Cars, Trucks and Things that Go
Toy Town
On a carpeted area or rug, tape down long (5 or 6 feet) strips of masking tape in straight and curved patterns. Make the strips intersect each other to form a system of 'roads' on the floor. Gather toys and divide them up by themes, i.e. railroad, farm, school, construction, etc. Place each group of toys at the end of a road, creating a little city. ...(read more)
Make a Pull Train
Help your children connect shoe boxes together with cord or string. Add an extra piece of string to the front box for a handle. Decorate boxes with colorful precut shapes (triangles, squares, circles, etc) Put special toys in the box cars, pull on the string and with a "Toot toot" they have their very own train. (read more)
Construction Junction
If you have any new construction happening in your area, find a good place to park and let your kids watch the bulldozers, cranes, and large trucks. Let them watch the construction workers build houses, etc. For older kids, you can name the different kinds of machines being used and talk about the different jobs they do.(read more)
You've Got Mail!
Teach your preschooler about how the mail system works by writing a note together. Put the note in an envelope and address it to yourself (with your child's name, of course) and affix a stamp. Then take the letter to the mail box at the post office. Your child will be thrilled to receive it a couple days later, and the two of you can talk ...(read more)
Monster Truck Course
At some point, all little boys (and some girls) become obsessed with trucks and "crashing." My son loves to watch monster trucks drive over things, jump over cars, and crash, so we created his own race course on the living room floor. First we went around the house and selected things to place on the course -- small cars & trucks, a stack of books, wooden blocks, a ...(read more)
Through the Tunnel!
At your next trip to the home improvement store, pick up some PVC pipe that is wide enough for little toy cars to fit in. Sit at the top of your stairs and aim the PVC pipe downward. You now have a super-cool tunnel for your little Lightning McQueen. Plus the cars make great noises on the way down.(read more)
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Because a Great Book Helps Explain a Tough Subject
Oh, the tough stuff. Life with preschoolers means wading right into the hard stuff, sometimes on a daily basis. And what's perhaps most striking of all is just how much tough stuff there is!
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