Last year I was working with a mother who had a young child but was wanting ways to work with him without having to go out and buy all sorts of new toys and gadgets. One of the things that I found really helpful when I began doing this was going through our own closets and cupboards to use what we already had. I encouraged her to do the same! I reminded her that the station activities do not have to be complicated, in fact the more basic they are, focused on a certain skill, the better they are. This is an idea that I sent her to help her work with her child on recognizing and discriminating between different shapes.
I gathered triangle and square shapes from a building block set and some balls from a hammering game we had. I placed them in a plastic container and provided three empty containers for the shapes to be sorted into. I took some paper and wrote out the shape name while also providing an example (including the example is optional) to add a literacy component and something they can use for reference.
Remember that when you are first working on a skill or concept with your child and you aren’t sure where they are with it, start basic and simple. The most important thing is to give them a good foundation. It’s okay to see if they know it without the visual cue, but I recommend having one available. The purpose of this is not to trick them. If it is too easy, take note and make it more challenging the next time.
Engage, Encourage, and Empower!