Fun in the Car
The car is a great place to talk to your kid. Turn off the radio, put the devices away and play a language game! Here are some ideas:
Name 3: Ask your child to name 3 items in a category. For example: Name 3 zoo animals, name 3 tools, name 3 fruits, name 3 kinds of clothing, name 3 things that are round, name 3 things you find only in the kitchen. Everyone in the car can take turns picking the category or naming 3 items.
Name as many as you can: the above game, but you name as many items in the category as you can, instead of just 3. See how high you can get.
I'm thinking about.... In your mind, pick an item and describe it to your child and see if s/he can guess what it is. For example: I'm thinking about a toy that is round. You can bounce it or throw it. I'm thinking about an animal that lives in the zoo. It has black and white stripes. Switch roles and have your child be the describer.
Sounds and Syllables: Look out the window and find something to talk about (or think of a word). When you have your item selected, say it out loud. Ask your child how many sounds they hear and how many syllables in the word. Examples: "tree" - has 1 syllable and 3 sounds, "train" has 1 syllable and 4 sounds, "combine" has 2 syllables and 6 sounds.
Put it Together: Think of a word, say the sounds of the word to your child. See if they can blend the sounds together into a word. Examples: c-a-t, b-oy, b-a-s-k-e-t, f-r-e-n-ch f-r-y. Switch roles and see if they can tell you the sounds in the word.
What 'cha gonna see: On the way to your destination, talk about things you might see while you are there. Both you and your child should list items.
What 'dja see: On your way home from your destination, talk about things that each of you saw. Talk about your favorites, what you liked the least, something you had never seen before, etc.
HAVE FUN!
Name 3: Ask your child to name 3 items in a category. For example: Name 3 zoo animals, name 3 tools, name 3 fruits, name 3 kinds of clothing, name 3 things that are round, name 3 things you find only in the kitchen. Everyone in the car can take turns picking the category or naming 3 items.
Name as many as you can: the above game, but you name as many items in the category as you can, instead of just 3. See how high you can get.
I'm thinking about.... In your mind, pick an item and describe it to your child and see if s/he can guess what it is. For example: I'm thinking about a toy that is round. You can bounce it or throw it. I'm thinking about an animal that lives in the zoo. It has black and white stripes. Switch roles and have your child be the describer.
Sounds and Syllables: Look out the window and find something to talk about (or think of a word). When you have your item selected, say it out loud. Ask your child how many sounds they hear and how many syllables in the word. Examples: "tree" - has 1 syllable and 3 sounds, "train" has 1 syllable and 4 sounds, "combine" has 2 syllables and 6 sounds.
Put it Together: Think of a word, say the sounds of the word to your child. See if they can blend the sounds together into a word. Examples: c-a-t, b-oy, b-a-s-k-e-t, f-r-e-n-ch f-r-y. Switch roles and see if they can tell you the sounds in the word.
What 'cha gonna see: On the way to your destination, talk about things you might see while you are there. Both you and your child should list items.
What 'dja see: On your way home from your destination, talk about things that each of you saw. Talk about your favorites, what you liked the least, something you had never seen before, etc.
HAVE FUN!