Whatever happened to the lost art of tongue twisters? 

This is a great activity to get the family laughing together, but it is also connected to vocabulary development, literacy, and speech articulation. Try some of the beauties on this website with your family - no fair practicing first! ;)

Solving problems without pencil and paper or screens can be a revelation for children. We often forget what ‘hidden’ messages they are taking in, just through their daily experience at home and school.

This is an opportunity to remind them that we most often work with tools, but what is most important in learning is developing our heart and mind (and some would argue hands). This activity focuses on the mind.

Mental arithmetic can work at almost any age beyond age 4. You can even do early numeracy at 2 or 3. For example, counting with your child (you say “1”, they say “2”, you say “3”, etc.). Another game improves problem solving and estimation: “I am thinking of a number between 1 and 50” and as the child guesses you say “higher,” “lower,” or “that is my number!”

We are also big fans of competitive counting games - mostly variations on Nim. For example, counting to 10, with whoever says 10 as the winner, but each turn you can count either 1 or 2 numbers higher. As children get better they should be able to determine how to win the game every time (assuming the child gets to choose whether to go first or second).

These are just a few of an endless array of mental math ‘game’ possibilities - and they’re great for car rides!

It is fun to sing, but it can be a little bit embarrassing too - at least for the majority of us. Singing in the car has some distinct advantages, though: everyone is trapped, there is not a lot to do, and once a couple of people start singing it is easy for others to “join the crowd.”

This is a great way to share music, often starting with a favorite song chosen by the youngest member of the family. This could be done using favorite CDs, the radio, or an ipod/mp3 player. Singing is universal, so providing practice for children while sharing a special family moment is a great opportunity in more ways than one.