The next time you're at the grocery store, help your child find twelve of something, such as twelve apples or zucchinis. Count to twelve as you point to each one. Then explain that twelve also means a dozen. Look for a dozen eggs or a dozen bagels. Whtat else can you find a dozen of?
Dine with the number 9! With your child, create a meal where there is exactly nine of something on the plate. There could be nine spaghetti stands, nine carrot sticks, or chicken cut up into nine pieces. Count the food before your eat it, and then count down after every bite.
Go on a nature scavenger hunt and collect sets of eight with your child. Can you find eight small sticks? Eight fallen leaves? Eight pebbles? When you get home, help your child glue what he found onto pieces of construction paper and then write the number eight on each collage. How many sets of eight can you find?
There are seven colors you can see in a rainbow- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Together with your child, draw a rainbow counting each color as you go! What else can you draw with seven colors?
As a fun art project, you and your child can dip your hands and feet in finger paint and make hand and foot prints on paper or cardboard. Once the paint is dry, count the number of fingers on each hand and the number of toes on each foot. Use markers or crayons to write the numbers 1-5 above each finger and toe.
Point to each Twiddlebug in the big picture. Say which sense it is using. What else can you count 5 of ?
Play a game where you and your child have to remember to say "one" when there is only one of something left. If you're eating carrot sticks, say "one" when there is only one left on your plate. If your're cleaning up toys, say "one" before you put the last one away. If you're setting the table together, don't forget to say "one" when you only have one plate or spoon left to put down.
Use bath time to teach your child about hygiene—and letters, numbers, and science! As you talk about getting clean, soap and bubbles can be your teaching tools. Squirt a letter on his hand with foaming soap or draw a shape in the tub with bubbles. Your child may enjoy getting clean as much as he enjoys getting dirty!
Everyone has a “baby in the tub” photo. Together with your child, pull out the photo album. Show him how he has been having tub time since he was a tiny baby. Talk about how being a big kid has changed tub time. Can he use the washcloth to scrub his toes? Can he dry himself off with a towel?
Where do our foods come from? Talk with your child about something on your dinner table at home, such as potatoes. Where were the potatoes grown? How did they travel to your table? Visit the supermarket together and talk about other foods. Did those foods grow on trees or in the ground? Did they come from an animal, as milk and eggs do?
Where does your food come from? Farms! Use your finger or a crayon to follow the delicious journey from farm to market to your table.
Move It Get ready to jump, wiggle, and sway, because a great way to discover new words and build language is to move while you learn. That’s because when your child explores words with his whole body, he will really feel their meaning, which helps him learn.
Sock Chaos at the Laundromat Chris is folding his laundry when he discovers a sock is missing. All socks come in pairs, so he needs to find the matching sock. Abby appears with a new "two trick" that turns one thing into two things. She waves her wand and makes a pink polka dot sock appear, but it doesn't match Chris' striped sock.
