Even if we want to, we can’t spend the whole day eating pancakes – I know, I’ve tried!
There is lots of play, talking and fun we can have around pancakes though – planning, shopping, making, making some more …
So today we have some pancake-themed ideas including a couple of lovely stories to help calm everything down.
Who would have thought there was play and learning to find in a cutlery drawer?
First of all, there is curiosity to develop – many children love to have a nose around in a drawer
Then there is classifying, describing shapes, learning to be safe with sharp things, how to wash dishes (that’s a useful skill …)
All by helping you with a boring chore – do it for as long as you or your child is interested
Learning to count is really hard – there is a lot to think about and get right. It is easy to rush children into counting things before they really understand exactly what they are doing and why
What’s best is to show them counting in a real context when we are getting things done.
Adults are counting things all the time – we just don’t notice it anymore and do it in our heads.
Today’s idea is just to take some of the times during the day when we count things (putting on socks, laying tables, tidying toys, sharing out sprouts) and do it out loud so your child can hear and see – and join in if they can.
If you build this into your regular routine, it can really help with numeracy without having to do any teaching at all.
Children love being nosy and taking things out and putting them back, so today’s idea is all about exploring cupboards to learn about different kinds of foods
Depending on your kitchen you may prefer to fill up a box for them to explore safely on the floor or table top – or you may have a ground level cupboard they can access more independently
As they find things, or take them out of the box, chat about what kind of food they are, where it comes from and what we can do with it
You never know, they may end up making the dinner “with” you!
There are numbers everywhere, and just by pointing them out and chatting to your child about them, they will learn lots about maths and how it works
See how many you can spot – and around you don’t usually notice?
And the different forms – clocks, house signs, addresses, phone numbers, recipes, games …
You might be surprised how often you use counting just running a home – see if you can do some of this out loud with your child!
A nice, colourful fruit kebab is refreshing and fun to make with your child, especially during warm weather.
It can sometimes be tricky to get children to taste new fruits and this is a great way of helping them to have a wee try whilst having fun.
At the same time, they will be learning vocabulary about colours, food, about before/after, big/small – and practising finger skills that are great for pre-writing, as well as learning about patterns and sorting
If you don’t have fruit at home right now, then there are some fun online games about food and cooking here
Some people love sorting the recycling – for others it is a boring chore
Everyone can have fun if your child joins in and helps you.
Not only does this give you some time together, there is a lot they can learn from it. About how the world works, what happens to our rubbish, why recycling is important
And also about sorting and sequencing, counting, talking and listening
You never know, they may be able to take it over and do it for you soon!
bumps to bairns 