Play Thinga-Ma-Jigger Hide-And-Seek
Help your child learn and expand their directional vocabulary by following the location of the Cat in the Hat’s Thinga-ma-jigger around your house or backyard!
Before You Play
As you go about regular routine, start to pay attention to the words you use when talking with your child about where things are; try using words and phrases that describe an object’s position in space and in relation to other objects. For example, at the dinner table, ask your child to: “Pass the salt that is next to the water pitcher.” When your child gets dressed, ask her to get her shoes from under the bed or a shirt from inside the closet. Start to expand the idea of this vocabulary by asking your child who lives next door to you and across the street.
Materials
Directions
Print the picture of the Thinga-ma-jigger carrying the Cat, Sally, and Nick. (Note: This activity can also be done by hiding a small toy or other object.)
Give the picture to your child to color.
Glue the printout to a piece of heavy paper. Once the glue has dried, cut out the picture. Now you’re ready to play Thinga-ma-jigger Hide-and-Seek together!
Tell your child that the Thinga-ma-jigger will “fly” around your backyard (or your house or the park) and land in different places.
Ask your child to close his eyes while the Thinga-ma-jigger flies to its first landing spot. Place the Thinga-ma-jigger in a bush, on a piece of furniture, or on the ground next to any identifiable object.
Give your child verbal clues to lead them to the Thinga-ma-jigger, like, “It is next to a tree,” or, “It is between the table and the chair.”
When your child finds it, reinforce the vocabulary by saying, “Great job! You found the Thinga-ma-jigger under that bush!”
To take the activity further, try trading places! Let your child hide the Thinga-ma-jigger and test out their directional vocabulary.
Math