Your Child Will Learn
How to be a helper
Here’s What to Do
- Ask your child to pick an animal they’d like to pretend to be. They’ll pretend to be the pet and you’ll be the owner.
- Ask your child what kinds of things they think their animal needs to stay happy and healthy.
- Play “pets.” Model taking care of your new “pet.” Switch roles, so you can be the animal and they can help take care of you.
- Tell your child what a great job they did taking care of their “pet.”
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Take turns making different animal noises.
ENGAGE
- “Come here, little puppy! Oh, you look like you have too much energy and need to exercise. Let’s play fetch!”
- “Meow meow. I’m hungry, can you take care of me? Meow meow!”
ENCOURAGE
- When you’re the “owner,” try to say what you think the “pet” needs.
- When you’re the “pet,” it’s okay to break character and give your child suggestions for some things they could do to take care of you.
REFLECT
- Tell your child all the ways they did a great job taking care of their pretend “pet.”
Not Quite Ready
Use a stuffed animal as your “pet,” and practice taking care of the animal together.
Ready for More
Make it a guessing game, see if your child can figure out exactly what you (pretending to be the “pet”) need.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will understand a caregiving role and its responsibilities
Time to Complete
15 minutes
Materials Needed
None