We asked our PRO Club childcare experts and preschool teachers for some of their favorite at-home activities that provide great learning opportunities for children. Join us every week as we share more fun learning activities that will help shake up your cabin fever.

Like last week‘s activities, we are taking one activity and showing how it can be done for each age group. This week we will be using flashcards to create games for memory, and group recognition.

Instructions for Printing the Flashcards:

Download the flashcards here. Scroll halfway down the page and you will see a blue hyperlink to download the flash cards. When you click on the downloaded file, it will open up in Microsoft Power Point. You will see a small sampling of the cards. You can use the eight cards in the template or you can edit the document to create more cards. To create “matches or families” you will need to print two or more copies of the cards.

Webbook for Infants and Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Infants and Toddlers

Recognizing Family Groups

This activity allows your child to explore the many different animals that live in our world. The words written on the cards are exposing your child to early literacy by associating printed words with the picture that represents. It is also an excellent way for children to learn how to group animals with others with characteristics that are the same.

What will my child learn? Science, language, and literacy.

Materials:

• Computer
• Printer
• Scissors

Getting Started

Once you have printed the cards, you will need to cut them out. Then use the cards to expose your child to different animals. While showing your child the pictures of the animals, engage with them Say things like “This is a cow, a cow says mooo.” Describe the different animals, their sounds, where they live etc. You can also use two cards of the same animal to show that they are in the same family.

Preschoolers (3-5 years-old)

Animal Family Group Memory Game

One of the best ways that preschoolers learn is through play. With this game, your child is not only learning how to recognize animals that belong in the same families but they are working on improving other brain functions, such as attention, concentration, and focus. Memory games allow children to use critical thinking which helps to nurture their attention to detail.

What will my child learn? Science, language, and literacy.

Materials:

• Computer
• Printer
• Scissors

Getting Started

Once you have printed the cards, you will need to cut them out and place them face down on a flat surface. Have your child flip two cards over one at a time. See if the cards match. If they are a match, the person who flipped them over keeps the pair. The person with the most pairs at the end wins. Engage: If the cards are not a match, discuss what makes them different. Discuss what they might have in common. Extend your child’s vocabulary by describing animal body parts such as tail, hooves, paws, fur, snout, etc. Ask questions such as ‘Which animal has the longest/shortest tail?’

Elementary School Age

Recognizing Animal Groups

This lesson not only focuses on teaching your child to recognize animal families but it also allows your child’s vocabulary to flourish. This lesson teaches the collective nouns used to describe the different groups of animals. With this activity, your child is working on improving other brain functions, such as attention, concentration, and focus. This type of critical thinking helps to nurture their attention to detail.

What will my child learn? Science, language, and literacy.

Materials:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Computer
• Printer

Getting Started

Once you have printed the animal pictures, clear the template. You will then put the correct collective noun for the animals that you have created cards for. Collective nouns for this lesson might include: herd, pack, flock, school, crowd, swarm, group, litter, colony, etc.. These collective nouns will vary depending on the pictures you have chosen.

Alternate Activity: You can also write the name or draw pictures of each animal then cut them out like flashcards. Then on another set write one collective noun on each card. You can then have your child match the collective noun with the name of the animal.