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Weekly Activity
Our activities section suggests things for you to do with your children.
Most of these will have educational value, which we'll point out.
However, the main idea is just to have fun with them. We'll also suggest
ways you can extend them.
The Copy Cat Game
Although this is a fun game, it is also a good way of teaching children
to give directions and follow them, and to develop concentration and
listening skills.
The basic idea is that one person creates something without letting the
other person see what it is. They then describe it to the other person,
who then has to make one just like it.
A simple, mess-free version uses Lego building bricks (or any other kind
of construction toy). Give each person a baseboard of the same size,
and a pile of bricks (it's best if each person starts out with the same
number of bricks of each type, size and colour).
The 'Listener' goes out of the room or turns her back, while the
'Describer' makes his pattern. When the Describer is ready, he tells the
Listener what she must do. For instance, "Get a red brick with six
pegs. Count three pegs up and five pegs in. That's from the left side.
Put the red brick on the board long-ways. Now get a black brick with
four pegs..."
When both players think they have finished, compare the original
baseboard with the copy. Then swap over so the Listener becomes the
Describer, and vice versa.
To make the game a bit easier, you can allow the Listener to ask
questions, or at least to say she doesn't understand when the Describer
hasn't been clear.
It's possible to play a messier version of this game using other kinds
of toys, household objects (check that they are safe to use first,
though), or even by painting patterns (squared paper would make this
much easier).
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