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Hello PEEP Families! On this page, you will find activities that you can do with your child at home. These activities are similar to what we do at PEEP, particularly during child-directed times such as free play and motor activities. It will be beneficial to repeat these activities throughout the week, as the repetition will build familiarity and solidify learning.

Hello PEEP Families! On this page, you will find activities that you can do with your child at home. These activities are similar to what we do at PEEP, particularly during child-directed times such as free play and motor activities. It will be beneficial to repeat these activities throughout the week, as the repetition will build familiarity and solidify learning.

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Red Light/ Green Light

Have fun playing Red Light/Green Light with your kids! This activity works on fine motor skills and early self-regulation skills. For younger kids, take a paper plate. Have them color one side red and the other green. For older children, draw a big circle on a piece of construction paper and have them cut it out, then color one side red and the other green. When your sign is ready, it's time to play! It is helpful for kids to have a clear marking of the starting line and the finishing line; use chalk, tape, or some blocks to mark this. Be clear about the instructions: When the light is red we STOP! When the light is green we GO! An adult should "operate" the light first in order to act as a model; be sure to say "Stop" or "Red light" when playing. If your child struggles to stop/go at the appropriate times, consider recruiting another adult or an older child to partner with your child to hold their hand and help them stop/go appropriately. Make sure your child gets a turn to "operate" the light, too. You can also incorporate different motor movements into the game; see if your child can jump like a bunny or crawl like a baby.

Shaving Cream Car Wash

Incorporate sensory play into your day with a shaving cream car wash! Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain's pathways, which lead to the child's ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Grab some cars, a tub, shaving cream, and keep off the carpet. Let your child have fun and work up a lather that will get her cars clean. Talk with your child as she plays. Use nouns to label the parts of the cars that you are cleaning (hood, doors, windows, wheels, etc.). Use adjectives to describe the cars and what is happening (colors, sizes, clean/dirty, etc.) and verbs to talk about what cars do (drive, go, jump, fall, etc.). Positional words, such as next to or between, may describe the location of the cars. Expand your child's language by adding a couple of words as you mirror their comments. For example, if your child says, "Red car!" you might respond, "You have a small, red car!" Rinse and dry the cars when you're done.

Painting With Cars

Help expand your child's fine motor experiences by combining toy cars and paint! These play-based activities are a motivating way to build pre-writing skills as they incorporate a favorite toy. For three year olds, take a tray or the lid from a cardboard box. Then put construction paper on the tray or in the box lid. Select some toy cars that you don't mind getting paint on them. Allow your child to select some paint; talk about the colors as you pour paint onto a heavy paper plate. Have your child dip the car in the paint, place the car on the paper, and use their hands to tilt the tray or box lid back and forth - the car will leave paint tracks behind! Four and five year olds will enjoy using their paint-dipped cars to trace simple shapes or the letters of their name. Draw these on cardboard and let the driving begin.

Make Your Own Race Track

Most kids love playing with cars. This play can be extended to work on lots of different skills. Try this simple extension to help your child work on crossing midline. Simply take a large piece of cardboard and draw a figure eight race track. Tack or tape your racetrack to the wall at your child's height. Have your child drive a car along the racetrack; encourage her to use just one hand to drive the car along the track. Incorporating directions to stop and go will add in early work towards self-regulation. Make sure to take turns driving and giving directions.