Play a version of “Simon Says” to help children practice left and right.
Children follow Gracie’s commands: Wave your left hand! Point your right foot!
Materials
- Gracie Says: Character Prop (PDF)
- Scissors
- Stickers (optional)
Preparation
- You’ll be holding up the picture of Gracie in front of you, pretending that she is giving the commands. (You can cut out the Gracie Character Prop or simply hold up the printed sheet of Gracie.)
- Plan how you will go over left and right with children, using your favorite way of explaining how to tell one from the other. (One suggestion is to put a sticker on children’s right hands.) Remember: Learning left and right takes repetition and practice, usually over several years!
- When you play, keep in mind that if you’re facing children, your left and right will be different from theirs. Make sure you are using the same left/right as they are.
Directions
- Model left and right for your children before beginning to play.
- Hold the picture of Gracie in front of you and say: Gracie says . . . wave your right hand. Have children wave their right hands.
- Continue by making up your own “Gracie Says” commands to practice left and right. Some suggestions:
- Gracie says . . . pull on your right ear.
- Gracie says . . . touch your nose with your right hand.
- Gracie says . . . take three steps to the left.
- Gracie says . . . hold your left leg in the air like a flamingo.
- Play for about five minutes. Try it again several times during the week, and in the weeks to come. Repeat right/left activities frequently!