Calling anyone with early years childcare experience, what games can I play with my 3.5 year old daughter ??

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I'd really like some ideas of games I can play with my 3.5 year old daughter that will help her to learn.
She has a speech disorder and the SALT said that it might effect her reading and wrighting when she's older. She said there's a 50% chance it will.
Anyway, the games I try to teach her just go over her head. She dosn't really understand hide and seek (although she really enjoys it), I try to play games to get her to recognise letters but she dosn't seem to understand at all.
I want to play games that challenge her a little bit but she can succeed in. This would boost her confidence in learning new things. I love playing games with her but need some ideas. She loves games which involve mummy and Daddy too.
I think when I try to make letters fun, she switches off as it's probubly too advanced.
I'd be really greatfull for any ideas.

Dd1 has SALT for a few yeats and we used to play lotto, shopping list game, spotty dog game, anything where we could get her to repeat the words back to us.

WE also had game ideas form the SALT, like a laddre type game for her to learn the correct way to say sounds.

Dd1 was also told she may find it hard wrt to literacy later, but she is in the top set now for it ( age 7)

She is young to be recognising letters... but if you want her to be moving toward that, encourage her to regognise her name... my dd at that age could recognise the letter H and would shout "that's H for Hebe!"

Draw letters in sand, on the path and fence with a paintbrush and water etc etc

Try Kim's game... have a tray of items and then remove one... can she work out which is missing.

Read to her as much as possible (at least 5 short books a day) especially the stories that have repetitive language.. speak to Little lapin as she has some fab ones via Usborne Books.

Do things like feely boards etc to encourage har language... she may have difficulty saying furry or rough, but she will understand and know what they mean.

Thanks, she does love the game where she has to guess which item is missing. She likes to do it with me too. It's also fun getting her to chose the different objects from around the house.
She recognises L but says "that says Lucy". She thinks any word with an L in it, says Lucy.
I read to her all the time too, and sing to her. She loves made up stories when I do different voices and actions. She has a wonderful sence of humour.

how about singing? Songs with actions, rhymes, movements develop a whole host of skills. Plus its fun!

Have a look at Orchard games -they aren't expensive and are aimed at various age groups, from very simple to more complex, to reinforce phonics, numbers, shapes etc in a fun way. Also Jolly Phonics have games with pictures and letters.

I also wondered wether we should get rid of some of her baby books. She tends to choose them all the time.
I love reading her books with sentimental meaning like the rainbow fish or No matter what. I also like ryming books with fun text like room on the broom and the gruffalo. She does enjoy these books but when she choses her own, she goes for books like That's not my fairy or other baby books. She knows these books off by heart and recites them to me.

Clure- We do that all the time, she loves it. She loves anything musical, and it is great fun.
She loves musicals too. We've just got the Sound of music CD and she loves singing and dancing to it. We went dancing around the house singing to it the other day. Lucy found it hillarious. (We are quite nuts in our familly)

Thanks LIZS, I've added it to favourites.

I think there is enormous comfort and security to be had from "younger" books, so please don't take them away. She is still very young to be focussing on academics. Lots of rhyme, poems, simple stories like The Selfish Crocodile, The Gruffalo, Usborne Apple Tree Farm stories, Room on the Broom etc are great to read to her but she may well be a way off doing it herself yet. Occasionally ask her to chip in with the last word of a line.

We play remembering games at nursery. Put 4 or 5 items on a tray, recognisable things, like small toys. Your daughter can try ot remember them. Cover with a tea towel and take one away. See if she can remember what is missing.

I played that game for over an hour with 2 31/2 year olds last week

There is lots of good advise here

Reinforcement is better than challenging - your dd will move on to challenging when she is ready - try not to push. So board books & baby books are great.

Songs & Rhymes are a staple - the more the merrier (literally)

When you are doing the shopping ask her to 'find' items when you are close to them

When you are sorting washing talk about colours and shapes

Did you have a treasure basket when she was younger- if so reintroduce it, if not make one up

Talk about food at mealtimes, talk about food and actions when cooking

It is important to leave gaps for her to fill in - not long ones that make her feel pressured just natural short gaps so she can add something if she wants

HTH

Picture dominos

Thanks everyone.

i have to second the shopping list game ds loves it and now says the items on his list and proudly shouted out aubergine the lady in green grocers was shocked he knew it lol

as for letters i wouldnt worry to much my ds has HFA and does nothing but recite letters shapes and numbers but has no concept to undertanding written words

you can get the letter magnet boards ds loves his obviously lol

but you can both sit and do letters each day she will soon learn them but theres no rush you can play games draw an animal and then put the letter net to it and get her to copy what you have done my ds loves it but he would wouldnt he lol
x

Any Orchard game is excellent. We have a shopping one, a bus stop one, some jigsaws and a memo game. My DD is also 3.5yr, she loves things like Dominoes, Uno, Snakes and Ladders, Memo etc. Another drawing game she likes is where I draw a pictue and then miss out an important part, DD has to draw in what is missing e.g. I draw a cat missing it's tail.
Don't worry about the letters thing, they will touch on them in Nursery, learn them in Reception and revise them in Year 1!

Thanks, I like the idea of drawing a picture but missing out bits. She'd love that.