It’s a weekday morning. You’re loading the kids into the car, making sure everyone has school bags, lunches, water bottles, oh and shoes! All of a sudden you glance at the class calendar and you see it – Show and Tell Day!
You race back into the house and grab the quickest thing you can. “S” day? Here’s a spoon. Beach memento? Here’s a sandbox shovel. While those are certainly acceptable items (take it from me, I had to stop on the side of the road to pick a flower for “F” day when I forgot during our first year of preschool), I wanted to share a few unique show and tell ideas that are easily found around your house and spark some conversation and questions.
This list is mainly geared toward the early childhood crowd, but variations could work for older kids too!
Photo of a relative
Kids love looking at pictures and a photo of someone they love will prompt lots of conversation. Where do they live? What do they like to eat? What are some fun things we do together?
Favorite book
Kids can share their favorite stories with their friends – talk about the main character, the story plot, and the illustrations.
Nature souvenir
Let your child pick up an interesting item while out on a walk. If they found it themselves, they are probably excited about it! Talk about the shape, color, texture, and purpose.
Child’s baby photo
Kids love talking about themselves! What were they doing in the photo? What did they like to eat as a baby?
An award from a sport or activity
They will be proud to share their accomplishment with others! What did they win it for? How were they a good teammate/friend?
A gift received from someone special
What was the item? Who was it from and why is it special?
An item in their favorite color
This is a great open-ended idea that can take the conversation in many directions – they can describe the item in more detail or discuss what other items are also that color.
Favorite fruit or vegetable
Why not promote healthy eating while we’re at it? Is it sweet? Crunchy? What color is it?
Two items that rhyme
Cat and hat? Flag and bag? Block and rock? Doll and ball? You get the idea.
A musical instrument
Share what they know about the instrument and perhaps a demonstration!
What are some of your kids’ favorite show and tell items? We’d love to hear your ideas too!
