Kidsby CodingMarble

Week 13: Sports and games खेल-कूद

Sport is where small children practise the hardest social skills of all — taking turns, following a rule, losing without falling apart — while their bodies get the running, throwing and balancing they need for everything from handwriting to sitting still.

For grown-ups बड़ों के लिए

Ten words to use this week

ball kick throw catch run team turn win lose fair

Use them in your home language first. A word heard twenty times in real moments — at the sink, on the road, at dinner — sticks far better than a word drilled twenty times in a row. You do not need to teach; you only need to talk.

Three things to say

  • "Your turn, then my turn." Say it out loud in every game, even two-person ones.
  • "You lost that one. That feels bad. Shall we play again?" Name the feeling, then move on.
  • "How far can you throw? Let us count the steps to the ball." Sport is also measuring.

This week on the site

Golu's Day picks from these automatically, one short session a day. If you would rather choose yourself, here is everything for the week.

Picture books (4)

Songs to sing (3)

Games (10)

The same theme at different ages

A two-year-old is collecting names: point, say the word, wait, and celebrate any attempt to say it back. A three- to four-year-old is ready to sort and compare — which is bigger, which go together, which one does not belong. A five- to six-year-old wants reasons: ask "why do you think…?" and "what would happen if…?", and let them explain it to a younger child or a grandparent. If you have two children at different ages, the older one teaching the younger is the best lesson either will get this week.

A simple rhythm for the week

You do not need a timetable, but a loose shape helps on tired days. Here is one that fits around school and work; move anything anywhere.

  • Day 1 — open the theme. Read Let's play ball together, twice. The second reading is where the words go in.
  • Day 2 and 3 — play. Let Golu's Day choose, or pick a game from the list above. Fifteen minutes, then stop while it is still fun.
  • Day 4 — sing and move. Learn Kick, Throw, Catch well enough to sing it without the screen — in the bath, on the stairs, in the car.
  • Day 5 — hands. Do one off-screen activity. Expect mess; mess is the lesson working.
  • Weekend — the real world. Try an hour at the park with a ball: kicking, throwing, and one game with a simple rule and turns. This is the day the week's words stop being screen words.
  • Last day — tell it back. Ask your child to tell someone what they did this week. Retelling is how short-term memory becomes long-term, and it costs nothing.

Missed three days? Nothing is lost. The themes come round again, and a relaxed week with two good conversations beats a full one done through gritted teeth.

What to notice

Can your child kick a still ball (around two), throw overarm (three), catch a big ball with both arms (four), and hop on one foot (four to five)? Can they finish a game they are losing without stopping it?

These are things to notice, not things to test. Children develop in bursts and at very different speeds, and a skill that is missing this month often appears overnight the next. If a worry stays with you for a few months, that is reason enough to mention it to your child's doctor or teacher.

If this week is hard

Losing is genuinely painful at this age. Play short games, let them win sometimes on purpose, and lose cheerfully yourself — children copy how grown-ups lose far more than anything they are told about it.

The other weeks

This is week 13 of 24 in the weekly plan for parents. The weeks run in a loop and each age band meets different games inside the same theme, so the second time round — three months later — your child is doing harder things with familiar words. Next week: Music and sounds.

Now do it for real

When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try ⚖️ Make a balance — an easy science experiment for ages 4-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a hanger or a ruler, two cups and string, small things to weigh; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.

There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.

Week 13: Sports and games: questions parents ask

What should my child learn about sports and games?
Can your child kick a still ball (around two), throw overarm (three), catch a big ball with both arms (four), and hop on one foot (four to five)? Can they finish a game they are losing without stopping it?
How much time should we spend each day?
About fifteen minutes on the screen with Golu's Day, and as much real-world talk and play as your day allows. For children aged 2 to 5 the WHO suggests no more than an hour of screen time a day, with a grown-up alongside.
Do we have to follow the weeks in order?
No. The order is a suggestion. If your child is mad about vehicles this month, start there; interest is the best teacher there is.