|
We love pumpkins. They come in all sizes, are a wonderfully luscious color of orange, and are fun for the fingers when you reach inside to play with their squishy innards. The pumpkin also represents a host of autumn activities, including trips to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, and eating pumpkin pie.
The sign for PUMPKIN is easily performed by young children. Tap your middle finger on your other closed fist, as if checking for ripeness. Young children may tap all or several fingers on top of their fist to perform this sign. It isn’t necessary for her to perform the sign perfectly. Look for her best try and praise her efforts: “I think you like this pumpkin. Thank you for telling me with your hands!”
There are many great activities to enjoy with your child during pumpkin season. They also provide opportunities for you to use your PUMPKIN sign in meaningful conversation with your child. She will learn to recognize pumpkins in a variety of shapes and sizes, and will enjoy exploring them with all of her senses. Here are a few ideas:
Take a trip to the pumpkin patch. Talk about the big and little pumpkins, and look at them growing on the vine.
Your child is too small to carve a pumpkin, so let her finger paint your pumpkin instead. Proudly display her creation on your front porch. Paint a “mommy” or “daddy” (large) pumpkin and a “baby” (small) pumpkin, and set them side by side.
For an easy, no-mess activity, let her dip a soft clean paint brush into a plastic bowl of water and “paint” the pumpkin. Let her paint you as well!
Hide a mini-pumpkin under a cloth and play “Peek-a-boo, Pumpkin” with your baby. You can hide a larger pumpkin indoors or outside, and take your toddler on a pumpkin hunt to find it.
Let your toddler reach inside a pumpkin and feel the cool pulp and seeds. This is wonderful sensory experience for your child. Plant one of the seeds she finds in a cup of potting soil, and watch your pumpkin vine grow.
Read a book about pumpkins together, and sign the word PUMPKIN whenever it occurs in the text. Ask your child to point to all the pumpkins she sees on the page. My favorite book about pumpkins is Five Little Pumpkins (illustrated by Dan Yaccarino).
Photography by Amy Martin Images. Model: Ava Anderson, Oak Hill Elementary School.
|
