Daycare is a great opportunity for young children to learn new and exciting things every day. Here are some fun activities and games that can train a child's memory and teach them new words and ideas:
- Balloon Toss - This is a simple game with a few balloons. A child tosses, hits, or bounces a balloon and runs after it to hit it again. The object of the game is to keep the balloon in the air without allowing it to touch the ground. Cheer with the child while they hit the balloon and they keep the balloon aloft. This will give the small child some movement exercise and teach them the difference between up and down.
- Stacking Cups - A child is given 10 to 12 plastic or paper cups and shown how to stack them and unstack on a table or floor. Ask the child to stack and unstack the cups. The cups make an interesting sound while being stacked and unstacked. You can spread the cups out a small distance from each other to encourage the child to walk to each cup to stack them. While the child stacks the cups, call out the numbers of cups stacked to teach the child how to count.
- Sponge Art - Give a young child a large piece of white paper, some number-shaped sponges, and water-soluble poster paints in 3-5 dishes. Show the child how to dip the sponges into the wet poster paint and stamp the shape on the paper to make a design. When the child chooses a sponge, say the name of the number or the name of the color out loud. In this way, the child learns the names of the colors and numbers.
- Memory Game - Write the letters of the alphabet on two stacks of plain index cards. Place some of the index cards face down on a table. Show the child the same letters on the second stack of index cards and ask the child to find each letter. At first, the child will randomly choose an index card to turn up but as the game progresses the child will remember which specific cards are turned face down on the table and choose them when asked.
- Match Game - Cut out several different shapes from 3-5 different patterned fabrics. Shapes can include squares, circles, stars, triangles, flowers, and crescent moons. Ask a young child to put all of the shapes of the same fabric together. You can also ask the child to put all of the "moons" and "stars" together to give the game another twist.
A creative daycare center can invent different games often to keep the interest of the children and teach them that learning is a fun adventure. New activities and games can be learned each day and previous activities can be played again to give a child confidence. All of these activities will expand a child's vocabulary and give them hours of learning fun.