It was a cold day, one of those where you just want to curl up under a blanket and sleep. It was also a day where the kids and I were all home together, so the curling up was not going to happen. Also, I was on deadline for a project and needed to squeeze in at least twenty minutes of work. Wracking my brain for ideas, it suddenly hit me -- a scavenger hunt! It took just a few minutes to put together, but I was able to complete my work and engage my son as he triumphantly found each item on our list.
This is how we did it with my 2.5 year old:
-Make a list of common objects you might find around your house. Write in big block letters, and sound each out as you are writing. Might as well squeeze in some comprehension lessons while you're doing this!
-Read each item on the list to your child. He/she will probably become interested in one item on the list, and rush to go find it.
-Have your child bring each item back, and let them put a sticker on the list to "check off" that the item was found. (My kiddo was pretty slick with the "orange" instruction -- as soon as I said "orange," he noticed that the stickers had orange circles, grabbed one, and promptly stuck it on the list)
If you have older kids, you can have them help write the items first and then go find them, or if you have more prep time, you can make a visual scavenger hunt list. I found this cute Thanksgiving one with printable BINGO cards from the Dating Divas!
What are your favorite stuck-inside activities?
