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Activities you can do at home with your child

These are some examples of the different activities suitable for a wide range of children’s ages. Every child is different and develops at their own pace, so please choose carefully which activity is appropriate for your child.

Get active

  • Be active – take your child to the playground where they can run on the grass, jump over puddles, climb the play equipment and crawl about
  • Make an obstacle course with your child and explore it together
  • Play sports together e.g. throwing and catching a ball

Play

  • Games galore – play hopscotch, hide and seek, animal games e.g. jump like a kangaroo or walk slow like an elephant, or even make your own games up
  • Encourage your child’s thinking – let your child play using building blocks to create a car, train, house or whatever their imagination creates
  • Let your child blow bubbles on a windy day and try to guess how high they will go
  • Encourage creativity by painting
  • Play and interact with your baby during nappy change e.g. blow gently on their belly, play peek-a-boo, make happy sounds etc.
  • Create and play with items you would normally think are rubbish e.g. an empty tissue box or toilet paper roll
  • Play outside and encourage children to interact with nature

Work it out

  • Take your child with you to post a letter and count the mailboxes on the way
  • Play eye spy with my little eye
  • Shadow play e.g. use a torch to make hand shadows on the wall with your child
  • It’s never too early for math games – get your child to help you count the money when you pay for things 

Get out and about

  • Go to a park where they can feed the ducks in the pond
  • Be spontaneous and ask questions, e.g. how many ducks are there?
  • Take your child to appointments with you e.g. the doctor
  • Go shopping together

Word play

  • Read with your child and tell them stories
  • Play with sounds e.g. try to hear and name different sounds e.g. a phone ringing
  • Encourage your child to be creative with sounds and words - play with rhymes and get your child to try to rhyme

Getting ready

  • Get your child to help pack their bag before child care, preschool or school
  • Let your child get themselves ready e.g. brushing teeth, getting dressed
  • Splash time in the bath e.g. let them play with the water and watch how it moves

Celebrate

  • Birthdays (for themselves and/or other family members) – get your child to make a birthday card or bake a birthday cake together
  • Easter / Christmas – set up an Easter egg hunt for your child, decorate the Christmas tree together or let your child wrap presents
  • New Year – take your child to watch your local community New Year celebrations e.g. fireworks

Grow and create

  • Prepare food together – let your child help and explain in detail what you’re doing e.g. “now we’re stirring the pot so the food can cook”
  • Grow your own veggies and explain to your child the process and responsibilities e.g. watering them and leaving them to grow in the sun
  • Cook with them – make pancakes together, let them help you squeeze orange juice
  • Be creative! Bake cupcakes with your child and let them decorate their own cupcake


For more fun activities that you can do with your child visit:

http://www.greatstart.sa.edu.au/ 

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