Table Time Activity: Letter Garden
Skill Check
The goal of this week is work on identifying upper case letters either by pointing to the letter or labeling the letter! You can target a few letters a day to grow the letter garden!
Growing My Skills
Sing the alphabet.
Place flower letters in order from A-Z.
Have the child identify the letters out of alphabetical order.
Identify the sound the letter makes.
Floortime Play Activity: Growing Up, Up, Up!
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to spend time together in a playful, imaginative way. There should be limited structure and a lot of pretending.
Growing My Skills
Rock your child slowly and pretend they are a baby.
Sing your child’s favorite lullabies.
Be surprised if you child resists and say “Oh yes, you are a big girl/boy”, then play it again.
Use this time to connect and remember those sweet infant days.
Don’t be discouraged if your child does not want to be held, give them space and then try again.
Build on the baby theme by rocking baby dolls or stuffed animals together, each with your own baby.
Relaxation Time Activity: Mindful Breathing
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to practice bringing attention to breath in a fun and playful way.
Growing My Skills
Read “Imagine You’re a Tree.”
Look out the window together and choose the tree that you want to be.
Create a new, unique tree with art materials or scraps around the house.
Have everyone in the family describe the details of their tree.
Creative Time Activity: Spring Flower Fine Motor Tray
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is for your child to use fine motor skills while creatively making a flower bouquet!
Growing My Skills
Encourage them to arrange the flowers in patters, use their favorite colors, etc.
Movement Time Activity: Tree Pose
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to stay balanced on one foot while raising your arms toward the sky, like a tree!
Growing My Skills
When standing on one foot, reach the opposite hand into the sky, creating a new position. Switch hands while staying balanced.
Try to pop bubbles or hit a balloon in your tree position.
Try looking up or closing your eyes.
Have everyone in the family do the tree pose and try to connect branches.
Mealtime Activity: Learning About Food!
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to assess your child’s responses to new foods and promote exploration in a safe and supportive environment.
Growing My Skills
This might be difficult if your child is a “picky eater”. Focus on their ability to explore foods without signs of distress. Praise your child for small victories, such as playing with new foods for 5 minutes! Model the exploration of different foods, working your way up to your mouth.
Print out the “Food Scientist” visual to help you structure the activity. Make sure you confirm that your child is ready for each step of food science before continuing on to the next step. It’s important to stop at the step your child is uncomfortable with and move on to a different food. You can place a food in the ‘all done bowl’ when reaching this point. Focus on labeling sensory properties at each step to help your child learn this new language.
- Touch the food and verbally describe the way it feels. Texture: “This _____ feels _____.” (Is the food bumpy or smooth or slimy?) Temperature: “The _____ feels _____.”(Is the food warm or cool?)
- Move the food to your nose and smell. Describe the scent. Smell: “This _____ smells _____.” (Does the food smell sweet or sour or spicy?)
- Move the food to your mouth. Play with the food without eating it.
Pretend the food is lipstick
Give the food a kiss - Slowly work your way up to licking and tasting the food. Describe the sensations, textures, and observations of the way the food tastes.
“The grape feels cool in my mouth. It is soft. When I chew the grape, it tastes sour.”
Language Time Activity: Plant Crafts!
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to provide opportunity for your child to increase use, expand, and improve understanding of language through play.
Growing My Skills
If you are able, take a walk outside with your child, or look out the window, and find things that grow (e.g., a tree, flower). You can talk about how each day the plant gets taller and taller, and describe how it looks (e.g., color, shape).
Visual support is helpful for this activity, so consider taking a picture of it!
Return back to your home and use paper, makers, or whatever crafting supplies are accessible and make the plant!
Expressive language skills such as requesting and describing can be targeted by modeling the language or by prompting them to use their words to request for an art material.
Make your own and take turns with the materials to target turn taking.
Following directions and sequencing can be targeted with helping them organize and complete the steps to making the craft.