Play is one of the most powerful things we can do with kids! You can help your child build important skills by playing on a regular basis. Whether you create a special time or incorporate it into routines, I encourage you to find time for play.
Think of the skills that you want your child to learn and match them to a game that naturally calls upon those attributes.
Here is a list to get you started:
Pretend play: Symbolic play is the training ground for important brain development including cognitive flexibility, self-monitoring, and working memory. The social aspect helps form the child’s ability to collaborate and cooperate.
Checkers: Reasoning, goal orientation, impulse control, and frustration tolerance are all utilized. Many board games can be entertaining as well as educational.
Riddles and jokes: Thinking outside the box builds cognitive flexibility.
What Happens When: Mix silly questions with real life examples to help kids learn the relationship between actions and consequences. Examples-What happens when you mistake your finger for a carrot? What happens when forget your homework?
I Spy with my Five Senses: Adding onto this familiar game encourages children to develop a greater sense of detail and become more aware of their environment. Examples- I spy something that smells sweet, I spy something that sounds like “Rumble Rumble.”
We are Going to the Park and We are Going to Bring: Come up with a fun or silly destination then take turns adding what you are going to bring. The next player repeats the sentence, your word, and then adds his own. This continues for as long as it is fun. Strengthens auditory processing, memory, and attention skills.
Mirror: Face your child as if he were looking in the mirror. Your child the gets to move in whatever way he wants and you copy his movements. Switch places. This fun game builds awareness of the reciprocal nature of relationships.
HAVE FUN!
Think of the skills that you want your child to learn and match them to a game that naturally calls upon those attributes.
Here is a list to get you started:
Pretend play: Symbolic play is the training ground for important brain development including cognitive flexibility, self-monitoring, and working memory. The social aspect helps form the child’s ability to collaborate and cooperate.
Checkers: Reasoning, goal orientation, impulse control, and frustration tolerance are all utilized. Many board games can be entertaining as well as educational.
Riddles and jokes: Thinking outside the box builds cognitive flexibility.
What Happens When: Mix silly questions with real life examples to help kids learn the relationship between actions and consequences. Examples-What happens when you mistake your finger for a carrot? What happens when forget your homework?
I Spy with my Five Senses: Adding onto this familiar game encourages children to develop a greater sense of detail and become more aware of their environment. Examples- I spy something that smells sweet, I spy something that sounds like “Rumble Rumble.”
We are Going to the Park and We are Going to Bring: Come up with a fun or silly destination then take turns adding what you are going to bring. The next player repeats the sentence, your word, and then adds his own. This continues for as long as it is fun. Strengthens auditory processing, memory, and attention skills.
Mirror: Face your child as if he were looking in the mirror. Your child the gets to move in whatever way he wants and you copy his movements. Switch places. This fun game builds awareness of the reciprocal nature of relationships.
HAVE FUN!
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