With my husband, daughter, and nephew away - and basking under the gorgeous Philippine sun! - T. was left with baby A. and me in the dayhome for one whole week. I searched for some activities that T. can do by himself (or with me) when we would be staying indoors. I came across a blog touching on teaching kids about road safety. And I particularly know that T. is interested in cars, trains, and trucks. Also, I noticed how cautious he was trying to get when crossing roads whenever we go out for walks. So, a light bulb suddenly turned on in my head! He could do the same activity once I get a hold of these awesome printables. To my delight, the printables are offered free by picklebums.com. The roads came complete with signs to make the play more enriching. To make the signs stand, I glued them on popsicle sticks and clipped the ends using a clothespin! Talk about resourcefulness!
T. connected the roads and put up signs around the area. He included a few other toys as well such as blocks, people, animals, and trains. He surrounded the roads with structures like a zoo, playground, houses, and construction sites (our neighborhood is fairly new and busy with ongoing constructions). He, then, declared that he built his own city!
Aside from learning road safety, this activity touched many developmental facets. T.’s cognitive development was fostered in a sense that his imagination grew. He included many other elements in his play. These elements can be traced to his past experiences that he was able to relate to this activity. It was also a good venue to enrich his language as he talked about his work. Physically, his fine motor is getting more stable as he tried to balance the sign stands; better eye-hand coordination; and stronger gross motor as he moved around constructing his city. His emotional aspect was developed, too. He gained a sense of fulfillment having accomplished his work.
I am sure that T. has learned many more things from this type of activity. Let me know what you think!
T. connected the roads and put up signs around the area. He included a few other toys as well such as blocks, people, animals, and trains. He surrounded the roads with structures like a zoo, playground, houses, and construction sites (our neighborhood is fairly new and busy with ongoing constructions). He, then, declared that he built his own city!
Aside from learning road safety, this activity touched many developmental facets. T.’s cognitive development was fostered in a sense that his imagination grew. He included many other elements in his play. These elements can be traced to his past experiences that he was able to relate to this activity. It was also a good venue to enrich his language as he talked about his work. Physically, his fine motor is getting more stable as he tried to balance the sign stands; better eye-hand coordination; and stronger gross motor as he moved around constructing his city. His emotional aspect was developed, too. He gained a sense of fulfillment having accomplished his work.
I am sure that T. has learned many more things from this type of activity. Let me know what you think!