Let’s face it, we spend a lot of our time in the car from school, practices, lessons, and other kids’ activities. Exploration from the car is a great time to focus on language development. Here are a few activities for all ages:
- Sing-a-long Songs: Younger kiddos love to dance, sing, and clap! Find a few familiar songs the child enjoys. Children learn from simple and repetitive tunes. Take it a step further and add gestures to the songs, so the child can follow along.
- Categories: Find an item on a sign or billboard – and fill out the ‘category.’ Do the kiddos enjoy McDonalds? Talk about different types of fast-food restaurants. See a construction sign? Ask the child to name construction vehicles. See an advertisement for a clothing store, make a list of different types of clothing. To make it easier, ask things like “something we play, eat, drive, wear etc.” You can also turn this game into a seeking game by asking the child to find ‘different kinds of animals.’
- Talk-about-it: Have older children? Car time can be a great way to have a check-in on how your children are feeling. You can open the discussion with an incident in the week that brought out bigger feelings such as missing a friend/family member or celebrating an A on a test. The child will be able to open more emotionally and feel like their emotions are valued and understood.
Regardless of what activity you pick, keep it simple and remember to talk and listen! Find out your child’s interests and engage in conversations with them. The more you talk to them, the more they will appreciate these precious moments of language development.
With warmth and gratitude,
The Fox Team