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Parents can help their children's cognitive development during the preschool years by engaging them in play and simple activities.
1. Reading
One of the best activities to build cognitive skills in preschoolers is reading!
Reading to your children on a daily basis can mean the difference between a child with a well-developed vocabulary and a child with a limited vocabulary.
While reading to your children, you will be developing:
Vocabulary
Writing Skills
Thinking Skills
Problem Solving
Memory
Improved Attention
Listening Skills
Language patterns
2. Talking
The best way to build cognitive development skills is not only to hear language being spoken every day but also to use it!
As a parent, you are your child's primary source of language in the early years, it is important that they hear you constantly. By imitating you, your child will learn to speak.
Talk to your child all the time, whenever possible. Talk to him in the car, in the bath, while cooking, and while playing.
3. Rhyming
Nursery rhymes are more than just a fun kiddie activity! They are, in fact, an excellent cognitive activity for preschoolers and toddlers.
They teach children language patterns and help them expand their vocabulary. They help children develop auditory perceptual skills such as auditory memory; the ability to recall what is heard after a period of time, including both short-term and long-term memory.
Did you know? Learning nursery rhymes is an important part of developing pre-reading skills and will prepare your child for succession school!
4. Creative Activities
Children naturally spend a lot of time engaging in creative activities, whether it's drawing, painting, or making something out of building blocks.
When a child uses their creative mind, they are strengthening their cognitive skills.
5. Movement
Movement is a great way to stimulate brain growth!
Movement helps children develop their neural pathways, and vestibular movement has an impact on later learning to read and write.
Weekly Activities
Try out a different activity to develop cognitive development
for every day this week!
MONDAY
Let’s begin the week with a brilliant read-aloud ‘Hippos go Berserk!’ By Sandra Boynton
TUESDAY
Practice those language skills with a game of ‘Would You Rather’.
Expand this learning by making up your own questions!
Would you rather fly on a broom or in an airplane
Would you rather have straight or curly hair?
Would you rather be a hippopotamus or a giraffe?
WEDNESDAY
Nursery Rhymes - listen and sing along to a collection of nursery rhymes
THURSDAY
Colourful bath time – an opportunity for artistic development!
Experiment with food colouring to make shades of colour
Bath crayons – doodle on the bathtub
Try out this great DIY Bath Paints Recipe!
FRIDAY
Stimulate brain growth by getting your body moving with a game of hopscotch – draw a grid on the sidewalk and get hopping!
SATURDAY
Young children love playing pretend and imitating people in their lives through language, and actions.
SUNDAY
The read-aloud book reviews patterns, sorting by color, skip counting, odd and even numbers, and identifying patterns!
Prepare your child for success in school
HIPPY is a free preschool program for qualified families in Oakville, Milton, and Burlington. We connect parents with trained Home Visitors who will give you weekly support and training on how to prepare your children for success in Kindergarten and beyond. The 30-week program is based on children's literature with all the materials, activities, and tools provided to you by HIPPY Halton.