All 3 of my kids beg me to play this game with them- it cracks them up each time! It is a personal favorite…
Name of Game: The Alien Game
Challenge: Speaking in complete sentences
Motivation: Watching you make silly mistakes
How to Play: Dress up in a funny costume and tell your child that you are an alien from a different planet who has landed on earth and needs to learn how to do things here. Bring in a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, an empty bowl and a cup of water. Ask your child to teach you how to brush your teeth. As your child begins to explain, take their direction VERY LITERALLY. For example, if he says ‘put the toothpaste on the toothbrush’ then take the toothpaste tube and simply place it on the tooth brush. Seeing you do things so literally will both be funny and help your child be more specific (‘twist the top until it comes off, squeeze the tooth paste onto the brush part of the tooth brush’, etc.). Do only exactly what your child tells you to do until he has directed you to brush your teeth correctly.
Variation: You can be an alien each day of the week and ask your child to teach you how to get dressed, make a sandwich or eat a bowl of cereal!
Props: toothbrush, toothpaste, bowl and cup (or any object related to the activity that your child is going to instruct you to do)