Spoons
Egg and spoon race
A long standing favourite on sports day.
You can use toy eggs, playdough moulded into an egg shape, a small ball or even a scrunched-up piece of paper.
Balance the egg on a spoon and see how far your child can walk without it falling off. Place a marker down and try to beat the distance. It’s a game of skill rather than speed.
If your child needs more of a challenge have them do an action as they walk from one side of the room or garden to the other balancing their egg on the spoon. You could get them to spin round, crouch down and touch the floor with their other hand, walk on tip toes, walk sideways.
To make this super challenging get your child to complete a mini obstacle course as they balance their egg on their spoon – step from cushion to cushion, step over an item, go round an item. Even challenge them to slide down a slide without dropping the egg!
Musical Spoons
Have you ever tried to play the spoons? Get your child to pick two identical spoons from the cutlery drawer.
Hold the spoons back to back in your preferred hand (see the photo). The spoons need to have a gap between them.
Gently hit the spoons between your knee and your other hand and that’s how you play the spoons.
Can you play along with one of your favourite songs?
For babies, you could tie spoons to pieces of ribbon and hang them from the back of a sturdy dinning chair that won’t topple over if they pull hard on the ribbon. Supervise and support as they sit in front of the spoons, encourage them to use their hands to hit the spoons so they bang together, a bit like a wind chime.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Share the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with your child, if you don’t have a copy there are lots of clips of the story being told on YouTube.
Can your child find a big spoon for Goldilocks to try Daddy Bear’s porridge?
A medium sized spoon to try Mummy Bear’s Porridge?
A tiny spoon to eat Baby Bear’s porridge?
Can your child put them in size order?
Perhaps your child would like to help make some porridge by using a spoon to stir the oats and milk before it is heated up?
You could extend this by finding items such as three different sized bowls, chairs, beds and bears to re-tell the story.
Bath time café
Many children love role playing cafes while they are in the bath using plastic tea sets.
In addition to the usual cups, saucers and tea pots try adding different sizes and types of spoons.
You could add tablespoons, teaspoons, dessert spoons, ladles, small medicine spoons and baby milk powder scoops.
How many scoops does it take to fill a cup? Which spoon fills the cup quickly?
Scooping water up on a spoon and carefully lifting it and pouring into a cup that you are holding will take coordination and control.
Perhaps you can place a tricky order at the café? Two scoops of coffee, one tablespoon of milk and half a teaspoon of sugar?