Your 2-year-old may be able to recall repetitive parts to familiar songs, fingerplays, and nursery rhymes. Create song cards and invite your child to choose a card to sing or say. Kids love to have choices!
- index cards
- markers or crayons
Step 1: Make picture cards of three to four of your child’s favorite songs, fingerplays and nursery rhymes. For example: use clip art or draw a spider on a card to represent “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”; an egg on a wall for “Humpty Dumpty”; a bus for “The Wheels on the Bus”.
Step 2: Show your child three card choices and ask him to choose the one he wants to do first.
Step 3: Tell your child “You chose the spider for The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Let’s sing it together. Get your little spider ready!”
Step 4: Ask your child if he wants to choose another card. Continue as long as your child is engaged and interested.
Give your child just two cards to choose from. Follow the remaining steps.
Ask your child to look at a card and tell you what song, fingerplay or nursery rhyme it represents. Do this only after he has had several practices with the cards.
