|
|
| 
|
WHAT IF
A fun game to play with your child is "What If".
It not only is fun but it exercises your child's thinking
skills. To play, you take turns with your child making
up funny or serious "what if" situations. Examples:
What would you do if...
|
You could ride on a cloud? |
|
You had a tail? |
|
Candy grew on trees? |
|
Your brother was a mouse? |
|
Your T.V. broke down? |
 |
There was no sun all day? |
|
The postman brought you a monkey? |
|
Your hair turned orange? |
|
You found a dollar? |
|
HOW MANY WAYS
Another fun game is to have your child think of
alternatives to common occurrences. Examples: How many
ways can you think of to...
 |
Go down a hill? |
|
Cover your head? |
|
Keep warm? |
|
Get across the room? |
|
To read a book?
|
|
WHY QUESTIONS
Children love to ask questions. Well, in this game
you get to ask the questions while you both take turns
making up as many scenarios as possible for each question.
Examples:
 |
Why was there a monkey on Mary's car? |
|
Why did the chicken fly up on the roof? |
|
Why was the postman all wet? |
|
Why did father have on two hats? |
|
Why was the dog barking last night? |
|
The idea of the game is to not have to always
think up a logical answer but to encourage children to
brainstorm other possible reasons why something might
happen, even if it is far fetched.
Examples of possible answers to the first question about
Mary and the monkey on her car.
 |
Mary wanted to show everyone her monkey. |
|
The monkey was wet and Mary wanted to dry him
off. |
|
The monkey jumped on the top of the car and wouldn't
let go. |
|
The monkey was looking for his mother and thought
he could see better on the top of the car.
|
|
|
GUESSING GAMES
- WHAT'S IN THE BOX? - Hide an object in a box. Let
your child rattle and shake the box and ask you five questions.
Can he guess what's inside? Your child's interest in this
game will last longer if you take turns trying to fool each
other.
- WHAT'S IN THE SOCK? - Place a common object in
a dark sock. Tie or pin the end closed. Let your child feel
the object through the sock. Can she guess what it is?
- I SPY - Take turns finding object in a room with
your child. One person picks out an object and tells the
other, "I spy a blue object". The other person
gets 4 chances to guess the object.
- CATEGORIES - Pick a category and take turns with
your child naming objects in that category. Examples: Toys,
Decorations, Pies, Things with wheels, etc.
|
STORYTIME
- Tell or read your child a short story and have her
make up her own name for the story.
- Show your child a picture from a book or a magazine
and have him tell you, "What just happened?"
or "What will happen next?"
- Make up a new version of a fairy tale with your
child. Act out the tale using available stuffed animals.
Example: The Green Frog and the Three Elephants"
- After reading a story or watching a video, ask your
child to describe the main character. "What did
she look like?" "What kind of a person was
she?" etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
