Inside play ideas for a coooold day.
It is freezing outside here in Newbury, MA and we are about to gear up for another big snow storm...in March! If you're like me, you're pretty done with being stuck inside with the kids and are trying to think of things to do with them. Hopefully I can help! Here are a few language-rich activities you can do inside to keep the kids busy throughout this cold snap.
1. Tracks in paint art project
What you need: shallow cardboard box, a small tray or paper plate, washable paint, paper and small cars or marbles.
Put some paint on the plate, dip the wheels of the cars or marbles in the paint, and put them in the cardboard box with the paper. Let them shake and roll the cars or marbles around to their hearts content to make some fun, new artistic creations. You can encourage language development by talking about different colors, if you are shaking it fast or slow, big tracks and small tracks, and lots of questions about the final art product (e.g. What do you think it looks like? Where should we hang it? etc.). If your child really loves this type of art project you can also dip plastic animals or dinosaurs in the paint and make fun animal tracks like you would find in the snow.
2. Sensory bins
What you need: a large plastic bin, toys or scoops, a material that has a neat feel or sound to it, a large tarp or blanket for easier cleanup.
Sensory bin ideas:
- oatmeal, farm animals, tractors, & scoops
- dried beans (watch little ones for choking hazards), vehicles, blocks, shovels, & buckets
- leaves, pine cones, blocks, & dinosaurs
- crinkled paper, shiny bows for presents, boxes, ribbons
- shaving cream, scoops, balls, cups (I would do this in the bathroom for easier cleanup)
- colored water, ice cubes (icebergs), water animals, boats
- snow, plow trucks, items to make tiny snowmen (peppercorns, tiny twigs, baby carrots, etc.), shovels
Sensory bins provide endless amounts of open-ended fun when it is too cold or rainy to head outdoors. The language opportunities when your children are exploring sensory bins are almost endless. You can talk about how the items feel, prepositions (dumping in, on, under, over, etc), make sounds related to items in the bin, sing songs about objects they choose to play with, label items and give choices of what to put in the bin, the ideas go on and on.
3. Make your own play dough
What you need: play dough recipe
My kids eat Play-Doh. It's just a fact. Even when I watch them like crazy, I still see blue and orange in their teeth at one point or another. When we are trapped indoors sometimes the best thing to do is make our own play dough so at least I know what's in it. Plus, there is the bonus of being able to add yummy scents like peppermint, vanilla, or cinnamon to the dough. I love using play dough to enhance language. Like sensory bins, play dough is so open-ended you can talk about almost any concept or part of speech while you play. You can make a cake and sing happy birthday, set up a tea party with play dough cookies and animals, make play dough cars and tracks, make a silly pizza, etc. Whatever your child is into at the moment, you can make happen with minimal effort.
4. Egg hunt
What you need: plastic Easter eggs, small toys from around your house, stickers, or pictures from a magazine
Put random small toys you already have, stickers, or pictures inside the eggs and hide them around the house. Kids can go on an egg hunt around the house to collect the eggs and bring them to a table. They will love trying to guess what's inside the eggs, opening them up, and laying out their treasures. The best part is the kids will almost always find some toys in the pile they want to play with, creating a new activity. This is a great activity for "wh" questions. (Where is the egg? Who or what is inside? Why was it tricky to find an egg? etc.) If your child has limited language you can sign and model the word "open" and label what is inside.
5. Flashlight fun
What you need: flashlights
Nothing gets my kids more excited then breaking out the flashlights just for fun. Here are some ways to play with flashlights around the house.
- Make shadows with flashlights with either cutouts, stuffed animals, or your hands
- "I spy" around the house with flashlights.
- Find missing treasures and collect them in a bin with flashlights (look under couches, tables, cushions, etc. for lost little toys)
- Camping under a blanket fort with flashlights.
This is a quick and easy language-rich activity. You can ask questions, label fun things you find, sing-songs about shadows you make (e.g. make a spider with your hands and sing the itsy bitsy spider), talk about if things are high and low, big and small, etc.
Hopefully my next blog will be about outside activities in wonderful warm weather, but for now, I hope these ideas keep your little ones busy.