👩‍👧 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Focus 👩‍👩‍👧 👨‍👧‍👦

Music Monday

Here are some favorite songs to sing with your preschooler.
· Round Robin
· Can You Do What I Do
· If You’re Happy and You Know It
· 5 In the Bed
· Sally the Camel

" The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've been, and the memories we've made along the way"
Author Unknown

“Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate”
Chuang Tzu

OUTSIDE

· Cloud watching—watch the “Clouds” video to hear how Miss Caroline and her family enjoy this activity then try it with your family.

· Go for a walk and let your child, or children take turns, deciding which way to go. Be sure you have enough time for this exciting adventure. Where will you end up?

· Stay up late and go for a walk with flashlights

· Print one of these scavenger hunts

Neighborhood Walk

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Color Walk

· Have a picnic in the yard or living room

· Pitch a tent in the yard and campout

· Wash your car, bike, dog

INSIDE

· Make a “Family Conversation Jar”. Print out the conversation starters and label. Put them in a jar and keep it on your table. Choose as many as you’d like to share around the table as you enjoy meals together.

· Play a board game or card game. Better yet, play many!

· Make a special treat together. Ice cream in a bag or ice cream sundaes! Popcorn bar with different toppings. Finger Jello cut in squares or shapes with cookie cutters

· Document your memories from your time at home by filling out this “2020 Covid-19 Time Capsule For Kids”

· Draw a Family Tree together.

· Print out this Family Word Search and do it together or print out multiple copies and everyone can do their own “together”. No doubt this will spark memories and discussions of your family members and some vocabulary.

· Make a plan for dinner, or breakfast or lunch, that allows everyone to help make something.

· Make a Pizza: Buy dough or make your own and give each family member their own small ball. Let everyone add their own topping and bake

· Everyone in the family write a letter or draw a picture and mail it to someone you miss.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

· Have a dinner date with extended family or friends. Put the computer at a spot on the table and everyone share a meal and conversation

· Dress up in costumes and have an impromptu parade. You could even decorate a wagon or your bikes to stand in for floats.

· Pitch a tent in the living room and have a campout with microwave s’mores

· Have a theme for dinner. Everything Green (or any other color), the letter P, everyone wear a fancy hat

· Fold different styles of paper airplanes. Which one flies farthest? Shortest? Does flips or loops?

· Paint rocks or make Love Rocks and hide them around the neighborhood or deliver them to a special someone’s porch

· Eat a whole meal of finger foods

· Try to eat an entire meal with chopsticks

· Spend an evening with no electricity. Use flashlights and practice making shadow puppets

· Gather a “treasure” and hide it somewhere in your house. As a family, draw a map showing how to get to the treasure. After a practice round together, take turns moving the treasure and drawing the map for other family members to follow.

· Plan a movie night. Let the kids spend time making movie posters and tickets for each family member. Set up a “snack bar” in the kitchen and let the kids be the “ticket takers”

NO PREP NEEDED

· Have a Read-in. Everyone in the family gets cozy and enjoys a favorite book. Members of the family who can read on their own, and want to do so, can take turns reading to younger members.

· Look at family photos together and share the stories behind them

· Build a fort with blankets, sheets, and furniture. The building can take some time and requires problem solving and teamwork! Once it’s constructed spend some time enjoying it. Read, have a snack, watch a movie, or take a nap.

· Have a dress up day: crazy hair, funny socks, pajamas, favorite animal, favorite character, all-one-color.

GAMES

· Observation Game: Work together to gather a tray, or table, of random objects. Spend 2 minutes observing what’s on the table and talking about what the objects are. Lay a cloth over the stuff and everyone leave the room except for the “changer”. The changer gets to remove one object from the collection and hide it away. Invite the other players back in and remove the cloth. Does anyone know which object was taken? Switch “changer” and play again.

· Play charades- decide on categories “animals” “jobs” “games and sports” and brainstorm items for each. Write items on separate pieces of paper and draw a quick illustration to support “not reading yet” family members—this is a great job for older kids! You can keep categories separate using small paper bags, bowls, or small boxes. When your charades game is ready….Play!

· Rhyming game—First person says “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with….” Family members try to guess the word and whoever gets it chooses the next word. For extra challenge, or older family members, they can only guess by asking the word by definition. Example “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with Fun” “Is it the burning ball of gas in the sky?”

VIDEOS

· Read Aloud: I Love You Mommy

· Science Experiment: Dancing Rice

· Read Aloud: I Love You the Purplest

· Read Aloud: The Hug Machine

· Read Aloud: How Are You Peeling

· Read Aloud: Are You My Mother?