TEACHING OBJECTIVE/BEFORE YOU BEGIN:


One of the skills children need to work on when they begin learning to read is to differentiate right from left. Playing the game, Going Left, Going Right, can help them practice that skill. The more often you remind your child which way is left and which is right, the sooner she will automatically remember. This concept is often confusing to a young child, so play this game frequently. You can also begin practicing this skill with our child at a very early age. When helping young children to put on socks, shirts, pants and jackets, always remind her with words such as "Put your left arm in first, now your right arm" and so on.


MATERIALS NEEDED:

A good-sized piece of cardboard with a large arrow drawn on it

You and your child (or children)


ACTIVITY STEPS:

1. Stand in front of your child and show her the arrow, pointing it to her left. Ask her to raise her left arm, wave with her left hand, pick up her left foot turn left and take 2 or 3 steps.

2. Turn the arrow the other way and do the same movements with her right body parts.

3. Keep playing, mixing up the instructions, but always keeping the arrow pointing the way you are requesting her to go.

4. To make the game more physically active, tell her to hop left, skip right, run left, jump right, etc.

Note: this is a fun way to help your child get dressed more quickly if she is a slow poke. Using the arrow card again, tell her to put her right arm in her shirt, then her left, put on her right sock, then her left, etc.

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