There are many things you can do in your own home, that don’t cost a lot, but can increase your child’s school readiness skills.

In the living room – Use a measuring tape or ruler to measure lamps, furniture, etc. Then count the inches with your child. Children can count the number of windows in the house or measure the size of the room with his or her steps.

In the kitchen – Let your child help with the food shopping list. Ask your child to check shelves to see what is needed. Your child can learn to spell and say words like bread and cheese. Write a number in each cup of an egg carton. Into each cup, have your child place a corresponding number of buttons, marshmallows, or beans. Teach older children to read a recipe and cook a simple meal.

In the bedroom – The bedroom is a great place to play rhyming games -“sock and clock,” “bed and head,” “shoe and blue” – rhymes like these are all around the bedroom. Rhyming games are fun to play when you are getting your child ready for bed and can improve reading readiness skill

In the laundry room – Your children can match and count socks as they help you fold laundry. Talk about colors, count buttons, measure detergent, etc.

Even in the yard! – Go on a treasure hunt to see how many different leaves or flowers you can find. Hunt for bugs, then look up information and teach your child about each bug and its purpose. Be a bird-watcher with your child and teach what they eat, what their nests look like, etc. Learn to identify birds by their calls or songs. Watch the phases of the moon each night. Talk about how the weather changes and identify the different types of clouds in the sky.

0