W is for Wall … is a game which will help improve your child’s knowledge of letters and words, and it usually involves them running around sticking post-it notes on things, so you know they’ll love it. The game itself is simple: take a stack of post-it notes, write a letter on the first one, and then get your child to stick it on an object they can see that starts with that letter. Before you know it, there will be labels stuck all over the place! This is a great game to play inside on rainy days as it will help burn off any excess energy.
W is for Wall
How Long Does It Take To Play? This game can be played for as long as both you and your child are having fun, but typically it will last about five minutes.
Ages: Three and older. Basically, this game can be played as soon as your child starts to develop an understanding of what letters are and that they are linked to the names for things.
Core Life Skills It Will Help Develop: Academic Skill – A knowledge of the alphabet, vocabulary, hand-writing (see variations); Physical Skills – Hand-eye coordination.
What Do You Need To Play It? All it requires is a stack of post-it notes, a marker pen and a few minutes of your time.
D is for Door
Preparation: As long as you have a stack of post-it notes and a marker pen to have, no preparation is required for this game.
How Do You Play It? Look around the location you are in and decide on an object (it can be absolutely anything, no matter how large or how small). Write down the initial letter for that object clearly on the first post-it note, and tell you child what it stands for (e.g. ‘W is for Wall…’ – remember to use the sound for the letter rather than its ‘name’ so say ‘wuh for wall’ rather than ‘double-u for wall’). Hand the post it note to your child and get them to run over and stick it to the object. At this point encourage them to repeat the name of the letter and the object (e.g. ‘W is for Wall!’) Now repeat this for a new object, and then another, and another until just before one of you stops having fun (usually you). Be as fun and as imaginative as possible when picking objects to label, and remember your child will particularly enjoy sticking post-it notes on things that you have to lift them up to reach. They will also enjoy sticking labels on themselves, their siblings and, of course, you! At the end of the game, challenge the child to run around and collect up all the post-it notes as quickly as possible and return them to you. You can encourage your child to call out the name of each letter as the pull them off the object, and you can add to the fun by pointing to any they have missed until they have all been successfully tracked down and picked up.
F is for Fire
When And Where Can You Play It? This game can be played any time you have a few minutes, or when your child is bored, such as on a rainy Saturday morning when they can’t go outside and run around). In terms of where, it can be played anywhere where it is safe for them to run around and stick labels on things. Thus, it can be played in any suitable room in the house, in the garden, in the park, or even in a parked car (your child will enjoy scrambling over the seats to stick letters on the different car parts – obviously don’t let them do this in a vehicle that isn’t safely parked up!)
Variations: There are many possible variations on this game. For example, you can get the child to select the object, name it, and then you can write down the letter for them. Similarly, you can get them to write the letters down to help them practice their hand-writing skills (but make sure you are using a non-permanent marker if you are doing this!), or you can simply write down a letter and get them to find an object that begins with that letter (this will help them develop their knowledge of letters, linking them to words and their vocabulary). If your child is learning a second language, you can also play this game using the initial language of the words for objects in that particular language. You can combine these with the English words and initial letters by using different coloured post-it notes for the letters for the words in each language.
Links To Useful Products For This Game
Sticky notes: If you don’t already have post-it notes, or other brands of sticky notes, to hand, you can order some from here. These are particularly useful as they are bright colours that children will enjoy using. Marker pen: In the unlikely event that you don’t already have a suitable marker pen to hand, you can order one from here.For Parents Based In The UK
Sticky notes: If you don’t already have post-it notes, or other brands of sticky notes to hand, you can order some from here. These are particularly useful as they are bright colours that children will enjoy using. Marker pen: In the unlikely event that you don’t already have a suitable marker pen to hand, you can order some from here.For Parents Based In The
USA
About The Author: This post was written by Colin Drysdale, the creator of How To Raise A Happy Genius.
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