March Activities
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Walk around your house looking at colors, shapes, and numbers. Count the windows, the steps on the stairs, the number of rooms, chairs, etc. Look for shapes and colors in your home. Say "Lets find a square" or "Let's find things that are red." If colors and shapes are new to your child, place something red in her hand and say "That's red. Let's find other red things." Or "This is a square. Let's find other things in the house that are square."
Other Ideas:
- Write large numbers from one to five on a piece of paper.
- Next to the number one, put one little ball of clay or play dough, next to the number two, put two little balls of clay and so on.
- Have your child count the balls and use a finger to trace the number.
Related Books
- The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins
- Red is Best, by Kathy Stinson / Spanish version: Rojo Es El Mejor
- Afro-bets Book of Shapes, by Margery Brown
- Color Box, by Dale Ann Dodds
- Spot's Big Book of Colors, Shapes, and Numbers (El Libro Grande de Spot Colores, Formas, y Numeras), by Eric Hill
April Activities
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Have fun with the sounds in words. Clap out the rhythm of your name and have your child do the same. Then try other people's names (Jon-a-thon, La-toy-a). Say words that start with the same sound as your child's name: Sam, soap, and sandwich. Say the word slowly so that you hear the first sound. Have your child try to do the same. Find the rhyming words in Mother Goose or other rhymes.
Other Ideas:
- Say two words and ask your child if the words begin with the same sound. If your child can do this, then try words that end with the same sound.
Related Books
- Sheep on a Ship, by Nancy Shaw
- Hand Rhymes, by Marc Brown
- Diez Deditos / Ten Little Fingers and other Play Rhymes from Latin America, selected by Jose-Luis Orozco
- Arroz Con Leche / Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, selected by Lulu Delacre
- Any collection of Mother Goose Rhymes or children's poetry.
May Activities
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As you walk in your neighborhood, say that you will be listening for sounds of spring, looking for the sights of spring, and trying to find the smells of spring. Ask: "What do you hear that sounds like spring? Where is it coming from? Can you make that sound?" Next, "What do you see that's new in springtime? What colors do you see?" Take a deep breath together at different points in the walk and ask, "Do you smell a difference in the air?" Talk about the differences in weather as the seasons change.
Other Ideas:
- Look back at the tree you "adopted" in the fall. How is it different this month?
- Try a "safety walk." As you go around the neighborhood, ask "How should we cross the street safely?" Point out a stop sign: "Do you know what the sign says? What do you think that sign if for?"
- You can also talk about streetlights, bus safety, and more.
Related Books
- When Spring Comes, by Robert Maas
- My Spring Robin, by Anne Rockwell
- My 5 Senses (Mis Cinco Sentidos), by Aliki
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