.  When the magnets picked up all clips, they counted to find the winner of that round.
  The principle they used was, “ Think of a game or sport and simulate it with materials around the house.” Their game was easy, cheap, and entertaining with a little bit of learning mixed in.
  How many fishing games can your family create when the weather is foul or the real fish aren’t biting? Paper clips could be placed in a bucket of water.  A reluctant preschool child who needs to soak in the tub could have large colorful paper clips in a floating dish and use a ruler, string and magnet to fish.  The principle is still the same.
Team Creations

Make Hockey Sticks: Cardboard & Paint Stirs

  Another game that has many variations is bowling.  Grandma Dee was providing childcare for four little boys one rainy afternoon. She has been teaching the boys to make games plus little learning out of materials around the house. They decided to make a bowling game out of dominoes.
  Here are the rules they devised. Place dominoes face down on a table. The first player chooses ten dominoes and stands them up between the two players. The blank side faces the person who has the turn. This player lays a domino about one foot away from the standing dominoes and flicks it to knock down as many dominoes as possible. When all dominoes are knocked down, the dots are totaled and the next person chooses a different set of ten and takes a turn. The grand kids worked as a team to create a new game from materials around the house. A little bit of math was worked into the fun. Mission accomplished.

Hit the Tape Spool Puck

  Parents and grandparents often think back to their childhood when they created their own games and other entertainment. Today’s children can do the same. There is never boredom when children learn to create their own fun and learning.
 Photo: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Geography Fun Helps Preschool Kids

With a rug and a few

 Ready to Travel in Newly Built Cities

small cars and trucks, families can teach geography and economic concepts that will be used throughout their lives.
 To make the geography rug gather a relatively smooth large rug, small cars and trucks, plastic animals, Lego type blocks, blue and tan masking tape, towels and shoes. 

Build Hills & Valleys

Making the Scene
  Spread a rug on the floor or table. Explain to children that they will be making a town. The location may be real or imaginary. What will the place look like?  Are there hills and valleys? Are there rivers and lakes? Older children can make a topographic rug map of the United States with the mountain, Great Plains, rivers, and cities.
  Explain that land is not usually flat. There are geographic features on the place like hills, mountains, and rivers. Tuck towels and shoes underneath the rug to make these bumps with valleys between. Cake pans or plates underneath can make plains.
Add rivers with blue masking tape. Point out to

Build Lego Buildings

children that rivers flow down hill and end in the lowest point. Children can cut out lakes and ponds from blue paper.
 Add Human Features
   Create features humans have added to their environment. Tan masking tape can be paths, streets, and highways.
  Help children make a list of the buildings and other places they can make from Lego–type blocks and cardboard like stores, hospitals, schools, churches, parks, homes, and bridges. Add them and any small plastic animals you may have to the rug.
   How are people going to interact with each other and their environment in the city you have created? Is the grocer out of oranges and calling for a truck to bring them to the store? There are many stories to create adding action to play time.

Add Cars, Planes, Trucks

  There is constant movement. Trucks carry fruits, vegetables, milk, lumber and cars from one location to another.  Garbage trucks carry wastes to landfill. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police come to the rescue when there are accidents.  Sometimes police hand out speeding tickets.
  Where are people going? Do some need help? Are roads blocked and need repair or plowing? Use cotton balls for snow. Ask is this place like other regions?
  When children are finished, the geography/economic rug can be stored in a container for next time.
 Richard Scarry’s Busy Town books are excellent to introduce economics, and community helpers for this activity. Libraries have many books to help families teach more about the Five Themes of Geography: location, place, human relationships with the environment, movement, and regional similarities and differences that are also taught in schools. While on family trips use the Five Themes to teach all about the areas visited. This is a great way to organize pictures for a family vacation book.
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Singing Helps Young Children

Singing is a wonderful and fun way of interacting with young children.  Rhythm and movement are a part of life. Infant brains are sensitive to the human voice and to musical sounds. Young children relate to the rhythm and flow of music with their whole bodies. Songs with movements are especially appealing and useful. For non-verbal and hearing impaired children, the movements are the musical experience. Children love to tap and clap while they listen to music and while they sing! Check out some children’s songs CD’s from your local library.
Singing Rhymes

deer are here....

   Rhymes, finger plays, and word games can be very motivating.  How many words can you and your grandchild come up with that rhyme with “bat”? How about “can”? Of course, made up words count too! The goal is to have fun with rhyming.  Did you know that children who have a strong sense of how our language works are more apt to be successful readers? The importance of talking and singing a lot with your youngsters cannot be overemphasized. Our brains may be pre-programmed to relate to music.
 The following is a simple chant to enjoy together. Feel the beat on your knees, on your knees (tapping knees with hands). Feel the beat on your shoulders, on your shoulders (Take turns singing and tapping different parts of the body.). Babies like this, too.
Singing Teaches Concepts
 At home families can help teach important concepts. Make up your own tune. A simple song/poem about water can help develop an appreciation of this valuable resource. It’s called “Water Water,

Water, water...everywhere

Everywhere” Water water everywhere and not a drop to spare. Water in the ground and water in the air. Though it may evaporate it never goes away. Stays on top of mountains, melts and floats into the bay. Refrain: Animals need water; people need it too. Keep it clean for me and I’ll keep it clean for you. Second verse: Now you can take a shower in it, you can wash your hair. You can wash your clothes or wash your teddy bear. Really clean water is getting kind of rare. If we want to save it, people have to care. Families can make up their own melody for the words.
    Singing is a great way to transition from one activity to another. You can sing Barney’s famous “Clean up Song” or make up your own when it’s time to do anything. Music gets children’s attention.
   Music can be exciting, motivating and also soothing.  Often babies and preschoolers love to hear the same familiar songs before nap and bedtime.  After reading a favorite book, turn off the lights and help your little ones relax with a few quiet songs. 
Guest writer is Nancy von Burske, Montessori early childhood teacher.
Photos: Fran Darling: fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest