Are you reorganizing your child's toys and wondering which family home activities maximize fun and learning? Consider family ideas such as setting up centers, just as they do at preschool. Your child will love the fun family activities—all of them promote active, independent and creative play—plus everyone will know where the toys go at clean-up time.
Dramatic Play Center: Add old shoes, dress-up clothes, hats, purses, scarves, necklaces, sunglasses, tote bags and any other props you might have around the house.
Print Center: Include rubber stampers and an inkpad (make sure it’s non-toxic), an old manual typewriter, magazines, comic strips, safety scissors, glue sticks, paper, old notepads, and chubby pencils.
Building Center: Include building blocks of all sizes and types--wood, paper, plastic, and the like.
Arts-n-Crafts Center: Include glue sticks, safety scissors, feathers, old buttons, construction paper, craft sticks, etc. Add empty toilet paper tubes, yogurt containers, oatmeal containers, egg cartons and peanut butter jars.
Puzzle Center: Include wooden, foam, and pressed board puzzles so that your child has a variety to choose from. Include some cardboard (the backs and fronts from cereal boxes work well) for your child to make her own puzzles.
Reading Center: Although it may be a few years until your child is actually reading, she is “trying on” reading and learning skills that will help her do the real thing some day. Create a home library in a comfy corner of the play area. Equip it with a place to sit (child’s rocking chair or beanbag), a light, and even an old tape recorder for your child to tape herself “reading.”