The letter X marks the spot for some kindergarten readiness fun and learning treasures. Kids all love to play pirates and look for treasure. For some treasure fun, give your child a box, such as a shoe box or even tissue box and choose a space to be the pirate den (such as under the table). Let your pirate go on a treasure hunt activity and seek out the goods. Here’s some ideas:
- Color Pirate: You can ask your child to go find things that are red that fit in the box and bring them back to the pirate den. Likely, there’s some lego, maybe a few cars, some blocks, a book with a red cover and other items that can be red treasure. Choose a different color another time.
- Shape Pirate: The shape pirate looks for treasure that’s a certain shape, like circles. Wheels, toy pots, pans, dishes, yogurt containers, lids and plastic cups are all circles.
Place Pirate: What’s junk to grownups is often treasure to little ones. This pirate gets to look for little items that are special. This “pirate” found some treasures in a drawer and turned them into a house for a little bear. Ordinarily a soap dish, some marbles, a shoe horn and travel clock would not be considered toys, let alone treasure, but Pirate and Bear played with them for a long time.
Even adults can join the fun. After a trip to the store, the groceries need to get put away in the treasure fridge and cupboards. Or the clean laundry has to get hidden in the right dresser drawers and closets. Dirty laundry can all go in the treasure trunk sometimes called the laundry hamper.
The real treasure is all the things that kids are learning and doing as they play. What fun can you and your pirate have?