Learning Together, Growing Together

You can help your child learn! The activities on this page will give you ideas for ways to talk, move, read, and play with your child. Find activities for infants (ages 0 to 12 months), toddlers (ages 1 to 3 years), and preschoolers (ages 3 to 5 years)! Every child learns at their own pace and in their own way. Feel free to adapt activities or try ones from different age ranges. Make them work for you! Your family can come back to this site again and again as your child grows to find new ways to talk, move, read, and play together!

                       

 

 

Talk

 

Ages 3-5

  • Let’s talk! Invite your child to tell you about their day or explain what they like about their favorite game. Use open-ended questions: “Why?” “How?” “Can you tell me more about…?”
  • You can help your child calm down. When they feel big emotions, it is important to breathe. Practice taking three deep breaths together: 1….2…..3…. Then, invite them to talk about what happened: “You seem angry. Can you tell me more about how you are feeling?”

Ages 1-3

  • Look for chances to talk about math every day. You can count steps you take on a walk or socks you match on laundry day. Use words to compare like bigger/smaller and longer/shorter. Point out shapes you see like the triangle in a slice of pizza.
  • Talk about feelings, and help your child name what they feel. You can model this by talking about how you feel. “I am sad because it’s time for Granny to go home. I will miss her.” When your toddler gets upset, you can show them how to use words to talk about their feelings. “You’re frustrated. It’s hard when you can’t play with your brother’s car.”

Ages 0-12 months

  • Talk to your baby as much as you can! Have a conversation—give her a turn to babble, too. You can talk to her about your day or point out what you see. For example, “Today we’re going to wash the dishes, then we’ll take a walk before nap time! What do you think we’ll see outside?” (Pause for baby to babble in reply.) “You think we’ll see the doggy next door? He goes bark, bark!”
  • Sing songs! Babies love your sing-song voice. You can sing any songs you already know, or songs for children like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” You can also make up your own silly songs. Play songs on your radio or device and sing along!

Read

 

Ages 3-5

  • Help your child name labels and signs they see every day. Talk about the letters on a stop sign—S-T-O-P. Talk about the meaning of fast food logos. Recognizing these signs is part of learning to read! Try taking photos of signs and making an album on your phone. You can look at them anytime.
  • Try using silly voices when you read. Growl like the tiger, and make the pigeon sound VERY angry. Using fun voices makes reading together more fun!

Ages 1-3

  • Lots of families read at bedtime. It is not the only time to read. Read anytime, anywhere! Your child might enjoy a book during meals, in the car, or right after waking up. The best time to read is whenever it works for your family!
  • Children enjoy reading the same stories over and over. That’s ok! Read their favorites. Also try adding in new books with similar characters or by the same author. When your child knows a book well, invite them to help you tell the story!

Ages 0-12 months

  • It’s never too early—or too late—to start reading with your baby. Many families enjoy snuggling with a book before bedtime. Try making a routine of reading a book to your baby every night. They will love hearing your voice!
  • It takes time and practice to enjoy books. Start by looking at pictures and talking about the book. You do not need to read every word or even look at every page. Even just a few minutes with a book and your baby is time well spent!

Move

 

Ages 3-5

  • Get outside! Playing outside or on a playground helps your child learn to climb, run, jump, skip, and balance. You can help him practice skills like standing on one foot, hopping, or skipping.
  • Learning to dress themselves is one of the first ways your child becomes independent! Start with easier tasks like pulling on pants or socks. Move on to putting on a shirt or shoes. Leave harder snaps and zippers until your child has gotten the easier skills.

Ages 1-3

  • Try different ways to draw or make marks. You and your child can use sticks in dirt or fingers in sand—along with crayons, markers, or pencils on paper—to draw and scribble.
  • Encourage your child to try big movements! Visit a park or playground, or go for a walk in your neighborhood. Let your child try using steps, climbing, sliding, and spinning.

Ages 0-12 months

  • Your baby needs lots of time on his tummy to grow strong. You can lie down and put him on your tummy, facing you. Or, try getting on the floor with him to play! You can show him a toy, and encourage him to reach for it.
  • When your baby starts eating food, they are ready to learn to feed themselves! Offer them snacks, like cereal O’s, and let them work on bringing them to their mouth. The mess is part of their learning!

Play

 

Ages 3-5

  • Have your child name shapes they see in their environment: a door is a rectangle, balls are spheres, and a pizza slice is a triangle. Start with flat shapes, like circles and squares. Then move on to 3-D shapes like cubes and spheres. Try hunting for new shapes together and taking photos! How many cubes can you find? How many circles? Later, you can look at the photos together and name the shapes you see.
  • What could you and your child make with everyday things? Gather items like boxes, paper towel rolls, and bottle caps. You could make a tower, a car, or anything else your child dreams up! Or, try gathering items from nature like sticks, feathers, acorns, and leaves. Allow your child to explore these materials and create. For example, sticks could be used to build a house. Leaves might make a bed for an acorn baby. Follow their lead, and see what you can create together!

Ages 1-3

  • Go on a walk. Talk to your child about things you notice: crunchy leaves, barking dogs, colorful cars, and smooth stones. Let your child gather items outside like fallen leaves, seed pods, or pine cones. Talk about them together—their color, size, smell, and feel.
  • Let’s try water play! Give your child items to fill and dump while taking a bath. You can talk about what they are doing. For example: “You filled the cup, now you dumped the cup!” “Does that toy float or sink in the water?” Think about adding other items or toys to the bath, like plastic bottles, mixing spoons, or balls.

Ages 0-12 months

  • Play a find-it game. Ask your baby, “Where is your hand?” Pause, then touch their hand. “Here is your hand!” Continue by asking, “Where is your nose? Here is your nose!” Keep going with eyes, ears, and more.
  • Let’s play Peekaboo! Cover your eyes and ask, “Where’s (my name)?” Then uncover and say, “Peekaboo! Here I am!” Take turns and cover your baby’s eyes briefly. “Where is baby? Peekaboo! Here they are!”

Learn More

  •

    Early Childhood Resources

    View resources for child care and school, developmental support, prenatal and baby, social-emotional, and activities and resources around Louisville.

    View Page

  • National Center for Families Learning

    Website

  • Ready for K Alliance

    Website

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