Neighborhood Houses and Buildings

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A walk with your child to the bus stop or to the grocery store can be a good time to notice the houses and other buildings in your neighborhood. Help your child look closely at details on the buildings.

Plan your walk before you go. Look through books or magazines together. Talk about the different parts of a house or apartment building (window, garage, roof, etc.) You might want to do this during a quiet time the night before your walk.

Together decide on one or two things to look at on each walk. You can look for:

• Building features such as windows or roofs (their shapes or how many).
• The materials different buildings and houses are made of, such as brick or glass.
• Different patterns in buildings, for example, how the bricks or stones are arranged.
• Talk about what you see on your walk. Why is the garage door bigger than the front door? Why do so many buildings have more than one door?

After a walk, have your child draw a house or building that includes features, materials, or shapes you saw on your walk. If you have old magazines, you can have him cut features (doors, windows, etc.) out of magazines and glue them on his drawing.