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Traffic lights game

Activity

Traffic lights game

What to do with this activity?

You can play the traffic lights game with just two people or with several.  It works better outdoors, but play it indoors if you have enough space.

Here's how to play the game:

1. One person calls out the instructions and pretends to direct traffic. The others follow the instructions.

2. There's a choice of three instructions, all relating to the colour of traffic lights - either "red", "green" or "amber".

3. If "red" is called then everyone must stand very still and silent.

4. If "green" is called then everyone moves around quite fast.

5. If "amber" is called then everyone moves around in slow motion. 

6. Take it in turns to direct the traffic and shout the instructions.

When you cross a road, show your child real traffic lights and tell them that they have to stop at red lights. 

 

  • Why am I doing this?

    One of the ways children learn is through play. A child who is playing is refining learning skills that continue to develop during childhood and beyond. "Pretend play" is important for developing your child's language skills. Children make up their own games, but playing games with others helps their concentration and social skills. Play can also help to show what children know and understand.

  • How can I do more?

    Spending time playing with your child is a great way of helping them learn. Games like "Simon says" and "One, two, three red lights" are great fun. There are lots of activities you can do like playing card games or board games when you can have a quiet time together. Your child can learn the rules by watching a dry run first. Then you can play for real. An important thing to learn is that you don't always win. It can be good for young children to win, to give them confidence but learning to lose is important too. There will be many times in life when you don't win and learning to cope with that is a good life skill you can teach your child too. 

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