Day 44: Understanding Up & Down

Here is another learning activity adapted from our “Home Preschool Curriculum” developed by Fran Wisniewski and Diane Flynn Keith for UniversalPreschool.com.

Remember, only do these learning activities if they are enjoyable for you and your child. Do not treat this as a “must do” lesson. It’s simply a fun activity that provides an opportunity to learn, while building “readiness skills” for the school or homeschool environment.

~ Understanding Up & Down ~

• Use the words “up” and “down” as you talk with your child in everyday, normal conversations. Point to the clouds or stars and say they are up in the sky. Point to the grass and say it grows down on the ground. When you lift your child up off the ground then put them back down on the ground, say out loud, “I’m lifting you up, and now I’m putting you down.”
• Take a trip to the park.  As you play on the equipment use the words “up” and “down.”  For example, “You are climbing up the ladder so you can go down the slide,” and, “You are swinging up, and now you are swinging back down.”
• Play with a Busy Beads toy and talk about pushing the beads up and down and all around.
• Beanbag Toss: Throw your beanbag up, and watch it come down.
• Water Play: Using a basin of water, or when your child is in the bath tub, talk about what objects float up on top of the water and what objects sink down to the bottom. Note: Constant adult supervision required.
• Do jumping jacks and describe what you are doing: “Clap your hands together up above your head. Bring your hands down to your sides.”
• Bounce a ball up and down.
• Listen to and sing along with the Itsy, Bitsy Spider. Get the Itsy Bitsy Spider lyrics, sheet music, and coloring pages.

Taking a family road trip? Get the book, “Carschooling,” and take the whine out of drive time! It’s filled with ingenious activities that help you turn travel time into fun and entertaining learning time. Get your copy today at: http://www.Carschooling.com.

Copyright 2010, Diane Flynn Keith, All Rights Reserved. Publication or distribution in any medium including blogs, newsletters, ezines, websites, or online discussion lists is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.Thank you for helping to protect my copyright.