Sparkler: Start Your Engines! Sparkler Activities for Little Engineers

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Start Your Engines! Sparkler Activities for Little Engineers

Sparkler has thousands of activities designed to help children (5 and under) build important early skills and spark passions. Here are a few (off-screen) Sparkler activities that can help families help their children learn the building blocks of engineering and programming. Many of these activities include early math skills (like patterns and operations), and they also focus on children’s memory, problem-solving skills, and curiosity!

Follow the Program (for children 3-5)

This is a coding game for littles that helps children give and follow instructions.

Let’s play a coding game! First, let’s use tape or chalk to mark a path on the floor. Our path should have straight lines and 90 degree corners.

You go first! Stand at one end of the path and close your eyes (or wear a blindfold). I’ll guide you along the path by tapping on your body. I’ll tap your forehead to tell you to take one step forward, tap your right shoulder to tell you to turn right, or tap your left shoulder to tell you to turn left. Let’s try to get to the end of the path without talking or peeking!

Now let’s switch roles! I’ll put on a blindfold and you can help me follow the path from beginning to end. (If my forehead and shoulders are too high, you can tap my knees and toes!)

Machine Maker (for children 3-5)

This is an invention game, using your MIND — plus your crayons and paper.

Let’s invent a machine! What should our machine do?

Let’s draw a picture of our machine and name it.

What else does our machine do? I will write down the words.

Sock Sort (for babies 0-18 months)

Start to understand patterns with this fun sorting game.

Help me sort this pile of socks!

Here is a yellow sock. Can you find the other one? I’ll put the matching pairs together.

Here’s another sock – let’s find the match. Let’s keep going until all of our socks are sorted!

Painting Machine (for children 3-5)

See what happens when you put paint on a ramp to grow children’s curiosity and focus!

Let’s paint on a ramp! First, let’s tape the paper to a cookie sheet or other firm, flat surface and water down the paint so that it can drip.

Let’s go outside or into the bathroom and lean the cookie sheet against the wall at an angle. Now let’s use the brush to drip watery paint at the top of the ramp and watch the colors run down the paper!

Let’s change the angle of our ramp and try again with another color. Do the colors drip faster or slower this time?

Catapult (for children 3-5)

Launch a ball into the air to build connection-making and self-regulation skills.

Let’s build a machine to launch a ball. Take a ruler and put it on top of a can so one end of the ruler touches the ground and the other is in the air.

On the end of the ruler that is touching the ground, tape a small paper cup.

Now, let’s put the ball in the cup and press down on the other end of the ruler. How far does the ball go? Let’s do it again!

Rhythm Patterns (for toddlers and littles 2+)

Drum and count the rhythm to start recognizing patterns.

Let’s make a pattern by counting beats. Let’s start by clapping and counting one at a time: 1, 1, 1, 1!

Now let’s try making a pattern by counting beats in twos. Stomp your feet in rhythm: 1, 2; 1, 2; 1, 2…

We sound like drums!

Where are the Wheels? (for children 3-5)

Search for wheels to build focus and expression/storytelling skills.

Let’s go for a walk to look for wheels. What vehicles have wheels?

The wheels spin around and carry vehicles from place to place.

Let’s pick one vehicle with wheels. Let’s make up a story about where it has been and where it is going!