Resources for Parents

Beanbag drop: Place a beanbag or soft toy on your own head and put your hands under your child’s outstretched hands at waist level. Then give a signal (such as, ‘ready, steady, drop’) and drop the beanbag into your child’s hands by tilting your head toward your child. Take turns. If your child cannot catch very well, then put her hands in yours and bring all your four hands together to catch the beanbag. You could open your hands to let the beanbag fall through to the ground. You can also play this game sitting on the floor.

Blanket run: This involves two parents and your child. Your child sits on one parent’s lap facing the other parent with a small blanket lying on the floor between them. On a signal, both parents lift the blanket and your child runs or crawls under the blanket into the arms of the other parent.

Cotton ball blow: You and your child hold a scarf or long piece of cloth between you. You place a cotton wool ball at one end of the scarf and blow it back and forth to your child.
Alternatives can include you placing the cotton ball in your cupped hands and then blowing it into your child’s hands. Or you could fold up the long sides of a piece of tin foil (as long as your child’s arm or leg,) and blow the cotton ball back and forth on the foil tray. Or you could both lie on your tummies and blow the cotton ball back and forth between you on the floor.

Drawing around hands, feet or bodies: Make a picture of your child’s hand or foot by drawing around it on a piece of paper. You can move on to drawing around her whole body, but check your child’s reaction to this. Drawing around her whole body requires your child to lie still for some time and this can be challenging. So, you might want to build up to this by doing small body parts at first (like just a hand). Watch your child to make sure that she is feeling OK. It’s helpful to talk to your child whilst doing this so she knows what you are doing – for example, saying, ‘I’m coming to your ankle, I’m coming to the tickle spot under your arm. I am going to try and do this without tickling you.’

Follow the leader: You stand in front of your child, with your back to her, and she holds on to your waist. You then move in a particular way and your child copies. You can also do this sitting down, moving only arms, head and shoulders.

Funny ways to cross the room: You and your child stand at one end of a room, mat or play space. You tell your child that you are both going to cross the room in a certain way – for example, hopping, tiptoeing, crawling, or walking backward. You can add in funny walks such as a crab walk, elephant walk or scooting.

Hand-stack: Put your hand palm down in front of your child. Have your child put her hand on top of your hand. You then alternate hands to make a stack. Take turns moving the hand from the bottom to the top. You can also move from top to bottom. This can be made more complicated by moving fast or going in slow motion.

Variations include putting lotion on your hands first so that you make a slippery stack. This adds an element of nurture. You can also try stacking feet, forearms, folded arms and fingers. If your child is wary of touch, you can stack hands with one to two inches of space between each hand or finger. For very young children keep your hands stacked on the ground all the way through.

Hokey cokey: You and your child stand opposite each other and sing, ‘You put your right foot in. Your right foot out. In out, in out and shake it all about. You do the hokey cokey and you turn around. That’s what it’s all about. Oh, the hokey cokey!’

While singing, you both move your feet, arms and whole bodies into the space between you, and shake them. When you do the ‘Hokey cokey’, you dance in whatever way you like, arms in air, with playful, energetic gestures.

Jump into my arms: Have your child stand on pillows or the sofa. You then give a signal, such as, ‘One, two, three, jump!’ for your child to jump into your arms.

La la magnets: You and your child hold hands with each other while sitting or standing opposite each other. You both swing your hands from side to side while you say, ‘La, la, la’. You then say a part of the body that will be stuck together like magnets. For example, ‘La, la, la, elbows’ and you each put your elbows together as if they are stuck together like magnets. Then you both hold hands again and say ‘La, la, la’ and say a different body part such as ‘knees’. You and your child put your knees together. You repeat this sequence saying a different body part each time.

Measuring: Measure your child’s height, length of arms, legs, feet, hands, and so on. You can keep a record of this for later comparisons. You can use a measuring tape, wool or ribbon. Measure surprising things, such as your child’s smile, the length of her ears, the circumference of her head, or even how high she can jump. You can use fruit leather for measuring, then tear off the length and feed it to your child. This will mix structure with nurture.

Mirroring: Face your child and then move your arms, face or other body parts and ask your child to move in the same way. If your child is very active, you could use slow motion and vary the speed. You and your child could take turns being the leader.

Eye signals: Hold hands with your child and stand facing each other. You use eye signals to indicate the direction and number of steps to take – for example, when you wink your left eye two times, both you and your child take two side steps to your left. If winking is difficult, then instead tilt your head or purse your lips to the left and right. Move around the room like this. To make it more challenging, you can add signals for forward and backward movement as well (moving your head back for backward, head forward for forward). You can also do this while holding a balloon or a pillow between you, by leaning close to each other as you move.

Copy funny faces: Sit facing your child, pull a funny face, can your child copy it?

Check-ups, check your child brought their big smile to play, check they brought their ears, did they bring wiggly toes or still toes? Go through lots of body parts. Did they bring strong arm muscles, can they show you? Did they bring long legs? Etc.

Foil prints: use tin foil to make impressions of different body parts (make a robot glove with foil using your child’s hand. Can you make them a robot leg by wrapping foil around their leg? Etc.

Beep and Honk: This activity is geared toward younger children (ages 1-3). Press the child’s nose and say beep, touch the chin and say honk! Guide your child to do the same to you. Make different special noises for each body part. Try to link a series of sounds and touches together.

Play hand clapping games such as Patty Cake and A Sailor Went to Sea. Google different hand clapping patterns for older children. There are some great challenges to learn!!!

Blow me over: Sit facing the child and, holding hands (you can cradle a younger child in your lap), have child “blow you over.” Fall back as the child blows. Once the child understands the game, you can blow her over.

Create a special handshake: Make up a special handshake with your child, taking turns to add new gestures – for example, high-five, clasp hands, wiggle fingers, and so on.

Weather Report: Your child sits directly in front of you, both facing the same way. The parent describes the weather and rubs the back of the child to match the weather. For example, it’s a warm sunny day: make a large warm circle. The wind is beginning to blow: swoop hands lightly across the back making a swishing noise. Thunder: use the sides of your hands to pound gently on the back. Rain: make light finger taps. Lightening: make a big zig zag across the back.

Creating rhythms with cups: You and your child sit opposite each other, or side by side, at a table. You each hold an upturned paper cup in each hand so that the top of each cup is on the table. You make up a rhythm by tapping the cups in sequences.

Piggy-back/Horsey-back ride: Help your child get onto your back. Jog around the room with your child on your back. Your child can give signals such as, ‘Whoa!’ and ‘Giddy-up!’ The strength of your back determines how old or heavy your child can be for this game.

Pop cheeks: Inflate your cheeks with air and help your child to pop them with his hands or feet. Your child then inflates her cheeks and you pop them in turn.

Popcorn toes: While you take your child’s shoes off, ask if she has popcorn, peanuts, grapes and so forth, inside her shoe. Then take her shoe off and discover her wonderful toes.

Push-me-over, land-on-my-knees: Kneel in front of your standing child (so that your child comes to your eye level) or sit in front of your sitting child. Hold your child’s hands. On a signal, have your child push you. As you fall back, pull your child onto your knees and ‘fly’ your child smoothly or bounce her up and down.

Push-me-over, pull-me-up: Sit on the floor in front of your child. Place your child’s palms against yours, or put your child’s feet against your shoulders. On a signal, have your child push you over. You fall back in an exaggerated way. Then, stretch out your hands so that your child can pull you back up.

Balancing activities: Have your child lie on their back with their feet together in the air, can they balance a cushion on their feet? How many can they balance? Can they kick them off when you say ‘Ready, steady go’? How far can they kick them? You can do lots of balancing activities such as balancing hats and seeing how far the child can walk before they fall off.

Balloon tennis: how many balloon passes can you do together before the balloon falls? Can your beat your own score?

Crawling race: make a stack of cushions in the middle of the floor, have a crawling race, can you catch your child’s foot before they catch yours? Give a ‘Ready, steady, go’ signal.

Pillow push: Hold a pillow or cushion in front of you, can your child push you over? This needs to be kept playful and be careful not to use with over excited children who may struggle with safety in this activity.

Pick up cotton balls: Start with two cotton balls or similar sized objects. Can your child pick them up with their feet? How many can they pick up at once? With younger children, ask them to pick them up and drop them into your hands one at a time.

Shoe and sock race: Race with your child to see who can put on / take off their socks and shoes first. Keep it playful rather than competitive.

Straight face challenge: Ask your child to try to keep their face straight while you try to make them laugh. How long can they do it for?

Cotton ball or feather guess: using two similar feeling items (a make up brush and cotton pad will do for example instead of a cotton ball and feather if you don’t have them), ask your child to close their eyes while you touch them somewhere on visible skin. Can they guess which item touched them? This needs to feel safe, playful and fun. It should be a quieter and relaxing activity. Try not to tickle as that can over excite children.

Pretend face / body paint: using soft brushes or cotton wool again, pretend to paint your child’s face / hand / foot. Ask them what they would like to be painted as. Talk about the pretend colours you are using. Again, this should feel relaxing and soothing.

Lotion: gently apply lotion and give a gentle hand massage. You could do with feet also.

Hand / footprints: Using child’s paint, make handprint pictures, fingerprints pictures or even footprint pictures. Try to increase the amount of touch as this is part of nurture (if your child will accept / enjoy it as part of the activity). There are some lovely ideas for hand / footprint pictures online or on Pinterest.

Blanket swing: this requires two adults. Ask your child to lie on their backs in the middle of the blanket. Slowly pick them up by each adult lifting two corners of the blanket. Gently swing them singing a song such as ‘Twinkle Twinkle’. Try to keep some eye contact. Again, this should be calm and slow rather than an activity to excite.

Feeding: Sit closely with your child sharing a snack or drink. You could feed each other or feed your child. Listen for crunches or other eating noises. You could have a few different snacks, ask your child to close their eyes and see if they can guess which one they have been given (nuts, fruit, crisps etc). Listen to some calm music together