Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching About Conditionals

Playground Conditionals

Practice conditionals at the playground with your child. Start simply by saying “IF I clap, THEN you go on the swings. Then try it out. Next, invite your child to give the command and follow what she or he says. You can try this for a few rounds going back and forth giving commands. Once you are successful with that, try an If-Then-Else commands. For example, you might say “IF I clap my hands, THEN you go on the swing, ELSE you go down the slide.” Then either clap your hands or don’t and have them follow the command. Do another example, such as “IF I sit on the bench, THEN you climb the monkey bars, ELSE you go on the swings.” After a couple rounds, challenge your child to make the If-Then-Else command.  

Playing Cards Conditional Game

Shuffle a deck of cards and place it face down on a table. Come up with a conditional such as “IF card is red, THEN I get 1 point. ELSE you get 1 point.” Have your child turn over the top card and score accordingly. You can play a few cards with that conditional or just that first card. Then invite your child determine a new conditional for the next card, such as “If card is hearts, THEN I get 3 points. ELSE you get 1 point.” Continue playing with each of you taking turns making up the conditional.

Dinner Time Conditionals Dinner If… Thens

This activity is both a great way to practice conditionals and get your child to eat veggies (or whatever you’re having for dinner!). Present a conditional, such as “IF I take a sip of water, THEN you take a bite of broccoli” (or whatever you are eating). Do a few rounds of If… Then with different examples of food to eat or beverages to drink. Once your child is comfortable with that, try an If-Then-Else conditional, such as “IF I take a bite of carrots, THEN you eat a bite of fish, ELSE have sip of milk.”  Before you know it, your child will have finished everything on the plate!