Supporting Christian Science families and their young children
Ingredients
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 (7 oz.) Jar Marshmallow Fluff
2 T butter
Chow Mein Noodles
Egg Shaped Candy
Directions
Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff in a small saucepan and melt, while stirring, until smooth. Stir in Chow Mein Noodles (no set amount, just however many you want). Next, form little nest shapes on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Add egg-shaped candies to the nests and refrigerate.
Ingredients
8 Hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread or crackers
Directions
Peel, rinse, and dry hard-boiled eggs. Chop eggs and place in a bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, green onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on bread or crackers.
Materials
Crayons shaped like eggs
White Paper
Directions
Invite your child to make a colorful drawing using crayons that are shaped like eggs. Gripping the eggs are great for small hands. Allow your child to explore and draw freely.
Ingredients
Hard-boiled eggs
Vinegar
Food coloring
Directions
Mix 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 10 to 20 drops food color in a cup to achieve desired colors. Repeat for each color. Dip hard-boiled eggs in dye for about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon, wire egg holder or tongs to add and remove eggs from dye.
What happens when you mix yellow dye with blue dye? Red dye with blue dye? Yellow dye with red dye? Try using a white crayon to make designs on the hard-boiled egg; then place the egg in the dye. What do you observe? Be creative.
Enjoy making egg salad with the eggs once your child is ready to let them go.
Materials
Plastic Printed Easter Eggs
Basket
Directions
Take apart the plastic eggs and place them in a basket. Invite your child to match the tops with the bottoms. Count the eggs. Discover ways to classify the eggs.
Play a memory game with the eggs. Place 4-5 eggs in the basket. Ask your child to cover his eyes. Remove one egg from the basket. Can your child figure out which egg is missing. To add a level of difficulty, place additional eggs in the basket. Hide 2-3 eggs. Which ones are missing?
Materials
Shaving Cream
Elmer’s School Glue
Small bowl
Spoon
Blue construction paper
Directions
Place 1/2 cup of shaving cream and 1/2 cup of glue in a small bowl. Invite your child to mix the glue and shaving cream well. Once well mixed, encourage your child to spoon the mixture onto the construction paper and gently spread around the paper. Allow the mixture to dry. It makes a nice 3-D picture.
To make the clouds look like storm clouds as in the Bible story, Noah’s Ark, add a drop of black tempera paint.
Materials:
Colored plastic eggs
Small “surprises” to hide inside the eggs
Directions
Place eggs on a table, in a basket, or hide them around the house. Your child will love searching for them, opening and closing them, and finding fun surprises inside. You can even encourage them to sort the eggs by colors. It’s a great fine motor activity that your child will love to play over and over.
Bin or container
5 cups of flour
1 cup of baby oil (or cooking oil for taste safe)
Play tools (i.e. play dough and kitchen tools, bowls and cups)
Measure, pour and mix!! Invite your child to help add all ingredients to your sensory bin and mix by hand. You should be able to grab a chunk and mold it and have it hold. If not, you may need more oil. Too oily, add more flour! Set it out with your tools and enjoy exploring the cloud dough with your child! It has such a soft, smooth feel as you rub it between your fingers.
The first six months with your baby is a special, precious time, as your baby transforms from a floppy-headed newborn into a tiny person who can sit and play when propped up. While babies will develop at their own pace, there are ways you can encourage their growth.
Some games and activities include:
1. LISTENING
What to do: Sing and talk to your child using exaggerated tones of voice. Watch your baby’s facial expressions and see how he reacts to different pitches.
Skills learned: Language development
2. TRACKING
Materials needed: A small, soft, colorful toy, like a sponge ball or stuffed animal.
What to do: While your baby is lying on her back, hold the toy in front of her face and, if needed, wiggle it slowly or gently touch her with it to get her attention. Then move the toy from side to side, and encourage her to follow along with her eyes.
Skills learned: Visual tracking, visual development
3. DANCING
Materials needed: Music
What to do: Put on one of your favorite songs and, while holding your baby securely to your chest, gently move around together in time to the music.
Skills learned: Listening. Dancing also encourages an interest in music and strengthens bonding with the parent.
4. SINGING
What to do: Next time your little one is having a meltdown or resisting a nap, sing him a hymn or lullaby in a soothing voice.
Skills learned: Listening, emotional regulation
5. REFLECTIONS
Materials needed: Baby-safe mirror
What to do: Show your baby her reflection in the mirror, then ask, “Who is that?” Repeat with your own reflection and a sibling’s or a stuffed animal’s.
Skills learned: Visual, social, and emotional development
6. BABY SIT-UPS
What to do: If your baby has good head control, lay him on his back, place your hands under his arms, and gently guide him into a sitting position. As he gains muscle tone and strength, do these sit-ups by holding his hands and slowly bringing him to sit.
Skills learned: Motor skills, head control
7. FOLLOW THE LEADER
What to do: See how many actions your child can imitate in a row by tapping the table, opening and closing your hands, clapping, and waving. Tip: Start with something your baby is already doing, like banging a fist on the table.
Variations: Increase the challenge by adding new and more complex movements, but pay attention to your baby’s reactions. Scale back if she seems frustrated—the activity should be fun.
Skills learned: Imitation, back-and-forth conversation, memory
8. FLYING
What to do: Lay your baby tummy-down across your lap, and place your hands around his midsection so he’s fully supported. Then gently lift him up and move him up, down, back, and forth, like a rocket jetting into space. For extra giggles, add sound effects. This activity allows your baby to see the world from a different perspective, and there’s a gleeful aspect to that.
Skills learned: Body movement and stimulation
9. KICKING
Materials needed: Tissue paper
What to do: Tuck one or two sheets of new or used tissue paper under the cushion of a sofa or upholstered chair so that it hangs down to the floor like a curtain. Remove baby’s socks, and place her on her back, with her feet against the tissue and her knees slightly bent. Gently rustle the paper with your hand or tap her feet against it. Watch as your baby learns to play the game on her own.
Skills learned: Body awareness, cause and effect, sensory integration
11. GRABBING BASKET
Materials needed: Empty paper towel or toilet paper tubes cut into 1- to 2-inch rings, a low basket or a shallow pan
What to do: Fill the basket or pan with the paper tube rings, and place it in front of your baby while she’s in tummy time, propped on a pillow, or sitting on your lap with hands free to play. Encourage her to push and bump her hands up against the rings or use use the wall of the container to help her grasp them.
Variations: Swap out the cut tubes with ribbon strips or bath puffs to provide a different tactile sensation. (Always keep eyes on your baby and keep her within arm’s reach when using ribbons.) Golf balls are another fun filler, as they make a great noise when placed in a metal pan.
Skills learned: Grasp and release, tactile stimulation, hand-eye coordination
Materials:
Assortment of artificial flowers (these can be purchased at a Dollar Store)
Colander
Directions:
Invite your child to choose one flower at a time and poke the stem of the flower through a hole in an inverted colander. Watch as a beautiful floral arrangement unfolds!