Holiday/Summer Brake Activities

7 weeks feels like a very long time, to keep my 5, 4 and 2 year old entertained for!  As both our boys have a speech and language delay I wanted to come up with some fun activities which will work on their understanding, of letter sounds, writing and reading.

Here's a few of them:

Chalk

Chalks, a big pack was only a pound! They have come in so handly. Am going to get another pack to take on holiday in the caravan with us. They are fun and wash off really easily, so I would be happy to use them on our drive etc. Theres not many places to use them in our back garden but the trampoline was perfect! It kept them all entertained for ages, drawing and then running around the lines. I joined them to draw some number for them to copy. Pops 5, loved it, copying the numbers and talking about them. Bear 4, was more interested in drawing lines to run round. Our youngest Dot at 2, loved it running around and drawing. It washes off our trampoline really easy with some water or rain. It brushes off while your playing on it too, so they can just keep drawing! Great fun! It's kept them entertained the longest so far.

Second day of chalk on the trampoline and they are still loving it! (Don't mind Bear he's going through a naked faze!)

We have made spaceships, numbers and words. I write a word and then Pops copies! We are all covered in chalk! 

 

Sometimes I just hand them the chalk and let their imagination run riot! It's great to see their spaceships and tracks.

To help Pop with his reading and writing. I like to grab some chalk, and write out a few words and sounds to learn. It's quite relaxing, spending a few mintues setting up the trampoline with a few words. I try and do themes, so 'home' then draw a house and a few words for home, like house, flat etc. 

I try and stick to things they would know, so draw a car and talk about our car. Pops drew a hat, so I wrote it and sounded it out and he copied. It's such a fun away of getting them drawing and writing, while learning about sounds. 

They don't have to be good drawings, just the letters work so well. 

Pegs

Click HERE for more info on Peg Letters

Bubble Wrap:

There is so much you can do with a sheet of bubble wrap! Here's one, very loud, fun thing!

We had some post this morning and there was some bubble wrap. Being a hoarder, I was going to put this with the wrapping paper. But the boys where 'playing' races, with the push alongs (I say playing, loud crashing...) 

So just using a very small amount of Sellotape, I put this in their path. They love it! 

Salt Dough:

I love this stuff! Hours of fun and useful too, we always make things for Christmas. From little hanging gift tags too Christmas tree ornaments! So much fun for the kids and useful. Cheap and easy to make as well.

1x cup of SALT

1x cup of FLOUR

1/2 cup of WATER

Salt, flour and water! Easy! Loads of ideas on Pinintrest of the huge amount of things you can do with Salt Dough. I mostly make it in the run up to Christmas, for hand prints of our babies or little stars for labels on gifts. So much fun.

I've found that leaving them to air dry works best for me. When I've tried in the oven they have just grown and not fully dried. If you have an airing cupboard that's the perfect place! 

Left over salt dough:

Little food bag, paint-

No mess fun!

Peg Words

Our two boys have a speech and langwish delay. If you have read my other blogs you will have an understanding of how much this impacts our life's. 

Am trying over the summer to spend as much one to one time, with each boys working on getting them ready for September. 

Our oldest Pops is starting year 1 and Bear year R. Bear is much further behind than Pops was last year. 

Pops is starting to write and read, but quite far behind his class. I am very worried. With three childern 5 and under, it can be really hard to get much one to one time! 

My plan is that everly day in the summer holidays, am going to get Dot down for a nap. While she's having a morning nap (she is not like the boys at all who used to have two hour naps, but likes 10min power naps, unless I time it right!) am going to sit down and do an activity with the boys. One to one or both together. 

Their school have given them both a little book, with photos of their teaches and classes rooms. So each day am going through their books, getting them used to the big change that's coming.

I've been trying to think of good one to one activitys I can do to help, with Pops reading, writing and sounding out letters.

Here is the first one.... 

Peg Letters! 

I love this idea, pegging on letters. Finding the matching letter and pegging it to the card. Easy to make, and lots of reading, sounding fun! 

I have printed and laminated lots of words, words they know, like Gigi and Grandma. Some simple words like Cat or Red and harder ones like Sunshine.

Each day I've picked different words, and then got Pops to sound out and find each letter. Then we have talked about that word, it's fun and he's getting quicker each day! 

Keep an eye out for more of these summer learning fun activitys coming soon!