Everyday Play by Christy Isbell Read Free Book Online Page A

scissors
What to Do
    • Place beads on the non-skid mat so that the beads will not roll away.
    • After your child decides if she wants to make a bracelet or a necklace, give her child-safe scissors to cut the thread to the appropriate length. Help your child cut the thread, if necessary.
    • Tie a knot in the end of the thread.
    • She can string the beads to create a masterpiece.
    • Help her tie the two ends of the thread together when she finishes stringing the beads.
More Fun!
    • Challenge your child to make a repeating pattern with the beads.
    • Place the beads on the non-skid mat and help her plan a pattern before stringing the beads. Talk with your child about the patterns.

Make Your Own Lacing Cards
    Develops your child’s eye-hand coordination and his confidence in using tools
What You Need
    old greeting cards | child-safe scissors | 1-hole punch | yarn or string | duct tape
What to Do
    • Set out the child-safe scissors and old greeting cards and invite your child to choose one of the cards. Show him how to cut the card along the fold, so that he ends up with two pieces that are the same size.
    • Show him how to use a 1-hole punch, and ask him to punch holes around the edges of the cards.
    • Measure out a length of yarn that will cover the card, with a bit left over. Cut the yarn and cover one end with a piece of duct tape to make a tip. Your child may need help with some, or all, of this step.
    • Encourage him to lace the yarn through his card.

Tambourine
    Develops your child’s lacing skills and her ability to use various tools to create objects
What You Need
    paper plates | fingerpaints, or paints and brushes | buttons | stapler | 1-hole punch | spoon | yarn and large markers or crayons
What to Do
    • Give your child two paper plates and invite her to decorate the bottoms of the plates with fingerpaints or paints and brushes.
    • Help your child staple the decorated paper plates together, keeping the staples around the outside, but leaving approximately 1” along the edge for hole-punching. Leave a 2” opening at the top of the plates for filling.
    • Help her use a spoon to put buttons inside joined plates, and assist her in stapling closed the remaining opening at the top.
    • Encourage your child to use the 1-hole punch around the outside edge of the plate (beyond the staples so that buttons cannot fall out).
    • Give her a length of yarn with a large knot at one end and she can lace up the tambourine.
    • Tie off the end of the yarn and trim the excess, when finished (adult-only step).
    • Turn on music or sing and shake the tambourine to the beat or have a parade!

Beauty Salon and Barber Shop
    Improves your child’s bilateral hand skills
What You Need
    large male and female dolls with hair | hairbrushes, combs, and curlers | foam soap and craft sticks for shaving | various decorative hair items such as clips, barrettes, rubber bands, and hair bows | cotton balls, cotton swabs, and makeup brushes or small paintbrushes
What to Do
    • Has your child ever been to a salon or barber shop? If so, ask him if he can tell you what types of things happen there. You may expand on your child’s ideas about the salon or barber shop by talking about different services that barbers and salon employees provide.
    • Set out the various materials and encourage your child to use them to style his doll’s hair or pretend to cut it.
    • Help him learn the correct ways to use the grooming tools.
More Fun!
    • Add play money to the area so the dolls can pay for his services. Your child can manipulate, count, and sort the coins and paper money.

Kite Flying
    Develops your child’s eye-hand coordination
What You Need
    thick paper, such as oak tag, card stock, or construction paper | yarn or string | stapler, 1-hole punch, and tape
What to Do
    • Show your child what a large diamond shape looks like.
    • Then, ask her to draw two large diamond shapes (as close to the same size as she can) on her