| Because the brain of a child is
developed during the critical learning years of birth to six, it
is imperative that parents provide proper stimulation to encourage
brain development. The simple but fun activities below will help
develop child's focus, memory and attention. Strengthening auditory
or visual memory increases a child's success in school and in social
situations.
The Tray Game (1 or more players)
Place 15 items on a tray and have the children
observe them for two minutes. Then, hide the tray and ask the children
to list the items they remember. When playing with younger children
between 3-5 years old, use objects belonging to groups so it is
easier for them to classify the items. As the children gets older,
increase the number of items or decrease the viewing time to keep
the game challenging.
Card Concentration (2 or more players)
Using playing cards with pictures on them, take
out 15 matched pairs, shuffle the cards and arrange them face down.
Have the child turn over two cards to see if they match. If they
match, the child keeps the pair, but if there is no match, the cards
are turned over and play continues. The object of the game is to
remember where the matching cards are located and collect as many
matches as possible. To challenge an older child, 6-10 years old, increase the number of pairs used.
Let’s Make Our Grocery List (5 or more players)
The first child starts the grocery list by saying, "I went to
the grocery store and bought some ________," filling in the blank
with an item available at the grocery store. The next child repeats
the list and adds a second item. The game continues with each child
adding a new item and ends when someone forgets an item.
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