What you Need: Playdough [you may either buy the playdough or make it yourself], straws and Lego Duplo bricks (or any other legos/blocks)

How To Play:

• Provide your child with playdough, straws and lego duplo bricks.

•  Let him explore the materials and ask him to build the tallest tower he can. 

• You may also do this activity multiple times and ask your child to build different variations such as the widest building, the skinniest building, a building with only blue blocks, a building using only 5 straws, etc. 

• You can ask your child to count how many blocks he used in his building, how many straws, how many blocks of each color, etc.

Home Made Playdough Recipe (optional):

• Ingredients: ½ cup salt, 

• 1 cup water, 

• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, 

• 1 cup flour, 

• 1 tablespoon oil, 

• food coloring, 

• pan 

Directions: 

• Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and oil in a pan. 

• Mix the water with the food coloring. 

• Add the water/food coloring mix to the other

• Add the water/food coloring mix to the other ingredients and stir well. 

• Cook the mixture on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes, while constantly stirring.

• When the mixture becomes “doughy,” remove it from the heat. 

• Let it cool slightly, then begin kneading. 

• When the desired texture is achieved, your playdough is ready to use!

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will feel the different textures of the playdough, straws, and blocks as they build their structures. Children will place, position, squeeze, balance, etc. the playdough as they work through this activity.

Social Emotional Development: Children will utilize focus as they build a structure to fit the parameters.

Children may also experience frustration and success as they build their structures. Children may choose to be creative and come up with different parameters for a structure. Children will show perseverance as they try to build a standing structure.

Language Development: Children will utilize vocabulary words such as tall, short, long, big and small as they build the tower. Children will engage in conversations about how to use the different materials to build a structure. Children may strategize and come up with a plan.

Cognitive Development: Children will strategize as to how they can build the tallest tower possible. Children will utilize creativity and imagination to build their structures. 

Religious Formation: Parents may talk to children about the value of perseverance and how Hazar Imam guides us to always try our best so that we can be lifelong learners. 

You will Need:  Scavenger hunt cut out card,  crayon, brown paper bag, tape

Prep:

• Print the scavenger hunt card from the appendix A and tape it to a brown paper bag.

How To Play:

• Go outside with your child. 

• Take the brown paper bag with the attached scavenger hunt card and a crayon with you.

• See if your child can find the different items/colors on the card (i.e. a leaf, a butterfly, the color yellow).

• Once your child finds an item/color, use the pencil to circle it on the card.

• You can also choose to put some of the items inside the brown paper bag.

• Do not put any living things into the bag such as a caterpillar, an ant, or a flower.

• While on the scavenger hunt, talk about the beauty and the variety in Allah’s creation. You can talk about how Allah has made things in all different shapes, colors, and sizes.

• You can also talk about how Allah has made things that are both living and nonliving.

• Ask your child questions about living and nonliving such as: 

  • What do you think a living thing is? 

  • Why don’t we want to put any living things into this paper bag?

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: On the scavenger hunt, children will use kinesthetic as they touch and feel different elements of nature. Children will utilize gross motor skills as they get ready to go outside (i.e bend to tie shoes, get dressed) and walk outside. Children will also use fine motor skills as they point to objects, pick up objects to place them in the bag, etc. Children will utilize auditory skills as they listen to the different sounds in nature. Children will utilize visual skills as they examine the different elements in nature.

Social Emotional Development: Children will continue to strengthen their bond with their caregivers as they go for a walk together, search for items together, etc. Parents may talk to children about this experience after some time has passed as children are starting to form memories.

Language Development: Children will utilize vocabulary such as living and nonliving to describe things they encounter on their nature walk. Children will describe the different things that they see.

Cognitive Development: Children will discuss the characteristics of living and nonliving things. Children will match the items pictured on the card to the items they find on their nature walk. Children may also find other items that are not on the card and add to their scavenger hunt card.

Religious Formation: Children will experience and appreciate the diversity in Allah’s creation. Children will also understand the difference between living and nonliving. This shared experience will also help to strengthen the bonds between the family.

You will need:  Doll or stuffed animal, tub filled with water, soap to wash the toy, dry cloth to wipe the toy, cloth clip

How To Play

• Ask your child to help you to give a bath to his toy.

• Help your child to put the toy in the tub and apply soap on the toy just like you do for him while giving him a bath.

• Acknowledge to your child that you are thankful to him because he is helping you in cleaning his toy.

• Ask him to give a good scrub to his toy.

• Appreciate your child for doing a good job. For example, you can say, “you are doing a good job of giving a bath to teddy or dolly” Ask your child to pour some clean water on the toy so all the dirty soap is washed off.

• Ask him to wipe the toy with a dry cloth or squeeze the teddy to take out the extra water

• Ask your child to wrap the toy in a dry cloth or hang the toy on a clothesline in the sun until the toy is dry.

• After the toys are dried dress them and groom them if needed.

Please note that this activity can be done in the kitchen or laundry room sink or bathroom. 

Skills:

Physical Development: Children will use fine motor skills as they clean their toy.

Social Emotional Development: Children will understand that it’s their responsibility to take care of their belongings. Children may also be attached their toy and feel proud that they are able to take care of it.

Language Development: Children will utilize vocabulary words such as wash, clean, dry, groom as they clean their toys. Children will also use words associated with sequencing such as first, next, then, etc.

Cognitive Development: Children will learn the sequence associated with washing the toys (i.e. first wash with water, next add soap and scrub, etc).

Religious Formation: Children will understand that they are responsible for taking care of the things around them.

You will need: 16 items (4 of each kind or color i.e. 4 spoons, 4 buttons, 4 lego blocks, 4 pennies or 4 red legos, 4 green legos, 4 blue legos, 4 yellow legos), muffin tin

How To Play

• Take the 16 items (4 of each kind) and place them in front of your child.

• Model how to sort items that are alike. For example, start by telling your child that you want to make a group of all the items that are red or I want all the pennies together. 

• Model by picking up a red lego and ask your child to help you collect all the other red legos to form a group, and then place this group in one of the muffin tins.

• After you have modeled this, allow your child to work on independently sorting the remaining objects into groups.

Variations:

Make the game more challenging by having the child sort different kinds of the same item (i.e. different types of buttons). You can start with less items to begin with (6 or 8), and increase as you continue playing.

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will utilize fine motor skills as they pick up the objects to sort them. Children will utilize visual discrimination as they sort based on attributes such as size, color, shape, design, etc.

Social Emotional Development: Children will feel a sense of accomplishment when they are able to complete the task, and when they are able to put each item in a specific category.

Children will understand that there is variety in objects. 

Language Development: Children will utilize vocabulary words such as alike and different. Children will utilize vocabulary related to attributes as they sort (i.e. vocabulary relating to color, size, shape, design, etc.)

Cognitive Development: Children will practice sorting items based on specific attributes.

Religious Formation: This activity can help children realize that just as the objects they sorted, there is diversity in creation.

You Will Need: 6 jars with a lid (you may use any kind of container with a lid i.e. playdough container, mason jar, empty yogurt container, etc.), 3 different items to place in the jars (any items will work, try to pick items that make different sounds, i.e. plastic eggs, cheerios, water, screws, popcorn, etc).

Note: Please make sure that there is ample supervision during this activity as some items may pose a choking hazard.

Prep:

Add one object into two different jars (i.e. in two separate jars add marbles). Close the jars and secure them so they don’t open when you shake them. You should now have 6 sound jars (3 pairs of jars with the same object in them)

How To Play

• Ask your child to pick one of the sound jars. Ask him to use his sense of hearing to match it with the sound jar that has a similar sound. Repeat until all jars have been matched with their pair. Talk about the importance of our sense of hearing. Because of our ears we can listen to many different sounds. You may take your child to a park and ask them to listen to the sounds of the wind, trees, birds and children playing.

Extension: You may make this activity more challenging by making additional sound jars.

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will use their sense of hearing to determine which jars have the same sound. Children will utilize motor skills as they shake the jars to hear the sound.

Social Emotional Development: Children will take pride in being able to correctly match the jars. Some sounds may make children feel a certain way (i.e. loud vs. soft sounds). 

Language Development: Children will engage in conversation about the sounds they hear. Children may describe the different sounds.

Cognitive Development: Children will use their sense of hearing to match jars with a similar sound. Children will use their knowledge of the items to determine what kind of sound it might make.  Children may use the sound of the item to guess  the item.

Religious Formation: Parents can help children appreciate the gift of hearing as a blessing from Allah (we can hear each other, we can talk to each other, we are able to communicate, etc). 

You Will Need: Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

How To Play

• Read the book “Same, Same but Different” by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw.

• About the book: Elliot lives in America, and Kailash lives in India. They are pen pals. By exchanging letters and pictures, they learn that they both love to climb trees, have pets, and go to school. Their worlds might look different, but they are quite similar. Same, same but different! Through an inviting point-of-view and colorful, vivid illustrations, this story shows how two boys living oceans apart can be the best of friends.

• After reading the book, ask your child to point out some of the differences between Elliot and Kailash.

• Ask your child to point out some of the similarities between the two boys.

• Talk about how although they are different in some ways, they learn that they also have a lot of things in common. Connect to the idea that although we are all different from one another in some ways we can still get along and be kind to each other. 

• Talk to your child about how they are similar or different from their own friends (can be a friend within or outside of the community).

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will utilize fine motor skills as they turn the pages of the book, point to the words, etc.

Social Emotional Development: Children will understand the importance of kindness and accepting others regardless of similarities and differences. Children will have the opportunity to express their own opinions (rather than be influenced by the parent’s biases).

Language Development: Children will explore and understand words such as: alike, same, different. Children will also talk about various characteristics that make us unique (sizes, shade of colors, shapes, languages, foods, etc). Children will engage in conversations about the book. 

Cognitive Development: Children will talk about the similarities and differences among the two boys. Parents can have conversations with their children to encourage critical thinking (i.e. the impact of similarities and differences on relationships).

Religious Formation: Children will discuss and understand that our differences make us special and that we can all get along despite these differences. Parents can begin to have conversations with children about pluralism, and what Hazar Imam means by strength 

You Will Need: Sheet of construction paper, fruit loops cereal, pencil, 4-6 cups, bowl

How To Play

• Draw a rainbow pattern on a sheet of paper (although a rainbow has 7 colors, you may not find all the colors in the fruit loops box. However, you may still complete this activity).

• Place the bowl with mixed fruit loops in front of your child. Let your child sort the Fruit Loops by color into different cups.

• Place a couple pieces of cereal of a single color in each row of the rainbow and encourage your child to continue the pattern until the entire rainbow is complete.

• Count the number of cereal pieces in each row. The numbers will gradually increase allowing your child to count to a higher number with each row.

• Discuss how the colors of each row are different but are beautiful when they come together.

• Note: Allow your child to complete this activity independently as much as possible.

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will utilize their fine motor skills as they create a rainbow using fruit loops. 

Social Emotional Development: Throughout the activity children may talk about which colors or flavors of the fruit loops they like or dislike. If children eat any of the fruit loops they may connect back to fruits they have tried with a similar flavor.

Language Development: Children will practice the names of the colors, talk about the quantity of fruit loops, and utilize vocabulary words such as more and less as they create their rainbow.

Cognitive Development: Children will follow a repetitive pattern to create a rainbow. Children will also count the pieces of cereal as they create their rainbow. Children will discuss quantity (which colors have more, less, etc). Parents and children may also discuss primary and secondary colors.

Religious Formation: Parents and children will discuss how there is beauty in diversity. 

You Will Need: Photos of the child, magazines, tape, construction paper, marker, yarn

How To Play

• Collect several sheets of construction paper.

• Use a hole punch to make a couple holes along the sides of the paper.

• Cut a piece of yarn and loop it through the holes in the construction paper.

• Tie the yarn in a knot to bind the pages together. As an alternative, you can simply use a spiral bound notebook, or you can put loose-leaf pages in a 3-ring binder.

• Take a photo of your child. Help him glue his photo to the cover of the “I Am Me” book. Using a thick marker, write “I Am Me” above your child’s photo. Underneath the photo, write your child’s name.

• Use a marker to write a heading along the top of each blank page of the book. The headings might be: “My Favorite Food,” “My Favorite Toy,” “My Favorite Animal,” “My Family,” “My Pets,” “My Favorite Activity,” and “My Best Friend.” Include headings that show not only what your child has, but also what your child does that makes him unique.

• Then, sit down with your child and show the “I Am Me” book. Explain how the book is all about him and what he likes. Go through each page and each heading. Explain what the headings mean so that your child can draw pictures to accompany the headings. You may also use pictures of your child doing these activities or cut out pictures from magazines. Give the child crayons, markers or pencils and allow him to scribble pictures to accompany the headings for each page, representing their favorite food, animal, toy, etc.

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will utilize fine motor skills as they draw, cut, and glue pictures in their book.

Social Emotional Development: Children will build self confidence as they create the “I Am Me book.” Children will realize what makes them unique, and begin to see diversity in people.

Language Development: Children will engage in conversations based on the headings in their book. Children will also engage in conversations as they draw their pictures, and look at either their own photographs or photos in magazines.

Cognitive Development: Children will think about their “favorites” and why these things are their favorites. Children may rank some of the things as they try to determine their favorite.

Religious Formation: Children will begin to understand that they are unique. Children will understand that what makes them unique is what they do rather than what they have (i.e. caring and kindness). Children will begin to understand and see that there is diversity among people. Children will understand that they have feelings associated with various events and objects 

You Will Need: 3 or 4 different colors of paint (any colors are okay), 3 or 4 paper plates (depending on the number of colors of paint), paint brushes, small photo of your child’s face, large sheet of white cardstock.

How To Play

• Tell your child that today she will be creating a painting of herself.

• Ask her what color she would like her hands to be in the painting and pour that color into one of the paper plates. Make sure to pour enough paint so that she is able to dip both of her hands into it

• Help her make her handprints on the white cardstock about ¼ of the way down the page.

• Assist her in cleaning the paint from her hands to avoid making a mess.

• Ask her what color she would like her feet to be in the painting and pour this color into another paper plate. Help her make footprints near the bottom of the white cardstock.

• Assist her in cleaning the paint from her feet to avoid making a mess.

• Allow your child (help her, if needed) to finish painting the rest of her body (except for the head) on the cardstock using paint brushes

• Once the painting is dry, allow your child to glue her picture onto the painting.

Skills Practiced:

Physical Development: Children will utilize fine motor skills as they paint their pictures. Children will utilize gross motor skills as they dip their hands and feet in the paint. Children will use visual discrimination to determine which colors they would like to use and where to place their hands and feet on the paper. Children will experience the texture of the paint as they dip their hands and feet in it.

Social Emotional Development: Children will reflect on their growth and increasing abilities as they get older. Children will also make connections to the broader idea that many things grow (i.e. parents grow, plants grow, etc). This is a self-portrait, so the colors, positioning of the body parts, etc. reflect on how children feel about themselves. Children may feel a sense of self-confidence as they complete their self-portrait. Children will understand that they are an individual.

Language Development: Children will utilize vocabulary related to the colors, body parts, feelings, etc. Children will engage in conversations about growth, size, etc.

Cognitive Development: Children will understand that as they get older, their abilities and size change. Children will be exposed to the concept of proportion and begin to understand it.