Fun with cars and ramps

Zoom, zoom, zoom! Playing with cars is always fun. Help your child build some ramps for their toy cars with everyday objects. See how far you can make the cars zoom along! Your kids will learn new words and test out their ideas through play.

What do I need?

• Toy vehicles – cars, trucks, tractors – anything with wheels
• Small balls to roll along the ramp
• Cardboard cylinders or similar items to roll
• Long, flat materials for the ramp/s – board, cardboard, tray, small table
• Props for your ramp (a few different heights) – stool, small chair, piece of wood, building blocks – things your child can move around.

How do I do it?

1. Start with your ramp flat and put one of your objects, like the toy car, on it.
2. Ask your child what they could do with the ramp to make the car move on its own.
3. Try out their ideas and see what happens.
4. Let them experiment with building the ramp and seeing how the toy cars, balls and cylinders move along it.
5. Ask them how far they can get their objects to travel along the ramp. Does a big push or a little push make things move further?
6. Teach them words to describe movement: fast, slow, forward, backward, spin, tumble, crash.

No-one knows your child better than you.  So, choose and/or adapt ideas here to best suit you and your child. Remember it’s the talking and time spent together that matters most.