Haircut Expedition
No need to get snippy about a haircut. These days, kids can sit on a motorcycle, fighter plane, racecar or fire engine and watch their favorite cartoons or DVDs while the stylist snips. Some kids' hair salons offer birthday parties where kids can get a makeover, style their doll's hair, get a "mini-cure" or pick out a fake tattoo. Next time your mop-top needs a trim, head off on an expedition to the hair salon.
What to Pack
report abuse- Pictures of haircuts you and your child like
- Camera for before and after shots
- Go online. Look on the Web to find a kids' hair salon near you, as well as pictures of haircuts your child might like. For fun, you might even be able to download a photo of your child and test out various hairstyles.
- Show and tell. Reassure kids that getting your hair cut doesn't hurt, perhaps by snipping a tiny bit to show them. Preview what happens at the salon so kids know what to expect.
- Go on a scavenger hunt. At the salon, see if your child can spot the following: comb, brush, hair dryer, curling iron, scissors, nail polish, nail file, swivel chair, mirror, broom, coffee machine, shampoo, conditioner, gel, hairspray.
- Explore opposites. See if your child can find examples of short hair and long hair, curly and straight. Then look for examples of relational concepts: long, longer, longest; wavy, wavier, waviest.
- Color hunt. Can your child name the colors on the nail polish rack? Then read some of their names: Ballerina Pink, Fire Engine Red, Sunset Orange, Sandy Beach. Ask your child to pick a color and give it a nail polish name.
- Mirror view. Have your child look in the mirror and name the things he sees behind him.
- Investigate: Ask your child these questions:
- Why can't you feel it when you get your hair cut? (Because hair, like nails, has no nerve endings.)
- Can you name any hairstyles? (Bangs, buzz, bob, braids, layered, pixie, perm, cornrows, Mohawk, mop-top, mullet, ringlets, etc.)
- Can you name the colors of hair? (Blond, redhead, brunette, silver, black.)
- What happens to the color of your hair as you get older?
- Why is it important to get your hair cut?
- Read all about it. Check out Bad Hair Day by Susan Hood, The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson, Happy to Be Nappy by Bell Hooks and My Haircut Sticker Book by Lauren Child.
Educational Perks A great haircut boosts self-esteem. (A bad one—and yes, it happens to us all—teaches us to cope with disappointment!)
Bonus Explorer Activity Set up your own salon shop. Draw faces and design hairdos for them. Or use clay: Make a ball for the head and then roll long strands of hair. (An old garlic press makes wonderfully thin strands.) Snip them into bangs, braid them, curl them.
For more exploring, play Dora's Great Big World game, find do-together Dora crafts, recipes, and activities, and print a personalized Explorer Kit for your child at DoraTheExplorer.com.
Thanks to Susan Hood
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