One of our staffers was in Japan recently and enjoyed watching kids shows in the morning while getting ready for the day. This was partially because that was what seemed to be on, but mostly because kids shows were much easier for her and her husband (with very minimal Japanese language) to understand. She came across Pythagorus Switch and loved a segment of the show called Father’s Switch, during which kids command their dads to act out words with a homemade cardboard “switch”.

Though this clip doesn’t include it, they also give instructions after each Father’s Switch segment on how to make your own switch. All you need is a cardboard box, some letter buttons, an antenna (often a bendy straw or pipe cleaner), decorations and a willing daddy!

It’s a great way to help kids learn to spell, and watching dads acting for their kids is really, really adorable. Let us know if you try it.