Connecting with Families

Connecting learning experiences from your Family Child Care Home to the homes of the children in your group:   

Encourage Families:                           Practice Shape and Color Recognition at HOME

What the Educator will need:

· Pre-cut shapes. (use various colors of card stock, poster paper, or construction paper. If the paper is thin you can laminate it with clear contact paper)

· Optional: A strip of paper with shape outlines for older children to match

· Optional: Send home a few crayons of different colors in the bag too!

Educators can make one for every child to take home and keep, or make just a couple of bags to send home and ask parents to use them over night or for a couple of days and then send them back to your program. Track who has had time to take it home and return it to you so that everyone gets a turn.

You will need something to send home the activity in, so here is a basic idea:

      Use a small paper bag (feel free to decorate the bag or label it – “Shape and Color Activities for Home”)

The information below can be copied and pasted into your own document. Feel free to edit and add information as needed.

Instructions and Ideas for Learning at Home:

· Inside the bag are various shapes of different colors!

· Take out the shapes one at a time and ask your child to tell you what shape it is!

· Extend learning by encouraging following directions and understanding positional words. (up, over, in, out) Spread out all of the shapes on a table or flat surface and ask your child to find the shape!

 “Can you point to the star?” “Can you pick up the square and put it back in the bag?” “Find the triangle and hold it up high!” “Let me see you put the diamond under the table”

· Practice color recognition! “Look, here is the ORANGE shape—Can you find something in the house that is ORANGE?” “This shape is yellow, can you find me something in the house that is YELLOW?”

· (OPTIONAL) Included in the bag is a strip of paper with matching silhouettes of the shapes I have sent home. Work with your child to match the shapes by placing them on the silhouette.

· (OPTIONAL) I have added some crayons, all you will need is some paper to practice drawing shapes and lines at home!

Parents, Don’t forget: Talk to your child! Point out attributes of the shapes! “Look the circle is round, like the clock on the wall” “The Star is yellow like the curtains in the kitchen.” “The square looks like a box.” Opportunities for learning never end! Point out colors and shapes while taking walks, in a store, in the backyard, and during daily routines!!!

Note: This activity is for toddlers and preschool-aged children. Next post will be extending learning for infants and young toddlers!!!!