Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Captions" - Grades K-3rd

Creative Writing, Composition, Handwriting

Help your child cut out interesting photos from newspapers or magazines, and glue them onto pieces of construction paper. Encourage her to provide appropriate (or just plain silly) captions for them. If your child isn't old enough to write yet, simply have her dictate captions to you.

Another fun place for captions is the family photo album. Let your child think up captions for a roll of photos you have just had developed or have her write captions on strips of paper and tape them under pictures in the family album. For extra fun, let her create and tape word and thought bubbles above peoples' heads in the photos.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Writing Activities to do with your Child, Grades K-3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Coin Solutions" - Grades 1-3

Currency, Mental Calculation

Give your child an assortment of coins (e.g. four dimes and four pennies), and pose some coin problems to him.

"Show me three coins that add up to twenty-one cents."

"Show me two coins that add up to twenty cents."

"Show me four coins that add up to forty cents."

"Show me five coins that add up to fourteen cents."

"Show me three coins that add up to thirty cents."

"Show me five coins that add up to thirty-two cents."

"Show me seven coins that add up to forty-three cents."

As your child becomes more skilled, give him additional coins (nickles, quarters, etc.) to work with.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Math Activities to do with your Child, Grades Kindergarten to 3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Sock Sports" - Age 1

Large Motor Skills, Hand-Eye Coordination

Sock Slam Dunk: Stand an open, large paper grocery bag in the middle of a room. Hand your child a balled-up sock (or a small stuffed animal or ball) and show him how to race by the bag and throw the sock in. After a while, give him two balled-up socks to throw into the bag at the same time. You can also encourage your child to stand still and try to shoot the balled-up sock into the grocery bag from different distances.

Sock Target: Draw a face on a large paper grocery bag. Cut out a large hole for the mouth. Place the open bag on a table, put a book in the bottom of the bag to weigh it down, and let your child try to throw balled-up stocks into the mouth.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Age 1, 12-24 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Coin Collection" - Grades Kindergarten to 2nd Grade

Currency, Place Value

This activity will help your child learn how to read the year-date on coins and also create an annual age progression of a group of coins.

Create a four-column grid on a piece of cardboard or poster board. Label the tops of the columns,

"Pennies," "Nickels," "Dimes," and "Quarters." In the sections of the grid below each heading, write the current year and each progressively earlier year until you have the ten most recent years written in each column.

Now help your child look for coins throughout the house, and tape or glue the appropriate ones onto their proper spots on the board. Finding all forty coins might take a while, but a lot of the fun is in keeping an eye out for the missing years.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Math Activities to do with your Child, Grades K-3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Music Time" - Ages 0-12 months

Sensory Awareness, Language Skills

Move Along: Babies love music and hearing you sing. As you are singing or listening to music with your baby, hold him and move to the rhythm or pat him gently in time to the music.

Sing & Stretch: As you sing a song such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," gently curl and uncurl your child's arms and legs to the rhythm.

Sing & Do: Sing about what you are doing while you are with your child. For example, "We're getting in the car! We're getting in the car! Hi Ho the Derry-O, we're getting in the car!"

Song List: Tape a list of songs by your child's changing table to help you remember different tunes to changing his diaper. You can also make up songs, such as, "I love Nicky's nose, nose, nose. I love Nicky's tummy, tummy, tummy."

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Baby Activities to do with your Child, 0-12 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Bathtub Boats" - Age 2

Observation & Discovery, Imagination

Egg Carton Boat: Float the top of a foam egg carton in the bathtub. Encourage your child to place different toys or household objects into the boat. She will learn to balance items so that the boat stays afloat, and she will see what causes the boat to sink.

Aluminum Foil Boat: Create a boat by curling up the edgew of a sheet of aluminum foil. How much water will it hold before it sinks? You can also crumple a piece of foil into a ball and place it into the tub along with a flat sheet of foil. Do they sink or float?

CAUTION!: Monitor your child closely during these activities. Never leave your child unattended in or near the bathtub.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Age 2. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Bogey at Two O'Clock" - Ages 7 and up

Before beginning this game, take a moment to show your child how directions can be given in relationship to the numbers on the face of a clock. First, remove your watch and have him hold it as your point out that twelve is straight ahead, three is to his right and nine is to his left.

Next, stand with your child in front of you, both facing a lamp (or some other reference point.) Explain to him that the lamp is "at twelve o'clock" when it is straight in front of him. Now have him turn so that the lamp is directly to his right and point out that the lamp is "at three o'clock." He can turn again so the lamp is directly to his left and note that the lamp is "at nine o'clock." Another turn puts the lamp behind him "at six o'clock." Remind him that whichever way he is facing is "twelve o'clock."

Secretly select an item in the room and give your child a clock coordinate to help him find it. For example, you may pick the fireplace and then call out, "Bogey at three o'clock!" This is your child's cue to look directly to his right and try to guess which item in that vicinity you chose. If he mistakenly turns to the left, you can continue to redirect him. "Bogey at six o'clock!"

EXTRA CREDIT: "Who is Elbert L. "Burt" Rutan?


SOURCE: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Thinking Activities to do with your Child, Ages 7 and up. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

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Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Button Button" - Grade Preschool

Visual Discrimination, Small Motor Skills

Button Comparison: Compare assorted buttons with your child, noting their similarities and differences. Look at size, shape, color, material (like wood or plastic), number of holes, etc. This can be a great time to practice sorting.

Where's the Button?: Ask your child to guess in which hand you are holding a button. Each time she guesses right, you can say, "You win! Let's play again!"

Button Tiddlywinks: Place a flat button on the floor or tabletop. Have your child press down on the edge of the button with the edge of another button so that the bottom button hops forward. She can even try to get it to jump into a shallow dish.

CAUTION: Monitor your child closely during these activities. Small items can pose a choking hazard.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Preschool Activities to do with your Child, Ages 3-5. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

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Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Big & Little" - Age 1

Visual Discrimination, Language Skills

Use household items to teach your child the concept of sizes -- big and small.

Bring out two or three differently sized spoons. Lay them before your child and talk about which is the biggest and which is the smallest. Shift the spoons around and then encourage him to pick up the biggest one. You can follow this up with differently sized bowls, plates, pans, utensils, socks, etc.

Use other everyday objects to discuss longest, shortest, fattest, thinnest, etc.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Age 1, 12 to 24 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

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Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Bold Bracelet" - Age 0-6 months

Sensory Awareness, Large Motor Skills, Visual Discrimination

Loosely place a small, scrunchy pony tail holder

around your child's wrist

(use a bold color such as red or black).

He will be fascinated by the flash of color

he sees as he moves his arm and hand near his face.

!CAUTION: Monitor your child closely during this activity.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Baby, 0-12 months. Available at SchooDoodle.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "BAG O'SQUISH" - Age 1

Observation & Discovery, Sensory Awareness

Squeeze several tablespoons of ketchup or mustard into a quart-sized resealable plastic bag. Lay the bag flat and squeeze out as much air as possible. Place that resealable plastic bag into another one (just in case the first bag splits), and give it to your child to squish around.

Draw a few small pictures (smiley faces, stars, hearts, etc.) on a piece of paper and place the squishy bag over it. Show your child how to use his finger to press down and displace the ketchup or mustard to reveal the pictures below.

Caution: Monitor your child closely during this activity. Put away the resealable plastic bags immediately after play. Plastic bags can cause choking hazard.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Age 1. Available at SchooDoodle.com.

FREE PARENT INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITY - Writing - "Action Basket"

Composition, Sentence Structure -Grades 1st through 3rd.

Divide eight (or more) strips of paper between you and your child so that you each have at least four strips.

Encourage your child to write down some fun action commands on his strips while you do the same. Examples:

"Jump while singing the alphabet song."
"Close your eyes and stand on one leg for as long as you can."
"Do five sit-ups."
"Make up a short poem and tell it to me."
"Walk backwards to your room and back."

Fold and place all the strips into a basket, mix them up and take turns drawing a strip and following the written instructions.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Writing Activities to do with your Child, Ages 5-9, Grades K-3rd, available at Schoodoodle.com.

FREE PARENT INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITY - Preschool - "Apple Zigzag Puzzle"

Problem Solving

Cut the core out of an apple, then use a sharp knife to cut a deep zigzag pattern around the middle so that the upper and lower halves separate. Show your child how the two halves fit together properly. Hand him the two halves to the "puzzle" and encourage him to try to put it back together. Afterwards, let him eat his puzzle!

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart and Simple Preschool Activities to do with your Child, Ages 3-5, available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Alternate and Replicate" - Ages 3-5

Visual Discrimination, Problem Solving, Small Motor Skills - Ages 3 to 5

Line up a group of plastic building blocks in an alternating pattern of colors in front of your child (for example, red-blue-red-blue). Invite your child to replicate this pattern with her own group of blocks.

Increase the complexity of the pattern as her skill grows (red-red-blue-red-red-blue) and/or incorporate stacking patterns (a single stack -- red-yellow-red; or multiple stacks - two-high, one-high, two-high, etc.)

Enjoy!

Source:

Bright and Beyond - Smart & Simple Preschool Activities to do with your Child, Ages 3-5

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Acrostic Poem" - Grades K-3rd

Creative Writing, Poetry, Vocabulary

An acrostic poem creates a verse using a series of letters from the alphabet or from a word. For example, you can use your child's name or special interest:

A thletic

U ndeniably cute

S pecial son

T ons of fun

I s a good friend

N ow and forever


Encourage your child to write his own acrostic poem.

T unnel ahead

R oaring engin

A way we go

I nside it's dark

N ear the end

S unshine again


Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Writing Activities to do with your Child.
Grades K-3rd, ages 5-9.

A reminder to spend quality time with your children and enjoy your family!

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Anagrams" - Grades K - 3rd

Cut out the individual letters of a word, mix them up, and lay them out before your child. Encourage him to unscramble the letters and reform the word. Start out with simple, three-letter words for younger children, and work up to longer ones for older kids. For example:

E P T

becomes

P E T

Keep in mind that some anagrams can form a variety of words. For example:

O P S T

can become

P O T S

S T O P

T O P S

P O S T

S P O T

To help your child begin to see pattens more quickly in puzzles like these, always present him with anagrams in which the letters are arranged in alphabetical order.


Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Reading Activities to do with your Child. Grades K to 3rd Grades. Here's reminder to help expand your youngster's mind and vocabulary!

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Balloon Rocket"

Tie one end of a length of string to a stationary object (such as a knob on a high cabinet) across the room from you. Thread the other end through a straw. Blow up a balloon, and instead of tying it off, simply pinch the end to keep the air in. Keeping the balloon pinched, tape the balloon to the straw so that the pinched-end is facing the loose end of the string.


Now, let your child hold the pinched end of the balloon. While you hold the string taut (or tie it to a chair or other object), have him release the balloon. Watch it shoot along the string across the room!



CAUTION: Monitor your child closely during this activity. Put away the string and balloon immediately after play. Balloon pieces can pose a choking hazard. Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 2 Activities to do with your Child. Age 2 and up.



Want more fun? Have your toddler try this energy burning activity!

Free Parent Involvement Activity - Art Collection

Visual Discrimination, Classifying
You can introduce your child to fine art and develop her appreciation for it by helping her collect postcards of well known pieces by famous artists.

Most museum gift shops stock a variety of postcards depicting their most well known works. You can buy a few cards at each museum you visit and continue adding to your child's collection over the years.

Looking through the cards and talking about the subject of the painting, the artist, and the style, can help her develop an understanding about how art takes many forms, and how styles of art change over time. Does the painting tell a story?

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 2 Activities to do with your Child.

Age 2 and up. Learn something new together!

Free Parent Involvement Activity: Baby Records

Growth Chart - Birthday Letter

Babies 0-12 months

Growth Chart: In an out-of-the-way spot in your house (for example, the back of the closet door), create a growth chart for your child. Mark his height at birth, three months, six months, etc.

(Use your pediatrician visit records until he can stand by the chart himself for measurement.) Write his name next to each hash mark along with the date.


NOTE: If you do not wish to mark a wall or door, you can purchase student growth charts.


Birthday Letter: Compose a special letter to your child in celebration of his birth. Express your feelings about him and your hopes for his future. On his subsequent birthdays, write him another letter telling him not only about your feelings, but also about some of the cute things he said and did during the year. These will make a fun and sentimental gift later in your child's life.


Source: Bright and Beyond - Smart and Simple Baby Activities to do with your Child