Playing Games

Playing Games

Scavenger Hunt: Make a list of things to find (e.g., something made of metal, something that you sleep on, something green). Take photos of large items and/or collect small items in a bag.

Treasure Hunt: Give clues for one item at a time (e.g., Go to the room where we do our laundry, Look in the appliance that keeps our food cold). Focus on features (e.g., wheels, zippers), functions (e.g., you use it to draw) or categories (e.g., fruit, animal). Take turns giving clues and looking for the treasure.

Three Things I Like About ___: Take turns telling about three things you like about an activity, animal, person, pet, etc. (“I like my dog because he is funny, cuddly, and silly”).

I Spy: Encourage guessing using “Is it…?” questions. Let your child know what was close about a guess and give more clues to help focus on the most important elements (e.g., An octopus DOES live in the ocean. This animal also has sharp teeth).

Go Fish: Make your own game using two matching sets of pictures (family photos, images from familiar books, a standard deck of cards, or picture cards borrowed from another game). Practice calling another player by name, asking a question, and answering a specific question by giving a requested card or saying “No, Go Fish” (e.g., Billy, do you have any fives? Yes, here you go). At school, we often play with cards facing up so children can see which cards each player has and use logic to choose whom to ask.

Categories: Two or more people can play. Sit facing each other. Choose the first leader. Tap and clap together in a rhythmic pattern: tap your lap twice while saying “categories,” clap your hands twice, then tap your lap again twice while saying “Names of,” then clap twice and tap your lap twice while the leader names the category (e.g., fruits, planets, colors). Continue the pattern of two taps and two claps as each person takes a turn naming a new item in the category until someone can’t think of one. Choose a new leader and repeat.

Socks Guessing Game: Gather two (or more) distinctive sock pairs from each family member. Put one of each pair into a bag and line up all the other socks. Use specific words to describe the socks (high, low, fuzzy, striped, colors; Annie’s, Dad’s). One person (the picker) takes one sock out of the bag, looks at it, and hides it while the other players (guessers) close their eyes. The guessers can ask questions or the picker can give clues, using the descriptive words. Take turns being the picker and the guessers.

What’s in the Box? Collect several objects that feel very different from one another. Find a large shoe box and make a hole big enough to stick a hand inside to feel a “mystery” object. Use descriptive words (e.g., fuzzy tennis ball, tiny hard golf ball) and conjunctions (and, because). Describe what you feel using words that help you (the feeler) and the others guess what is inside, “I think it’s a tennis ball because it’s fuzzy.”