Duplo Challenge
Give your child three Duplo bricks (the 2x4 bricks). Tell your child that their challenge is to create lots of different Duplo houses. If they need more support then show them how to stick the bricks together in any random way to make a house. How many different ways can your child find to make three brick houses? If they make a duplicate ask them to look carefully at the house s they have already made and spot the one that is the same. As always, support your child as much as is needed to enable them to succeed.
Memory Game
Begin with three objects. Ask/help your child to name all the objects then tell them you are going to take one away and they are going to see if they can remember the missing object. If that is too easy try four or five objects...
'When' Challenge
This activity is lovely to do in a group in Nursery because it enables us to highlight the fact that different people do different things and have different opinions and reinforce how good and positive that is.
This activity also teaches the sequence of names we use for different parts of the day.
What is in the Bag?
Put some everyday objects that are well known to your child into a bag. Your child should not look in the bag but feel the object and guess what it is. When it is your turn model your thinking for your child to develop their awareness of descriptive language.
What Is Going To Happen if...? Prediction Game
Encouraging your child to think about simple cause and effect. During your day you might find lots of opportunities to play this game.
Which One Doesn't Belong?
We love this kind of activity because of the interesting answers we always get. As long as your child can give you a reason then there is no right or wrong answer. You can of course present your idea to your child too as an alternative viewpoint!
Building Challenges
Lovely language modelling and encouragement, hand eye coordination skills, problem solving...