To help reinforce the lessons of The Upside Down Show, here are some play-at-home ideas based on each episode written by Anna Housley Juster, M.A., Director of Content for Sesame Street and The Upside Down Show.
Episode 103: Art Museum
Skills Developed:
Understanding Relational Concepts
Symbolic Reasoning
Creativity
Self-Confidence
Extend the learning of this episode by encouraging your child to make her own Action Fingers. Make up adventures together and encourage your child to explore. For example, "Uh-oh we can't find the keys! This looks like a job for Action Fingers!" To reinforce relational concepts of "humongous" and "minute," encourage her to notice what objects would seem humongous and minute to her Action Fingers. If her fingers are next to a door, Action Fingers might say, "This door is HUMONGOUS!" If Action Fingers are next to a shirt button, she might have Actions Fingers say, "What a tiny button. It's minute!"
This kind of play enhances your child's symbolic reasoning (the ability to relate a symbol to what it represents) as she pretends her fingers are people and giving them actions and voices. This symbolic reasoning is an essential precursor to reading and math success. This play also enhances overall creativity and, as you play along, you boost your child's self-confidence.
