Family Band
What you need
- a few pots and bowls
- wooden spoons
- a plastic bottle with a little dried pasta inside, lid taped shut
How to do it
- Gather everyone at home who wants to play, and give each person something to bang or shake.
- Let them be the conductor: when they wave their arms, everyone plays; when they stop, everyone stops.
- Play loud, then very quietly, then loud again.
- Swap: someone else conducts and they play.
Why it matters
Making one sound together with the people they live with, and being the one in charge of when it starts and stops, is a big feeling for a small person.
What they're learning
- Stop and go
- Starting and stopping on a signal is listening with the whole body.
- Loud and quiet
- Playing loud then soft on purpose is controlling a sound.
- Playing together
- Everyone playing at once, and one at a time, is a family taking turns.
What to look for
Notice them freezing their arms to make everyone stop, and waiting to see if it works.
A tip
Tape the bottle lid shut with strong tape and check it before each go; dry pasta inside is a choking risk if it comes open.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: just you and them, one pot each, playing together and stopping together
Harder: give each person a turn to play on their own while the others listen, then all together
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Sensory activities · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a bowl · Toddler activities with a spoon · Toddler activities with jar lids