This activity promotes development and learning by encouraging children to understand and use social and conversational rules and use writing for a variety of purposes.
Materials Needed:
- Paper
- Pencils or markers
Participants: This activity is intended for adult/child interaction.
Directions:
- Ask your child to help you think of different homes for animals, such as nests, burrows, caves, hives, or even shells. If possible, find images online or even real specimens, such as a bird’s nest or seashells.
- Talk about the things that make those homes appealing, comfortable, or safe for animals. Hard shells protect turtles, while burrows and caves keep mammals warm and dry during the winter.
- Discuss the elements that make your home comfortable. What is your child’s favorite thing about your home?
- Offer paper and pencils or markers. Encourage your child to draw a picture or write a story about what they would do if they were an animal. Which animal would they choose to be? What would their home look like?
Extensions: Find digital or paper books about homes, such as:
- “A House for Hermit Crab” by Eric Carle
- “A Nest is Noisy” by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
- “Home” by Carson Ellis
- “How a House is Built” by Gail Gibbons
