Give your child weekly tickets worth 30 minutes of recreational screen
time each. Let him or her cash in unused tickets for small treats.
Does your child need new books? Help him organize a neighborhood
book swap.
Pick a category (cities, animals) and a letter. How many items from
that category can your child name that begin with that letter?
Remind your child that you enjoy their company and love them.
Have your child write a special Valentine’s message to someone who is
sick or lonely. Help him send or deliver it.
With your child, estimate how many bowls of cereal you can pour
from one box. Keep track until the box is empty.
See how many words your child can use to describe the sky today.
Visit a local or online art museum with your child and talk about the paintings.
Ask your child to name his or her favorite sport, and say why she likes it.
When you read aloud, choose an suspenseful place to stop. Ask your
child, “What do you think will happen next?”
Talk about all the things your child does right. List as many things as
you can.
It’s Groundhog Day. How many words can you and your child make from the
letters in the word GROUNDHOG?
Help your child read the label on a food he or she eats. What vitamins does
it contain? How much sugar is in it?
Invent a word with your child. Help her write a definition as it would
appear in the dictionary.
Have a family jump rope contest. How many jumps can you do in a row?
Make a chore chart with your child. List his chores and when they
should be completed.
Hold a family meeting. Discuss your family’s goals and successes.
Ask your child what he or she thinks are their strong skills and why.
Together, role-play a difficult situation your child may face.
Read a poem aloud. Stop to let your child guess what the next rhyming
word will be.