I Say… is a preschool activity you can do at home, that hones your child’s listening skills and ability to follow instructions. A preschooler’s ability to listen, comprehend, and remember all that is told becomes an important precursor to following instructions at home and what the child learns later at a preschool.
Through this engaging preschool activity, your little one would learn to listen comprehend, remember, and eventually act on an instruction. This interesting activity can be played anytime and does not require much preparation. It allows for as many family members to play together as desirable. So do encourage all near and dear ones to join you.
Let’s begin!
Age Group
Children in the age group of 2 – 5 years
What do you need?
You need a crown (or something similar). Whoever wears the crown gives out the instructions which others must follow. Simple!
Begin with making the crown together with the child. Yes, that’s important! You can use a colored chart paper to make the crown, but do let your child decorate it using beads, buttons, crayons, etc.
How to play?
1. Introduce the activity to your child and others who are playing. Let them know that whoever wears the crown becomes the King (or Queen). Everyone must follow the instruction that the King gives.
2. Start by becoming the King yourself. Give out a simple instruction that is fun, easy to follow, and involves movement. You may say, “I say sit down” or, “I say stand up” or, “I say jump” or, “I say stand on one foot” or, “I say hug someone” or, “I say laugh out loud” etc. Make sure to make it amusing by giving out a variety of different instructions.
3. You may also give out instructions that allow your child to know more about their body parts. Such as, “I say touch your eyes” or “I say clap your hands” or “I say touch your ears” etc.
4. When your turn is over, allow the child his/her turn to wear the crown and become the King (or Queen). Encourage the child to give out instructions and this time, others must follow. Yes!
5. Keep rotating the crown so that everyone gets a chance to become the King.
Try a variation
An older child (4 -5 yrs.) may find this preschool activity too easy after playing it a number of times. In such a case, you may increase the complexity of the game by giving two-steps instructions such as “I say sit down and clap your hands” “I say clap your hands and shake your head” “ I say close your eyes and stand on one foot”.
How did you and your family do on this activity? Did your child enjoy it? What did she/he say?
Help us improve and tell us more about activities that parents may find helpful. We look forward to your suggestions!
This article is in a series of preschool activities that have been published by Team BestOfSchools for preschool-aged children that parents can easily perform at home.
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