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About time

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About time

What to do with this activity?

Children live in the moment, and don't really understand time. So it's important to talk to your child using words like "morning" and "night", "yesterday", "bedtime".  

When it is dark outside (this won't be easy in Summer) tell them it is "night" time. If it's bright outside it is "day" time. Tell them about how important the sun is in making "day" and "night". Talk about "tomorrow" and "yesterday".

Introduce the idea of time in simple ways like, "On Sunday we go and see Nanny" or "We'll leave in 5 minutes". Your child will begin to understand time.

For a bit of fun and pretend, and more talk about time, blow dandelion seeds, like in the picture above. See how many puffs it takes for your child to blow all the seeds off the dandelion "clock" and that is the time in Fairy Land!

 

 

 

 

 

  • Why am I doing this?

    When out shopping, count food items with your child as you put them into your trolley. If you’re saying a nursery rhyme why not shake a plastic bottle filled with rice or small stones to the rhythm to make more noise.

  • How can I do more?

    Children learn about numbers in a natural way through play and by counting real things in their everyday lives. The repetition of numbers in a fun way helps children remember the sequence of 1, 2, 3. Movement and rhymes also make it easier for a child to remember sounds – that’s why nursery rhymes are so great.

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