Parents' Page Senses

We will be using the theme of ‘The Senses’ to introduce your child to different areas of learning. If you want to follow this up at home with some activities, here are a few ideas you might like to try!

·          Encourage your child to talk about using their senses at home as you share a meal together, get ready for bed, listen to a story or play a game.

·          Talk about your favourite things to see, hear, touch, smell and taste.  Help your child to draw a happy or sad face and label it ‘I am happy when I see…’ or ‘I am sad when I hear…’ and so on.

Making

·          Help your child to make their favourite sandwich.  Ask them to try some different sandwich fillings such as Marmite, chocolate spread, ham, cheese or jam.  Which tastes do they like the best?  What do other family members prefer?

Stories and Songs

·          Have fun singing ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ and add some actions.  Try missing out a different word each time but still do the actions.

·          Make up a story about your child having a highly developed magical sense of sight or hearing like a superhero.  Can they think up a suitable superhero name for themselves?

Out and About

·          Take your child to a concert at a local school, church or concert hall.

·          Try practising throwing and catching games with big and small balls.

·          Go on a senses walk.  Visit the local park or go to the shops.  Choose one particular sense to concentrate on such as sight or smell.

At Home

·          Play ‘I spy’ in all the different rooms in the house.  Try using initial letters and colours.

·          Play hide and seek around the house.

·          Play a guessing game with your child about tastes using describing words.  What is red, round and full of pips? (tomato) What is long, yellow, sweet and has a skin? (banana) Encourage your child to make up new questions for you and the rest of the family to guess.

·          Encourage your child to dress themselves in the morning. Can your child fasten their own coat or put on their shoes?

·          Listen to birds singing in your garden.  What other sounds can you hear outside?