Dramatic play

  • Build pyramids using magna tiles, cups, blocks, sugar cubes or sand.

  • Scavenger Hunt - Make a list of silly things to find: slotted spoon, yellow duplo, purple crayon, collect each item in a bag. When you have all the items, count them and play the putting away game.

  • Put 4 chairs in a wide circle, cover with a sheet and make a tent. Have snack in the tent, read a story, take a nap….

  • Use your imagination and cross the red sea. Arrange two parallel pieces of yarn or string on the floor. Pretend the space in between is the sea. Jump over the ‘sea’ onto dry land. After each round, widen the space between the strings. Try not to get caught in the ‘sea’.

     

Fine Motor skills:

  • Cheerio necklaces on string or pipe cleaners.

  • Fill up a flat tray with salt/ sand. Have your child make letters or just form lines and curves.

  • Give your child a piece of paper and masking tape. Let them arrange the tape any way they want on the paper. Sponge red or blue paint on the paper and over the tape. When the paint dries, peel the tape and be surprised by the splitting “red sea”.

  • Place a paper on a lego board and lightly rub a crayon over the texture. Cut out circles and now you have matzahs! 

  • Place a raw spaghetti onto a small mound of playdough. Give your child cheerios to stack onto the spaghetti stick.

 

Sensory

  • Fill the sink, or medium sized bin or the bathtub with water. Add bubbles or food coloring, scented bath soap for a fun experience. Throw in some kitchen items to see if they sink or float. Add a turkey baster for a fun squeezing and transferring experience.

  • Rip paper: newspaper, wrapping paper, construction paper, paper towels, and put in a box.

  • Fill a bin or tray with rice, lentils, pasta, - add scoops, and cups or hide coins,  and gems for the kids to find.

  • make your own playdough

 

 Art:

  • Cover a small table completely with paper and let the children scribble.

  • cover the bottom of a low table or chair with paper and let the kids color while lying on their backs. 

  • Paint with water outside. Fill a bucket or container with water. Use a big paintbrush. Paint the sidewalk, the trees, the car, playground equipment, benches….

  • Collage ideas: use fabric pieces, wrapping paper, big buttons, ribbon, yarn; cut or tear into

  • pieces, glue onto paper.

     

Motor Skills

  • Tight rope walking – put tape on the floor and walk on it like a balance beam.

  • Bozo Buckets – use different size containers and bean bags. Throw bean bags into the containers

  • Bean Bag Socks – take your old socks, without holes!, pour in beans, popcorn, rice, then tie up the sock into a thick knot that is easy to grasp – presto a bean bag!

  • If you want to be super crazy place the bean bag sock into paint and have the child plop it on paper. This is called Slap Painting. Do it outside!

  • Jump the River - take 2 pieces of yarn 3 yards in length. Put them side by side and have the children jump over it several times. Then move the pieces of yarn farther apart and have them jump over it. Keep moving the yarn farther apart until they jump into the river.

Pesach Activities

  • Use lego boards, bubble wrap or any bumpy surface and brown crayons to make matzah rubbings.

  • Make Charoset

  • Paint a burning bush. Which 2 colors mixed together make orange?

  • Taste regular water vs. salt water - compare

  • Chametz Hunt - take pieces of paper towels and hide them around the house, have the children search for them

  • Prepare for Passover - give the children wipes and let them clean tables, chairs, counters, to get ready for Passover

  • Mix flour and water to make simple dough. Have your child knead the dough. Roll it into small squares to make iit really thin. Next poke holes in it with a fork. Put it in the oven and you’ve got matzah! 

 

Science

  • Fill up a tub with water and have your child choose different things to put in the water. Guess which one will float and which one will sink. Can a basket float?

  • Make your own watercolors by placing markers (one color at a time) into a cup of water. The color will bleed into the water making beautiful homemade watercolors for you to create with.

  • Make a volcano. Baking soda added to vinegar creates an eruption. Food coloring adds excitement.


Math

  • Count how many squares you can find in your room? (you can do it with any other shape that your child wishes to find)

  • Matzah ball math- 1-10: use 10 paper bowls, label them 1-10 and have your child place the correct amount of beads, pom poms or cotton balls in as “matzah bowls”

  • How many cups does it take to make a pyramid? Make pyramids in different sizes.

  • Write the numbers 1-10 on the sidewalk with chalk. Let them jump from one number to another and count forwards and backwards.  

Literacy

  • Have your child copy the names of your family members in upper and lower case letters.

  • Buy plastic eggs; write the uppercase letter on one half and the lowercase on the other. Take them apart. Have them find the matching pairs.