November
Fun activities for you and your preschool child
1. Read a book with your child today. Let her turn the pages.
2. Look for animals today. Have your child look through magazines and find animals.
Cut them out and make a collage.
3. Go for a walk with your child. See if he can tell you the different colours of the traffic lights.
Talk to him about what each colour means and about traffic safety.
4. Cut out a circle, square and triangle from a large piece of cardboard. Give your child a large sheet of
paper on which to make a picture or design by tracing the shapes. Encourage her to colour the picture
or design. Write her name at the top of the picture, spelling her name letter by letter as you write.
Print the letters in your child's name. Ask her to name three words that begin with each letter of her name.
5. Today is sing together day. Sing some favourite songs together.
6. Write a letter with your child today. Sit down and ask him who he wants to write to and what
he wants to say.
7. Let your child help unpack groceries. Get her to count each item that you bought.
8. Help your child make a puzzle. Cut up a pretty card or magazine cover in large pieces.
Encourage him to put the picture back together.
9. Make playdough with your child. Let her mould her favourite animal.
10. Go outside with your child today and play in the leaves.
11. Today is Remembrance Day. Help your child make a poppy out of construction paper
and explain its significance to him.
12. Give your child a magnifying glass and go on a bug hunt with her.
13. Make wooden spoon people with your child.
14. Play hide and seek with your child.
15. Help your child learn a practical skill by letting him help you with laundry.
16. Explain to your child how opposites work. Say a word and ask her to say the opposite.
17. Make a bird feeder with your child.
18. Go indoor camping with your child. Pitch a tent in the living room and go inside
and read stories and play card games with him.
19. Today is music day. Make a pie plate tambourine with your child.
20. Help your child develop her colour and shape recognition skills by playing I spy.
21. Newspaper numbers. Help your child look for numbers 1 to 100 in the newspaper.
Cut the numbers out and glue them in numerical order onto a large piece of paper.
If he cannot count to100 or recognize numbers that large, only collect up to the number he knows.
Have him say the numbers to you and practice counting up to that number.
22. Animal cookies make this a fun game and treat for your child as she learns about animals.
Provide a bag of animal cookies and ask her to pull a cookie out of the bag.
If she gets the name and sound of the animal correct she gets to eat the animal!
23. Play connect the dots with your child. Draw a large dot-to-dot outline of your
child's name and have him content them.
24. Play "city" with your child. Using markers on a large sheet of paper, draw an
imaginary city big enough for your child's cars and trucks.
25. Show your child how to spell her full name, street address, city and phone number.
Repeat this information often so that she can memorize it.
26. Plan an activity party for your child's friends. Invite them over to play games.
27. Go to the library with your child and borrow a book about pets. If there is a pet in your
family, discuss with your child the things she must do to care for pets properly.
28. Have your child draw a map of the neighbourhood. Have her include her favourite landmarks.
29. Try and teach your child how to tie his shoe.
30. Play number match-up with your child. Create two sets of cards with the numbers 1-10.
Lay all the cards on the table and have your child match each numbered card.
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Fun activities for you and your elementary school child
1. In Ireland November 1 is regarded as the first day of Winter.
Have your child make a list of all the winter activities he wants to do this year.
2. This is the first day of media literacy week. Sit down and read the paper with your child.
Find an article she is interested in and let her read it out loud.
3. Help your child increase his memory by encouraging him to keep a check-list, teaching
him memory tricks and having a specific place for daily materials.
4. Include your child in making simple family decisions. Allow her to decide what kind of
dessert the family should have tonight.
5. Take photographs of your family. Work with your child to make a family tree.
6.Play alphabet soup with your child today. Mix up all the letters in the alphabet and ask
him to put together as many words as possible.
7. Go for a walk with your child. Ask her to count the number of red cars she sees.
8.Discuss with your child the best and worst parts of your day. Ask him to do the same.
9.Plan a no TV night. Instead, play a board game with the family.
10. Complete a word puzzle together with your child.
11. Today is Remembrance Day. Help her create a thank-you card for a Vet.
Visit the Veteran's Affairs website.
12. Tell your child that you love him today and every day!
13. Go for a bike ride with your child.
14. Borrow a recipe book from the library and have your child pick out a meal and cook it together.
15. Teach your child a new card game; go fish, crazy eights, or snap.
16. Help your child remain motivated when she feels a sense of failure in her school work.
Acknowledge her feelings and get her to see this as a learning experience.
17. Play dress up with your child. Go through both your closet and his closet and try
on clothes you haven't worn in awhile.
18. Build a fort with your child, using the couch cushions.
19. Create plastic spoon puppets with your child.
20. Ask your child to clip grocery store coupons of your favourite products.
Redeem them together later.
21. Make a list of emergency numbers to hang on the refrigerator with your child.
Make sure to include numbers for the police department, fire department, family members
and close friends. It's important that he understands what issues are considered emergencies.
22. Teach your child how to sound like a moose.
23. Be creative with your child. Build paper airplanes and fly them outside.
24. Extend bedtime tonight and let your child read in bed. Take turns, let him read all the words
he knows and help him with the words that are more difficult.
25. Teach your child "descriptive" words by playing a guessing game. Take an object and hide it
behind your back. Use five or more words to describe the object. See if she can guess what it is.
Then, have her describe something to you.
26. Encourage your child to think of all the things he would like to do tomorrow.
Help him make a "'to do" list.
27. Remember that practice makes perfect. Help your child practice writing her name in
cursive and neat printing.
28. Ask your child what changes he'd make if he were principal of his school for a day.
29. Give your child a math problem to solve. Talk with her about how she would solve the problem.
Can she think of a different way to solve the problem?
30. Teach your child to be independent. Decide on a task together that would make him more independent.
Fun activities for you and your middle school child
1. Talk to your child about obedience and independence. Increase his freedoms, set responsible
limits and provide options so that he will be able to make independent decisions.
2. Encourage your child to join a sports team. Teach her about responsibility she needs to know
that others will depend on her to be there for practices and for games.
3. Help your child get through homework.
4. Encourage your child to write a creative story. Suggest that he draw pictures.
Read the story as a family before bedtime.
5. November is International Drum Month. Is your child interested in music?
Now is a good time to introduce her to a new instrument.
6. Today is the birthday of James Naismith, inventor of basketball. Shoot some hoops with
your child this afternoon; ask him to help keep score.
7. Have your child invite a friend over after school. Encourage them to do their homework together.
8. Make today "No TV Day." Use books, games and discussion for entertainment instead.
Help your child organize what activities she would like the family to do today.
9. Encourage your child to create a family newsletter. When it's finished, he can mail the
newsletter to friends and relatives.
10. Spend some time with your child doing homework today. Have her explain the homework
assignment and what she's learning.
11. Talk with your child about Remembrance Day and the significance of the poppy. Read the poem
In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. Ask him what he thought about the poem and what it means to him.
12.Visit your local community centre with your child and pick a project or activity to get involved in.
13. Talk to your child about the importance of recycling. You can make recycling a part of her weekly chores.
14. Ask your child to take some photographs of the family. Put them together in a scrapbook.
He can write captions or descriptions to accompany each picture.
15. Visit the library with your child and ask her to choose a book that has also been made into a movie.
After you have both read the book, watch the movie together. Discuss the differences between the two.
16. Teach your child about having a budget. Let him pick one realistic item to save up for.
You can suggest he save a portion of his allowance for the item and spend or save the remaining amount.
17. At the dinner table, ask family members to name the thing they are most grateful for about their day.
18. With your child, sign up for an exercise class to participate in during the winter months.
Talk to her about the importance of a healthy body and maintaining physically active.
19. Tell your child that you love him today and every day.
20. Take your child out on a date tonight. Ask her to choose the movie or restaurant for the evening.
21. Give your child a journal. Encourage him to write for five minutes every night before bed.
22. Ask your child what she would do differently if she were prime minister for a day.
23. Ask your child to come up with a new winter activity the whole family will enjoy.
Then, let him help plan the next family outing.
24. Discuss safety rules and guidelines with your child when she is using the Internet.
25. Look for volunteer activities on the Internet or in your local newspaper that you and your
child can do together over the upcoming winter break. Talk to him about the importance of volunteering.
26. Help your child understand the difference between fact and opinion. Take turns making statements,
ask her to determine which is fact and which is opinion.
27. Plan a weekend family activity. Encourage your child to invite a friend.
28. Have your child plan an activity he can do with her younger siblings.
29. Give your child a math problem. Ask her to solve it. How did she get to the answer?
30. Subscribe to an educational magazine the whole family will enjoy.
Fun activities for you and your teenager
1. On this day in 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome was exhibited to the public
for the first time. Ask your teen if he knows which famous Italian artist painted the ceiling?
What else can he tell you about this artist?
2. Go to the library together and borrow a book that has been made into a movie.
After you have both read the book, watch the movie and discuss what is different.
3. Encourage your teen to save. Explain the importance of this practice as she is approaching
adulthood.
4. Today the Peel Board hosts the RUAWARE Conference. The event focuses on HIV as a
local issue and encourages students to take action and raise awareness at their schools.
Talk to your teen about HIV and AIDS.
5. Ask your teen to think about a healthy meal he can make for the family.
6. Would you like to know more about your teen? Take her out on a date and catch up on what's been
going on in your lives.
7. Visit the community centre with your teen and choose an activity to do together.
8. Check out the "Student Stuff" section of the Peel board's web-site with your teen to see what's new.
9. At the dinner table tonight, have each family member share news about their day.
Ask him to lead the conversation.
10. Is there a college or university nearby? Make plans to take a tour with your teen.
What is she interested in? Does she know what she wants to studay?
11. It's Remembrance Day. Talk with your teen about the significance of the day.
12. Is your teen learning how to drive or interested in getting his driver's licence?
Make time to talk about safe driving and the possibility of driving school.
13. Talk with your teen about what makes a real hero. Encourage her to write a letter to her hero.
14. Take the whole family out for a special breakfast today.
15. Spend some time talking with your teen about his homework assignments.
Have him explain to you what he's learning.
16. Learn more about personal wellness, through the Peel board's website.
17. Visit your local library and borrow a book about career choices. Talk to your teen about the
steps she must take to pursue different careers.
18. Subscribe to an educational magazine the whole family will enjoy.
19. Ask your teen to compose a family newsletter. It can then be mailed out to friends and family.
20. Regular exercise is important. Join an exercise class with your teen to stay in shape during
the winter months.
21. Find a volunteer activity you can do with your teen and other members of your family.
22. Find an article or a cartoon you think your teen would enjoy. Leave it in his room.
23. Leave notes of encouragement for your teen around the house for her to find.
24. Encourage your teen to take candid photos of the family. Put them together in a scrapbook.
25. Ask your teen to make dinner as a special treat for the family.
26. Turn off the TV tonight and make it family game night.
27. If you're planning to make a large purchase, ask your teen to conduct some research.
Which store offers the best buy?
28. Visit the library with your teen and borrow a book you will both enjoy. After you are finished,
discuss what you liked and did not like about the book.
29. Ask your teen to make a list of activities he would like to do over the holiday break.
Encourage him to start saving now.
30. Declare today a Random Act of Kindness Day. Ask your teen to come up with ways
to help others today.
