March

Fun activities for you and your preschool child

Walk together in silly ways – on tiptoes, without bending your knees, by taking long, slow steps – to different kinds of music.
Draw the letters of the alphabet on a page. Give her a pencil and ask her to make them into her favourite animals.
Give your child a short piece of rope and teach him to tie a knot.
Help your child make a card from scratch for a relative. Take her to the post office to mail it.
Encourage creativity by asking your child unusual questions. How does the colour blue taste?
Build a snowman with your child. It will be spring soon and this may be your last chance to enjoy the season.
Ask your child to help you bake cookies. Don’t forget the chocolate chips!
Teach your child a nursery rhyme. Ask him to recite it to you.
Take your child to the library and ask her to pick out a book. Read it to her at bedtime.
Help your child melt chocolate in a pot. Dip bananas, strawberries and other fruits in the chocolate. Chill and enjoy them together.
Look through magazines together. Cut out different pictures and make a collage.
Ask your child to describe his best friends. What does he like about them?
Practice counting and reciting the letters of the alphabet with your child.
Spring is right around the corner. Help your child plant some flower seeds in a small container. Look for pictures of what the flowers will look like when they're grown.
Ask your child to help you sort items to be recycled. Discuss why recycling is important.
Send your child on an in-house treasure hunt for things in the shape of a circle.
It's St. Patrick's Day. Visit the library and look for a book about leprechauns. Wear green clothes.
Inspire your child tonight by taking her outside after dark and showing her the stars.
Make a huge bowl of popcorn and ask your child to pick out a movie the whole family can enjoy.
It’s the last day of winter. Using an old egg carton, scissors, paint and some pipe cleaners, make tulips to celebrate spring.
It’s the first day of spring! Play outside with your child to enjoy the warm weather.
Ask your child to help you pick out cans of food from the kitchen. Take them to a nearby food bank. Discuss the importance of helping others.
Ask your child to help you set the table at dinner. Ask him to name all the utensils.
In the grocery store, ask your child to point out all the purple foods.
Do some finger painting with your child. Frame the picture and hang it in her room.
Ask your child to draw with glue on a piece of paper. Sprinkle sand, sparkles or beads over the paper and watch the picture appear.
Borrow an audio tape of children's songs from the library and invite your child’s friends over. Have a sing-along.
Give your child some of your old clothes, shoes and hats and encourage him to play dress up.
Ask your child to help you fill the bird feeder. Name the different kinds of birds that visit the feeder.
Give your child a banana, lemon, grape and orange. Ask her to tell you the colour of each fruit.
Borrow a book about nature from the library. Practice naming the different animals with your child.

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Fun activities for you and your elementary school child

With your child, create a reading poster to hang on the refrigerator. Each time he reads a book, give him a sticker to add to the poster.
Play a rhyming game with your child. Take turns coming up with words that rhyme. See how fast you can rhyme back and forth.
Ask your child to write a story using members of the family as characters.
On this day in 1969, the RCMP replaced their remaining dog teams with snowmobiles. Discuss this change with your child. What advantages or disadvantages would snowmobiles offer?
Extend bedtime tonight and let your child read in bed.
Ask your child to help you make pancakes for breakfast.
Go tobogganing with your child. The weather is already getting warmer, so it may be your last chance this year.
Start planning activities for March Break. It’s only a week away. Think about visiting a local museum or the zoo.
Borrow a book on the solar system from the library. Help your child learn the names of the planets.
Get your child interested in music by introducing her to musical instruments such as the recorder, ukulele or bongos.
Play a word game with your child. Think of words that sound the same but have different meanings and use them in a sentence. For example, “The wind blew through the blue flowers.”
Look in the local newspaper for a fun community event and go as a family. Maybe the local theatre company is staging a play.
Reverse roles with your child. Ask him to read you a story before bedtime.
Practice tongue twisters with your child, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Encourage your child to eat nutritious foods. Research the four food groups with her.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Visit the library and borrow a book about Ireland.
Make cookies with your child tonight. Encourage him to decorate them with green icing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Look up at the stars tonight and ask your child to make up her own constellations.
Show your child how to make a paper airplane. Fly them from the top of the stairs.
Today is the first day of spring. Take a walk with your child and look for signs of the changing season, such as melting snow and budding leaves.
Ask your child what flowers he would like to plant in the spring. When it's time to plant your flowers, take him with you and let him pick them out.
Share interesting facts with your child. For example, a rhinoceros’s horn isn’t made of bone – it’s made of hair.
Think of several words that start and end with the same letter. Try to put them together in a sentence that makes sense.
Ask your child to pretend she's "Mayor for a Day." What would she do to make your community a better place?
Ask your child to invent a fictional animal and then draw it. Frame the picture and hang it on his wall.
Make a telephone using two styrofoam cups and a long piece of string. Have a conversation with your child from across the house.
Go to the library with your child and ask her to choose a book. Read it together.
Encourage your child to complete assignments and chores on time by coming up with a reward you know he'll enjoy.
Ask your child to help you make a home-made pizza for supper tonight.
When you're at the video store, pick a video that takes place in another country. Watch it with your child and talk about what you’ve learned.
On this day in 1975, Toronto's CN Tower reached 555.35 metres in height, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure. Ask your child to research other facts about the CN Tower.

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Fun activities for you and your middle school child

Is your child easily distracted when she is doing her homework? Encourage her work uninterrupted for 30 minutes.
Go through family albums and videos, and talk about family events and history.
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born on this day in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Talk to your child about the significance of his invention.
Play a game that teaches strategy skills, such as tic-tac-toe, checkers or chess.
Plan to take your child to a concert. Ask him to choose a musical group the whole family could enjoy together.
Ask your child what she would most like to have for dinner and then cook it together.
To teach your child about responsibility, make a chore wheel and involve him in the household work.
Begin planning for March Break. Look in local newspapers for ideas, such as theatrical productions, concerts and other fun family events.
Buy your child an alarm clock to make getting up each morning her responsibility. Have her practice during the break.
With your child, do something kind for an elderly friend or neighbour, such as shovelling snow or taking out garbage.
Instead of watching TV, play a fun family game like charades.
Help your child plan a party for his friends. Think of activities everyone can participate in and enjoy.
Teach your child important skills, such as how to sew buttons and stitch clothes.
Share an interesting fact with your child. For example, a duck’s quack is the only sound that doesn’t echo and no one knows why.
Help your child develop organizational skills by asking her to keep track of shopping expenses.
Check out an astronomy book at the library and learn about the constellations with your child.
It's St. Patrick's Day. Ask your child to help you bake a special family treat.
With your child, think of creative ways your can recycle more and reduce waste. Put your child in charge of this project.
Make outdoor fitness a priority and plan to do something active together each week. Since the weather is getting warmer, try hiking.
Today is the first day of spring. Discuss things your child would like to do when the weather gets warmer.
Help your child learn about other countries. Ask her to look through an atlas or an encyclopaedia.
Three-time world champion figure skater, Elvis Stojko, was born on this day in 1972. Discuss the importance of this personal achievement with your child.
Do some spring cleaning with your child. Help him organize, vacuum and dust his room.
Ask your child to write a story for you and have her read it to you when she’s done.
Listening to classical music can help with studying. Ask your child if he’d like to try listening to Mozart or Beethoven while he does his homework.
Help your child learn new words by picking them out of a dictionary together. Then your child can practice using them in a story or poem.
Have an arts and crafts day with your child. Activities such as painting cups, bowls and plates can be fun for the whole family.
Introduce your child to new cultures by exploring food and music from all over the world.
Encourage your child to do well in school by reviewing her homework and complimenting her on it.
Encourage your child to be responsible by asking him to make his lunches for each school day.
Newfoundland entered confederation on this date in 1949, the final province to join Canada. Ask your child to research Newfoundland.

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Fun activities for you and your teen

Encourage your teen to volunteer for a local organization. Volunteer work boosts self-esteem, teaches responsibility and looks great on college and university applications.
Help your teen make healthy choices about food by asking him to rate the family’s eating habits and suggest how they could be improved.
If your teen is interested in a community issue, suggest she get involved in a local organization or committee.
Encourage your teen to do one random act of kindness each day.
Go out for dinner as a family and discuss what you've done all week.
On this day in 1940, Canadian painter, Ken Danby, was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Born on the same day as Michelangelo, Ken Danby is best known for his painting of a masked goaltender titled, 'At the Crease.' Visit the library with your teen to find a book that features Ken Danby's work.
Talk with your teen about any big decisions he may be facing and about the values that will influence his decision.
Have your teen invite a few friends over after school today. Spend some time talking with them to get to know them better.
March Break is next week. Ask your teen to help plan some family outings.
As you shop with your teen, teach her how make informed purchases. Show her the difference between good and poor quality stitching, linings, fabrics, etc.
Talk with your teen about what he's learning at school. Ask specific questions about what he finds most challenging and why.
Encourage your teen to be physically active in school and community sports organizations.
Ask your teen to suggest new decorating ideas for your home. Encourage him to think of the most economical ways to carry out the ideas.
Help your teen become conscientious about her health. Give her the responsibility of making her own regular doctor and dentist appointments.
Become more involved with your teen by asking about his friends, what their interests are and what their families are like.
Is your teen learning to drive? March Break is an excellent time to teach your teen valuable driving skills.
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Ask your teen to tell you something about the history of Ireland.
Ask your teen about concerns or problems he's facing. Together, devise a plan to resolve these issues.
Look in the community newspaper for local events that may interest your family.
Today is the first day of spring. Encourage your teen to do some spring cleaning and donate old items, such as clothes, shoes, books and electronics to charity.
Help your teen explore family history by choosing an old family recipe. Ask her to help you prepare the dish.
Three-time world champion figure skater, Elvis Stojko, was born on this day in 1972. Discuss the importance of this personal achievement with your teen.
Music is a powerful art form. Spend some time sharing music with your teen and talk about each other’s musical likes and dislikes.
Give your teen more responsibility by asking him to be in charge of recycling and taking out the garbage.
Encourage your teen to plan her own summer business, such as mowing lawns, painting houses and washing cars.
Visit the library and borrow a book about a person your teen admires.
To help your teen manage his money, talk to his about financial planning. A trip to the bank would be a good way to begin.
Complete a crossword with your teen to help her improve her vocabulary.
Visit an art exhibition or poetry reading with your teen today.
Help your teen get organized by encouraging him to keep a daily agenda.
Join your teen and his friends for a movie. Afterward, talk to them about what important issues were raised in the film.

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