SPANISH FOR FUN! is committed to prioritizing play-based learning, which is its methodology, providing the foundations for children’s academic success. We encourage you to continue this learning journey at home by playing alongside your children to strengthen your bond and support their development. Together, we can harness the power of play to help them get off to a better start in life.
We want to share this blog with ideas of games you can play in your homes.
Why is play essential for your child’s development?
As parents, we want our children to grow up happy, healthy, and prepared to face life’s challenges. One of the most powerful secrets to achieving this is play. Play is not only a fun activity for children, but it is also a powerful tool for their learning and development. Through play, our children can develop essential social, emotional, and cognitive skills to help them succeed. Also, play in preschool has great benefits, and we can support our children in enjoying this valuable experience.
Benefits of game-based learning.
The experiences you provide your children during their first five years of life will help them develop brain development, problem-solving skills, social-emotional development, confidence as they learn, and joy and happiness.
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Everything you do with your child, including the material or object you give them to play with, will teach them a lesson. Each song you sing to them and dance you do together greatly impact their development. The beautiful results will help build a positive relationship with you and your child.
For this reason, we want to share ideas for games you can play at home.
Animal sounds:
Make sounds from a stuffed animal to see if your child can imitate the sound. Your child can begin to associate animals with their sounds. The child’s age range is from 3 months to 18 months.
Touch and say the names of the pictures in the book:
Name any picture your child touches. Talking about the things the child touches will help him/her learn the names of things that interest him/her. The child’s age range is from 6 months to 18 months.
Play ball rolling:
Roll a ball back and forth with your child and tell him/her that you are taking turns. This will help him learn cooperation and taking turns. Ages from 1- 2 years.
We play touching body parts:
Invite the child to touch parts of their body while you touch the same parts of your body and say their name (head, eyes, shoulders, arms, tummy, legs, knees, etc.). Your child will learn to recognize and name body parts from 6 to 24 months.
Play with water:
Invite your child to play with water while you tell them what is happening. This will help you relax, explore your senses, and expand your vocabulary.
Games with hoops:
Invite the child to jump inside the hoops, go through a tunnel, move it at the waist, and throw balls like a basket and a circuit. This is an appropriate resource for working on gross motor skills in children ages 2 to 3 years.
Role-playing:
This consists of parents and children interacting with each other. Through this game, you will feel more confident and happy. Additionally, they will learn to solve problems and connect with you through play—age from 2- 5 years.
Puppet games:
This consists of inventing simple stories. This will help you increase your imagination and creativity. Age between 2-5 years.
Hide-and-seek game:
This game involves one of the two participants hiding and the other having to look for it. It will help you develop cognitive skills such as thinking, memorizing, and creativity. Age- 1-3 years.
Play to explore nature:
Plan to go outside once a week to be a scientist and get in touch with nature. For example, listening to sounds, looking for insects, collecting leaves, flowers, and sticks to make art, taking off shoes to feel the grass, lying down on the grass, observing the shape of the clouds, etc. Age range: 1 to 5 years.
All in all, playing with your kids isn’t just about having a good time (though that’s definitely a perk!). It’s also a super way to help them grow and learn all sorts of cool stuff. From figuring out how the world works to getting along with others, these games can do wonders. So grab a ball, get silly, and watch your little one blossom!