8/13/2009

Play & Learn: Hide and Seek ABCs

I often get asked what types of activities I do with my son to play/learn since he's hitting that toddler age but not quite old enough for pre-school. So I thought I'd share a few with you at random. This one is what I call "Hide and Seek ABCs." Now as with any activity, you can make this as frugal as you want. But I had a feeling that it would be a favorite of his so I put a few $$ into it.



What you need:
~A large piece of felt
~Two boxes of flashcards. You'll find these in dollar bin areas.
~Velcro pieces
~Tape

Now you can make this really frugal by using cut-outs from magazine/newspaper ads, but you need two sets. And you could always just lay them on a table/floor but we had fun hanging them up. Just keep your eye out for 50% off craft store coupons and the materials won't cost you that much.



I threw our felt piece over a banister in our living room. I had previously put velcro pieces on the back of two sets of letters, up to the letter I. I wanted to work in smaller segments. I hung up the one set and had Nathan check out what was there.




Next, I had him turn around while I snuck around the playroom hiding the other set of letters that I put small pieces of tape on, too. This way, I could hide them on places other than just flat surfaces. He was giggling the whole time! :)



I came back and said, "On your Mark, Get Set, GO!!" and he ran around the playroom finding all the flashcards. I'd give him hints like, it's under, over, on top of, behind, etc. so he'd learn directional terms, too. As he'd find one, I'd tell him to go and hang it up underneath the matching card. While he was walking over, I flipped the card over to show him the letter on the back saying, "Letter A" and then showed him the picture of the apple on the other side saying, "A is for Apple. Find the Apple."

We started this one a few weeks ago and he loves it. After he finds all the cards, he claps his hands and says, "More! More!" After several rounds, I have to tell him we'll do more another day! I often use it as a reward when he's been good or just a little something for him to look forward to the next day, when he goes to bed.

Here's hoping you have just as much fun playing this with your little ones!

6 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I'll have to try this with my just turned 3-yr-old! She'll love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great idea! My first is "incubating" right now, but I'll definitely file this idea away for a few years down the road. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow. My kid is neglected!!!

    What a fantastic idea! WTG

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's such a fantastic idea! What a good mom :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is such a wonderful idea!! My 5yr old is too old so now I cannot wait for my 10 mos old to get big enought to play!! Thanks for the creative idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this idea! We have flash cards laying around and my 2 year old LOVES to match them. He is a very smart boy and would love this game... if his little brother doesn't eat the cards before he can find them...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by Coupon Geek! I value my readers and their advice, tips and comments. Please remember that Coupon Geek is a positive, family-friendly and upbeat site when leaving your comments.

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you again soon!

Blessings to You All!
~Jaycie

 

Blog Design By Sour Apple Studio © All Rights Reserved.