Family Learning - Activities
Activities for Children and Carers
Teddy Bears' Picnic
A teddy bears' picnic provides some excellent family learning opportunities. You could have it in the park or garden, or indoors if the weather is unsuitable. You could invite some friends - both human and the furry kind.
Help your child make some sandwiches to eat. This will provide an opportunity to talk about flavour, texture, smell, shapes and counting, as well as improving hand-eye coordination.
Here are some ideas for teddy-related games to play and activities which will encourage learning........
Teddy Health Check
Help your child give teddy a health check.
Click here for an 'Official' Health Record Card which you can print - or make your own.
Weigh and measure teddy
Write teddy's details on the card
Now you can record his paw prints (draw around teddy's paw and your child's hand)
This activity provides an opportunity to practice measuring. If your child is too young to understand actual units, compare two teddies and talk about which one is taller, shorter, heavier, lighter, older or newer.
It also provides an opportunity to talk about the different ways we measure things - with scales, tape measurers, rulers - we use clocks and calendars to measure time.
Teddy Colouring Game
Click here and print the teddy picture for each player (or draw your own).
Take turns to roll the dice
Colour one part of teddy depending on the number thrown:
1. head
2. body
3. left arm
4. right arm
5. left leg
6. right leg
If you throw a number which you have already coloured, you must wait until your next turn to throw again
The first person to finish colouring teddy is the WINNER!
This activity provides a chance to recognise numbers up to six. It also helps your child to improve thier hand-eye coordination, which is important when they learn to write.
Communication and social skills are also encouraged, with children learning to take turns.
Dress Teddy
Click here for a teddy outline to print.
Choose an outfit and print:
- Dress
- Shorts
- Rain coat
- Jeans
Colour with crayons, or stick on coloured tissue paper or scraps of material
Cut out the clothes and glue onto your teddy picture.
This activity provides a chance to talk about clothes - what do you like to wear? In what order do we put on our clothes? How do we choose suitable clothes? (Jumpers when it's cold, T-shirts in the summer).
It encourages imagination (what does teddy like to wear?) and communication. It also helps your child improve their hand-eye coordination which is important when they learn to write.
Your child may need help with cutting out the clothes - TAKE CARE WITH SCISSORS!
From an original idea by Brenda Cowley (Family Learning Tutor)
Make Teddy a Pizza
You will need some play dough - click here for a recipe
Write your teddy's name on a paper plate
Roll out some dough to form a circle-shaped pizza base
Decide what teddy wants on the pizza (does he like tomatoes and pepperoni or just lots of cheese?)
Make the pizza toppings
You could cut the pizza in half or into quarters
This activity provides a chance to talk about food with your child - what do you like? What do they like to eat? It encourages imagination (what might teddy like to eat?) and communication skills. You can talk about simple fractions. It also helps your child to improve hand-eye co-ordination, which is important when they learn to write.
