For our older children, the challenges for over the weekend will be based on the letters of your name.
1. Can you find an object in your house that represents each letter of your name. E.g a for Apple, b for ball. Put these in order. Write down each letter of your name and the object you found.
2. Use stones/sticks/leaves outdoors to make each letter of your name.
3. Write down each letter of your child’s name on separate pieces of paper. Hide them around the house or in the garden. Encourage your child to find the letters and to put them in order of their name.
4. Create your own ‘phonics monster’. Use an old cereal box or empty cardboard box. Turn it into a monster and cut a hole for its mouth. Show your child one of the letters from within their name and encourage them to identify the letter sound. Encourage them to feed the monster different objects that begin with this letter.
5. Write your child’s name on the pavement with chalk. Give them a bowl of water and a paintbrush and get them to write over the chalk letters using the brush. Encourage them to practice forming the letters independently using the water and paintbrush on the pavement.
For our younger children, our challenges will be based on colour recognition.
1. Paint boxes/paper/tubes all different colours e.g red, blue, green and yellow. Encourage your child to fill each coloured object with objects around the house the same colour. If you have any pom poms, these are great for this!
2. Provide your child with a range of different coloured toys/objects and encourage them to separate them into different coloured groups.
3. Make your own textured flashcards. Create one flash card for each colour. Paint it red, add red glitter, sequins, Pom poms, feathers etc. Do the same for a few different colours. These can then be used daily to reinforce colour recognition.
4. Make your own coloured sensory bottles or bags.
5. Make some coloured ice (use any containers filled with water and mix one coloured paint in). Make a few different colours and once frozen, explore in a tray. Alternatively you could add sticks in before freezing to make ‘ice paints’ for your child to mark make with.