Summer is the perfect time to try out new educational activities for kids with your little learners! If you’re hitting the road with your kids this summer, family road trip games are a must for any long car ride. Road trip car games for kids are a great way to pass the time, keep your children busy, and mix learning and fun together!
Summer is the perfect time to try out new educational activities with your little learners! If you’re hitting the road with your kids this summer, family road trip games are a must for any long car ride. Road trip car games for kids are a great way to pass the time, keep your children busy, and mix learning and fun together!
Car games for a road trip don’t have to be complicated to be fun and educational. 125 Brain Games for Babies is full of games and activities you can modify for your next family road trip!
Here are a few educational summer activities for kids you can try today.
Let’s Watch
- Think of all the different places that are good for observing the environment.
- If babies can watch things move, they are happy.
- Windows that are close to trees are wonderful watching places, or sit outside with your baby for an amazing experience of stimulation.
- Watch birds fly from one place to another.
- Watch cars moving down the street.
- Watch the branches of a tree blow in the wind.
- Take time to sit with your child and watch together. Having you next to her will give her the comfort and security she needs to enjoy the wonders of the world.
Connect with Conversation
- Start a conversation with your baby. Say a short sentence such as, “It is a beautiful day today.”
- When your baby responds with some babble or a coo, stop talking and look into her eyes.
- As your baby talks, respond with a nod of your head or a smile.
- This indicates to your baby that you are listening to and enjoying her sounds.
- Continue with another sentence. Always stop and listen to your baby’s response.
- This game also teaches your child about taking turns.
Sounds Everywhere
- Expose your baby to a variety of sounds.
- Make sounds with your mouth.
- Buzz like a bee.
- Hum.
- Pop your cheeks.
- Make a siren sound.
- Cough.
- Pretend to sneeze.
What Brain Research Says:
· Stimulating babies’ auditory development may be the most important sense to develop in the first year. Through hearing, children experience language and music, which stimulate their intellectual and emotional development in ways no other sense can.
Sing and Say
- Music and rhythm have a powerful effect on brain development.
- Think about the songs you like to sing, and then sing them to your baby.
- Whatever songs you sing, your baby is going to enjoy hearing the words. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t understand them.
- If your song has a familiar word that you know your child understands, sing that word louder than the others.
- Instead of singing a song, try saying the words to the song in different ways- whispering them or saying the words in a soft, loud, or high-pitched voice.
- Whether you sing or speak the words, the rhythm will open windows of opportunity in your child’s brain.
Listening Fun
- The more experiences your little one has listening, the better language skills she will have.
- Remember that even though your baby cannot say the words, she still understands a great deal.
- Play different programs on the radio so your baby hears different voices and sounds.
- Often your baby will respond to what she is hearing. Encourage her responses by interacting with her.