Four & Five Years Mind builders
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Let’s Get Organized
Help your child learn to sort their toys. Use shoe boxes or other containers. Put crayons in one box, blocks in another box, and cars in another. Label each box with the name of the toy. Read the label together as you write it. Your child can draw a picture of the toy to place on each box. Put the boxes in a special “toy place.” Stack them so your child can see the labels clearly.
Talk with your child about the toys in each box. Help them learn the words on the labels. With practice, your child will learn to sort their toys without your help.
Nature Explorer
When your child finds a living creature outside, like a cricket, a bug, or a lizard, help them be a nature explorer! Ask them to watch the creature in its natural home. You might say,
- Look at that bug! Can you see how it moves? It is hopping from place to place!
- Can you count how many legs this lizard has? It moves very fast. Where do you think it lives?
If they do not find a creature on the ground, help them look up at trees or rooftops. Ask your child to look or listen for birds. You might ask them,
- Can you see any birds? Are the birds flying?
- Can you hear the birds? What sound are they making?
Help your child start a nature book. Keep track of the creatures they see by writing or drawing the names of each one. Add things your child learns about each creature. You might use this time to talk to your child about being kind to all living things.
A New Ending
Choose a story your child knows well. Part way through the story stop reading. Ask your child to tell you how the story ends. Let them tell you in their own words. Then, ask if they can think of a different ending to the story. You can help them make up a new ending by asking questions.
You might say,
- Do you think he has a dream while he is sleeping?
- What do you think he dreams about?
- What do you think he will do when he wakes up?
Let your child tell the story as long as they can. Ask more questions to help them create the new ending.
When you have time, write down the new ending that your child created. Have them draw pictures to go with the story.
Laundry Helper
Doing laundry can be a chore unless you have a helper! Ask your child to help you sort clean clothes. Make a pile for each person in your family before you fold. Or you can make piles of shirts, pants, towels, and so on.
Talk about the sizes and colors of the laundry as you sort things. You can say,
- This is a little shirt. Whose shirt do you think it is?
Have your child find socks that match and put them together. Give them ideas for what to look for. For example,
- This sock is green and blue. Can you find the other one?”
Show your child how you fold clothes. When your child is ready, have them help you. Ask them to fold small towels and socks. They can stack them and help you put them away.
Sink or Float?
Your child can learn science skills at home. Collect a few things from around the house or outside. Be sure these things can get wet.
- Leaves
- Twigs
- Small rocks
- Rubber bands
- Small plastic toys
- Sponges
- Toothpicks
- Paperclips
- Buttons
- Bottle caps
Ask your child if they think it will sink or float in water. You can say,
- Do you think it will float or sink?
Have your child put the items into the water one at a time. Ask them why they think some things float and why some sink. You might say,
- What do you think made the leaf float?
- What do you think made the rock sink?
- What is different about them?
Your child can do this activity at the kitchen sink, in the bathtub, or on the floor with a bowl of water. Fill a bucket or tub of water and do this activity outside.
