Funtastic Play Ideas: CARS

Funtastic Play Ideas: CARS
In each article of this series, five different ways of playing with a toy will be discussed. Let’s begin to explore the games and enjoy ourselves! Funtastic Play Ideas

This article explores play with: CARS.

Typically, cars form a wonderful addition to pretend play. There are many types of cars available. Use the ones that are handy around the house to play these fun games:

1. Around town

Take a large print out of a town. Alternately, on a large felt or white sheet of paper, draw a town. The town should have road routes, a supermarket, school, home, park etc. Add locations the child may like.

Each player will have a car of their own and can move it around the town. The adult can guide the play by encouraging the child to ‘Move the car to the park!’ or ‘ It’s time for school, let’s go there.’

This activity will build play (cooperative) skills, attention skills. Language skills can be easily introduced and generalized through the activity. This can be done by getting the child to listen and talk about the different locations, the speed at which the cars are moving, color of each car etc.

2. Transfer the sand

In this game, use cars that have an area to load items e.g. a tractor or road digger etc. Sand is also required. Kinetic sand is useful, since it lessens the mess created!

The mound of sand can be placed on one end of large mat and a plastic plate/paper plate can be placed at the other end.

The adult and child will play together to fill sand into their car or digger and then move it along the floor / mat to take it to the paper / plastic plate.

3. Park them

Use three old cardboard shoe boxes and paint them to different colors (say blue, red and yellow).

Have several cars of those colors.

The colored boxes are the ‘parking lots’ for the cars. The child needs to park the same cars within the same colored box. Therefore the blue cars must be parked only in the blue parking lot.

This game of matching colors is great to build attention too!

4. Paint with the wheels

Use poster colors and dip the wheels of the cars over them. Let the child run the car wheels over white sheets of paper. Let him/ her create different strokes (of the wheels). Using a variety of colors can be fun.

The child can be asked to run the car in different directions (right/left, up/down, standing/lying down). This allows to build concepts of directions. Different letters or numbers can be also created. Assist the child to move the wheels on the paper to create a letter.

Colors can also be taught using this fun activity.

5. Move along the path

In the balcony or an open space, use masking tape to make a path by sticking tape on the floor. It can be a simple straight path or have several bends/curves.

The path must have a beginning and end. You can take the child’s assistance in placing the tape. It is great to build attention and follow instructions.

To play the game of ‘moving along the path’, Each player will have a car (preferably a larger one) and move it along the path. It needs to become a competitive game, wherein the child must complete the path is 3 counts or 5 counts.

This game can build listening, following instructions, competitive spirit and attention.

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Funtastic Play Ideas

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Tanushree Chandhok

Speech and Language Therapist at 1SpecialPlace

Tanushree is Speech and Language Therapist at 1SpecialPlace. She also contributes to our blog and undertakes webinars for parents

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