Hobbies And Interests
Hide and Seek
Children can play at being bird watchers by finding pictures of birds that you hide around your home or garden. Before you start the game, give them some background information about bird watching and the types of birds they will be looking for. To make the game seem like real bird watching, provide the children with equipment that bird watchers typically use, such as binoculars, a notebook, boots and bird guides.
Matching Pairs
Another ornithology game for children is an adaptation of the popular card game ̶0;Snap.̶1; Cut up two identical pictures of each of several different kinds of birds into card-sized pieces. Shuffle the cards and hand them out to the children. The children then put the cards face down and turn up the cards one by one. When a child turns up a card with a picture that matches a bird picture that another child has already turned up, the children compete to be first to yell ̶0;snap.̶1;
Coloring Games
Using dough, children can make different sorts of bird shapes and paint them too. Coloring books that have pictures of birds are also useful for this sort of exercise. While children enjoy the process of coloring the birds, they also learn about the identifying marks and coloring of the different birds.
Other Bird Activities
Putting a bird bath and bird feeders in your garden is a way to attract birds and teach children about them. Another way to encourage budding ornithologists is to ask them to maintain a journal relating to their bird-watching activities. They can keep track of the bird sightings, with remarks on the birds̵7; appearances, songs, eating habits and habitat, for instance. Additionally, they can draw pictures of the birds they spot. This sort of activity helps them develop skills at identifying different varieties of birds.