Day of Play Newsletter This newsletter is brought to you by: The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation The Worcester Family Partnership and Edward Street Child Services See highlights on the Day of Play website! December 2015 Newsletter! Here you will find activities in each of the 6 important types of play: reading play, construction play, STEM play, creative arts play, active play and music & dance play that will allow you to continue the learning fun at home! To find out more about the benefits of play, visit the Day of Play website! Reading Play 1. Shopping Your Way With Words: Let shopping trips turn into a time for your child to sharpen their reading and writing skills. This is a great activity for older preschoolers learning to read and write. You'll just need a pencil and paper. Next time you make a shopping list, have your child sit next to you and give them the paper and pencil. Tell them the items you need to buy and have them write everything down. Help them along. If they need lots of help, write the words yourself and then have them copy them or spell them aloud. Soon enough you'll be ready to head to the store! 2. Echo Reading: Pick out a familiar book with your child and read it together using echo reading, a rereading strategy that will help your child become a stronger reader. Read a sentence or
phrase while your child follows along, and then have your child repeat it back to you. Depending on your child's reading level, they can start reading first more and more as they progress. Enjoy your reading time together! 3. ABConcentration: For this simple, enriching card game, you'll need some index cards and a writing utensil. Write each letter of the alphabet in uppercase on two cards and pick five sets of letters to start with that your child is familiar with, such as the ones in their name. Shuffle these cards and lay them out on the table facing down. Have your child turn over a card and then turn over other cards until they find the matching one. After they turn over a card, they should say the letter. Turn the cards that don't match in a pile. Now, it's your turn. Keep on taking turns and once you're down to 4 cards (2 pairs), add some more to the game. You can add 10 or more if your child needs more of a challenge and work your way through the alphabet. Another way to make the game more difficult is to create cards with images and then match the image to the letter it starts with by sounding the word out. You can either draw these images or look for ones in an old magazine. Another fun idea is printing out black and white clip art and having your child color it in to make fun images! Construction Play Construction Play 1. Chalkboard Blocks: Your child will enjoy building with and drawing on these cool blocks! They're easy to make -- all you need is some chalk paint, some wooden blocks, and some chalk for later. Find the biggest surface of each block and paint it on one side. Once it dries, you and your child can draw on the blocks with chalk. You can make tall rectangles look like skyscrapers and smaller blocks look like houses by drawing on windows and doors. You could also make draw a brick wall design. Then, encourage your child to set up a city or build something else! 2. Sponge Blocks: Make your own non-traditional blocks using regular sponges! Buy sponges in a couple of different colors and cut them up into squares, rectangles and triangles using kitchen scissors (do not let your child handle these). Then, let your child play with their new blocks!
3. Pool Noodle Construction: For this easy activity, you'll need some noodle blocks (2- or 3-inch high cylinders from cut up pool noodles) and some toothpicks. Lay both materials out on the table and then let the fun begin! Your child can stick toothpicks into a noodle block and then stick another noodle block on top, or push the toothpicks into the side of the noodle blocks for a spiky look, for example. Have fun! STEM Play (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) 1. Match the Scent: Your child will love this sensory activity! You'll need small jars, cotton balls and food flavorings to assemble a series of scented jars. Put a little bit of something scented such as peppermint, lemon, cinnamon, or chocolate in each jar on a cotton ball if needed. Also provide a picture of the various flavors, foods and spices and let your child sniff each jar and match the scent with the picture. Ask your child what certain scents make them feel. Does cinnamon make them feel warm and cozy? Does lavender make them feel breezy? Scent memory is among the most evocative of the senses. What particular memories are deeply connected to a scent? 2. Match the Sound: Fill several cans or jars, covered with paper or painted if necessary so no one can see what's inside, with different familiar noise-making items in each one. For example, fill one jar with beans, another with toothpicks, and another with keys. Put a sample of each item in a line and have children shake each jar to see if they can match the sound to the object. Ask you child what he or she hears, encouraging them to use words to distinguish sounds. 3. Take the Plunge: Fill little bags with a variety of small items such as beans, sand, mulch, leaves, soil, and even yogurt or something similar if you don't mind making a mess! Have your child plunge their hands into the bags of stuff. Ask a variety of questions to stimulate creative thinking: What could you build with this? Does anything live in this material? Where is it from? Creative Arts Play
Creative Arts Play 1. Handmade Wrapping Paper: Turn your house into the elves' workshop with this convenient and thoughtful craft perfect for the holiday season. Gather some old wrapping paper or cut open a brown paper bag. You'll also need paint, and a sponge or two to create a nice design, unless your child prefers finger painting! Tape your large piece of paper face down to the table, and if you're sponge painting, cut the sponge into small shapes. Now, pour some paint colors onto a dish and let the painting and sponge stamping begin! Move your child around the paper for a if you want a more even pattern. Once your child has finished, let the paper dry overnight. Happy wrapping! 2. Dish Brush Wreath: This craft is perfect for the holidays, and all you need is some paper, a rounded dish brush, green and red paint, and a red bow. Pour some green and red paint onto a lid or paper plate. Dip the dish brush in green paint and then use it to stamp a circle shape onto the paper to make a wreath. Your child will love trying a different way of painting and the interesting texture the brush produces. Then, finger paint little red dots on top of the green wreath. Stick the bow on and there you have a beautiful wreath to decorate your home with! 3. Paper Plate Christmas Ornament: This is another fun Christmas craft! You'll need tissue paper, glue, a wide paintbrush, scissors, a hole puncher, black paper and ribbon. First, cut a few sheets of tissue paper into circles and have you child spread glue all over the paper plate with the paintbrush. Then, they can stick the circles on to the plate, covering the entire thing. Cut out a black paper square and glue it to the top of the plate, and hole punch it near the top. Now, cut some ribbon and thread it through the hole. Tie it so that you can hang up your ornament. You could also glue a looped piece of ribbon onto the back of the black square instead. Then show off your lovely decoration throughout the holiday season!
Active Play 1. Follow the leader: This activity is a classic, and you can play it indoors or outdoors, even in the snow! Take turns being the leader. The group (or the other person) follows the leader around and copies their moves (for example clapping, hopping, skipping, running, reaching up to the sky, touching toes, saying a chant, etc). Encourage the leader to be creative and have fun! 2. Santa's Coming: This is a holiday version of the classic game Captain's Coming. You can play with three people or more. The more, the better! It's a way to get the kids moving at a holiday get-together. Have an adult be Santa or Mrs. Claus. Santa or Mrs. Claus explain the moves beforehand, and then call out a move that everyone must do. Some suggested moves are listed below. Start with a just few, especially with younger kids, or make up your own! Santa Claus: Hold out your hands to make a belly and say "ho ho ho" Candy Cane: Create the shape of a candy cane with your arms Milk and Cookies: Pretend to eat cookies and drink milk Snowflake: Stand with your legs apart and arms out wide Christmas Tree: Stand with your feet apart and hands touching over your head Hanging the Stocking: Jump up and pretend to hang the stocking on the mantel 2 or 3 in a Sleigh: 2 or 3 children sit behind each other on the floor 4 in a Sleigh: 2 children sit side-by-side and 2 children sit behind them Snow Angel: Make a snow angel on the floor Last Minute Shopping: Jog in place Stroll the Mall: Power walk Ice Skating: Put your hands behind your back and pretend to skate Mistletoe: Hug yourself Reindeer: Stick your hands up on your head and prance around Elves: Put one palm out and hit it with your fist (to represent making toys) Lights Out: Lie down and close your eyes Blinking Lights: Do jumping jacks Wrap the Presents: Pretend to wrap presents
Play a few practice rounds and if your group gets the hang of it, you can make it more competitive with the following ideas: Children get out of the game when they mess up a move, can't find partners for 2, 3, or 4 in a sleigh, or are the last group to get together for 2, 3, or 4 in a sleigh. Once children are familiar with the moves, they can also be Santa or Mrs. Claus! 3. Snowman Ball Toss: This is a fun activity that will help your child work on their aim! You'll need a big, flat, rectangular piece of cardboard, paint, and scissors. Paint a simple snowman head (with a hat, carrot nose, and eyes) onto the cardboard. Once it's dry, cut out a big hole for the mouth. Then, lean it up against a corner or wall and provide your child with some Styrofoam balls. The goal is to toss the balls into the mouth. Have your child stand back a few feet and try it out. Adjust their distance from the snowman depending on how easy or hard it is for them. Have a blast! Music & Dance Play Music & Dance Play 1. Homemade Tap Shoes: Get those dancing feet ready and make some tap shoes! You can either use pennies if you want to permanently transform your shoes or washers for a temporary tap shoe. If you're using pennies, use a strong glue to secure them to the bottom of a pair of shoes. Cover the toe and the heel, spacing the pennies about 1/4-inch apart and let dry. Alternatively, tie a large, flat metal washer to the toe of your child's shoe with yarn. Start by cutting a 12-inch piece of yarn. Lay it flat and place the washer over the center of it. Wrap each end of the yarn around one side of the washer. Have your child step on the washer with the toe of their shoe. Wrap the yarn around, and tie it in place over the top of the foot. Repeat this with a second washer, tying the washer to the heel of the same shoe, by wrapping the yarn in front of your child's ankle. Repeat with the other two washers on the other shoe. Now turn on some music and dance the time away! 2. Homemade Didgeridoo: To make this Australian instrument, you'll need an empty wrapping paper roll and some decorating supplies (stickers, paint, markers, ribbon, feathers...). Traditional didgeridoos often have animals on them, such as snakes or lizards, or something that means a lot to the owner. They are normally made of a series of dots. Your child may be inspired by Australian tradition or they might want to do something
completely different! Once the didgeridoo is decorated, blow into it by pressing your lips together to blow "raspberries", or hum or speak into it. Pay attention to the sounds. You can even try saying your name or vowels like "A-E-I-O-U"! 3. Bucket Drumming: This musical activity couldn't be easier! You just need two cardboard tubes and a few large buckets. Turn the buckets over and hand the cardboard tube drumsticks to your child and let the drumming begin! Created by Lillian Daley Edward Street Child Services 50 Portland Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01608 The Constant Contact Cares for Kids program supports youth oriented nonprofit organizations. Learn more about the Cares for Kids program. More than 600,000 small businesses and organizations trust Constant Contact to connect with their customers and members. Signup for a free 60-day trial. Edward Street Child Services 50 Portland Street Worcester MA 01608