It’s important for little kids to know a parent’s phone number in case of an emergency. But memorising 10 jumbled digits is no easy task. 732-479-6 … 1 … gah, lemme start all over! Help them out with a little jingle.
As discovered by Jen Rice of the Playdough to Plato blog, the theme song for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse works nicely. (Or if you want to keep it old school, try the original 1955 Mickey Mouse Club theme song.) Just replace the letters M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E with the phone number and who it belongs to. So the song would become:
“3-7-4-5-8-4-2-9-3-1-MUM!”
After a bit of practice, the number will be cemented into their brains, and the tune will be stuck in yours (sorry).
A few other effective methods for teaching your kids a phone number:
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Play “phone number hopscotch.” Use chalk to draw a dial pad onto the footpath and then see how fast they can step on the correct numbers in order. It’s like a low-tech version of Dance Dance Revolution.
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Let your kid order pizza for your family. With a pepperoni pie as a motivator, they’ll learn those digits quickly. (I know that being able to buy shoes without getting out my purse was the incentive I needed to memorise my credit card number.)
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Similarly, make the number their iPad password. (Under the passcode options in your settings, switch to a custom numeric code.) You’ll be amazed at how fast those little fingers can type.
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