Left or right? This activity will help toddlers and preschoolers practice understanding left and right by moving a train (car or truck) along as you call out directions. Knowing about left and right is useful for young children and will help them to be able to do things like dress themselves, put on the correct shoe and will help children to understand basic directions.  
 

What You Will Need: 

Engaging with Your Child:  

Ahead of time, lay down a simple roadway on the floor with painter’s tape. Since we are aiming to teach our child about left and right, make sure that our roadway has many opportunities for our child to practice left and right turns. Once you’re ready, call your child over and tell a simple story. “Today this car broke down and it needs to find the repair shop which is all the way over there. Can you drive it over to the shop to get fixed?” As your child drives the car along the road, be sure to call out directions, “Go straight and get ready to turn right. Keep going- now turn left.” Once your child has driven to the repair shop, you could ask him/her to try again and/or change the end to become the start for a new challenge. Learning left and right is challenging and will require continued efforts. Here are some other simple activities to try: 

-through daily interactions. For example, when holding hands with your child let your child know, “I’m holding your right hand while we cross the street”. The gentle squeeze will help your child make a connection with the term right and the hand that was squeezed. 

-sing songs with directions such as the “Hokey Pokey” 

-play games like “Simon Says” using left and right commands