Dear My Toy Garden friends!
Walking around the ginormous convention center at Toy Fair in New York City, made me think of this week's topic. Let's talk about that gut fear that happens when you are out and about with your child and suddenly they have disappeared. You call their name and they don't respond. You rapidly walk up and down the aisles of the store searching and searching but no sign of them. Your heart races wondering where they are. What is one thing that might give you peace of mind at that moment? For me, it's knowing that my daughter knows my phone number and how to use a phone. I know that when she gets to a phone, she can call me and I'll know she's safe. From the age of 3, you can work with your child to know their phone number. Here are some ideas on how to do that! Before that, be sure to put your phone number in jackets, diaper bags on car seats just in case.
1) Put it to music - Pick a tune to a familiar nursery rhyme like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and changed the words to your phone number. Music has a way of imprinting lots of information in our brains!
2) Build it - Use clay like our Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay to build the numbers of the phone number. This adds a great tactile and visual element. Use our clay mentioned above and the sense of scent is an add to the memorization as well!
3) Stamp It - Use # stamps to stamp it out! Number stamps are great for lots of math activities as well. My Toy Garden has some great # stamps left in the 50% off table up front.
4) Make a bracelet - String number beads on a pipe cleaner or yarm and tie around the child's wrist so they have it handy to learn from. This is a great idea when going to an amusement park or someplace that separation is more likely.
5) Practice, practice, practice - My Toy Garden has a PhoneSmart Teaching Telephone that allows you to program up to 3 phone numbers to practice dialing along with record your own voice messages to reward correct dialing. What child does love playing with a phone? This "toy" could become a very important safety tool for you family!
Playfully,
Toylady Janet
