What to do with this activity?
Your local playground is a wonderful place for your child to learn and grow, while having the best fun ever.
Babies, even before they can walk, love to watch other children at play. Toddlers will want to explore all the options - swings, slides, climbing frame, see-saws, or whatever is there. There are many benefits to playground play:
1) It's great outdoor exercise, building strength, co-ordination, confidence and a sense of adventure.
2) It improves their social and communication skills by seeing how other kids play, joining in, being competitive, and learning to take turns.
3) It adds to their vocabulary - "push me higher", "I can run fast", and so on.
4) It can improve their counting skills - talk to them about how many turns on the swing, how many steps to the top, how many stepping stones there are.
If you don't know where your nearest local playground is, have a look at this list of some of the best public playgrounds in Ireland on the Family Friendly HQ website under the "family blog" section.
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Why am I doing this?
Children learn about numbers in a natural way through play and by counting real things in their everyday lives. The repetition of numbers in a fun way helps children remember the sequence of 1, 2, 3. Movement and rhymes also make it easier for a child to remember sounds – that’s why nursery rhymes are so great.
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How can I do more?
When out shopping, count food items with your child as you put them into your trolley. If you’re saying a nursery rhyme why not shake a plastic bottle filled with rice or small stones to the rhythm to make more noise.
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