Bus Stop Blues
By Marsha Gerdes, Ph.D
Whenever you and your preschooler have to wait for something – a doctor’s appointment or a bus for example - here are some ideas of fun things to do. These are games that take no special toys or equipment. These are also good games that promote school readiness skills because they encourage good language skills, finding the right words, listening and following a conversation. They can be silly. They can be short or long. You can take turns or do them together as a team.
Categories. Here is how to start this one. Say to your child, “Let’s name all the foods we can think of. I’ll go first. Apple. What else is a food?” Let your child give an answer and then take a turn. Go on as long as you want. Children as young as three can play this game. You can start with “Name fruits or name animals.” You can ask more challenging questions for the 4 year old such as, “Name things that are soft or things that are hard” or “Name things that are blue.”
I Spy. I see something you don’t see and the color is blue? Remember this game. Start with your immediate surroundings and use something obvious. Give your child as many hints as they need to come up with the answer. For example, “I see something you don’t see and the color is red?”
What is it? This game does take some materials, but almost anything will do. Ask your child to close their eyes and put an object in their hand and ask them to guess what it is by the feel of it. You can use a penny, a key, a Kleenex, anything.
Counting. This is a simple game of counting. How many? How many street signs do you see? How many buttons are on your coat? How many mailboxes are on the street?
Dr. Marsha Gerdes is the Program Director of the School Readiness Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This program is supported by United Way’s Early to Learn: Partners for School Readiness initiative. For more information, call 215-665-2411
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