Help your child to think
One of the most precious gifts we can give our child is our time…here are some examples of things you can do to get your child thinking
Notice everything around you
Discuss colour, shape, size, smell, sounds, tastes, texture and materials.
Compare everything
Is it bigger, smaller, wider, narrower, fatter, thinner, heavier, lighter?
Use the question words
When? How? What? Where? Why?
Say where everything is
Behind, in front, upside down, back to front, on the top, underneath
Show how things are done
Take things to pieces, build them again, cook together, paint together, clean together
Count everything
Tins in cupboard, packets on shelf, biscuits for tea, chips, knives and forks, socks out to dry
Essential words
What do you think? What would you do? How could we….? Is there a better way? How could we change this? What would happen if?
Talk about everything!
Talk as you do everything together – going for a walk, laying the table, at the shop, looking for things, the change of seasons
Try to use the phrase
Stop, let me think!
Measure everything
How long? How tall? How wide? How thick? How deep?
Fair discipline
Agree ground rules, discuss problems, talk things through, don’t be afraid to use fair sanctions
Praise them when they do well
Tell them they have done well, have stickers, points for good behaviour, red and green lights or flags for ‘stop’ and ‘go’
Have a dress up box
Pretend, imagine, invent, create, re-design, re-build
Collect a treasure box
Gather things for creating and making, coloured bits and pieces, boxes, stickers, ribbons, interesting ‘rubbish’