2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Cross-lateral
Infant/Toddler
Birth-4 Months
Learning to Self-Regulate
Ask the infant’s primary caregiver what
comfort items are used at home. Ask families to provide a duplicate of the comfort item for use while the infant is in care.
0
0
Help the infant develop a way to
self-regulate by consistently using the
same item to help the child calm himself.
Note that some comfort items are more
useful and appropriate for infants than
others. Infants will begin to hold on to a
caregiver’s hair, finger, or hand or hold the
collar or sleeve of a caregiver’s shirt. Be
aware of what an infant is beginning to use
as a way of comforting himself and then
either support this or help him move toward a more suitable item. Holding the caregiver’s hair while falling asleep may become problematic over time.
The abilities to self-regulate
and calm self
The use of a comfort item
33
2016
Cathy Waggoner and Martha Herndon
Social-Emotional
Starting with Character
Cross-lateral
Infant/Toddler
Birth-3 Months
Sharing a Smile
None needed
0
0
Help infants learn to smile by
smiling at them. Hold your face about ten
inches from baby’s face (about the distance
on which her eyes can focus in the first three months) and share your happy, loving expressions. The baby will enjoy watching your expressions and will begin responding to them. When you smile, you will eventually be rewarded with a smile in return.
Smiling transcends languages and cultures. It translates as an expression of enjoyment and a demonstration of caring feelings for others. Sharing a smile while making eye contact with a baby is a powerful way to demonstrate caring. Babies begin to watch and mimic facial expressions immediately after birth (Meltzoff and Moore 1983). They are drawn to smiling faces and will try to imitate a smile (Witherington et al. 2010). Your loving attention to infants helps to build their foundation of self- confidence and positive self- worth.
49
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-4 Months
Playtime
Toy
0
0
During tummy floor time, place two infants a few feet apart and facing each other. Put a toy on the floor between them. Lie down with them or sit close. Encourage each child to lift her head up to see the toy. Talk about the toy and what each infant is seeing, including the other baby. Call each child by name and give each verbal encouragement as both develop the ability to raise their heads and look at toys and each other.
Each day, change the pairings so that each child has this experience with every other child in the room.
To learn to play near another infant. To promote social skills and social development
42
2016
Cathy Waggoner and Martha Herndon
Social-Emotional
Starting with Character
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Rhythmic Soothing
rocking chair
0
0
Hold an infant while sitting in a rocking chair. Sing or chant to the rhythm of the rocking or perhaps using a simple rhythmic tune, such as “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” For example, you can chant or sing:
Johnny likes to rock with me, rock with me, rock with me.
Johnny likes to rock with me, to help him go to sleep.
Build foundation for awareness of others. Promote ability to self-soothe.
50
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-4 Months
Playing With and Batting Toys Near Another Infant
Bars with hanging toys
0
0
As an infant’s motor skills develop, put bars with hanging toys near for him to reach out and bat. Place two or more infants side by side on their backs each with his own bar of hanging toys. Describe what each infant is doing to the other infant, calling each by name. Show joy and excitement in the discoveries made by each child and encourage exploration.
Change the pairings daily so infants get to play near everyone in the classroom.
Promoting interaction with different types of toys within the classroom community. Promote play near another infant.
45
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
4-8 Months
Getting Frustrated
None
0
0
Stay near as the infant begins to learn to sit alone, roll over, and pull up. Watch for signs of frustration and verbally describe the child’s behaviors and feelings.
To promote the development of motor skills. To promote the development of persistence. To promote the ability to self-regulate.
50
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
4-8 Months
My Family Rituals
None
0
0
Encourage families to have drop-off and pickup routines or rituals. This will help both babies and families during transition into and out of the program each day.
Observe the way that a family displays emotions and other cultural behaviors. Be sensitive to these differences and think about how infants learn these and display them while in care. Be alert to your own personal or cultural biases regarding behavioral differences and be careful not to judge infants and families based on these biases.
To promote family culture and rituals. To promote partnerships with families.
54
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
4-8 Months
Making Sounds to Imitate
None
0
0
Hold an infant on your lap and make sounds for her to imitate. Wait for her to respond, and then repeat the sound. Also imitate the sounds she makes. Wait for her to respond, and then repeat. Make different movements with your mouth such as puckering your lips, clicking your tongue, and whistling. Pause afterward and wait for the infant to respond.
Learn and use sign language for frequent caregiving activities (eat, change, sleep), familiar objects, and feelings. Look for opportunities to use these signs, while at the same time saying the word.
To promote verbalization. To promote the concept of taking turns. To promote language and communication development.
55
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
4-8 Months
Singing with Another Infant
None
0
0
Sit on the floor and hold two infants in your lap or place two infants near each other. Sing a song to the babies and encourage them to sing along with you. Each day, change the pairings of children so that each infant has this experience with every other child in the room.
As two infants learn to sit alone, place them on the floor and sit nearby. Sing, clap your hands, and move to the music. Make up songs using the children’s names.
To provide an opportunity for infants to be near one another. To promote interaction and feelings of connectedness in the classroom community.
60
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
4-8 Months
Taking a Tour of Our Building
Strollers
0
0
Put the infants in strollers and take a tour of the inside of the school building. Select one area or room to visit at a time. Walk down the hall and look inside rooms as you pass. Take the infants on regular tour outings and consider taking them to visit the kitchen, a gym or large room for active indoor play, or
other rooms they may not often visit. While on the tour, stop often, kneel beside the strollers, and point at what the infants are seeing. Name and talk about objects, people, and things.
Visit a group of older children in the building or out on the playground. Let the infants watch the children play. Kneel beside the strollers and talk to the infants about what the older children are doing. Let the older children come near, look at, and talk to the babies.
To provide an opportunity to explore the building. To promote feelings of connectedness to the broader school community
63
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
8-12 Months
Playing a Game to Learn Body Parts
Mirror
0
0
Make up a song to teach parts of the body. A good tune to use is “Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush.” As you sit with an infant in front of the mirror, sing the song. “This is the way we touch our mouth, touch our mouth, touch our mouth. This is the way we touch our mouth, early in the morning.” Go through various body parts. Note that infants have a short attention span, so don’t make the game too long.
As infants learn to sit near other children, play the game with two or more at a time. Sit together on the floor and sing the song. Encourage the infants to watch each other.
To teach the names of body parts. To promote the development of a positive sense of self.
67
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
8-12 Months
Family Dolls
Soft dolls of children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. Or fabric, stuffing, fabric crayons, and thread to make own dolls. Shoe box.
0
0
Collect safe, soft dolls of children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. If you are unable to find them, you can make simple dolls from fabric, such as muslin, filled with soft stuffing. Draw faces and hair on the dolls using safe fabric crayons (see instructions on the crayon box) or sew features on with thread that is securely attached so they do
not present a choking hazard. Make dolls from different colors for a variety of skin tones. Sit with one or more infants and play with the dolls. Talk about families and name the dolls. For example, say, “This is the daddy doll.” Act out pretend activities: “Mommy is going to work. She is waving bye-bye.”
Make simple doll furniture to use with the family dolls. Use a shoe box for a bed and make a small pillow and blanket. Sit with one or more infants and play with the family dolls, acting out going to bed.
To promote feelings of belonging to a family. To provide play experiences with dolls.
72
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
8-12 Months
Crawling Around Together
Sturdy box or simple tent
0
0
As infants begin to crawl, place a sturdy box or make a simple tent that they can crawl into. Play the going away and coming back game as they crawl into the space and cannot be seen. Sit near and describe what they are doing. Model for two infants how to crawl into the box or tent and sit together. Sit near and describe what’s happening using words such as in, out, and under. Use words such as together and sitting close. Call each infant by name.
Sit with two infants who have learned to pull up and encourage them to pull up to the same table. Have some soft toys ready on top of the table. Show them how to pat the table or bang on it with a toy. Model for the infants and encourage them to repeat your actions. Draw their attention to each other, call them by name, and describe their play.
To promote active play with another infant. To promote the development of social skills.
76
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
8-12 Months
Learning Words for Feelings
Magazines, cardboard, scissors, glue stick or tape.
0
0
Cut pictures from magazines of people’s facial expressions. Laminate the photographs on heavy cardboard and make a simple feelings book. Sit with an infant and look at the feelings book. Wait for him to look, point, and make his own facial expression and sounds. Point to the faces and facial features in the picture and name the feeling that the person is exhibiting, such as, “She is happy. See her big smile?” Teach words for different feelings, such as mad, sad, afraid, excited, and frustrated.
Teach infants how to use baby sign language to communicate their feelings. Teach them how to sign happy, sad, afraid, mad, and other feeling words. Use baby sign language in conjunction with verbal language to describe what a child may be feeling as well as your own feelings.
To promote language and communication development. To promote the ability to use words to express feelings.
78
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
8-12 Months
Eating Together
None
0
0
Place infants where they can see one another as they eat. If they are fed in high chairs, place the chairs in a small circle. Sit and eat with them. Call each baby by name and talk about what
each is eating and doing. This is a social time when infants can feel part of the classroom family. When babies are able to sit in small chairs at a low table, several of them can sit together for snacks and meals.
Expect spills and accidents during
meals. This is an opportunity to teach self-regulation, verbal communication, and problem solving. Model emotional control and how to handle accidents when they occur. Infants will learn what people do when they are angry, frustrated, and impatient by watching and modeling what you do and say. Verbally explain what has happened and what you are going to do. For example, say, “Oh, I spilled the juice. I am going to get a cloth and wipe it up.” You model that it is okay. Acknowledge mistakes or accidents when they happen and model what you want the infants to learn to do.
To promote feelings of connectedness to others. To promote positive mealtime experiences. To promote the development of social skills.
82
2018
Carla B. Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Learning to Do Things
camera, printer, cardstock
0
0
Take photographs of a toddler playing and doing things in the classroom. Print the photographs on card stock. Write the child’s name on her photo card. Sit with her and talk about her photographs,
describing what she is doing.
Make postcards from the photographs to send home to each toddler’s family. Write messages on the back of the postcards. Use the postcards as a way to inform families about development and to provide examples of how their children learn through play. Make more family postcards but leave the backs blank. Send home several postcards with each toddler. Encourage the families to return the postcards with a written message that can be read to their children during the day. Sit with a toddler and read her family’s message. Make a collage display on a bulletin board or on the wall low enough for toddlers to see. Talk with the children about their photographs. Save the postcards and give them back to families as you take new photographs, showing toddlers’ growth, development, and learning.
To promote the development of a positive sense of self. To promote the development of motor skills.
89
2013
Jean Barbre
Transitions
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Suggested Books
– Baby Sounds: A Baby-Sized Introduction to Sounds We Hear Everyday by Joy Allen
– Baby’s First Sounds by Hinkler Books
– Boom Boom, Beep Beep, Roar! My Sounds Book by David Diehl
– Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
– The Sounds around Town by Maria Carluccio
– What’s That Noise? by Sally Rippin
0
0
Outdoor environments offer endless opportunities for awakening the senses. Take an infant outdoors to listen for sounds, such as cars, trucks, children
playing, people working, animals, birds, and the wind blowing through trees. Stop and name the sound you hear. Point in the direction of the sound or to the thing making the sound. See if the infant follows with his eyes. Spend time listening to each sound for several minutes. Then listen for a new sound. Read the suggested
books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Ask the child to listen for a sound and name it. If you can’t see what is making the sound, search for its source together.
Expand the Activity
Imitate the sounds you hear, such as a barking dog or rumbling truck. Tell the infant, “I hear a dog barking: Woof! Woof!” Encourage the infant to make the sound too. “Let’s make the sound of the barking dog together: Woof! Woof!”
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
– Perception
Cognitive Development
- Memory
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
– Following simple directions
Language Development
- Concept words
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Using language in play
28
2013
Jean Barbre
Transitions
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Here I Come
Suggested Books
– Baby Happy, Baby Sad by Leslie Patricelli
– Hug by Jez Alborough
– I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak
– Wah! Wah! A Backpack Baby Story by Miriam Cohen
– What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell
0
0
Responding to an infant’s needs in a timely and caring manner helps establish the security and trust that form the foundation for her healthy growth and development. Pay close attention to times when she is upset or scared. Even if you can’t respond to her immediately, say her name to reassure her and tell her you will be there very soon. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Toddlers and twos still need your attention and reassurance when they are upset, but they may be quieted easier because their language and communication skills (both receptive and expressive) are more advanced. They have a better understanding of what you tell them and, as important, can often tell you what is wrong or what they need. Try to keep a short dialogue going until you can go to the child.
Expand the Activity
Playing soft music or singing quiet songs while you perform routine tasks such as diaper changing can sooth infants who are waiting for your attention and care.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Relationships with adults
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Self-regulation
Physical Development
– Perception
Cognitive Development
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
Language Development
- Communicating needs
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
32
2013
Jean Barbre
Transitions
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
What Do You See?
Suggested Books
– 101 First Words at Home by Hinkler Studios
– First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
– Flaptastic First Words by DK Publishing
– My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy
– Things That Move by Jo Litchfield
– Very First Words by Felicity Brooks
0
0
Sit with the infant on your lap (indoors or outdoors). Point to things in the environment. Slowly call his attention to the things he is most likely to notice, such as brightly colored objects or things that are making a noise. Name the things you point to and talk about them. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
After pointing to and naming something, ask the children to tell you what they see. If the thing you point to makes a noise, such as a dog or cat, ask the children what the animal “says” (that is, what noise the animal makes).
Expand the Activity
Hold the baby and walk around an entire area. Stop before pointing to and naming
an object.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
– Perception
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Following simple directions
Language Development
- Receptive language
- Connecting words with real-world knowledge
48
2013
Jean Barbre
Transitions
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Color We Will Go
Suggested Books
– Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
– Colors, ABC, Numbers by Roger Priddy
– I’m Your Bus by Marilyn Singer
– White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker
0
0
Help the child learn the names of objects and colors. Walk with an infant in your arms or hold the hand of a toddler when you play this game. Name an object—say, a rubber duck—and then tell the child, “The rubber ducky is yellow.” Point to the object and let the child touch and feel it. As you move from object to object, sing “A Color We Will Find,” found in the Songs, Chants, and Fingerplays section of this activity. Repeat the song, identifying different colors and objects. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Ask the children to identify and collect objects that are the same color. Children can ask for your help.
Expand the Activity
Continue helping the children identify objects and begin sorting them by category, such as big, medium, or small, or by texture, such as smooth, rough, or slippery.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Progression of play
Language Development
- Receptive language
- Expressive language
– Communicating needs
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Engaging in music, rhythm, and rhyme
– Using language in play
68
2013
Jean Barbre
Transitions
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Eye Spy
– Small, clear plastic containers with lids
– Tray
– Labels
– Magnifying glass
– An assortment of items to explore (such as small rocks, seashells, beans, buttons, feathers, and corks)
Suggested Books
– Black and White Rabbit’s ABC by Alan Baker
– First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
– Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever! by Richard Scarry
0
0
Introduce one item at a time to the children. Place each one on a tray to provide a neutral background, and let the children examine them. Describe what they are seeing and feeling. Sort items, place each group in a clear plastic container, and secure the lid tightly. Place a label on each
container identifying its contents. Let the children pick up the containers, shake them, and look at the items by rotating the containers. Talk to them about what they’re seeing and hearing. Read the suggested books and introduce the vocabulary words to the children.
Modifications for Twos
Let the children choose additional items to place in new containers. You may find things on outdoor walks, such as nontoxic leaves or pieces of tree bark on the ground. Let the children look at the items with a magnifying glass. Talk to them about what they see and feel.
Expand the Activity
Put two or three items together on a tray and let the children begin to sort, categorize, and name them before you put them in the plastic containers. Talk with the children about the different sounds the items make when you shake the containers. Compare and contrast them with other items in the classroom.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
- Progression of play
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Number awareness
Language Development
- Expressive language
– Receptive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Engaging in print
72
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Come to Me
– Small toys or objects that will interest an infant, such as noise-making or brightly colored toys
Suggested Books
– Caillou Moves Around by Christine L’Heureux
– First Steps by Lee Wardlaw
– I Can by Helen Oxenbury
– Ready, Set, Walk! by Warner Brothers
– Wiggle and Move by Sanja Rescek
0
0
To encourage an infant who is not yet crawling to crawl to you, begin by laying him on his tummy. Sit a short distance away from him and set the toy next to you. Say his name and invite him to crawl to you and get the toy. Be sure to reinforce his efforts as he attempts to crawl. If he reaches you, give him the toy and encourage him to explore it. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers
and Twos
Encourage a toddler who is not yet walking to walk to you. Begin by having her stand next to something she is familiar with for support. Sit or kneel a short distance from her and set the toy next to you. Say her name and invite her to walk to you and pick up the toy. If she is successful, give her the toy and encourage her to hold and explore it.
Expand the Activity
After an infant has mastered crawling a short distance, increase the distance and invite him to crawl to you from farther away.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
Physical Development
- Gross-motor skills
– Perception
Cognitive Development
- Spatial awareness
– Cause and effect
– Following simple directions
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Concept words
26
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Musical Babies
– CD player or MP3 player
– CD or MP3 files of short children’s songs (or other short songs babies might enjoy)
Suggested Books
– Baby Mozart: Music Is Everywhere by Julie Aigner-Clark
– Elmo’s World: Music! by Random House
– Music: Discovering Musical Horizons by Brainy Baby Company
– Music Play by H. A. Rey
– Pat the Bunny: Shake, Shake, Bunny by Golden Books
0
0
Music is an important part of early childhood programs because it can be used to enhance children’s learning across all developmental domains—not to mention that most babies enjoy listening
and moving to music. This game is similar to Musical Chairs. While the music plays,
carry and move with the infant around the room. When the music stops, stop moving.
When the music starts again, resume moving. The more enthusiastic you are when stopping and starting, the more likely the baby will engage in the game as well. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Toddlers and twos may be able to play the game more like traditional Musical Chairs. When you start the music, have the children move around the play area any way they wish. When you stop the music, have the children sit on the floor.
Expand the Activity
Invite other caregivers and babies to join in the game. You and the other caregivers move around the space singing songs. Stop moving when you stop singing. Again, showing enthusiasm and changing the way you move (walk quickly, walk slowly, wiggle around, or dance) may engage the babies in the game even more.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Relationships with peers
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
– Gross-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Progression of play
– Following simple directions
Language Development
- Engaging in music, rhythm, and rhyme
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Using language in play
36
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Touch-It Tubs
– Plastic tubs, such as small washtubs
– A variety of items that are appropriate and safe for infants to explore with their hands and mouths:
- Small toys with different textures
- Fabric samples with different textures (burlap, velvet, faux fur, fleece)
- Clean lids from baby-food jars or frozen
juice cans
- Items that make noise when banged together, such as measuring cups and spoons
Suggested Books
– Baby Touch and Feel 1, 2, 3 by DK Publishing
– Baby Touch and Feel Farm by DK Publishing
– Pooh’s Touch and Feel Visit by A. A. Milne
– Touch and Feel Adventure: Discovering Colors and Textures by Alexis Barad-Cutler
– Whose Back Is Bumpy? by Kate Davis
0
0
Place the items in the tubs. Place the tubs in an area where infants can explore what’s inside the tubs, either by sitting next to you for support or by sitting up independently. For infants who enjoy exploring on their tummies, place the items on the floor in front of them, either at a distance (to encourage crawling) or close enough for them to reach out and grasp. Read
the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infants.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Add sand to the tubs to encourage activities such as scooping and pouring.
Expand the Activity
Take the tubs outdoors and fill them with safe, natural items that infants can explore with their hands and mouths.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
- Fine-motor skills
– Perception
Cognitive Development
- Connecting experiences
– Cause and effect
– Spatial awareness
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with
real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
44
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Where Did It Go?
– Small blanket or towel
– Brightly colored toy or a favorite toy
Suggested Books
– Peek-a-Baby by Karen Katz
– Peek-a-Boo! by Roberta Grobel Intrater
– Peekaboo Baby by Sebastien Braun
– Playtime Peekaboo! by DK Publishing
– Where’s Ellie? by Salina Yoon
0
0
Most young infants have not developed the concept of object permanence, the idea that an object is still there even though they can’t see it. After getting a baby’s attention, hide a toy beneath a blanket. Pull back the blanket to reveal the toy and act surprised. Repeat this action for as long as she is interested. Hold the baby on your lap and read peekaboo books or books in which things are hidden. Older infants may also enjoy lifting books with flaps to find hidden things. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Play the same game with a toddler, but after you hide the toy, ask her to find it for you.
Expand the Activity
Have the children hide the toy from you and try to find it. Act surprised both when you find the toy and when the toy “disappears.”
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
- Perception
Cognitive Development
- Spatial awareness
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
52
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
You Can Do It Too
Suggested Books
– Big Bird’s Copycat Day by Sharon Lerner
– Can You? Waddle Like a Penguin by Price Stern Sloan
– Cookie See! Cookie Do! by Anna Jane Hays
– From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
– Monkey See, Monkey Do by Helen Oxenbury
0
0
Sit with an infant on your lap or sit facing the infant if she is able to sit up by herself. Make a variety of movements with your hands, such as waving or wiggling your fingers; be sure to describe what you are doing. After each movement, ask the
baby to do the same movement. If she is unable to, take her hands and gently make the movement for her. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the infant.
Modifications for Toddlers and Twos
Ask the children to make movements for you to imitate. Or play music and ask them to move to the music by clapping hands or bouncing up and down—then you make the movements too.
Expand the Activity
Make simple movements with your mouth, such as opening and closing it, or make silly sounds with your mouth for the baby to imitate.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
– Self-regulation
Physical Development
– Gross-motor skills
– Fine-motor skills
– Perception
Cognitive Development
- Imitating others
- Following simple directions
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
56
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
One, Two, Three - Hey, That's Me!
– A mirror
Suggested Books
– ABC I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson
– Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes: A First Book All About You by Judy Hindley
– Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler
– Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth by Roberta Grobel Intrater
0
0
Sit facing an older infant or toddler. First, verbally count and use your fingers, saying, “One, two, three.” Then point and identify the different parts of the child’s and your face, using the suggested chant. The child can use a mirror to look at herself. The repetition and rhythm of the chant provide early development of sense of self and personal identity. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modification for Twos
Older infants and toddlers can use the chant to identify body parts. Follow the children’s lead when they point out their body features. The counting of one, two, three provides a foundation for following simple directions. For example, “One, two, three, follow me.”
Expand this Activity
As children learn to identify parts of their bodies beyond their faces, such as knees, feet, and toes, sing “Hokey Pokey” or “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Sense of self
- Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
Physical Development
– Gross-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Number awareness
– Imitating others
– Progression of play
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Engaging in music, rhythm, and rhyme
102
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Playing with Puppets
– White socks
– Scissors
– Glue
– Crayons
– Markers
– Buttons
– Pom-poms
– Yarn
– Felt
– Fabric
– Ready-made puppets
Suggested Books
– Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
– Bear’s Busy Family by Stella Blackstone
– Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
– The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
0
0
Puppets are fun for all ages. You can make a puppet or use ready-made ones when you tell a story or talk with a child. Puppets can be used to develop a sense of self in young children by fostering communication, role play, social interaction, imitation, and imagination. To make a sock puppet, take a white sock and either sew buttons on for eyes or color them in with a black marker. Decorate it using pom-poms, yarn, felt, and fabric. Use funny voices when you use the puppets to talk or read with the children. Supervise the children while they play with sturdy puppets and use them for pretend play and acting out stories. Read the suggested books and introduce the vocabulary words to the children.
Modifications for Twos
Select a story to read to the children. Find pictures on the Internet of objects in the story, such as bears, frogs, bugs, or insects. Make colored prints of the pictures. Laminate the pictures and glue them onto separate tongue depressors. Let the children hold the stick puppets while you read the story.
Expand the Activity
Encourage the children to create paper-bag puppets using construction paper, crayons, markers, pom-poms, yarn, felt, and fabric. Ask children to tell or retell a story using their puppets.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
– Progression of play
– Following simple directions
Language Development
- Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Communicating needs
– Engaging in print
– Using language in play
110
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Push and Pull
– A variety of push-and-pull toys (such as trucks, cars, planes, balls, buggies, and shopping carts)
Suggested Books
– ABCDrive! by Naomi Howland
– Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo
– I’m Your Bus by Marilyn Singer
– Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever! by Richard Scarry
0
0
Provide children with a variety of large and small push-and-pull toys. Identify the name and parts of each toy. Choose toys that can be used indoors and outdoors. Make sure to include large, sturdy push-and-pull toys to stabilize children who are learning to walk and stand on their own. Children quickly learn how to play with these toys and begin to direct their own learning. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Set small toys, such as cars, trucks, and balls, in baskets or containers that are easily accessible for play in all the learning centers. Model how children can incorporate these toys with other play materials. For example, help the children build ramps out of blocks and show them how they can roll and push the cars up and down the ramps.
Expand the Activity
Model how toys with baskets, such as shopping carts or wagons, can be used to carry items from one area to another. This stimulates children’s imaginations and develops number and spatial awareness. Read the suggested books, and talk about the different types of jobs of people who drive cars and trucks.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Relationships with peers
– Self-regulation
– Sharing
Physical Development
- Gross-motor skills
- Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Number awareness
– Progression of play
– Following simple directions
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
112
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Round About
– Wood blocks
– A medium-size box
– An assortment of different-size, too-large-to-be-swallowed round and circular objects (such as balls, stacking rings, cups, and bottles)
Suggested Books
– ABCDrive! by Naomi Howland
– Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo
– Gray Rabbit’s Odd One Out by Alan Baker
– Opposites by Sandra Boynton
0
0
Show children the round objects in the box and begin to describe them. Encourage the children to feel the objects and roll them on the table or floor. Use wood blocks to create a ramp for items to roll down. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Encourage older children to search the room for round objects and then have them sort the objects by size from smallest to largest. Go for a walk outdoors and point out all the things that are round, such as door knobs, tires, flowerpots, and trash cans. Read suggested books to the children.
Expand the Activity
Using paper, crayons, and markers, encourage older children to trace around larger circular objects. Older children can practice drawing circles with chalk on the pavement outdoors.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Relationships with adults
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
- Spatial awareness
- Connecting experiences
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Imitating others
– Progression of play
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
118
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
We Go Together
– A variety of items that go together or match (such as socks and shoes, mittens and hats, measuring spoons, and a pail and shovel)
Suggested Books
– On the Seashore by Anna Milborne and Erica-Jane Waters
– Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever! by Richard Scarry
– Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
– Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
– A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toes: A Pocket Book by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
– Some Things Go Together by Charlotte Zolotow
0
0
Share with children how some items go together. Show the items you have selected, and talk about what goes with what and why. When reading stories, show pictures of things that go together. When children are playing, point out things that go together—for example, paint and paintbrushes, puzzle boards and puzzle pieces, and wheels and cars. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Collect a variety of items and help the children sort items that go together. Tell then that there can be more than two items that go together—for example, a boat, a fishing pole, a bucket, and a fish.
Expand the Activity
Before you read a story to the children, ask them to share what things might go with the story. For example, when you’re reading On the Seashore, the children might mention seashells, sand, water, and birds.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Number awareness
– Imitating others
Language Development
- Receptive language
- Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
138
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Dump and Fill
– Large and small unbreakable containers
– An assortment of items for filling and dumping containers (such as large beads, toy farm animals, ABC blocks, and large pegs)
Suggested Books
– Colors, ABC, Numbers by Roger Priddy
– Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo
– Richard Scarry’s Best First Book Ever! by Richard Scarry
0
0
Toddlers love to fill containers with items and then dump them out. Place all of the items in the large containers and invite the children to dump them out. You need to demonstrate how to fill the containers so they can be dumped again. Talk to the children about how many items they can get in a container and how the items sound when they are dumped out. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Add sand to large containers and repeat the activity. Do this outside or at a sand table.
Expand the Activity
Ask the children to sort and count the items with you. Demonstrate how to stack smaller containers into a larger one. This will help children learn to clean up and put things where they belong.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Personal identity
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
- Cause and effect
- Connecting experiences
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Number awareness
– Imitating others
– Progression of play
– Following simple directions
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Communicating needs
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
150
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
I'm Glad I'm Me
Suggested Books
– ABC I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson
– Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis
– We Are All Alike—We Are All Different by Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners
0
0
Describe how each child is alike and different from their peers. Talk about differences and similarities, such as eye and hair colors. Emphasize how everyone is a special and unique individual. Ask children what they like to do at home and what they like to play with at school. Read the suggested books and introduce the vocabulary words to the children.
Modifications for Twos
Let older children draw a picture of themselves. On the back of the paper, write the child’s description of what makes him feel special and unique.
Expand the Activity
In a small group, encourage the children to share one or two things they like about themselves, such as playing outdoors or painting. You may want to have the children hold up photographs of themselves during their turn.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Personal identity
- Empathy
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Caring for others
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Gross-motor skills
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
160
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Jars of Music
– Five or six glass jars of different sizes and
shapes
– Water
– Pitcher
– A wooden spoon
– A metal spoon
Suggested Books
– Gray Rabbit’s Odd One Out by Alan Baker
– My Five Senses by Aliki
– My Five Senses by Margaret Miller
– Opposites by Sandra Boynton
– Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
0
0
Fill a pitcher with water and pour it into different size glass jars, varying the amount of water in each jar. Demonstrate how each jar sounds different when you tap on the glass. Tap the jars with the wooden and metal spoons at the top and bottom, and talk about the different sounds you hear.
Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Let older children pour the water into the jars themselves. They can add food coloring to the jars. Talk about the colors of the water.
Expand the Activity
Select two identical short jars and one tall, narrow jar. Fill the short jars with the same amount of water, and ask the children to listen to the sound the jars make when tapped. Say that the jars have the same amount of water. Pour the water from one of the short jars into the tall, narrow jar. Talk about how the jars look different but contain the same amount of water.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
- Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
- Spatial awareness
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
– Following simple directions
Language Development
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
164
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Orange Peel
– Fresh oranges
– Cutting board
– Paper napkins
Suggested Books
– Mouse’s First Day of School by Lauren Thompson
– My Five Senses by Aliki
– My Five Senses by Margaret Miller
– White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker
0
0
Let the children feel and smell the oranges before you peel them. Talk about the round shape of the oranges, the bumpy surface, the navel, and the orange color. Be sure to wash each orange before you peel and serve it. Begin to slowly peel the orange and describe what you are doing. Describe the inner flesh and juicy portion of the fruit. Pass the peel around for the children to feel and smell. Serve pieces of the fruit as a snack. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Let older children look at the outside and inside of the orange peel with a magnifying glass. Talk about the peel and how it feels. If the oranges have seeds, describe the seeds and let older children feel them. Juice the oranges and talk about the pulp.
Expand the Activity
Leave the peel in the sunshine. Let the children examine what happens when the peel dries and the edges curl. You can also help children identify objects in the room that are the color orange.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
- Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
Language Development
- Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Receptive language
– Expressive language
– Concept words
174
2013
Jean Barbre
Language-Literacy
Activities for Responsive Caregiving
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Soapy Bubbles
– Plastic bucket or tub
– Dishwashing liquid
– Glycerin (found in drug stores) or corn syrup
– Eggbeater
– Measuring cups and spoons
– Bubble wands (purchased or handmade from string or chenille stems)
– Fly swatters
– Plastic berry baskets
– Plastic cookie cutters
– Vegetable strainer
– Towels
Suggested Books
– Brown Rabbit’s Shape Book by Alan Baker
– Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Appelt
– First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
– My Five Senses by Aliki
– My Five Senses by Margaret Miller
0
0
This activity can get messy and is best done outdoors. Place 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of dish washing soap in the plastic bucket. Beat the mixture with the eggbeater. Dip the wands into the soapy solution. Dip clean fly swatters, plastic berry baskets, plastic cookie cutters, and a variety of colanders into the bubble solution. Allow children to experiment with these various tools to create bubbles. Describe the bubbles to the children, and let them play. You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of corn syrup or glycerin for a different bubble experience. For homemade bubble mixture, make it the
day before and let it sit overnight. Have towels nearby to soak up spills. Read the suggested books, introduce the vocabulary words, and sing and chant with the children.
Modifications for Twos
Make wands from chenille stems by twisting the ends together to make a circle. Twist another around it to make the handle. For a larger wand, twist two chenille stems together, or cover the neck of a wire coat hanger with electrical tape and reshape it into a star, circle, square, or diamond.
Expand the Activity
Make colored bubbles by mixing 1 cup liquid tempera paint, 2 tablespoons of dish washing liquid, and 1 tablespoon of liquid starch. Color and bubbles can be a bit messy, so be sure that children are wearing painting aprons. Use paint that can wash out easily. If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it with water. This is a great way to help children learn their colors.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Social-Emotional Development
- Self-regulation
– Sense of self
– Relationships with adults
– Relationships with peers
– Sharing
Physical Development
– Perception
– Fine-motor skills
Cognitive Development
– Cause and effect
– Memory
– Spatial awareness
– Connecting experiences
– Imitating others
– Progression of play
– Following simple directions
Language Development
- Expressive language
– Receptive language
– Communicating needs
– Connecting words with real-world knowledge
– Concept words
– Using language in play
192
1999
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
Art
Infant and Toddler Experiences
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Fingerpainting
- Finger paint: use commercial paint or mix liquid starch and powdered or liquid tempera directly on the paper.
- Smooth, slick paper.
- Smocks or old T-shirts, if necessary.
- Towels for clean-up.
- Plastic to cover floor.
0
0
- Have materials ready.
- Remove children’s clothing if the room is warm enough. Put smocks or paint shirts on children to protect their clothes if necessary.
- Put a piece of paper in front of each child and offer him his choice of paint color. Or pour 1 or 2 tablespoons of liquid starch on each child’s paper and offer him a choice of tempera color to add.
- Let the children mix and move the finger paint.
- Allow them their own experience, responding to their comments.
- Offer infants teethers or other appropriate chew toys if they are putting paint in their mouths.
- Use phrases like these to help toddlers keep paint on the paper:
-- “Paint is for your hands and the paper.”
-- “Please clean the paint off your hands before playing with the other toys.”
To provide new experiences and interactions with new materials. To promote participation within the classroom community.
77
1999
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
Art
Infant and Toddler Experiences
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Collage of Faces
- Photos of children’s faces cut from magazines or photos.
- Choices of paper for gluing onto.
- Glue in shallow bowls and brushes (water-soluble school glue aids clean–up).
- Trays (approximately 12 by 18 inches).
0
0
- Have the materials ready ahead of time.
- Give each toddler a tray to focus his attention and contain the materials. Each tray should have a glue container, a brush, and the child’s choice of paper.
- Let the children choose from many cutout faces accessible to them on the table.
- Respond to the toddlers’ comments and reactions to the faces. Expand their recognition of physical characteristics with comments like “Yes, she has brown eyes like you do” or “That does look like Sami’s mom!” Don’t be afraid of questions about skin color or other visible physical differences, but respond matter-of-fact, using phrases like these: “Yes, her skin is lighter than yours” or “Those are hearing aids. He wears them to help him hear better.”
- Help children with gluing if they ask you to, doing just enough to get them “unstuck” so they can complete it themselves.
- Facilitate turn taking and/or trading when toddlers request an item someone else is using.
- Provide alternative toys or books for toddlers not wishing to participate or who indicate they are finished by trashing the materials.
Toddler will have specific tray to focused attention. Toddler is able to choose from materials at the table. The toddler builds language by using words to comment, respond and react to the faces he recognizes.
160
1999
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
Art
Infant and Toddler Experiences
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Colored Glue
- White, washable “school” glue.
- Paper.
- Liquid water color.
- Bowl for mixing each color separately.
- Brushes for applying glue, one for each color.
- Collage materials for gluing: feathers, tissue, leaves, pom-poms, etc.
0
0
- Gather collage materials, either in one central basket or bowl or in individual ones.
- Pour about one-quarter cup of glue into each small mixing bowl.
- Add drops of liquid color until desired color is reached.
- Stir with a brush.
- Offer each child a choice of paper to begin with.
- Let each child choose a color of glue and collage materials to glue to the paper.
- Respond to children’s attempts to stick things onto the paper, using phrases like these:
-- “Where did you want that red piece?” -- -- “Try the glue first.”
-- “How does it feel?”
-- “What happened this time?”
- Offer alternatives for toddlers who are not interested in this experience. (Some will not like the mess.)
- Use phrases like this to help the children control the glue:
-- “Glue is for the paper and collage materials, not the walls or floor.”
To provide new experiences and interactions with new materials. To promote participation within the classroom community. Experiment with things that stick and things that don't.
90
1999
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
Art
Infant and Toddler Experiences
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Implement Painting
- A variety of implements to paint with: feather dusters, plastic pizza cutters, rubber band brushes, toothbrushes, combs, sponges of different shapes, whisks, potato mashers, cookie cutters, and so forth. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
- Paper to paint on.
- Tempera paint. You may need to mix it thicker than usual to cling to some implements.
- Flat containers for paint, large enough to accommodate implements (meat trays or plastic plates work well), one for each color.
- Smocks or paint shirts to protect clothing.
0
0
- Gather a small group of toddlers (no more than four). As you put on smocks and/or remove clothes, explain that “instead of brushes, today we’re going to use something different to put the paint on the paper.”
- Offer a choice of paint colors, a single implement, and one tray of paint to each child.
- When toddlers want to trade colors of paint and implements, help them by facilitating their conversations by saying something like “Ray would like to trade for the pizza cutter when you are finished using it.”
- Reflect children’s experience: “say what you see” and compare what they’re doing to painting with a brush.
- Help children keep the paint where it belongs, using phrases like “Paint goes
on the paper.”
Gives Toddlers experience experimenting with cause and effect.
97
1999
Fran Hast and Ann Hollyfield
Art
Infant and Toddler Experiences
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
String Painting
- Lengths of string about 12 inches long for each color of paint used; have extras available. (A “handle” may be made by taping one end of the string, but be aware that the toddlers may try to paint with it; it can draw attention away from the string manipulation.)
- Washable powdered tempera paint in various colors.
- Glue.
- Liquid starch.
- Paper of various sizes, shapes, and colors.
- Wax paper or plastic lids to place strings on between uses.
- Spray bottles and towels for clean up.
- Smocks or paint shirts.
- Shallow bowls or trays for the paint.
0
0
- Mix the washable powdered tempera with water, glue, or starch to a fairly thick (pudding-like) consistency. The first time you do this experience, you may have to experiment a bit to find the thickness that works for you.
- Put each color of paint in a shallow bowl or pan so it’s easy to dip strings into it.
- Set up space for four toddlers to paint at a table. Have several lengths of string and colors of paint and paper available so you can offer each toddler a choice of materials.
- Have smocks or paint shirts ready, or plan to take children’s clothes off to keep them from getting paint-smeared.
- As children come to the table to paint, explain that painting with string is another way to put paint onto the paper.
- Allow the toddlers to choose the paint color, string, and paper they want to begin with.
- Instead of trying to show them how to paint with the string, let them experiment and watch what they do.
- Remind children that “Paint and strings are for the paper.”
- Facilitate trading and taking turns with the paint colors and strings.
Gives Toddlers practice in two-handed manipulation and hand-eye coordination
245
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Cooking
Safe, toddler-size kitchen items
0
0
Collect realistic, safe, toddler-size kitchen items, such as pots, pans, lids, wooden spoons, spatulas, and food containers. Sit up a play area with a toddler-size refrigerator, stove, sink, table, and chairs. Ask the toddlers what they eat at home or ask their parents. Collect food boxes that are representative of the food the toddlers eat at home and encourage them to pretend to cook it. For example, model how to pretend to fry an egg or stir a bowl of cake batter.
Collect clean, small plastic jars with lids. Punch holes in the lids. Infuse cotton balls with the scents of common spices that the toddlers’ families use in cooking. For example, put a drop of vanilla on a cotton ball or lightly dust one with ground ginger. Some common herbs and spices families may use are cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, basil, and oregano. Put the cotton balls in the jars and secure the lids with glue. Talk with the toddlers about the different smells and put the jars in the cooking area for the toddlers to use. Be sure to check with families about children’s food allergies.
- to provide opportunities for pretend play
- to promote connections between families and the classroom
95
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Learning the Names of Things
Hand puppet or stuffed animal
0
0
Use a hand puppet or stuffed animal to play a naming game with one or more toddlers. Have the puppet ask each toddler, “What is your name?” Pause and wait for the child to respond. If she does not answer, say for her, “My name is ____?” Have the puppet ask other questions such as “What are those?” and point to the child’s hands or feet. Wait for her to answer and then answer for her if she does not.
Encourage two or more toddlers to sit together as you play the game with them. Call each child by name.
- to promote language and communication development
- to promote social interactions
97
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Looking at a Book with Another Toddler
Sturdy picture books
0
0
Sit on the floor with two or more toddlers and look at a sturdy picture book together. Point to and talk about the pictures in the book. Use gestures and sounds, tone of voice, and changes in volume to make the book interesting. Encourage the toddlers to sit near one another and to point and talk about the pictures. As the toddlers’ attention spans increase, add books with longer stories. Books with rhyming words and repetition are especially enjoyable for toddlers. Read these books over and over to help the toddlers begin to remember the rhymes and repetitions. These types of activities are pre-literacy skills and steps in learning to read.
Sit on the floor in an area where toddlers are playing. Look at books with one or more toddlers as they come and go around you. Let the toddlers decide if they want to look at the book or to do something else.
- to promote social interaction
- to promote the development of social skills
99
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Making a Play House
Large cardboard boxes
0
0
Collect some large cardboard boxes from an appliance or electronics store. Remove any sharp staples or pieces of metal. Cut windows and doors in the boxes to make several playhouses. Encourage the toddlers to go in and out of the box houses. Pretend that one toddler lives there and another comes to visit. Call each toddler by name and engage them in visiting one another in their box houses. Pretend and model how to knock on the door and how to ask, “May I come in?” Model other social interaction phrases, such as, “I had a nice visit with you” or “Thank you for letting me visit your house.” Learn greetings and other words in a toddler’s home language. Model these for the toddlers.
Pull off two- or three-inch pieces of masking tape in different colors and stick them on a plastic tray near the box house. Show the toddlers how to pull the pieces of tape off the tray and stick them onto the box houses, pretending to put siding or bricks on the houses. Monitor to make sure the children do not put pieces of tape in their mouths. Encourage two or more toddlers to work on a box house together. Call each child by name and describe how each is working together to cover the box house. Use descriptive words and action words as the toddlers play. Name the colors of tape as the toddlers stick them to the box house. Learn descriptive words in a toddler’s home language and use these words as he plays in the box house.
- to promote participation in a group classroom project
- to promote feelings of competence
- to promote feelings of connectedness to the classroom community
106
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Learning About My Body
Crayons
Large sheets of paper
0
0
Use a crayon to trace each toddler’s hands onto a large sheet of paper. Count his fingers as you draw. Have crayons of different skin-tone colors available for the toddlers to color their hands if they want. Note that toddlers should not be required to color inside lines. Scribbling all around and on the drawn hands is the focus of this activity. Write the child’s name on his hand picture. Put the hand pictures on the wall at toddlers’ eye level where the toddlers can see and talk about them.
Tape a large piece of paper to the top of a low table, inside or outside. Put different flesh-colored tones of paint in plastic containers large enough for toddlers to put both hands in at the same time. Put a painting smock or old shirt on the toddler before he dips his hands into the paint. Show him how to put his hands in the paint and to make prints on the sheet of paper. Let the toddlers do this two at a time. Have a place for them to wash and dry their hands nearby before taking off their paint smock. When they’re dry, display the hand-print paintings at the children’s eye level. Point out the different colors, sizes, and types of hand-prints and talk with the toddlers about them.
- to promote awareness of bodies
- to teach the names of body parts
- to promote the development of a positive sense of self
117
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Families
Photographs from magazines or online of many different families
0
0
Collect photographs from magazines or online that are of many different families and people—including same-sex parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, mixed race families, and families from cultures that reflect those of the children in the classroom. Include people with disabilities, young people, old people, and children. Laminate the photographs. Make a collage or picture wall at the toddlers’ eye level. Talk with the toddlers about things families do together, who the family members are, where they live, what they eat, and how they play. Talk with toddlers about how people look different and about their skin colors, hair, eye shapes and colors, facial features, and other characteristics.
Create picture books from the photographs for the toddlers to explore. Sit with the toddlers and look at the books.
- to promote connections to families
- to promote the development of a positive sense of self
121
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Cultural Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes from home cultures
Large nursery rhyme picture books
0
0
Ask families to share nursery rhymes from their home cultures. Collect large nursery rhyme picture books or find large pictures that illustrate a variety of nursery rhymes. Sit with one or more toddlers and read or say two or three nursery rhymes, showing them the book illustrations or pictures. If the nursery rhyme mentions body parts or body movements, act them out. Use gestures and facial expressions. As toddlers begin to show preference for certain rhymes, say and act these out often during different times of the day—inside, outside, or during daily routines. Toddlers learn through repetition and enjoy hearing favorite rhymes and stories over and over.
Play recordings of nursery rhymes and act them out with the toddlers. Invite families to make recordings of themselves saying nursery rhymes in their home languages.
- to promote language development
- to promote early literacy skills
122
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Rolling a Ball
Several balls of different sizes, colors, and weights
0
0
Collect several balls of different sizes, colors, and weights. Select a ball and sit on the floor a few feet in front of two toddlers. Roll the ball to one of the toddlers, calling her by name. Encourage her to roll it back to you. Then say, “Now it is Jack’s turn” and roll the ball to the other child. Describe what you are doing: “I’m rolling the ball to Jack. Roll it back to me.” Encourage turn taking and promote interaction as the toddlers learn to play near and with one another. It may be helpful to have two balls, one for each toddler, when you first begin teaching this activity.
Alternate pairings of toddlers so that they all have an opportunity to get to know and play near each child in the classroom. Call each child by name as you play with the ball(s). Learn the word ball in each child’s home language and alternate using it with the English word as you play with the toddlers.
- to promote the development of gross- and fine-motor skills
- to promote social development
125
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Growing Taller
Large strip of paper
0
0
Toddlers begin to get taller during this time, and they feel proud of how tall they are and what they can do. Put a large strip of paper on the wall to use as a place to measure each toddler’s height, writing the children’s names on the measurements. Talk with each toddler about how tall she is. After measuring all the children, encourage two or three toddlers to stand together with their backs to their measurements on the paper. Take a photograph of the toddlers by their measurements. Laminate the photograph onto cardboard and write each child’s name on the front. Make a classroom album of the photographs. Keep the album in an area where the toddlers can look at it during the day. Talk with the toddlers and call each child by name as you point to her photograph.
Repeat the above activity every three to four months so that children can see how much they have grown. You could also weigh the children on a scale and record their weight on their photograph along with their height measurement.
- to promote the development of a positive sense of self
- to promote social development
130
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Quiet Place
Materials as needed
0
0
Create a quiet place for the toddlers to retreat to when they need time to calm themselves or to be away from the action of a busy classroom. A large plastic bin with low sides that a toddler can climb into or a large box turned on its side work well. Hang a soft, sheer piece of fabric over the plastic bin to create a see-through tent. Cover the inside of the space with a soft blanket or rug. Include a couple of pillows, stuffed animals, and a book or two. Toddlers may want to select a special stuffed toy or book to take with them to the quiet place. Introduce the quiet place as an area where a child decides for himself when he wants to go there. For example, say, “Sometimes I get upset and can’t think. Everyone feels like this sometimes. I go to a quiet place to calm down. When I feel better and I am ready to be with other people, then I come out of the quiet place.” You can act this out for the child, pretending to be sad, mad, or upset in some way. Go to the quiet place and hold a stuffed animal or look at a book for a few seconds. Then say, “I feel better. I calmed myself and I’m ready to play again.” You should be able to see the child at all times, including when he is in the quiet place. The quiet place should never be used as punishment. The idea is for toddlers to begin to recognize their feelings and personal needs to calm themselves, to regain self-control, and to monitor their own behavior.
When children are playing outside, they may also need a place to go to where they can calm themselves. A large, clean plastic barrel that has been turned on its side and stabilized with boards or stones laid beside it on the ground to keep it from rolling is one idea. Put a soft indoor-outdoor rug inside of the barrel. In preparing the outdoor quiet place, you might have the toddlers paint or decorate the outside of the barrel as an outdoor project.
- to promote emotional development
- to promote the development of a positive sense of self
- to promote the ability to self-regulate
138
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
My Family and Pets
Photographs of children, their home, and their pets
Photo albums for each child
0
0
Ask families to bring photographs of themselves and their children, their home, pets, and special objects. Create a family photo album for each toddler. Label each family member, pet, and object in the album. For children whose home language is not English, include names and descriptions in both the home language and English. Sit with a child and let him go through his album and tell you about his family. Learn the names of objects pictured in the album in the child’s home language. Use descriptive words and questions to engage him in talking about himself and his family. Help him feel pride about himself and his family. Keep the photograph albums in a container on a low shelf or table where the children can look at them during playtime. Observe the toddlers to see how they describe themselves and their families to other children.
Use a photograph of a child and a separate photograph of his family to make a matching game. Laminate or cover each photo with a plastic sleeve. Keep the photographs in a container on a low shelf or table where the children can play with them and match one another to their families.
- to promote connections to family and pets
- to promote the development of a positive sense of self
142
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Find Our Friends
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Play a variation of the game hide-and-seek with the toddlers to teach them the names of other children and to emphasize the value of friends and of each child in the classroom. Play the game with two toddlers to begin with and increase the number of children as they get older. Tell the children you are going to play Find Our Friends. Close your eyes and count to ten while the children hide. When you finish counting, say, “I am looking for my friends. Here I come.” As you find a child, say, “I found my friend Crystal. Now we are looking for our friend Max. Here we come.” Look for the other child. When you find him, say, “We found all our friends, Max and Crystal.” Play the game again.
Play the game outside and hold hands with the children as you find them. Make a chain of people holding hands as you look for other hiding children. When you find everyone, make a circle, say, “We found all of our friends,” and name each child.
- to promote cognitive development
- to promote social development
147
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Digging in West Sand
Sandbox
Water
0
0
Digging in wet sand is a good way for toddlers to work alongside other toddlers and also have a sensory experience that helps build motor skills. On a warm day, add a bucket or more of water to the sandbox outside. Provide shovels for digging, containers for scooping and modeling, big dump trucks, and other sandbox toys. Encourage two or more toddlers to play with the sand and use parallel talk to describe what they are doing. Call each child by name and encourage social interactions.
Add large dinosaurs, farm animals, and other animals to the sandbox play area. Encourage the toddlers to make animal sounds as they move the animals around and build landscapes.
- to promote the development of gross- and fine-motor skills
- to promote social development
151
2018
Carla Goble
Social-Emotional
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Collecting Rocks, Leaves, and Twigs
Clear plastic bag to collect objects in nature
0
0
Take a nature walk outside with the toddlers. Give each toddler a clear plastic bag to collect small rocks, leaves, or other objects found in nature. Write each toddler’s name on his bag with a permanent marker. As you walk, talk with the toddlers about the things they see. Encourage each toddler to add a few things to his bag. Back in the classroom, tape the bags of found nature objects on the wall or on a large display board at toddlers’ eye level.
Create a classroom nature area where toddlers can explore the items they have found. Invite each toddler to take one thing from his bag to share with the class. Make sure that all items are safe and that none present a choking hazard.
- to promote the development of gross- and fine-motor skills
- to promote cognitive development
- to promote social development
156
2018
Carla Goble
Art
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Exploring Textures
Non-toxic glue
Cardboard squares
Different textured materials
0
0
Using nontoxic glue, cover cardboard squares with different textured materials, such as sandpaper, velvet, corduroy, fluffy fleece, and satin. Punch holes along one edge of each square and ring them together to make a touch book. Make several books with different textures and colors of materials. Make books with two contrasting materials on each page or cut small shapes out of the background material and glue contrasting texture in the space. Sit with an infant and show him the book. Show him how to feel the pages as you talk about what he feels. Use descriptive words such as rough, smooth, soft, shiny, and ridges. Place the books on a low shelf, in a container, or on the floor where infants can hold and explore them on their own. The children will put books in their mouths, so make sure there are no loose pieces. Discard books as they become worn.
Sit with two babies and look at the touch books together. Call each infant by name and encourage them to let each other feel a page in both books. Ask, “May I touch your book?” Pause and wait for the child to indicate a response. Teach babies sign language, words, and gestures to communicate yes or no. Touch a page in the baby’s book and talk about how it feels. Say, “Thank you for letting me touch the page.”
- to promote tactile learning experiences in the classroom environment
- to promote exploration
81
2018
Carla Goble
Art
Infant-Toddler Social Studies
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Painting Outdoors
Large pieces of paper
Non-toxic finger paints
0
0
After the toddlers have had some experience finger painting with shaving cream, set up an outdoor painting area. On a warm day, when the toddlers are playing outside, tape very large pieces of finger painting paper, butcher’s paper, or waxed paper to a low table. Use finger paints that are safe for toddlers. Use old adult shirts as painting smocks. Before starting this activity, have all materials ready, including a plan for how the toddlers will wash their hands when they finish painting. Encourage two toddlers at a time to move the paint around on the paper with their fingers and hands. Encourage each toddler in the group to paint on the paper. Hang the finger paintings to dry. When they’re dry, hang the class finger paintings in the room where the toddlers can see them. Talk with the children about what they did and how they all worked on it, along with the colors, shapes, and textures of the paintings.
Teach the toddlers how to put on and take off the painting smocks and how to wash and dry their hands. These self-help skills address toddlers’ need for autonomy, boosting their self-confidence and promoting a positive sense of self.
- to promote the ability to play near others
- to promote feelings of connectedness through common play
103
2017
Jean Barbre
Art
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Tummy Time Discovery Painting
- white piece of construction paper
- colors of washable tempera paint
- gallon resealable freezer bag
- scissors
- masking tape or duct tape
0
0
Getting Ready
Place drops of tempera paint on the paper. Place the paper in the freezer bag and seal it shut. Place tape on all four sides of the bag and securely tape it to the floor.
How To
Place the baby on a slight incline so the baby can reach the bag. Let the baby explore the bag and manipulate the paint.
Warning: Babies can wiggle out of their tummy time spot, so keep an eye on them. Use a heavy-duty freezer bag and tape it securely to the floor. Tape it on a hard flooring surface rather than carpet.
- For older children, tape the bag to a sliding
glass door or window and let them play.
- Repeat the activity when the child is old
enough to sit in a high chair.
Children will explore the physical properties
of mixing colors as they use their hands to
manipulate the paints inside a plastic freezer
storage bag.
156
2017
Jean Barbre
Art
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Flower Bracelets
- masking tape
- scissors
- items found on a nature walk for decorating
the bracelet
0
0
Measure and cut a piece of masking tape to fit loosely around a toddler’s wrist. Tape the ends together, sticky side out. Go for a walk outdoors and invite the children to pick up fallen flowers or leaves and place them on the sticky side of the tape. Ask them to smell the flowers and leaves that they found. Ask them to describe what they see and smell. Remind them not to
put any of the flowers or leaves in their mouths.
Hint: If you are working with infants, you may want to put the tape on your own wrist, so they can see what you’ve collected. Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
Bring two or three different kinds of flowers to class and let the children examine them. They can smell them, feel them, and examine their petals using a magnifying glass. Place the flowers in a vase and set them on a table.
Children will explore and gain a respect for the outdoor environment and an awareness of living things, such as plants and flowers. They will explore elements of both life science and earth science.
88
2017
Jean Barbre
Art
Baby Steps to STEM
STEM
Infant/Toddler
12-18 Months
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
- large framed mirror
- drop cloth or plastic tablecloth
- washable tempera paints
- small plastic containers
- paintbrushes
0
0
Getting Ready
Secure a large framed mirror either on a wall or against a wall. Place it where there is natural lighting for the children. Place a drop cloth or plastic tablecloth below the mirror. Place washable tempera paints in a small plastic containers.
How To
Children will be mixing colors to get new colors by painting on the mirror. They can use their hands or paintbrushes to paint. At first, the children will see their reflection in the mirror, but eventually, the mirror will be covered with paint.
Hint: For young toddlers, use an acrylic mirror for this activity. The acrylic mirror is lighter and shatter resistant.
- When the children have finished painting and the paint is still wet, create a monoprint. Do this by placing a piece of white construction paper against the wet mirror and rubbing the back of the paper. As you gently pull the paper away from the mirror, you will see a copy of the original art.
- When the paint has dried, give the children sponges and water to clean the mirror. The cleanup can be as fun as the painting!
Children will gain an understanding of reflection and of blending and mixing colors. They will explore their senses as they paint with their hands.
112
2017
Jean Barbre
Art
Baby Steps to STEM
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Ball Painting
- small plastic swimming pool
- white butcher paper
- scissors
- masking tape
- liquid watercolor paints
- 4 or 5 different-size rubber balls
- bucket with soap and water for cleanup
0
0
Getting Ready
Purchase a small plastic swimming pool if
needed.
How To
Cut butcher paper to fit the bottom of the swimming pool and extend up the sides. Place a loop of folded- over tape in the middle and along the sides of the pool to help secure the paper. Place different colors of liquid watercolor paint on the paper. Let the children place the balls in the swimming pool. Ask three or four children at a time to hold on to the edge of the pool and help roll the ball back and forth. Children will gain a sense of their own bodies as they lift and lower the sides of the pool. Repeat the activity with clean paper so another group of children can join in the fun.
Hint: This can be a bit messy, so have children wear play clothes for this activity. Have buckets of soap and water handy for cleanup.
Remove the balls and leave the painted paper inside the pool. Capture the children’s footprints by asking three or four children to stand inside the pool. Brush liquid watercolor on their feet. Help them step out of the pool and walk on new pieces of white paper to capture their footprints.
Children will gain an understanding of motion, cause and effect, and blending colors as they lift the sides of a plastic swimming pool.
56
2017
Jean Barbre
Art
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Twig Painting
- liquid tempera paint in fall colors
- small containers for paint
- twigs and branches, about 4–8 inches in length
- magnifying glasses
- white construction paper
- masking tape
- water and paper towels for cleanup
0
0
Getting Ready
Place yellow, orange, brown, and green liquid tempera paints in small containers.
How To
Place the collected twigs on a table. Invite the children to touch and feel the twigs. Talk to them about what they see and feel. Model how they can use a magnifying glass to examine the bark of the twigs more closely. Tape one or two small twigs on a white piece of construction paper and give one sheet to each child. Invite the children to dip their fingers into the paint and use finger print marks to add fall leaves around the edges of the twigs.
Hint: You may want to collect twigs ahead of time in case you only find a few on your nature walk. Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
- Repeat this activity in the spring and paint with colors representing leaves and flowers.
- Give each child a twig to paint. Place a variety of colors on the table for painting. Once the paint on the twigs has dried, place all the twigs in a jar on the table for the children to enjoy.
Children will gain a sense of life and earth science as they collect twigs on a nature walk. They will observe and explore the leaves and flowers on plants and trees on their walk.
160
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Fine-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Baby Bubble Fun
- liquid bubble soap
- water
- large tub or an empty sensory table
- heavy- duty paint aprons or smocks
- towels
0
0
Place a small amount of liquid bubble soap in the bottom of the tub and fill with water. Swish your hands around to make as many bubbles as possible. Let the children watch as you make the bubbles. Show the children how you can lift the bubbles up and make mounds and small sculptures. Demonstrate how you can squeeze the bubbles between your fingers. Invite a few children at a time to play and create bubble sculptures. Show the children how to blow on the bubbles and watch how they float in the air.
Place toys such as a rubber duck, baby doll,
plastic manipulative, or plastic farm animal
in the water. Let the children experiment with
items that float and sink.
Children will explore the physical properties of water and the elasticity and shape of bubbles.
52
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Fine-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Here We Go
- Select a variety of push and pull toys, such as trucks, cars, planes, balls, buggies, wagons, and shopping carts. Toys should have a basket or container large enough to carry items.
- Toys and items to place in the push and pull toys, such as small balls, soft plush toys, dolls, cars, trucks, plastic animals
0
0
Provide children with a variety of large and
small push and pull toys. Identify the name and parts of each toy. Model for young children how to place items inside the toy. Count the toy items as children place them in the cart. Choose toys that can be used in both indoor and outdoor areas. Include large, sturdy push and pull toys that can help stabilize children who are learning to walk and stand on their own.
Set small toys, such as cars, trucks, and balls in baskets or containers that are easily accessible for play in all the learning centers, both inside and outside. Model how children can incorporate these toys with other play materials. For example, you could help the children build ramps out of blocks and show them how they can roll and push the cars down the ramp.
Children will gain a sense of the properties of physical science and simple machines, such as the push and pull of a cart or wheeled toy. They will gain number sense and operations as they place items inside the cart and then remove them.
94
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Hole in One
- large stacking rings
- pegboards
- sorting cubes or buckets
0
0
Place either stacking rings or a pegboard in
front of each child, along with some sorting cubes or buckets. Model how to place the rings on their post, the pegs in the pegboard, and rings and pegs into the sorting cubes or buckets. Talk about how there is a hole or space in the toy where the items are to be placed. At this age, the task for young children is to just explore how to place the rings, insert the pegs, or place the items into the sorting cube. Identify the colors and shapes being used, but don’t expect young children to get them in the correct order.
Hint: Offer one toy at a time. Children will just be exploring the materials and gaining a sense of where to place items on the pegboard or stacking ring.
- Help the child sort items by color or shape. Count the pegs or rings as the child engages in the activity.
- Separate the items by colors or shapes. Focus on one color at a time, and have the child identify another object that is the same color. In this modification, just introduce the concept of different colors, but don’t expect the child to understand color differentiation.
Children will experience understanding of
number sense, operations, cause and effect, and one- to- one correspondence by playing with a pegboard or a stacking ring.
96
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
Birth-6 Months
Let's Play Ball
Soft or rubber balls of various sizes. Select larger balls for younger children. Be sure the ball is large enough that the child cannot swallow or choke on it. Use smaller balls as the child gets older and develops more motor skills and dexterity.
0
0
Sit on the floor with the child. Have your feet touching or almost touching the child’s feet. With two hands roll the ball toward the child. Verbally describe what you are doing. Repeat the activity with the child rolling the ball toward you. Use different- sized balls for added learning opportunities. Repeat the above activity with two or three children sitting in a circle with their feet touching. Ask the children to roll the ball to the child across from them. When they have mastered this task, add a second, smaller ball into the circle.
- Alternate between rolling and bouncing balls. You may need more space for this extended activity.
- Other objects such as small cars or trucks can be used for rolling. Model how to set up a small incline plane so they can see how balls and trucks can roll faster with an incline.
Babies and toddlers are being introduced to the physical science property of motion as they roll and bounce balls. They are learning to classify the differences between objects as they play this activity.
104
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
STEM
Infant/Toddler
Preschool/KG
Liquid Sensory Bottles
- several clean, empty 16.9- ounce clear plastic water bottles
- water
- a few small rocks, toys, or heavy balls that can fit inside the water bottles
- vegetable oil
- food coloring
- funnel
- scissors
- colored duct tape
- dish-washing soap, optional
0
0
Getting Ready
Fill each bottle three-quarters full with water.
How To
Place the plastic bottle on a flat surface and set the funnel on top. Toddlers or younger children can take turns holding the bottle while you pour vegetable oil through the funnel. Toddlers and twos can help pour the vegetable oil into the funnel with assistance. Drop food coloring in the bottle and then drop the rocks or heavy balls into the bottle. Ask the children to watch as the items fall through the funnel into the bottle. Cut the colored duct tape and seal the top securely. Let the children examine and shake the sensory bottle.
Hint: If you wish to make a bubble sensory
bottle, add 2 tablespoons of dish-washing soap. Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
- Create a second liquid sensory bottle and eliminate the food coloring. To experiment with light, place the clear sensory bottle in front of an incandescent light or on a light table to observe the difference between the colored bottle and the clear one.
- Discuss the movement of the floating rocks or heavy objects, after the addition of the light.
Children will examine the physical properties of motion while observing objects as they sink or float inside the bottle.
108
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Fine-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Look What Absorbs!
- magnifying glasses
- eyedroppers
- small container of water
- plastic tray
- materials to test absorption, such as paper towels, small white paper plates, white coffee filters, cotton balls, aluminum foil, wax paper, sponges, plastic storage lids, small plastic toys
- clipboard
- towels for cleanup
0
0
Getting Ready
Collect items for testing and examining. Demonstrate to the children how to use a magnifying glass and an eyedropper.
How To
Fill a plastic container with water. Select a variety of different materials, such as small white paper plates, white coffee filters, cotton balls, aluminum foil, wax paper, and plastic storage lids, to test to see if they will absorb water or not and place on a plastic tray. Let the children examine and discuss each of the materials prior to testing. Share with the children how the different objects feel. Have the children use a magnifying glass to examine the objects up close. Ask the children which objects they hypothesize will absorb the water. Document the children’s predictions and findings on the clipboard. Invite the children to use the eyedroppers to drip water on the objects. Invite the children to investigate how water changes or doesn’t change the surface of the object. Line all the different materials on a table and discuss what children experienced. Count the number of objects that absorb water and those that did not. Document the children’s comments and findings on your clipboard.
Hint: Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
- Place a few drops of one food coloring in a small container of water. Ask the children to make predictions about what might happen as they add a second color to the water. Discuss that the two colors blend and get absorbed in the water. Discuss with the children what color they made when they added two colors together. For example, red and yellow will make orange.
- Have the children go for a hunt around the room to see what additional materials they would like to test for water absorption. Ask if they think the cement walkway will absorb the water. Ask the children if their skin will absorb water or not. Test out their answers.
Children will have opportunities to explore how different materials absorb water and the rate at which the water is absorbed.
110
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
2-Year
Ice Cold Mountains
- water
- variety of containers in which to freeze water, such as ice cube trays, gelatin molds, muffin tins, plastic storage boxes
- pictures of mountains
- camera
- small toys for freezing
- bowls of water
- salt
- several large buckets
- items for pouring water such as funnels, sponges, plastic cups, turkey basters
0
0
Getting Ready
Collect all the containers for freezing water and make space in the freezer for containers.
How To
Day 1: Show children pictures of mountains, and explain that you are going to build an ice mountain. Set out the empty containers that you plan to fill with water, and ask the child to sort and count them. Using the empty containers, assist the children in creating a plan or model for building their mountain. Take photos to document the model. You will need this for the construction on day 2. Talk about the properties of water, and discuss the children’s prediction on what will happen when the water freezes. Place the toy items in ice cube trays, gelatin molds, or ice molds, fill with water, and freeze overnight.
Day 2: Review the plan created the day before with the children. Un-mold the frozen water into several buckets. Sprinkle salt directly on the ice in the buckets and let the children build mountains of ice. Let the children use the items for pouring to add additional water to help the ice melt, and let them play in the water. After all the ice has melted, collect and sort all the small toys and count them. Document the building process.
Hint: Have a bucket of warm water handy in case little hands get too cold. Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
Instead of adding objects to the water, add
different colors of food coloring to the water. Children can make predictions about which color of ice will melt first and then build a colorful mountain. You can also add paper towels underneath it to see what colors blend together after the ice has melted.
Salt lowers the freezing point of water, forcing the ice to melt briefly and then refreeze. It’s important to note that salt alone can’t melt ice. It must first be combined with water to start the melting process.
98
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Move and Groove to the Music
• MP3 or CD player
• MP3s or CDs of music with various tempos,
from slow to fast
0
0
Talk to the children about how they can dance by twisting and twirling their bodies. Demonstrate these physical motions for the children. You may first want to twirl children under your arm or help them learn to twirl on their own. Turn on the music and let them twist and twirl their bodies to music. Children love to move their bodies to music and will enjoy watching the adults join them in this activity. Alternate the tempo and beat of the music, allowing children to move slower or faster depending on the beat of the music. Ask the children if they think the music will be fast or slow. Be sure to allow enough space between children that they don’t bump into each other. Adults can hold and move with babies while participating in this activity. Describe to the babies what you’re doing.
- After playing fast music, ask the children to put their hands on their hearts to feel it beating fast.
- Ask the children to pick out their favorite musical instrument to march and beat to the music.
- At circle time, ask children to pick a friend to dance with them while the rest of the children watch and clap to the music. Let children take turns dancing in the circle.
Children will gain an understanding of spatial awareness and how to move their bodies to music.
114
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
One, Two, That's My Shoe
- children’s shoes
- dress- up shoes, such as boots, high heels, or slippers
- 2 medium- size baskets
0
0
Have the children take off their shoes. Show the children each shoe and how they are similar or different. Identify them by color, type, and if they have laces or Velcro, among other attributes. Invite the children to place one shoe in each basket. The teacher will need to model this step for younger children. You may want to add some of the dress-up shoes in the basket too. One by one, let children pick out their own shoes from each basket, and then have them match the other children’s shoes. Return all the shoes to their original basket before the next child takes his turn.
Invite the children to sort the shoes and create AB patterns.
Children will gain an understanding of number sense and operations as they count, sort, and match shoes.
120
2017
Jean Barbre
STEM
Baby Steps to STEM
Social-Emotional
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Stack Them Up
- 12 red party cups
0
0
Place the cups out one by one for children to build and play. If they are building, talk to them about balance, stacking, and gravity. Explore ways they can problem solve to build a higher structure. Count the cups with children as they are building. The red cups are sturdy and can be brought out for play throughout the year.
Hint: Children may also choose to stack all the cups inside the other.
- Help the children build a tower with the red cups. Give them a ball and show them how to roll it toward the tower to knock it down. Let the children take turns building the tower and then knocking it down. Reinforce the concepts of building and gravity with the children.
- Give children small plastic toys, such as plastic farm or jungle animals, to add to the play and counting activity.
Children will gain experience building, stacking, and counting. Through this activity, children will learn about physical science and mathematics.
150
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Let's Stretch
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Stretching is always a good exercise, whether it is the arms, legs, or trunk doing the stretching. Lead the children in a little of each, remembering to stretch forward, backward, toward the ceiling, and toward the floor. (Note: Knees should always be slightly bent when stretching toward the floor.)
The next step is to simply issue the challenges and let the children respond in their own ways. Ask your toddlers to do these movements:
- reach for the ceiling
- kneel and stretch (“How many ways can you stretch while kneeling?”)
- sit and stretch
- lie on the back and stretch the legs toward the ceiling
- crouch low and then stretch up quickly, like a jack-in-the-box popping up
- stretch bodies high while the arms stretch low
Child is able to stretch body parts in each of the directions presented. Child can bend knees slightly when stretching forward at the waist.
29
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Tiny Steps/Giant Steps
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Establish an audible signal with the children (for example, two hand claps, a tap on the drum). Then instruct them to move with tiny steps until they hear the signal, at which time they begin taking giant steps. Continue to alternate, varying the amount of time they have to perform each.
Read this poem in its entirety, explaining anything you feel needs clarification, such as the difference between very big and very small. Then read it aloud again, moving with the children and pretending to be giants and elves.
See the giants, great and tall.
Hear them bellow, hear them call.
Life looks different from up so high,
With head and shoulders clear to the sky.
And at their feet they can barely see
The little people so very tiny,
Who scurry about with hardly a care
Avoiding enormous feet placed here and
there.
But together they dwell, the giants and elves,
In peace and harmony, amongst themselves.
Child is able to differentiate between tiny steps and giant steps. Child gains understanding of the concepts of giants (very big people) and elves (very tiny people.)
52
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Moving Backward
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
So far you have not had the children focus exclusively on moving in a backward direction. However, by now they will have acquired a respect for movement and for personal space, and they should be ready for this activity. Ask the children to move backward in the following ways:
- walking
- jumping
- with little (big) steps
- on hands and feet (hands and knees; for example, creeping)
- crawling (for example, on the tummy)
Perform Follow the Leader exclusively in a backward direction, each time using more challenging movements and movement elements, varying their pathways, levels, speed, and force.
Child has acquired respect for movement and for personal space.
83
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
The Tiptoe Song
“The Tiptoe Song” (Length 1:04)—CD Track 17
0
0
Tiptoeing is used here specifically as a method of exploring the movement element of force. For this activity, the children simply tiptoe along with the song. The lyrics are:
Can you tiptoe
Very quietly?
Can you tiptoe
Gently as can be?
Softly, softly,
Lightly do you go.
Softly, softly,
That’s how you tiptoe!
Sh-h-h-h!
Once children have mastered tiptoeing in a forward direction, challenge them to try it in sideways and backward directions. Suggest they try it both slowly and quickly, in different pathways and at different levels.
Child develops the ability to move lightly. Child gains understanding of the term moving lightly.
105
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Follow the Leader
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
In the reprise of this activity, lead the children throughout the room in the traditional manner, being sure to incorporate all of the loco-motor skills they have so far experienced and practiced. Also, include a variety of body shapes, tempos, directions, levels, pathways, stops and starts, and different amounts of force.
Practice those loco-motor skills and movement elements with which the children may have had some difficulty. Begin to introduce such new loco-motor skills as leaping and hopping.
Child develops the ability to replicate what the eyes are seeing.
122
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
See My Feet
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Talk to the children about all the different things their feet help them do, and then ask them to show you how they move when they do the following things. Possibilities include these:
walking
climbing stairs
running
kicking a ball
skating
stamping
jumping
dancing
Ask the children to suggest other things their feet help them do. Possibilities include tiptoeing, hiking, skiing, and bouncing. Challenge them to demonstrate. Note: this could be done as an extension of the activity while traveling from one space to another.
Child will develop understanding for the concept involved and the various roles performed by feet.
78
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Marching Slow/Marching Fast
“Marching Slow/Marching Fast” (Length 1:31)—CD Track 15
0
0
“Marching Slow/Marching Fast” offers two different marching tempos, requiring more bodily control from the children. For this lesson, simply play the tape and ask the children to march accordingly. The form of the song is AB, with A being the slow march and B the fast march.
Invite children to imagine they are also playing an instrument typically found in a marching band. Other possibilities include carrying a flag or banner or twirling a baton. Note: this activity can be used to travel from one space to another, or for waiting times as well.
Child develops good posture.
91
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Simon Says
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
This is an excellent body-parts activity, as it is challenging yet familiar to most children. I propose one major change, though: do it without the elimination process. In the traditional game, the children who need to participate the most are usually the first to be eliminated. Besides, elimination goes against the grain of a success-oriented philosophy! Initially, you should say “Simon says” before each of the following challenges. (Note: If your children do not understand the concept of your pretending to be someone called “Simon,” have a favorite stuffed animal state the commands, using the animal’s name in place of “Simon.”)
Raise your arms.
Touch your head.
Stand up tall.
Touch your shoulders.
Pucker up your mouth.
Stand on one foot.
Place your hands on your hips.
Bend and touch your knees.
Close (then open) your eyes.
Reach for the sky.
Give yourself a hug!
To make the activity more challenging and to emphasize listening skills—play the game the traditional way, sometimes saying “Simon says” and sometimes not saying it. However, place the children in two separate circles or lines first. Then, instead of being eliminated, children who move without Simon’s permission can simply change groups or lines, allowing for constant participation and more chances to succeed! Note: this activity can be used for waiting times as well.
Child is able to identify body parts as well as develop listening skills.
100
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
Let's Tiptoe
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Generally speaking, you can expect your toddlers to take about four steps on tiptoe by the time they reach twenty-seven months. Give walking on tiptoe a try here, and see what happens!
Invite the children to imagine they are cats sneaking up on something. What is it about the way cats use their paws that enable them to move so quietly? Note: this activity can be used to travel from one space to another, or for waiting times as well.
Child learns to move on the balls of the feet only as well maintaining balance while on his toes.
104
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Toddlers Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Infant/Toddler
18-24 Months
The Body Song
“The Body Song” (Length 2:11)—CD Track 18
0
0
Read each line of the following poem as slowly as necessary to allow the children ample time to respond—but not enough time to let boredom overtake those who respond more quickly.
Show me you can touch your toes,
Then bring your hand up to your nose.
Put a smile upon your face,
Do it all in your own space!
Bring your elbows to your knees,
Then shake all over, if you please.
Straighten up with hands on hips.
Can you pucker up those lips?
Touch your ankle with your hand.
Upon one foot can you now stand?
Wiggle fingers in the air.
Shake your hips now, if you dare.
Close your eyes, then open quick.
Around your lips let your tongue lick.
With your shoulders you can shrug.
Give yourself a great big hug!
Extending the Activity: When the children are ready, do the activity musically. The song is the same as the poem, only set to music and with a chorus. To the words of the chorus, they should open and close their arms (twice) on the first and third lines, and shrug on the second line. The fourth line is self-explanatory!
The chorus is as follows:
The body, the body;
What parts do you know?
The body, your body;
Touch it high and low!
Child learns to identify body parts. Child practices listening skills and can respond to the challenge presented in the poem.
108
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Jungle Zone Mural
- Jungle animal pictures
- Paper
- Art supplies
- Computer and printer
0
0
Children will work as a group to make a class mural with a jungle theme. Create a jungle board in the shape of a tree and place it on a wall. Use cotton balls behind the leaves to make them three-dimensional. Ask children to tell you what animals they would like to make. Assist them in looking up information and pictures on the computer of their chosen animals. Share some information about the animals and print one animal picture for each child. Children can pick out materials from the art supplies to make their animals. Let them work freely. Ask them to tell you where to put their completed animals on the mural. Allow them to be silly and creative. For example, they may want to put the forest elephant in the tree or hang the tiger from a branch. You can also attach the computer pictures to the animals. Make sure both items go home with the children when it is time for the mural to come down. When the mural is complete, ask the children to share their thoughts about how it turned out. Encourage them to use positive words to talk about the finished job.
- Before you share what you have found about their animals, ask the children to tell you what they already know. You may be surprised. See if some of their answers match what you found on the computer and point out what may be different. Have a discussion involving other children by asking what they think.
- Other murals can be made: a farm, garden, or pumpkin patch. Let the children help you make the mural. Ask them for input and then follow their directions.
Children are learning about being a part of something bigger than themselves when they contribute to the class mural. They are learning to be creative and they also are learning what real animals look like. They are learning how to access information on the computer and discovering that the Internet is a tool for finding answers to questions.
113
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Disappearing Art
- Black construction paper
- Snowflakes or ice cubes
- A portable CD or MP3 player with music
0
0
This is a magical lesson that complements the weather. Take the children outside on a snowy day. Give each of them a piece of black construction paper. Play some music, and ask the children to move around, catching snowflakes on their paper. See what they create and how they move to the music. Bring the paper art indoors and see what happens when their creations melt. If you live where it does not snow, children can use ice cubes to draw on the paper and see what happens when it dries.
- Ask children to use white or other colors
of paper and see what works best to view
the snowflakes.
- Bring a dish of snow into the classroom
and watch what happens as it warms up.
- Complete experiments to see what melts
faster: snow that is spread out or snow
compacted into a snowball. See what
happens when the snow is put next to the
heater or in the microwave.
Children are learning creative expression
when they move around to music and collect snowflakes. They are experiencing nature and observing the different patterns formed by the falling snowflakes.
122
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Beach Scene
- Paper
- Glue
- Paintbrush
- Sand
- Shells
- Sea life pictures
0
0
Summer at the sandy beach is the theme for this art project. Give each child a piece of paper. Have them spread glue around the paper with a paintbrush. Let them sprinkle sand over the glue. Encourage children to feel the sand on their hands and fingers before putting it on the picture. Children can also add seashells or pictures of sea life or sand creatures, such as crabs and turtles, to add to their artwork.
- Children can complete this project wearing sunglasses, as if they were at the beach.
- Put all of the pictures together to make a
large beach. Ask children to paint a large
sheet of paper blue for the ocean, and add
fish and other sea creatures to the water.
Children are feeling sand in their fingers and
experiencing the sensory input. They are
learning about different environments.
127
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Marble Paintings
- Paper
- Marbles
- Paint
- Shirt boxes
- Paint shirts
0
0
In this activity, children are exploring how to use marbles as painting tools. If you have a theme for the week, cut out related outlines for the children, such as hearts or trees. This project is just as fun when you use a whole sheet of paper and allow the children to cut out their own shapes after the painted paper is dry. Place the paper, marbles, and blobs of the child’s choice of paint colors in a shirt box. Ask children to hold the edges of the box and tip them back and forth to roll the marbles around, making paint trails. Frame the pictures, or ask the children to cut out designs when the paper is dry.
- The children can use marbles of different
sizes to see if it is easier or more difficult to move them around in the box.
- Ask the children to think of other things to put into the box for painting, and let them try out their ideas.
- Use a tube that can be closed at both ends, such as a potato chip tube. Add paper, paint, and marbles, and encourage the children to shake the tube to make artwork.
Children are using their motor skills to shake the box and move the marbles. They are creating unique pieces of art. When they choose the paints to use, they can work on color names.
146
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Rubbings
- Paper
- Tape
- Leaves
- Crayons
0
0
For this activity, the children will explore nature and use the leaves that they collect to create a project. Tell them to go outside to search for fallen leaves. Ask them to bring the leaves back inside and arrange them on a flat table. Place a piece of paper over the top of the arrangement and tape it down at the corners. Provide the children with crayons, and ask them to draw back and forth over the leaves. Doing so will create a rubbing of the leaves on the paper. Hang their leaf prints up when they are done.
- Ask children to look for other items they
can use for rubbings.
- Let the children experiment with thickness to discover which items work well and which items are more difficult.
- Children can experiment with chalk, colored pencils, and other media to see which work best for rubbings.
Children are bringing nature indoors. They
are using their fine-motor skills to create the
rubbings from the leaves. They are observing
textures and patterns while they work.
147
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Art
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Body Outlines
- A roll of craft paper or newsprint
- Markers, crayons, and colored pencils
- Art supplies, including material, yarn, and buttons
- Glue
- Scissors
- Mirrors
0
0
Children will make and decorate life-sized outlines of themselves. Have each child take a turn lying down on a large sheet of paper. Encourage them to arrange their arms and legs in an interesting position and trace around the whole body with a fat marker. Provide art supplies and ask children to decorate their outlines. They can add material and buttons for clothing and yarn for hair, making their outlines three-dimensional if they choose. Talk about emotions while they draw facial details: How will they show themselves feeling? Why? You can provide mirrors for them to use, so they can see what they look like and attempt to recreate their
appearance.
- Ask children to practice labeling the different body parts on their outlines.
- Encourage the children to pose their outlines at the snack table, by the computers, and playing with toys. Take photographs of the outlines in different areas of the room.
Children are thinking about their physical and
emotional selves while they work. They use
fine-motor skills to add items and color to
their self-portraits.
123
2019
Rae Pica
Social-Emotional
Acting Out
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Bread and Butter
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Whisper the word bread or butter into the ear of each child. Try to whisper an equal number of each word. Then give the children a signal to start walking around the room. When they come face-to-face with another player, the two children say their assigned roles. If one says, “Bread,” and the other says, “Butter,” they hug, fist-bump, or high- five and then go on their way. If both children say the same word, they just move along. The goal is to “butter” as much “bread” as possible before you signal the children to stop.
Matching is a math concept. To bring in science, before conducting the activity, hold a discussion about the role of bread and butter in nutrition.
To promote cooperation and flexibility. To promote matching skills.
55
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Pass a Movement
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Stand in a circle with the children. Perform a simple action, such as jumping one time or bending and straightening the knees. The child to your right or left performs the same action, and so on all the way around the circle. The hope is that the action looks just the same when it gets back to you. Start again with a new action or, if the children are ready to handle the responsibility, let them take turns beginning the process.
Cooperation and the self-regulation involved in waiting for a turn fall under the content area of social studies. The sequential movement around a circle involves math concepts.
To observe and copy a movement. To coordinate movements with one's body and to promote self-regulation. To encourage cooperation and patience.
38
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Pass a Rhythm
- Rhythm sticks
0
0
Sit in a circle with the children and clap out a simple rhythm (for example, a count of one- two) on your lap or on the floor in front of you. (Counting the beats aloud at first will help the children succeed.) The child next to you repeats that rhythm, and the game continues in a similar manner around the circle. When it’s your turn again, start the game with a different rhythm (for example, a count of one- two- three).
Later you might choose to use rhythm sticks rather than hands to add variety to the activity. The active listening involved in this game falls under the heading of emergent literacy, while rhythm is a component of both emergent literacy and music. Moving sequentially around a circle links the activity to math.
To listen and replicate rhythms and sounds with instruments or your body.
39
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Adding and Subtracting
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
The children sit in a circle on the floor. When you call out a child’s name, that child gets up and stands in the center of the circle. Ask the remaining children how many people are in the center. Once they’ve answered, call out another child’s name. That child joins the child already in the center. Ask the remaining children how many people are in the center now. Continue like this until you’ve invited as many children as you want into the center, asking the group each time how many there are. Then begin subtracting the children one at a time.
Math is the content area experienced here, both with the quantitative concept of how many and the simple computation.
To learn about quantity and practice counting.
44
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Body-Park Break
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Call out the name of various body parts, asking the children to show the designated body parts to you. Start with those most familiar to the children. Once you’ve addressed familiar body parts, move on to more challenging ones, like ankles, wrists, thighs, and shins. Eventually begin increasing the tempo at which you call out the body parts. The children love this!
Body- part identification falls under the content area of science for young children. If you vary the tempo at which you call out body parts, you’ll be introducing the children to an element of music.
To learn about and identify body parts. To build vocabulary.
91
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Bend and Stretch
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Invite the children to do the following actions, which contribute to the fitness factor of flexibility:
- Stretch as though picking fruit from a tall tree.
- Flop like you’re a rag doll.
- Stretch as though you’re waking up and yawning first thing in the morning.
- Bend as though to tie your shoes.
- Stretch as if to put something on a high shelf.
- Bend as if to pat a dog, an even smaller dog, then a cat.
- Stretch as if to shoot a basketball through a hoop.
- Bend as if you’re picking up a coin from the floor.
- Stretch as though reaching for a star.
If you discuss up, down, high, and low, you link this activity to math. If you talk about lengthening the muscles during stretching and the action of the joints involved in bending, you bring in science.
To engage the body. To take a mind break.
91
2019
Rae Pica
STEM
Acting Out
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Being Seeds
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Talk to the children about how seeds are planted in the ground and how, with rain and sunshine, the seeds slowly grow into flowers, vegetables, trees, or other plants. Ask the children what they would like to grow into if they were seeds. Once the children have made their decisions, invite them to get on the floor in the smallest possible shape, imagining that they’re tiny seeds planted in the earth. Move around the room, alternately pretending to be sunshine and rain, and encouraging the children to grow very slowly until they’re as big as they can be, taking on the shapes of whatever plants they’ve chosen.
The concept of growing seeds is, of course, science. You might choose to do this activity when you’re planting actual seeds in your setting or in your outdoor area. The word slowly is an adverb, which falls under the content area of emergent literacy.
To learn about the life cycle of plants. To promote self-control and movement. To build vocabulary.
76
1997
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Dancing with Your Feelings
- music
- music player
- a video camera
- a video monitor
0
0
Play music samples representing various genres (country, blues, jazz, classical, hip-hop, and so on). Select music with a variety of beats, words, and paces. Invite children to dance with you to each type of music. After each sample of music, ask children how they felt when they heard the music. Show respect for everyone’s feelings, and help children understand differences in preferences and in emotional reaction. Make a video of the activity, and at a later time let children study facial expressions and body language for signs of feelings.
Invite children to choose from the
classroom or bring from home music
that makes them feel happy and
want to dance. Play the music for
children to share with others, and
talk about how it makes them feel.
Repeat the activity using different
music. Read and discuss My Mama Sings by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson. Play a variety of music and invite children to play rhythm band instruments. Ask them how they felt during the activity. Remember that acceptable answers may include being
bored. Lead children in making different
sounds (groaning, sighing, mumbling, squealing, yawning, cooing, screaming, and so on). Encourage them to really get into the sound, making it several times. See if they can suggest other sounds for the
group to make together. Ask how each sound made them feel.
To express feelings through music and dance. To listen and respect other children's feelings. To study facial expressions and body language.
20
1997
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Give It a Try
- Bucket of rocks
- When Lizzy Was Afraid of Trying New Things by Inger Maier
0
0
Show children a bucket of rocks. Take one out, and tell the children about something new that you have tried. Then invite each child to take a rock and talk about something new he has tried. If a child has nothing new to share, help her find a fast and easy new thing to do, like making a funny face or a strange sound. Tell children that trying new things means a change from the old, and it can be scary for some. Let them know you are going to read a story about Lizzy being afraid. Read and discuss When Lizzy Was Afraid of Trying New Things by Inger Maier.
Play, dance to, and listen to the words of “Sleepoverland” by Justin Roberts. Ask children if they have ever spent the night somewhere other than where they live, maybe with a friend, an aunt, or grandparents. Listen to stories they share, and let them know that even though it
sometimes can be frightening, it also can be great fun to have a sleepover. Read and discuss The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein or Nobody’s Perfect: A Story for Children about Perfectionism by Ellen Flanagan Burns. Show children a set of training
wheels, and ask if anyone knows what they are and why they are used. Play and listen to the words of “Taking Off My Training Wheels” by Justin Roberts. Talk with children about how the child in the song felt. Read and discuss PEEP! A Little Book
about Taking a Leap by Maria van Lieshout.
To reflect on times when children tried something new. To encourage risk-taking. To practice sharing in a group.
57
1997
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Living or Not
- living things (plants, a fish, an earthworm, a child)
- things not living or that have died (rocks, a plastic toy, a cloth doll, a stainless steel spoon, dead bugs)
- What’s Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
0
0
Show children a display that includes living things and things that are not living or have died. Include at least one display item per child. Ask children if someone can explain what alive (or living) means. Clarify that when something is alive, it drinks, eats, grows, moves, and responds to what goes on around it. Read What’s Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. Invite children to sort the items into living and not living groups. If they have trouble deciding,
help them by asking questions, for example, “Do you think it grows?” Point out
that the bug used to be alive and grew, but now it is no longer living. Let them know that we call it dead or deceased when something or someone was alive but is not alive any longer.
Play “Safari” by Eek-A-Mouse. Explain to children that a safari is a land trip to see animals that are free in their natural habitat, unlike a zoo. Tell them that some people go on a safari to hunt (and kill) animals but most go to watch and take
photographs. Go on a playground safari to look for things that are dead and things
that are alive. Encourage children to look up in the sky and to examine the ground closely. Provide magnifying glasses, binoculars, and cameras. Discuss with children their findings. Tell children that living people and animals breathe. Show children how to put their hands close to their nostrils to feel their breath when
they exhale. Let children put their hands near the nostrils of a classroom doll to feel that no air is being exhaled. Show them how to hold their breath, and let them practice. Explain that just holding their
breath does not make them dead. Read Epossumondas Plays Possum by Coleen Salley. Explain to children that playing possum means acting like you are dead, but when you act like you are dead, you are still alive. Invite the children to play possum.
To learn the qualities of living and non-living things. To learn about dying. Dead or deceased means when something or someone was alive but is not alive any longer.
33
1997
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Feeling Sorrow
- a variety of sympathy cards
0
0
Introduce and explain the word sympathy to children. Read a few sympathy cards to them and talk about what they mean. Select cards that express emotion without representing specific religions. Let children know that some people send sympathy cards to friends when someone they love dies but not everyone follows this practice. Assure children that most people feel really sad when someone they love dies, and the sympathy cards let them know that a friend is thinking about them.
Read I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas. Help children identify missing as one of the many emotions we feel when someone we love dies. Read Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola. Let children know that telling stories about someone you love who dies can help you
feel better. Read and discuss My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey by Jeanne Walker Harvey. Talk with children about how some
people express their emotions by telling stories or painting, and others express their emotions by singing. To follow up, play selected blues music. Share with children that some people believe they should celebrate the time they had with a loved one who dies. One way to celebrate is to
laugh. Encourage children to offer special “giggle stories” to the group about any pet, friend, or relative who has died.
To learn about sympathy. To learn about the practice of giving cards after someone dies used in some cultures. To explore and discuss feelings of grief and loss.
69
1997
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte M. Hendricks, Becky S. Bennett
STEM
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Taking a Census
- blank paper
- markers
- crayons
- colored pencils
- a stapler
- tape
0
0
Talk briefly about what a census is, how it is conducted, and why it is important. Involve each child in making a census booklet by stapling several pieces of blank paper together. For safety reasons, have them place tape over the staples. Children should create a title page for their booklet and include their name as author. Help children draw all of the people and pets who live with them. Be sensitive about the living situations of children, recognizing that some may have more than one household where they live and others may be homeless and live in shelters or cars. Focus on whom they live with rather than
where they sleep. Once their drawings are complete, help the children label their family members and pets. Encourage children to share their booklets with each other so they can see the various kinds of families. Help children be respectful and help them understand family structures different from their own.
Create a census chart with each child’s name down the left side and family member titles (Ma, Sister, Uncle, Baby) across the top. Be sure to include all family member titles represented in the children’s families. Look at each child’s census booklet and help each of them enter the correct numbers on the class chart to
reflect their family. Remember that children may have more than one grandmother or mother, so using numbers rather than a check mark may more accurately reflect the families. Add each category, and talk with
children about the totals for the class. Play and sing songs related to family, including “The Family Song” by Grenadilla, “How Many People in a Family” by the Cat’s Pajamas, and “How Many People” by John
McCutcheon. Read and discuss a variety of books about family, including The Family
Book by Todd Parr, All Kinds of Families! by Mary Ann Hoberman, Families by Ann Morris, A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager, and Asha’s Mums by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse.
To record information about their family. To learn about differences in families and family structure.
30
2018
Lavinia Roberts
Social-Emotional
A Little Drama
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Feel It Out
You can incorporate this into many different stories or books. The book used as an example is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems.
0
0
While you are reading the picture book, stop and ask the children how the main character might feel. For example, while reading Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, ask, “How is the pigeon feeling right now?” Let the children answer, for example, “Mad.” If you have time, you can even ask, “Have you ever felt that way? When?” Then encourage the children to make a face that matches that feeling. For
example, say, “Let’s all make a mad face! On the count of three. 1, 2, 3, mad face!” Let the children show you their mad faces. Do a mad face with the children. When you relax your face, they should relax theirs. If you have time, you can even briefly discuss things you do when you are mad to make yourself feel better.
The following are storybooks that explore emotions:
- Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda
- Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
- ?The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas
- The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
- ?The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! by Mo Willems
Helps children develop a love for stories. Incorporates movement and drama into storytelling. Encourages active listening and role-playing.
153
2018
Lavinia Roberts
Language-Literacy
A Little Drama
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Literary Detectives
- a picture book children are not familiar with - sticky notes
0
0
Cover the text of a picture book with sticky notes. Show the children the picture book, and let them improvise the text for the book. Ask them, “What are the characters saying?” Write it onto the sticky notes. Do this for each page, as long as the children remain engaged. If they begin losing interest, only do it for a few pages. Make sure every child gets an opportunity to contribute if he would like to. After you have finished, read aloud the book that the children wrote. Remove the sticky notes. Read the book again, this time without the sticky notes. Discuss the differences and what the class liked about both versions.
This activity is great for children to improvise dialogue and use critical thinking and creativity to decide what is happening in a picture book. This activity can be used as an imaginative play activity.
This activity is great for children to improvise dialogue and use critical thinking and creativity to decide what is happening in a picture book. This activity can be used as an imaginative play activity.
158
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
Language-Literacy
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Alpha Box
- twenty-six different bins (use recycled baby wipe boxes with large openings for little hands to reach inside)
- items that represent each letter of the
alphabet (e.g., bean bags, buttons, bells)
- letters (use large sturdy letters like those
found in wooden puzzles or foam sets)
0
0
Keeping items that start with each letter of the alphabet in a separate box will help children become familiar with a variety of objects that relate to the letter. This helps with word recognition and beginning and ending sounds. Let children play with related objects and practice making the letter sound, writing the letter shape, etc. Frequently change the items in the box.
Have children go on a scavenger hunt to find the alphabet objects to put in the box. Label items and their placement on shelves to grow vocabulary. Use a variety of materials with different textures so children can distinguish the shapes and objects. Use objects that reflect materials found in children’s homes. Label items in English and another language, such as one spoken by children in your program.
Help children become familiar with a variety of objects that relate to letters. This helps with word recognition and beginning and ending sounds.
70
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
Language-Literacy
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Rhyming Scavenger Hunt
- objects with names that rhyme (coat, boat, goat)
- paper
- pencils
0
0
Introduce rhyming words by reading classic nursery rhymes to children. Have children go on a scavenger hunt to find items that rhyme. They can check the objects off a list. Make a chart with pictures so non-readers can identify the object and place a mark next to it. Or they can collect the objects and bring them back to the circle.
Make up new rhymes from the objects collected. Write them in a book or on a large piece of paper to display in the room. The older the children, the more complex the rhyme should be. Ask them to come up with a rhyme using the names of all the objects they find and tell it to the group. Use materials with various textures, weights, and colors. Use rhyming words that stretch vocabulary, including words in other languages.
Help children become more sound conscious. Promotes divergent thinking, receptive and expressive language, and critical thinking
74
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
Art
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Homemade Scratch and Sniff Books
- heavy paper, such as card stock
- stapler
- powdered drink mix
- water
- paintbrushes
0
0
Create a story with pictures that might be represented by a flavor of powdered drink mix, perhaps a bunch of grapes, cherries, or lemons. Then mix a packet of powdered drink mix with two tablespoons of water to create a thick paint. Let children paint the pictures in the book with the mix, and allow them to dry. Later, when the children scratch the picture, they will be able to smell the scent.
Try real produce to create the same scents. If you rub a real grape on the paper, does it smell like a grape? Try this activity with textured paper, such as sandpaper. The added roughness of the paper will create a deeper sensory experience when scratched. Some fine-grade sandpaper will go through inkjet printers, or you can use a marker to draw the shape on the sandpaper. Create scented paint using different spices.
Promotes sensory-motor skills, predicting, cause and effect, and creative thinking.
114
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
Art
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
What's In The Bag?
- paper bags
- feathers
- stickers
- cotton balls
- foam shapes
- fabric swatches
- small rocks
- small pieces of sponge
0
0
Place a variety of art objects into enough paper bags to have one bag for each child. Give each child a different bag, and ask him to make something with the items in the bag. Someone may ask if she has to use all the items. I’d say the more the better, but I want this activity to be open ended, so I’d let the child decide. Watch what happens when the children let their creativity fly. Compare what they made with their supplies. How are they alike? How are they different?
Put different articles in each bag, or put the same articles in each bag. See which is more interesting or who comes up with the most similar or different ideas. Include a variety of sensory materials in each bag. Bumpy, smooth, soft, hard—try to get as many different tactile things as possible. Include objects that might be common in various cultures, such as different types of tree bark, bird feathers, cloth, or fabric. Look for art books in the library that show pictures of art from different places around the world.
Promotes predicting, flexible thinking, sensory-motor skills, and creativity.
115
2014
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte Hendricks, Becky S. Ben
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
My Favorites
Materials identified by children
0
0
Designate a “My Favorites” day for each child. On the designated day, allow the child to bring a favorite toy, wear a favorite article of clothing, have a favorite story read, lead a favorite game, sing a favorite song, and sit in a favorite spot. Encourage discussion about why the child likes these things, and show appreciation and support for the choices.
1.) Have a series of “My Favorite” days, each with a different focus, such as “Favorite Book Day” or “Favorite Thing about Myself Day.” Encourage each child to select his favorite for the day and share it with the group. 2.) Create a chart of favorite games you play with the children. Put their names down the side and the game names across the top. Each child then places an X in the correct box to indicate a favorite game. With the children, count the votes for each game, and let them know which game is the favorite of the most people in the group. 3.) Read and discuss You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney. Talk about how sometimes there is not a single favorite and how people can like several things (or people) in equal amounts. 4.) Play, sing, move to the music, and talk about the song “My Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews or some other performer. Encourage children to think about their own favorite things about themselves and share them.
Promote building self esteem. Promote awareness of others.
11
2014
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte Hendricks, Becky S. Ben
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Look at Me
An unbreakable hand mirror for each child
0
0
Distribute to each child a mirror that is easy and safe to handle. In small groups, ask the children to look at themselves in their mirrors. Encourage them to make many kinds of faces. Then give them directions to make a happy face, a very happy face, a sad face, a very sad face, a mad face, a very mad face, an afraid face, a very afraid face. After they make each face, ask a few children to describe what their faces looked like, specifically their mouths and eyes. Talk with the children about how looking at a person’s face may help us know how that person is feeling, but it also helps to use words to tell how we are feeling.
1.) Read Feelings to Share from A to Z by Todd and Peggy Snow. Help children understand that people have many various feelings and that everyone has emotions 2.) Encourage children to make faces using playdough. Ask children to talk about the feeling each face is showing. 3.) Let children use paper sacks or paper plates to make a series of masks showing different feelings. Help them measure where the eyeholes should be cut so they can wear their masks safely. Encourage children to talk about the feelings their masks are showing. 4.) Invite children to use string to measure their smile. Once they have their smile length of string, tell them to
cut the string and measure it with a ruler. Encourage children to compare the string lengths of their smiles. Repeat with a frown, a scowl, and other facial expressions.
Encourage children to identify and act out emotions in specific situations. Children will begin to display acceptable behavior for expressing various emotions. Children will cope with situations by exhibiting for expressing.
17
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Pop Goes the Weasel
music player
0
0
Ask children to walk to this familiar melody, jumping lightly into the air each time they hear the “pop.” If you have a large enough space, you can instruct the children to walk freely about the room. Otherwise, you might suggest the group walk in a circle.
You can make this activity more challenging by asking children to change direction with each jump, to jump and clap with each pop, or to do all three at once. To fully explore the movement element of ow, ask the children to freeze each time they hear the pop, moving again only when the next phrase of the music begins.
69
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Let's Shake
music player
0
0
With this exercise, children will discover they can shake various body parts, as well as the whole body, and at different levels in space. Issue the following challenges:
• Shake your whole body.
• Sit and shake just one hand; the other; both together.
• Shake your hands in front of you; to either side; up high; down low. • Find another part of your body to shake. Then another.
• Kneeling, how many parts of your body can you find to shake?
• Lie on your back and shake one part; another; your whole body.
• Is it easier or harder to shake while lying on your tummy?
1. ) Discuss the meaning of the words shaking, wiggling, and vibrating with the children, and ask them to show you how they can do the following:
• move like a snake
• move like soup when the bowl is shaken • shake and vibrate like a baby’s rattle
• quiver like a leaf in the wind
• shiver as though very, very cold
• shake like a battery-powered toothbrush 2.) “Shake It High/Shake It Low” provides some additional experience with the skill of shaking, as well as the three levels in space and the isolation of body parts. When the chorus calls for shaking “in the middle,” it refers to shaking the body or part at the middle level (standing). A low level is anything lower than that, and a high level is either on tiptoe or with feet coming off the floor.
Child demonstrates an understanding of the concept of shake. Child can relate to imagery involved with activity. Child demonstrates understanding of three level in space.
56
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Rabbits and 'Roos
Music player
0
0
Talk to the children about rabbits and kangaroos, discussing with them the difference in the size of these animals and, therefore, in the force of each animal’s jump.
Play “Rabbits and ’Roos,” having the children jump like rabbits during the “rabbit” sections of the music and like kangaroos during the “’roo” parts. The song begins with two verses for the rabbits (A) and two for the ’roos (B); the entire form is AA, BB, AA, BB, AB.
Because this activity focuses on light and heavy—and the music sets the tempo—you do not want to suggest varying the elements of force and time. However, you can suggest the children move in different directions and pathways as they pretend to be rabbits and kangaroos. Another alternative is to divide the class in two, with half acting as the rabbits and the other half as the kangaroos.
Promotes listening skills and can identify the musical changes. Child demonstrates the ability to jump correctly and understands the concepts between jumping heavy and jumping light.
75
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Dance Art Area
- 3 sets of pastel markers
- 2 or 3 sets of pastel chalk
- white drawing paper, 12 by 18 inches
- pastel construction paper
- 4 pairs of children’s design scissors
- several pencils
- 3 glue containers, with spreaders
- collage tray, with dried flower petals, colored eggshells, and colored feathers
- collage tray, with assorted seeds
- 4 roller bottles, with pastel paint
0
0
Once again the natural materials of the season are introduced into the art area. Dried flower petals, colored eggshells, and feathers are included for collage. Pastel paper choices reflect traditional seasonal colors. Since spring falls near the end of the school year and the children are thus experienced in using the art area, some more unusual implements, such as roller bottles for painting, are included. Fresh flowers or an artist’s print of flowers add a spring flavor to the art area.
Helpful Hints
Thin the paint for the roller bottles with water. Otherwise it may clog the tops. Deodorant bottles are a free source of roller bottles. The tops come off for cleaning and refilling. Floral shops may be willing to donate dried flower petals since they often throw them out. Inexpensive potpourri is also a good source, if it is nontoxic. Eggshells can be colored quickly with food coloring and water.
Some teachers prefer to keep the roller bottles at the easel, where they are more contained and easier to manage.
Children will note the various collage materials will respond differently to glue. Children will experiment with how materials look when combined with colored glue. Children will experiment with fasteners to create moving body parts. Children will experiment with the variety of cuts made by the design scissors.
32
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Chalk
- white construction paper, 9 by 12 inches
- 4 sets of chalk, each with 3 or 4 colors
- 4 small trays or cups, to hold the chalk
- smocks (optional)
0
0
This activity introduces chalk as a drawing medium. As children experiment with chalk and compare it to the more familiar crayons, they quickly notice both similarities and differences. As with crayons, children can use both the end and the side of chalk. They can create lines, shapes, and representational forms with chalk, and any negative spaces left in their designs can be filled in with more chalk. On the other hand, chalk blends and smudges more easily than crayon, and its color and texture can be changed by spraying it with water. Children quickly observe that chalk leaves a dust residue on their paper. Chalk is available in several types. The most appropriate chalk for young children is thick sidewalk chalk or thin sticks of white or colored chalk sold in sets. Other types of chalk are more suitable for older children because they can stain both hands and clothing. Teachers can display colored chalk in a small tray so that children can quickly observe the selection of colors available.
Helpful Hints
Break each stick of chalk into two pieces to conserve the supply. Pieces of chalk about 1-inch long may encourage children to explore the effects of drawing with the flat side.
Focus on contrast by combining several colors of chalk with a black base, or white chalk with a dark base. Vary the color of chalk in response to children’s interest in seasonal changes, such as orange and yellow chalk with a dark brown base (autumn). Apply chalk to a wet base by first spraying the paper with water. Allow children to spray their chalk drawings with water after they draw. Change the size of the paper to 12- by 18-inch white construction paper.
Children experiment with chalk and compare it to the more familiar crayons. They will note that they can use both ends of the sidewalk chalk. Children will experiment and observe with the chalk blends and smudges more easily than crayon, and its color and texture can be changed by spraying it with water. Children will note that chalk leaves a dust residue on their paper.
62
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Crayon Melting
- one or more warming trays (depending on the number of adults to supervise)
- aluminum foil, cut to the size of the warming tray
- selection of large crayons, with the paper removed
- pot holder or child’s glove, for protection from the heat (optional)
0
0
This activity combines art with science exploration as children use crayons to draw on aluminum foil placed on top of a warming tray. As the crayons melt, they slide across the surface and produce brilliant colors. Although the warming tray does not get extremely hot on the surface, teachers must carefully supervise this activity. Teachers may want to use a variety of surfaces over a period of a few days to allow children to compare the results. Helpful Hints
Create crayons on a stick to elevate children’s hands high above the warming tray. Heat an oven to 250 degrees and turn it off. Place crayon shavings, about 1/2-inch deep, in muffin tins and melt in the oven. Insert a craft stick into the blob before it completely solidifies.
Substitute waxed paper, colored cellophane, or clear cellophane for the aluminum foil. Substitute colored foil for the aluminum foil. Vary the colors of crayons in the activity. Sprinkle glitter onto the melted crayon drawings.
Child will experiment with the crayons on the warming tray and observe the results. Some children may comment on the changes in the crayons as they melt and later return to a solid state. Some children will create lines, shapes, and designs with the crayons.
72
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Ice Cube Drawings
- colored ice cubes, made in plastic freezer pop molds by adding a drop of red, yellow, or blue food coloring to the water before freezing it
- white construction paper, 9 by 12 inches
- 4 trays, to hold the paper
- smocks
0
0
For this activity, children use colored ice cubes as drawing tools. The activity is an outgrowth of discoveries that children made while exploring an ice project in their class. In order to understand how to create ice, which was the children’s goal, they experimented with both clear and colored ice cubes. Children quickly began using the ice cubes as drawing tools. They were fascinated with the way the ice melted as they moved the ice cubes across the paper and eagerly described the lovely pastel lines left behind.
Helpful Hints
Store the ice cubes in a cooler so that they don’t all melt while children are waiting for a turn.
Emphasize narrow lines by switching to smaller ice cubes. Use colored ice cubes to create a group mural. Make colored ice in freezer pop molds for use at the easel.
Children will use this activity to extend their investigation of Ice and it's properties. They will distinguish between a solid and melting liquid using the liquid to draw creations on paper. They will use clear ice as well as combining colors and observe the changes.
82
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Paper Collage
- 4 trays (one for each child)
- white construction paper, 9 by 12 inches
- small squares of construction paper, all the same color (8 to 10 per child, replenished by the teacher as needed)
- 4 small trays, to hold the collage pieces
- 4 jar lids, each with a small amount of glue and a glue spreader
- smocks (optional)
0
0
Young children delight in dabbing glue onto paper and placing other colorful pieces of paper on top of the glue. Many children continue the process until they have several layers of paper and glue. Still other children may cover the paper with glue, but may or may not place any collage pieces on top of the glue. This activity suggests ways teachers can introduce paper collage to young children, as well as variations that encourage children to further explore this first collage activity. Repeated experiences with simple materials build a foundation for later, more complex collage activities.
Helpful Hints
For very young children, begin with a half sheet of paper for the base. They often glue only a few collage pieces to their paper.
Use other shapes of paper for collage pieces, such as triangles and rectangles.
Vary the color combinations:
- red, yellow, or blue collage pieces with a white or black base
- red, yellow, and orange collage pieces with a brown base (when children show interest in autumn colors)
- white collage pieces with a black base (when children notice snow on the ground, for example)
- black collage pieces with a white base (to focus on contrast, or when children show interest in shadows)
- pastel collage pieces with a white base (when children notice spring colors in the environment)
- several shades of the same color, such as blue or red, with a white base
Substitute paper plates for the base material. Cut the base paper into other shapes, such as pennants or squares.
Children will investigate the properties of glue and how it's properties work with different types of paper, and varying sizes and colors.
96
2019
Rae Pica
Transitions
Acting Out
Cross-lateral
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Walkabout
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Invite the children to walk in the following ways:
- in place while standing straight and tall
- with knees lifted high
- with tiny steps
- with giant steps
- step- step- stop (repeat)
- forward on the heels
- backward on tiptoe
- sideways while making their bodies very small
- quickly and zigzagging
- as quickly and lightly as possible
- in slow motion back to their seats
Children will build Directional and spatial awareness, while beginning to understand adjective words such as quickly and lightly.
89
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Hello, Good-Bye
- 6 pieces of white construction paper, 12 by 18 inches
- illustrations of children from various cultures, cut from calendars or magazines
- class picture, for the cover
- colored sentence strips, with one line of text printed on each page
- extra lamination film or clear acetate, to form pockets over the words hello and good-bye (see Helpful Hint)
- extra pieces of sentence strip, for word cards to put in the pockets
0
0
Children are fascinated with the way words look and sound in other languages. This predictable big book introduces “hello” and “good-bye” in many languages through a repeating poem.
"I make new friends the more I grow,
Did you ever wonder why
It’s much more fun to say “hello”
Than to have to say “good-bye.”"
Helpful Hint
Attach the pockets to the big book with clear packing tape after the pages have been laminated.
For young preschoolers, teachers may wish to begin with just one set of word cards from another language. Additional word cards can be used with older children.
Children will read along with the teacher. Children will quickly learn how to say "hello" and "Good-bye" in other languages. Some children will recognize the language the words are written in after several experiences. Children will enjoy reading the book to one another and inserting various word cards.
20
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Building Blocks
- white construction paper, 12 by 18 inches (one sheet per child), with the words to the song clearly printed on each sheet and blanks left for the name of each child and what he or she built
- divided tray containing construction paper collage pieces cut in the shapes and colors of table blocks
- glue containers
0
0
This big book is based on a repetitive song. It allows children to include their names in the song and tell what they like to build with blocks. Children use paper collage pieces cut into the shapes and colors of small wooden blocks to illustrate the pages of the book. Each child can contribute a page. Children are eager to read this class big book again and again. As they listen to the changes made to the text by each child, they increasingly focus on the written words.
Helpful Hints
Trace around table blocks to produce patterns for the collage pieces. You can print the words on a computer and then adhere them to the construction paper, or simply hand-print them directly onto the paper.
Older children may wish to draw representations of their block structures rather than glue collage pieces.
Children will quickly memorize the words to the song and follow along as they listen to the big book. Many children will learn to read the names of all of the children in the class. Some children will begin to read words from the book in other contexts. Children will begin to construct voice-print pairing and left-to-right orientation.
24
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Class Baby Book
- construction paper, 12 by 18 inches, one sheet per child, in assorted colors
- computer-generated text, mounted on the construction paper
- color copies of each child’s baby photo and current photo
- flap, made of laminated construction paper, attached to the book after the book has been laminated to hide the child’s current photo (see Helpful Hint)
0
0
This big book includes a baby photo and a current photo of each child in the class. The repeating text is perfect for emergent readers, and the photographs motivate children to read the book again and again with their friends.
"When I was a baby I looked like this,
Guess who it could be!
Now open the door and you can see,
It’s me!"
Helpful Hint
Attach the flaps to each page with packing tape after the book has been laminated.
For very young children, limit the text to the word baby printed next to the baby picture and the child’s name below the current picture.
Children follow along with the teacher, following the left-to-right progression and voice-print pairing. Encourages Phonetic Awareness. Encourages letter recognition.
26
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
What Is It?
- colored construction paper, 12 by 18 inches, with a small square cut in every other page to form a window
- pictures of animals or familiar objects, cut from magazines and mounted to the pieces of construction paper that do not have windows (each picture should be visible through the window of the page before it)
- black marker, to print several clues on each page, followed by the sentence “What is it?”
0
0
This teacher-made mystery book includes clues for each hidden picture and a tiny window through which to peek at just a portion of the picture.
Helpful Hint
Decide on the placement and size of the windows after the illustrations have been mounted.
Write simple, one-word clues for young children.
Children will read the repeated phrase on each page along with the teacher. Children will guess what the pictures are. Some children will base their guesses on the clues, while others will guess solely on the appearance of the picture. Some children will help read the clues.
32
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Pizza is Yummy
- brown poster board
- manila sentence strips for the poem
- brown marker
- illustration of pizza
- name card for each child and teacher in the class, made from white sentence strips, and laminated or covered with clear self-adhesive paper (the name cards should be cut to the exact size of the blank on the chart)
- word cards for pizza toppings such as cheese, mushroom, pepperoni, tomatoes, and green pepper, cut to the exact size of the blank on the chart
- illustrations of pizza toppings for the word cards
- ¾-inch paper fastener to attach the name cards
- self-adhesive Velcro to attach the pizza topping word cards
0
0
Children like to select their favorite pizza topping to include on this interactive chart. They also like to add their names and the names of their friends to the chart.
"Pizza is yummy.
We like it a lot!
La’Shawn likes pepperoni best
On the top!"
Helpful Hint
Use very small pieces of Velcro on the backs of the pizza-topping word cards. This makes removing the cards from the chart easier for children.
Place the picture cue for the pizza topping on the back of the word card. Older preschool and kindergarten children can verify their reading of the word by checking the back of the card. Provide slips of paper for children to write different pizza toppings. They can use cellophane tape to attach the paper to the chart.
Children will repeat the chant as they add their names and favorite pizza topping to the chart. Some children may add the topping but not change the name of the child. Many children will begin to recognize the differences in the spelling of the pizza topping words. Children may comment on the spelling of pepper in both pepperoni and green pepper.
72
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Social-Emotional
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Dull Day Holiday
-Small wrapped treats
-Watercolor paints or markers
-Pipe cleaners
-Paper coffee filters
0
0
SETUP
- This is a social activity in which children
move around the center or school to make
deliveries.
- Prepare an art center where children can
paint or use markers.
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
Have children decorate coffee filters with the paints. Place a small treat in the middle of each filter, and wrap it with the filter. Use a pipe cleaner to tie the filter at the top. Give several of these treats to pairs of children to deliver to other teachers or office staff. Including an adult to travel with each group is a good idea to ensure that children are practicing manners and politely addressing the teachers they are visiting. Children practice going up to classroom doors and knocking. Make sure they wait until someone answers the door before they go in. Ask them to share a special message and their treat with the teacher. This project can be used for “Happy May Day,” “Happy First Day of Spring,” or a spontaneous “Happy Thursday.”
ADAPTATION AND
ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
Ask children to make a special treat for different staff members for special occasions, such as birthdays or other holidays.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING ?
Children are learning how to approach a door and wait for a response. They are learning how to do something nice for another person and how it feels to share with others.
77
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Social-Emotional
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Hide-and-Seek Names
MATERIALS
No materials are required for this lesson.
0
0
SETUP
- This is a wonderful game to play during the first few weeks of school, when children are learning one another’s names.
- Have one child step out of the room with an adult.
- Then choose another child to hide somewhere in the room. This may be behind a door, under a desk, or beneath a blanket.
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
When the second child has hidden, the first
student should reenter the room, look at the group, and try to figure out who is missing. Encourage children to use the name of the child who is hiding and to share something that child is good at, such as doing puzzles, sharing, or writing her name. When children become accomplished at this game, they can recall details about the missing child. They might say something like, “It is the girl who has a green backpack and a sister named Sally.”
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- If you have children in your room who have difficulty with language, make a folder with labeled pictures of each classmate and teacher. The child can then point to the missing classmate instead of answering verbally.
- Make sure the child who is hiding knows that it is okay to pop out, bounce up, and shout “Surprise!” when the seeker guesses correctly.
- See what happens if nobody hides or if more than one friend is missing.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning the names of their classmates, which will help them initiate peer interaction during playtime. It is fun when the teacher and other adults hide as well.
73
2012
Julienne M. Olsom
Movement
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Music - The Arts
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Freeze and Go
MATERIALS
- Music
- CD or MP3 player
- Instruments with distinct sounds
0
0
GAME SETUP
Choose quiet music to play. Teach children the cues that tell them to take different actions. Tie each cue to a particular musical instrument. For example, children can freeze when you strike a xylophone and begin moving when you bang on rhythm sticks.
HOW TO PLAY
Start the music and tell children to move
around the room to it. Remind them to listen for and follow your musical cues. Use different styles of music so they can move in a variety of ways. Piano music may prompt them to move as if they are floating, while music with a drum beat may prompt them to stomp their feet.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
As children become confident about their
listening skills, you can choose instruments
that sound more alike. For example, use two sticks and a stick with a wood block so the children have to listen more carefully.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are using listening skills to discriminate among different sounds. They are following directions to freeze and start moving again. They are using self-expression and gross-motor skills when they dance around to the music and their skill in balancing in whatever position they must freeze in.
188
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Movement
200 Essential Preschool Activities
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Blanket Roll
MATERIALS
- Large blankets
0
0
GAME SETUP
This is an obstacle game in which everyone
can participate. The children will be learning about positional and special concepts while they travel through the obstacles. Set up four stations, as described below, with blankets at each station.
HOW TO PLAY
At the first station, four children hold the
corners of a blanket while the other children crawl under it. They lift the blanket high and low to see if their friends can walk under it or need to crawl on their bellies. At the second station, children take turns lying on the edge of a blanket. They grab the side and roll themselves up like hot dogs. Their friends can come over and pat on toppings like mustard, cheese, and onions. (Some children may not want to roll themselves up in the blanket, so allow them an extra turn at putting on toppings.)
The third station includes several sizes of
blankets. Ask children to guess how many
friends can fit on or under a blanket. They
should practice counting while they test their predictions. The sides of a large blanket can be sewn together to explore how many children can fit inside. The fourth station requires two adults. Ask them to hold the corners of the blanket
while a child lies in the middle. They pick up the corners so the child is above the floor and can be gently swung in the blanket. The rest of the children can sing “Rock-a-bye [child’s name].” The adults let the blanket down softly at the end of the song so the child can roll out.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- Use blankets made from different materials and talk about their textures.
- Hold story time on one of the big blankets.
- Ask children to practice folding the blankets at the end of the lesson. They will
need to work together to get the larger
blankets folded neatly.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning spatial concepts such
as high, low, on, and under. They are making predictions and experimenting with their ideas when they count how many friends fit on the blankets. They are learning about sizes when they figure out that the big blankets hold more children than the small ones. They are singing songs and working together to hold the corners of the blanket and add toppings on their hot dog friends.
190
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Movement
200 Essential Preschool Activities
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Leap Frog Lily Colors
MATERIALS
- Construction paper or felt
- Markers
- Pictures
- Dice
0
0
GAME SETUP
Leap Frog Lily Colors focuses on movement, counting, and color recognition. Make several lily pads from different colors of felt or construction paper. On the back of each pad, place a picture or write a word describing a gross motor skill—for example, hop, crawl, or jump. Position the lily pads in a circle in an open space on the floor.
HOW TO PLAY
Children shake the dice and then hop the
specified number of spaces while they pretend to be frogs jumping on lily pads. They identify the color of their pad and then flip it over to see what gross-motor movement they must attempt. Everyone playing the game can try the balancing, hopping, or crawling movement too. The game is over when all the lily pads have been turned over.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- New vocabulary words with corresponding pictures can be written on the lily pads. Pictures of emotions can be featured, and children can act out the emotions they land on or mention something that makes them feel that way.
- Make apples, and ask children to jump from apple to apple. Then place the apples on a tree after the gross-motor movement is completed.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING ?
Children are practicing gross-motor movements. They are also counting.
178
2012
Julienne M. Olson
Movement
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Push and Pull
- Large boxes
- Obstacles like cones, furniture, or tape on
the floor
0
0
SETUP
- Set up an obstacle course designed for the children to learn the concepts of pushing and pulling.
- They can push and pull each other from one cone to another.
- They can push and pull around a table or under a blanket held up by two teachers.
- Red tape can be placed on the floor, giving children a path to follow as they push their friend; use green tape for the pulling section of the path.
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
Children work in pairs to move each other in a large box. Ask one child to sit in the box while the other pulls or pushes him along in response to your commands. Make sure children take turns so each gets to ride and to push or pull. Talk about the concepts of pushing and pulling while the children travel through the obstacle course. Add other concepts, such as through, around, in, or between.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- Add pretend play to the activity. For example, encourage children to pretend they are horses pulling a wagon, a fire truck on the way to a fire, or a train heading for the circus.
- Add wagons or scooters to the pushing and pulling lesson. Talk about which items are easy to pull and which ones are more difficult.
- Ask the children to sit or lie on a blanket and hold on while another child tries to pull them on a smooth surface.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning movement and location concepts. They are working cooperatively with their peers. They are also using gross motor skills when they figure out leverage and how best to make the box move.
59
2012
Julienne M. Olson
STEM
200 Essential Preschool Activities
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Apple Chart
- Red, yellow, and green apples
- Tag board or construction paper
- Many cutouts of apple shapes in red, yellow, and green
- Marker
0
0
SETUP
- Make a blank graph with four columns.
- Use an apple cutout for each of the first three column headings—red, yellow, and green. Leave the fourth column blank.
- Place the graph on the wall in the snack area. Talk about apples as a fruit that comes in different types. Cut small pieces of the apples for the children to taste.
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
After children sample the apples, ask them
to report what color their favorite piece was. Have them pick apple cutouts that match their favorite flavors and put them on the chart. If some children do not like any of the apples, have them write an 'x' in the fourth section. When each child has placed a cutout on the graph, count how many apples of each color the children liked. See which one has the most votes.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- Cut up the rest of the apples and put them together with some cinnamon and sugar. Cook and mash them into applesauce.
- Try this activity with different fruits to find the class’s favorite.
- Offer different textures like soft marshmallows and chewy fruit snacks or different flavors like salty pretzels and sweet chocolate. Ask the children to vote for and discuss their favorites.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning how to graph items and vote for a favorite. They are counting and learning concepts such as most, least, fewer, and more. They are trying foods and discussing textures and flavors.
60
2012
Julienne M. Olson
STEM
200 Essential Preschool Activities
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Sink or Float?
- Clear bucket
- Water
- Objects to place in the water
- Envelopes
- Cards with pictures of the objects
0
0
SETUP
- During the classroom circle time, the children sit around a clear bucket or large clear container of water.
- Put two envelopes on the wall, one labeled sink and the other labeled float.
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
Show objects one at a time to the children
and ask them to vote on where to put the
card for that item—in the sink or float envelope. Tally the votes and display the numbers. Talk to the children about which option has more votes, and put the card in that envelope. Choose a different child to place each object in the water to see if it sinks or floats.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- Encourage children to use toy boats to see if items that normally sink in the water instead float if placed on a boat.
- Allow children to look through the classroom to find items to experiment with.
- Expand this lesson to the water table. Include a variety of items that sink and float for the children to explore on their own or in small groups.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning to make predictions and discovering if their predictions are correct. Teachers can talk to children about what the objects are made of and see if children start making connections between, for example, wooden pieces and floating or metal pieces and sinking.
61
2012
Julienne M. Olson
STEM
200 Essential Preschool Activities
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Plant a Seed
- Seeds
- Containers
- Dirt or potting soil
- Paper
- Stapler
- Watering can
0
0
SETUP
- Make a small book for each child by stapling several sheets of paper together.
- Prepare an area in which seeds can be planted and decide where the containers can be placed for students to observe over time. (Choose a sunny spot.)
CHILDREN’S ACTIONS
Help the children plant the seeds. Encourage them to experience how the dirt feels and to pick the seeds they want to grow. Ask them to draw pictures of planting for the first page of their book. Then they can draw the sequence of what occurs as they observe the plants growing. Children should care for their plants as well as observe them.
ADAPTATION AND ENHANCEMENT IDEAS
- If there isn’t space outdoors to plant seeds, children can plant them in small clay pots in the room.
- They can make predictions about what they think their plants are going to look like. Add pictures of plants to your center or books about seeds and what they turn into. Maintain a collection of seeds and envelopes, and see if the children can match the seed to the flower or plant that it will turn into.
- Visit a farm, flower shop, or nursery to look at different plants. If you go after your classroom plants have grown, ask the children if they can find their plants in the shop.
- Be sure to know if any children have plant or pollen allergies you should be aware of before visiting a place like a flower shop.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning what a plant needs to
grow. They are learning the sequence of plant growth and documenting what they see happening in their books.
89
2010
Nikki Darling-Kuria
Social-Emotional
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
What's All the Hoopla?
Hula hoops (or other
similar ringed objects)
0
0
Give children the freedom to move about in their own spaces. It helps them develop an understanding of other people’s personal space and their movement in relation to others’ movements. Use a hula hoop on the floor to help children get a visual idea of the amount of personal space they have that no one else can impose on. To demonstrate when sharing is not appropriate, children can practice having toys or their personal materials in their own circle that are off-limits to other children. This kind of visual reminder helps children gain a sense of boundaries and respect for personal space. It also builds trust that children won’t come and swipe a toy before a child is finished with it.
1.) Children practice a “space walk” by holding the hula hoop to see how much space is usually appreciated between people. This helps define the concept of the personal bubble that is common in Western culture. 2.) Play music to allow children to dance holding their hoops or actually do hula hooping. 3.) Engage children in a conversation about how different cultures adhere to different social standards about personal space. Some cultures enjoy close proximity, and others need even more than what we might be used to.
To promote flexible thinking, observing, and perceptual-motor skills
146
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Make a Robot Face
To prepare for this activity, gather markers and sticky notes (or paper and tape) for making eyes, noses, and mouths to attach onto machines. (Avoid stickers or tape that would be difficult to remove later.)
0
0
To begin, invite the children to look for machines, computers, and appliances in their environment— both large and small, such as refrigerators, telephones, laptops, air conditioners, or clocks. Ask the children, “Does this machine have a face?” See if the machine already has any features that look like they could be eyes, a nose, or a mouth. Have the children stick paper eyes, nose, or mouth to the machine to make it look like it has a face.
The children may also enjoy giving each machine a name and creating stories about the machines with faces. Ask questions that will inspire the children to think about the personalities of the machines. For example, ask, “If this machine could talk, what would it say?” Invite the children to dictate stories individually or as a group. Don’t be afraid to encourage children’s imaginative and fictional ideas about machines, computers, and robots. This kind of activity builds a foundation for later robotics learning because it draws children’s attention to the visible features of machines and the machine’s parts and functions. If children ask questions or seem curious about how the machine works and how it is made, make note of these questions and begin an inquiry process for investigating the answers.
This activity builds upon the activity just before this. Both activities build upon children's natural tendency to personify objects. Children can talk about similarities and differences among people machines, computers, and robots.
24
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Robot Dance Party
You’ll need a music source, such as a CD or digital music player, and plenty of room to dance. When you’re selecting music for the robot dance party, you could choose any songs (from any genre) that are appropriate for young children. Electronic music, created using computers or synthesizers, is also a great choice.
0
0
To begin, turn on the music and invite the children to dance “like robots.” Some children may not have any prior knowledge or experience about how robots move, but some may have seen videos or cartoons of robots and may have some ideas about how a robot might move. If children need suggestions or ideas, here are some questions to ask:
- How do robots move?
- How is a robot different from a person? How is it the same?
- How would you dance if your legs were made out of metal or plastic?
- How would you dance if you had wheels instead of legs?
If you feel that the children need a visual prompt to help them think about how robots might move, show them a video of a Nao robot dancing. The Nao is a humanoid robot that has performed internationally with professional dancers. There are many Nao dance videos available online, such as this one: www.ted.com/talks /bruno_maisonnier_dance_tiny_robots. Moving like robots leads naturally to deeper conversations about the characteristics of robots. Build conversations around open- ended questions. For example, ask, “What makes a robot move like that?” and “How are a robot’s legs different from your legs?”
Children will examine the similarities between music and dance, and will investigate what it means to be a robot through movement.
27
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
What is Metal?
For this activity, you will need the following materials:
- a variety of metal objects found around school or home
- a basket or box for collecting things
- removable stickers or sticky notes
0
0
Begin by placing several metal items on a table. Ask children to explore the items and think about what all these things have in common. Items might include a spoon, a pan, a piece of foil, or a toy car made out of metal. Ask, “How are all these things the same?” After the children have had an opportunity to touch and talk about the metal objects, ask the children if they have any ideas about what all the objects have in common. Once children have identified the common material as metal, invite them to hunt for metal in the classroom or school environment. You could give them a box or basket to collect metal things, or they could attach a sticker or sticky note to larger items or items like doorknobs that are attached to other things.
For very young children (three or four years old), who might not yet be familiar with the word “metal,” you could guide the children to notice the silver color as something the items have in common. Children who are a bit older may be able to identify the common material and use the word “metal” without prompting.
Children will learn the properties that make metal, as well as assimilate objects that are made of metal.
33
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Robot Dramatic Play
The suggested materials for this activity include the following:
- cardboard boxes large enough for children to wear as a costume (Cut holes in advance for children’s head and arms if worn over the torso, or cut an opening for the child’s face if worn as a helmet.)
- large roll of foil
- glue
- tape
- stickers
0
0
To begin, invite children to cover and decorate the boxes with foil and stickers. Guide the children to flatten the sheets of foil against the sides of the box or boxes and secure them with glue or tape. Use stickers or other craft items to make robot features, such as buttons or switches, nuts and bolts, or battery packs. When the costumes are complete and the glue is dry, the children can take turns wearing the robot costumes and pretending to be robots.
As children play, observe their actions, listen to their dialogue, and write down what you see and hear as a story. Begin with the phrase “Once there was a robot.” Share the story with the children at group time. An observed story based on children’s pretend play might read something like this: “Once there was a robot named Elliot. He was friends with a kitten and a turtle. They lived in a cave and ate ice cream. Except robots don’t eat ice cream. They eat rocks for their batteries. The robot never went to sleep. His eyes were always open.”
Children utilize props as part of dramatic play to understand the social and emotional life of robots and machines.
41
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Is This a Robot?
You will need a variety of objects, each one demonstrating a characteristic of a robot. Here is a suggested combination:
- something that looks like a robot but doesn’t actually work, such as a wooden
or rubber robot toy or a picture of a robot
- a simple machine— something that serves a purpose but is not programmable, such as a real or toy clock, a pencil sharpener, a stapler, or a coffeemaker
- something that is programmable, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet (such as an old, broken smartphone for this activity so the children play with it and not worry that it will be damaged.)
- something that looks like a part of a robot, such as a plastic toy robot hand or toy grabber
0
0
This activity works well as a morning provocation, an activity presented to children as they are arriving in the classroom. You can invite children to touch and play with the objects and engage in conversations about what is a robot and what is not. For each item, ask the children, “Is this a robot?” Ask them to explain their thinking. Document children’s responses by making an audio or video recording or taking notes.
Based on the children’s ideas, create a documentation board or poster in response to the question “What is a robot?”
Children will develop critical thinking skills as it pertains to robot identification. They will learn to classify based on characteristics.
39
2012
Julienne M Olson
Social-Emotional
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Face It
Photographs of children expressing emotions. Pictures of group scenes revealing emotions
0
0
Take photographs of children in your class with different expressions—for example, happiness, sadness, anger, tiredness, worry, and pain on their faces. In your group lesson, display the photos and the pictures of groups. See if the children can identify how the people in the group feel. Ask them to match that feeling to one of the photographs of a classmate. Be sure to validate each child’s opinion because children may have different ideas about what is going on in the pictures than you do. Encourage sharing by all.
Encourage the children to act out the scenes in the pictures, making the facial expressions they think. Encourage the children to move like they are feeling. How do they move if they are sad or excited?
Include mirrors so children can see what they look like when they are experiencing different feelings.
Promote the ability to make connections between feelings and the events that caused them. Promote the ability to identify emotions.
74
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Music - The Arts
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Getting Louder/Getting Softer
“Getting Louder/Getting Softer” (Length 2:31)—CD Track 22
0
0
Describe to the children what is going to happen with the music, and explain that they are going to use gentler movements when the music is soft and heavier movements when it is loud. Begin by tiptoeing around the room with the children, either in a scattered formation or with them in line behind you, gradually increasing the weight of your steps as the music grows louder. By the time the volume is at its loudest, you should be stamping your feet. The music then begins to grow softer, as should your steps, until you are tiptoeing once again. You can end here if you feel the children need to stop, or you can repeat the sequence once again, ending with the song.
Extending the Activity: Challenge the children to move the way the music makes them feel like moving, reminding them that the music increases and decreases in volume and that their movements should increase and decrease in force correspondingly. Once the children have ample experience with this, they can take partners and play the Shadow Game to the accompaniment of this song. The challenge is for the leader to move appropriately to the music and for the “shadow” to match those movements. Halfway through the song, partners should reverse positions.
Child can hear gradually increasing and decreasing volume. Child can correspond movements to music.
152
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Music - The Arts
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Exploring Space
“Exploring Space” (Length 3:32)—CD Track 27
0
0
This song is all about the movement element of space. If necessary, define what is meant by curving and zigzagging paths. Do the song non-musically at first, asking the children to follow along with the lyrics, which are as follows:
Chorus: It’s easy to explore the space around you.
C’mon, I will show you how.
First find a place to call your own,
Stand at your middle level now.
The verses then instruct the children to perform the following:
Reach high and bend low.
Take four steps forward and four backward.
Hop to the right and then to the left.
Make a curving and then a zigzagging path.
Finale: It’s easy to explore the space around you.
You see, you have shown me how.
So find that place you call your own,
Relax at your middle level now.
Relax at your middle level now.
Extending the Activity: When the children are ready, add the song!
Child demonstrates an understanding of the lyrics and is able to successfully execute them.
173
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Moving Backward
Adding Equipment: For Shrinking Room, you can provide each child with a plastic hoop to hold around the waist. The goal then becomes that none of the hoops will touch each other. The benefit of using hoops in this manner is that it allows children to actually see their own personal space, and that of others.
0
0
Reminding them to look over their shoulders, ask the children to move backward in the following ways:
- walking
- jumping
- creeping
- walking with little steps
- walking with big steps
- on hands and feet
Note: this activity can be modified to fit space for traveling from one location to another.
Extending the Activity: When the children are ready, play a game of Shrinking Room, with children moving in a backward direction. With this game, you first allow the children to explore all the available space as they are moving backward, with the goal being that no one is to touch anyone else. Then, pretending you are a wall, a little bit at a time, move toward the children until they are moving in as little space as possible while still not touching one another.
The child will develop skills traversing backwards without bumping into anyone or anything. The child will develop a respect for the personal space of others.
76
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
The Body Song
“The Body Song” (Length 2:21)—CD Track 8
0
0
Read the following lyrics (as though they were a poem) to the children, asking them to act out the lines accordingly. To the words of the chorus, the children should run their hands down and up the length of their bodies on the first and third lines, and shrug on the second line. The fourth line is self-explanatory.
Show me you can touch your toes,
Then bring your hand up to your nose.
Put a smile upon your face,
Do it all in your own space.
Bring your elbows to your knees,
Then shake all over, if you please.
Straighten up, with hands on hips.
Can you pucker up those lips?
Touch your ankle with your hand.
Upon one foot can you now stand?
Wiggle fingers in the air.
Shake your hips now, if you dare.
Close your eyes, then open quick.
Around your lips let your tongue lick.
With your shoulders you can shrug.
Give yourself a great big hug!
Chorus: The body, the body.
What parts do you know?
The body, your body.
Touch it high and low!
Note: This activity can be modified to fit the situation to assist with waiting period.
Extending the Activity: Once the children are familiar with this activity as a poem, play “The Body Song” and do it musically. When the chorus asks, “What parts do you know?,” invite children to shout out a body part, simultaneously pointing to it.
Child will become familiar with and identify body parts. Child demonstrates listening skills.
78
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Gross-motor
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
Moving Slow/Moving Fast
“Moving Slow/Moving Fast” (Length 2:44)—CD Track 9
Adding Equipment: Giving children a prop to move, such as a scarf, streamer, or ribbon stick, can help alleviate any self consciousness and also allows them to see the difference between slow and fast movements.
0
0
Play this song, consisting of slow sections (A) and fast sections (B). The form of the song is ABAB (slow, fast; slow, fast). Suggest the children move in the following ways to each tempo:
Slow Music
- tiptoeing
- floating weightlessly
- taking soft, giant steps
- swaying
Fast Music
- fast walking
- taking tiny steps
- shaking all over
- jumping lightly
Note: This activity can be modified for transitioning from one place to another.
Extending the Activity: Once children can easily recognize the difference in tempo, encourage them to find their own ways of moving to the slow and fast music. Does the music make them feel like moving in different ways? When children are familiar with the contrast between fast and slow, ask them to pretend to be things that are either fast or slow. You may choose to complete one category before moving to the other, or you can alternate between the two categories. Generally, young children will find it easier to perform fast movements.
Fast
- a fire engine
- a jet plane
- an arrow
- the wind
- a cheetah
- a spaceship
Slow
- a turtle
- the hands of a clock
- a snail
- a train just starting up
- the sun rising
- a snowman melting
Child will strengthen listening skills and be able to recognize the difference between slow and fast tempos. The child can demonstrate a marked difference in movement between slow and fast. The child will show an understanding and identify with the imagery used.
82
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving and Learning
Music - The Arts
Preschoolers
Preschool/KG
My Fingers
Adding Equipment: Finger puppets can make any of these activities more fun—and colorful!
0
0
Sit with the children and read the following poem, asking them to act out the lines as appropriate.
My Fingers
I have ten little fingers,
And they all belong to me.
I can make them do things—
Would you like to see?
I can shut them tight
Or open them wide;
I can put them together
Or make them hide.
I can make them jump high;
I can make them jump low;
I can fold them up quietly,
And hold them just so.
Extending the Activity: Sing “Where Is Thumbkin?” with the children, asking the whereabouts of thumbkin, pointer, middle finger, ring finger, baby finger, and the whole family, displaying the fingers appropriately. Another option is to play a game of Counting Fingers. Ask the children to each make a fist. Then, as you count 1-2-3-4-5 very slowly, have the children open their fists to display each finger, one at a time. Then reverse, counting backward, with the children “closing” each finger one at a time. Repeat several times, counting a little faster each time.
Promotes listening skills. Child can appropriately identify fingers. Child is able to display one finger at a time.
46
2012
Julienne M Olson
Social-Emotional
200 Essential Preschool Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Dull Day Holiday
Small wrapped treats. Watercolor paints or markers. Pipe cleaners. Paper coffee filters
0
0
This is a social activity in which children move around the center or school to make deliveries. Prepare an art center where children can paint or use markers. Have children decorate coffee filters with the paints. Place a small treat in the middle of each filter, and wrap it with the filter. Use a pipe cleaner to tie the filter at the top. Give several of these treats to pairs of children to deliver to other teachers or office staff. Including an adult to travel with each group is a good idea to ensure that children are practicing manners and politely addressing the teachers they are visiting. Children practice going up to classroom doors and knocking. Make sure they wait until someone answers the door before they go in. Ask them to share a special message and their treat with the teacher. This project can be used for “Happy May Day,” “Happy First Day of Spring,” or a spontaneous “Happy Thursday.”
To regulate own emotions and behaviors. To follow limits and expectations. To learn to approach the door and wait for a response. To participate cooperatively and constructively in group situations. To balance needs and rights of self and others. To learn how to do something nice for another person and how it feels to share with them.
77
2014
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte Hendricks, Becky S. Ben
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
How Does It Feel?
None
0
0
Explain to children that you are going to tell them about a few activities, and they should close their eyes and imagine doing that activity while you are talking. Encourage the children to get comfortable before beginning. Tell a short descriptive story beginning with a statement such as, “Imagine that you. . . .” Use topics that can cause a range of emotions, such as playing with puppies, eating ice cream, being outside on a dark night, losing a special blanket, getting lost in a store, having a fast ride on a merry-go-round, swinging high in a swing, running very fast for a long time, finding a favorite toy broken, or visiting someone they love and then going home. After each story, encourage a few children to describe how they felt. Support and accept differences in feelings that children express. Help children see that everyone does not feel the same about an activity. Some children may love to play with puppies, but others may not like to get licked or may be afraid of them.
1. ) Play, sing, and dance to happy songs, such as “Glad as Glad Can Be” by Grenadilla, “Joy to the World” by the Root Radics, “Sitting on Top of the World” by Grenadilla, and “If You Are Happy” by Tickle Tune Typhoon. Help children make a list of words that are like happy (glad, elated, joyful, cheerful, and so on). 2.) Play, listen to, and sing songs about fear, such as these songs by Justin Roberts: “Thought It Was a Monster,” “Maybe the Monster,” “Taking Off My Training Wheels,” “Sleepover- land,” “Never Getting Lost,” “The
Backyard Super Kid,” and “Giant- Sized Butterflies.” Discuss the songs, and let children express their opinions and feelings about similar situations. 3.) Read, role-play, and discuss books about sad feelings, such as Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda, The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems, and Let’s Talk about Feeling Sad by Joy Berry.
Help children support and accept differences in feelings that children express. Help children see that everyone does not feel the same about an activity.
18
2014
Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte Hendricks, Becky S. Ben
Social-Emotional
Social and Emotional Well-Being
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Dancing with Your Feelings
Music, music player, a video camera, a video monitor
0
0
Play music samples representing various genres (country, blues, jazz, classical, hip-hop, and so on). Select music with a variety of beats, words, and paces. Invite children to dance with you to each type of music. After each sample of music, ask children how they felt when they heard the music. Show respect for everyone’s feelings, and help children understand differences in preferences and in emotional reaction. Make a video of the activity, and at a later time let children study facial expressions and body language for signs of feelings.
1.) Invite children to choose from the classroom or bring from home music that makes them feel happy and want to dance. Play the music for children to share with others, and talk about how it makes them feel. Repeat the activity using different music. 2.) Read and discuss My Mama Sings by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson. 3.) Play a variety of music and invite children to play rhythm band instruments. Ask them how they felt during the activity. Remember that acceptable answers may include being bored.4.) Lead children in making different sounds (groaning, sighing, mumbling, squealing, yawning, cooing, screaming, and so on). Encourage them to really get into the sound, making it several times. See if they can suggest other sounds for the group to make together. Ask how each sound made them feel.
Help children gain respect for everyone's feelings. Help children understand differences in preferences and in emotional reaction.
20
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Take Apart a Machine or Robot
Old clocks and fans make great take-aparts
because they usually have large, visible gears and other parts that turn. You will likely need a set of screwdrivers in different sizes to remove screws and open up the cover of the device or machine. Prepare some small bins or trays for placing the smaller parts, hardware, and other components that you remove from the machine. The bins and trays can be used to pass the parts around the table so the children can look at them closely.
0
0
An adult must carefully supervise and facilitate a take- apart activity. Young children usually do not have the dexterity and small- motor skills to use tools and manipulate small pieces of machines and appliances safely. This activity is best done at a table with a small group of children. Prep the take- apart machine ahead of time to ensure the activity will be successful. Check online for information about possible hazardous materials in the item you are taking apart. Beware of electronic devices, such as TV sets, that may contain hazardous materials. A good resource for information about safely taking apart household items is the Instructables website: www.instructables.com/howto/take+apart. Practice removing the cover ahead of time so you’ll be ready to demonstrate this step for the children.
Before taking the machine apart, ask the children to make some guesses or predictions about what they will find inside. Then take off the cover of the device and look inside. Ask children what they see. If possible, document the process, along with their observations, using audio or video recordings and photos. If possible, give children active roles in the take-apart process. They may be able to help you turn the screwdriver to loosen a screw or help gather bolts into a box.
Children will examine the parts that make up a machine or robot and will learn how to take things apart and how machines are broken into component parts.
30
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Robot Hospital
For this activity, you’ll need the following materials:
- a broken robotic toy
- extra batteries
- screwdrivers of various sizes
0
0
When a robotic toy stops working properly, invite the children to create a robot hospital. The children may enjoy creating a welcoming hospital-like environment that’s similar to a human hospital, with a soft blanket or bed on which the robot can rest. The children may also enjoy using dramatic play props, such a doctor’s coat and toy stethoscope, to pretend that they are taking care of the broken robot as a doctor would care for a patient in a hospital. With any battery-powered toy, a weak or dead battery is often the cause of a malfunction. If you have extra batteries that are the right size for this particular robotic toy, suggest that changing the battery is an option, and invite the children to help you try to fix the toy. In most cases, a Phillips screwdriver will be the only equipment you need to change the battery. The manufacturer’s website may provide specific details about what type of battery is needed and how to change it. Young children will probably not yet have the dexterity to assist with the tools, but you can give them turns to help by holding a flashlight or handing off the tools while you or another adult changes the battery.
If changing the battery does not fix the toy, discuss with the children other ideas they may have for why the toy is not working. Brainstorm possibilities and make a list of the children’s ideas. A related topic of discussion that might interest the children is whether a broken robot is still fun to play with and whether it still has any value. Sometimes children have very interesting opinions and responses to such questions and enjoy debating the pros and cons of keeping a broken toy.
Children will learn to care for machines and to diagnose issues with their functionality.
50
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Create a Path
To do this activity, you will need the following materials:
- Bee- Bot(s)
- painter’s tape or sidewalk chalk
0
0
Create a brief, simple story in which the Bee-Bot is the main character. Perhaps the children have already done this during their play with and conversations about the Bee-Bots. For example, if one of the children pretends that the Bee-Bot is looking for a flower, make up a little story that goes “Once upon a time, a Bee-Bot needed pollen from a flower. It found a flower, and it was very happy. The end.” Then invite the children to program the Bee-Bot to act out the story. Use two props to represent the starting point and the ending point. A block could be the hive where the Bee-Bot lives, and a piece of colored paper could be the flower. Challenge the children to program the Bee-Bot to travel from the starting point to the ending point.
At first, make the path between the two points simple and direct, like a straight line. Once the children can successfully complete that challenge, re-position the starting and ending points to make the programming more difficult. At some point, the child or children may struggle to complete the task successfully. This struggle offers a great opportunity to talk with children about troubleshooting or debugging. Tell the children that computer programmers and robotic engineers are continually making mistakes and improving their code. This is a natural part of the programming process.
Children will learn to intentionally program a machine, through a series of steps, to follow a command. They will learn the basics of coding.
84
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Invent a Programming Language
For this activity, you will need the following materials:
- Bee-Bot(s)
- whatever materials children find or suggest to show their code (paper and crayons, colored blocks, arrow cards, pegs and pegboard, beads and string)
0
0
As the children gain more experience playing with the Bee-Bots, their play will become more and more intentional. The commands they choose and the buttons they push will become less random and more deliberate as they make decisions about where they want the Bee-Bot to travel. They may want the Bee-Bot to move between obstacles on the floor, or they may want the Bee-Bot to visit another Bee-Bot friend. The children will use trial and error to figure out how to program the Bee-Bot. Mistakes will occur, and the code will need changing or revising. This revising or troubleshooting process will require reflection. The children will need to remember what commands they used, but most children will not be able to remember more than a few commands at a time. They will discover the need to remember or record the commands. They may express this directly in words, such as “I can’t remember what buttons I pushed!” Or they may simply become frustrated. Help children articulate what they need. For example, say, “You need a way to remember your code. You need a way to see your code so you know what buttons you pushed.”
At some point in the process of creating a code to represent Bee-Bot commands, you may want to go ahead and introduce the Bee-Bot command cards from the manufacturer. The cards are well designed. Children can place them in a row to represent a long string of commands. But keep challenging children to think of their own ways to represent their code, such as placing colored blocks or puzzle pieces in a row, adding beads to a string, or lining up pegs on a pegboard. Each color could represent a direction or a command; for example, green means forward, red means back, blue means right, and orange means left.
Children will use math and engineering skills to implement a programming language for their Bee-Bots.
86
2018
Ann Gadzikowski
STEM
Robotics for Young Children
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Robot Wishes
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Invite children to make robot wishes. This activity can help children make meaningful connections between what they are learning about robots and how their ideas and inventions might help change the world in the future. A robot wish is the seed of an idea that might someday turn into an invention. Start a sentence that begins “I wish I had a robot that could . . .” and invite the children to finish the sentence. Write down children’s ideas on a poster or in a book.
When children encounter a challenge or frustration, offer a “robot wish” as a way to brainstorm solutions. For example, if a child drops a basket of crackers and creates a mess on the floor, the child might wish for a robot to help sweep the floor. Sometimes robot wishes can spark real and immediate solutions. Robot wishes can also help us recognize that sometimes we can solve our problems on our own and that, in fact, sometimes it’s even better to offer comfort and assistance to one another without a robot’s help.
Children will examine their wishes for robots in the future, integrating their worldview into insights for how machines can help in the future.
129
2010
Nikki Darling-Kuria
Social-Emotional
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Silhouette Self-Portrait
Large sheets of paper
overhead projector or other light. Projection source. Art materials (crayons, markers, stickers, glue, construction paper, yarn, fabric swatches)
0
0
Young children begin to form their identities based on what they feel on the inside long before it’s evident on the outside. Having children create visual representations of their self-image helps build self-esteem and confidence. Two children can help each other with drawing the silhouette (if age appropriate), which builds interpersonal and peer collaboration skills.
Using an overhead projector (or other light source), capture a child’s silhouette on a large piece of paper. After all the children’s silhouettes are drawn on the paper, the children can decorate their self-portraits any way they choose. Create a space where all the silhouettes can be displayed. This is an excellent project to do at least two times a year. When the second portrait is completed, pull out the first portrait and compare the two. Have the children look for differences in their own work. Ask them to describe ways in which they think they have changed over time.
1.) Either through dictation or by writing it themselves, have children create a story about how they came to be this person they have drawn. Ask them to describe what they were feeling while they were creating. Have them stand in front of their peers and use their words to describe their pictures to others. 2.) Include various textures of art materials for children to create their self-image with. This could include sand, raised paint, buttons, fabric, etc. 3.) Include different colors of paper for individuals to choose from. Include stickers or fabric swatches of different ethnic varieties (examples include African kente cloth, Native American weavings, Asian fabric swatches, etc.).
To promote creative thinking, sensorimotor skills, and observing
144
2010
Nikki Darling-Kuria
Social-Emotional
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Tude O'Meter
Construction paper, markers, butterfly clasps, clothespins
0
0
Designed to reflect a child’s current attitude, the tude o’meter helps children learn to regulate their emotions. Give the children five pieces of paper to make faces. Have them draw a circle on each piece of paper. On each circle the children can draw an expression of anger, sadness, happiness, or something else. Give each child a clothespin. The children can decorate the circles and their clothespins (labeled with their names) however they’d like. Attach clasps to the five completed circles and hang them on the wall in an area accessible to the children. Children can move their clothespins to the corresponding mood as their moods change during the day. (I recommend laminating the circles to make them more durable.)
If a child is involved in an altercation with another child and he gets angry, he can come to the tude o’meter and move his clip from happy to angry. In doing this, the child removes himself from the situation and takes a break from the toxic atmosphere that led to the misunderstand- ing. This step helps a child recover from the bad feeling much faster than if he did nothing at all. Later, if he’s happy, he can move his clip again so he show others that his mood has changed.
1.) Create a circular meter like a clock face, with small circles representing each mood of a child arranged around the inside perimeter of a big circle (where the numbers on a clock would be). Attach an arrow at the center of the large circle. On each small circle attach a digital photo of the child making an expression for each mood. The child can then move the arrow to the appropriate photo during the day to share her feelings. 2.) You could attach small bells to the tude o’meter, or you could even use a wind chime to create a mood spectrum, attaching small pieces of paper to the chime indicating happy on the high-note end and sad on the low-note end. Children then move the chime or ring the bell to indicate their mood. 3.) Use a variety of materials to decorate the meter to reflect colors and symbolism from diverse children’s cultures.
To promote expressive and reflective language, critical thinking
149
2010
Nikki Darling-Kuria
Social-Emotional
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Going on a Trip
None
0
0
My dad used to get us to play this game on long car rides to keep us from nagging him about whether we were there yet. This game is a good icebreaker for a new group of children to help them get to know each other better.
Gather the children in a circle, and ask the first child to say her name and then name something she would bring on a trip that begins with the first letter of her name. It goes like this: “My name is Nikki. I am going on a trip, and I am bringing nutmeg.” The next child does the same thing but adds what the proceeding child said. “My name is Will. I am going on a trip, and I am bringing walnuts. Her name is Nikki, and she’s bringing nutmeg.” Keep going until every child is introduced. This game is great practice for storing things in short-term memory.
1.) On our family car rides it was only my sister and I, so it didn’t take long to get to know our names. We had to be creative and expand this game to take up more time. Each time it was our turn we had to add another item to bring and remember all the preceding items. It was crazy fun! 2.) Add some sensory exploration by providing a variety of props to use that would represent the names of all the children in the group (multiple items for each letter would be best). Pick items that are tactile or that make noise to engage more senses. 3.) Expand the naming to include children’s family members to learn different names children have for their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They may discover similarities between names and learn ways to relate to each other. You could also pick specific destinations around the world to say where children are going on a trip and ask them to bring something they will need there. “My name is Nikki. I am going to Nicaragua, and I am bringing newspapers.”
To promote matching, sequencing, creative thinking
150
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
School-Age
School-Age
Story Starters
- story paper (blank at the top and lined at the bottom), 12 by 18 inches, or manila paper, 9 by 12 inches
- rubber stamp of a familiar book character
- markers
0
0
This activity encourages children to draw and write about a familiar character from a book. Children start by creating a rubber stamp impression of the character on their paper. They then complete the picture however they choose. Children can write or dictate their own stories to go with their pictures.
Helpful Hints
Children’s bookstores often have rubber stamps that match book characters. Some book characters, such as the fish from Swimmy, by Leo Lionni, can be cut from a sponge.
Encourage older children to do their own writing by supplying word cards with the names of the characters. Accept phonetic spelling.
Children learn the relationship between spoken and written language. They will examine the written words as they repeat what they dictate. Some children will write their own stories, using phonetic or standard spelling, depending on their state of development. Some children will use nonstandard placement patterns for the words
90
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
School-Age
School-Age
Colorful Mice Writing Center
- word cards, made by printing the words cat, mice, red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple on individual 3-by-5-inch index cards
- self-adhesive paper circles (¾ inch) in each of the six colors
- sticker or rubber-stamp impressions of a cat and three mice
- two sets of colored pencils (red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple)
- red, yellow, orange, green, purple duplicating paper, and blue construction paper (half and quarter sheets)
- name card for each child in the class
- blank books with red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple covers
- fill-in-the-blank papers: for example, The mice made ______ paint.
- containers, for holding the pencils, paper, blank books, word cards, and name cards
0
0
Children love to mix colors in art activities. This center builds on that interest and includes a wider variety of color words than either the Apple or the Autumn writing center. The Colorful Mice writing center also coordinates well with the book Mouse Paint, by Ellen Stoll Walsh (New York: Harcourt, 1989). In the story, tiny white mice get into paint pots and mix primary colors together. The mice, cat, and color word cards and fill-in papers encourage children to think more about color combinations as well as to retell the story of the mice in the book.
Helpful Hint
Cut the blue construction paper the same size as the duplicating paper.
Eliminate the cat and mice word cards for younger children. Add the fill-in papers after one or two weeks. The board book version of Mouse Paint can be included at the writing center.
Children will experiment with the materials at the writing center. Children will begin to display different states of writing from random scribble to conventional letter formation.
146
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
School-Age
School-Age
My Words
- poster board, 14 by 22 inches
- 1½-inch-diameter white stickers or Post-It brand notes, for the path
- additional stickers, cutouts, or pictures, to illustrate the game board
- special sticker or symbol, to indicate that a word must be read
- 3-by-5-inch index cards, to write the word-bank words on
- die
- several small figures, for movers
0
0
When children have accumulated a given number of words in their word banks, teachers can make individual path games for them using their word bank words. Any child landing on a marked space attempts to read a word from the word bank of the child who owns the game. Children can help formulate the rules. The themes of the games should vary based on the interest of each child.
Helpful Hint
Mark lots of the path spaces with whatever symbol you have designated to indicate that a word must be read. This increases opportunities for reading.
Create additional word cards to add to the games as children accumulate more words in their word banks.
Children will be very excited to have their own game. Children will have renewed interest in their word-bank words as they help other children try to read them.
182
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
School-Age
School-Age
Making Applesauce
- red poster board, 18 by 24 inches
- individual steps of the recipe, generated on the computer and printed on white paper
- illustrations or drawings of the ingredients and tools needed for the recipe
- colored pencils, for decorating the drawings
- laminating materials, to protect the recipe chart
0
0
As children cook, they learn that often a recipe is essential. Posting the directions on a chart allows children to read the recipe along with the teacher and focuses their attention on print. The individual steps are generated on the computer in a font that closely resembles standard manuscript print (Helvetica or Arial) and is at least ¾ inch in height. The directions are glued to the poster board along with illustrations or drawings of the individual ingredients and the tools needed to make applesauce. The picture cues allow children to read the recipe more independently.
Helpful Hint
If lamination is not available, Con-Tact paper can be used to protect the chart. Be sure to make the chart smaller than the width of the Con-Tact paper.
Design individual recipe books for this recipe (see activity 7.11).
Children will read the recipe along with the teacher. Some children will read the words on the chart based on the picture cues. Children will compare letters and words on the recipe chart. Some children will share previous experiences with using recipes.
240
2001
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Language-Literacy
More Than Letters
Language/Literacy
School-Age
School-Age
Cloud Literacy Suitcase
- white and blue duplicating paper (quarter-sheets)
- paper cut into random cloud shapes with wavy scissors
- light blue pencil
- name card for all the children and teachers in the class
- alphabet sample
- word cards, for the shapes of the cloud formations in the book
- illustrations of the shapes of the cloud formations, for the word cards
- 3 or 4 blank books, made with a cloud cutout on the original and duplicated on blue and white paper
- fill-in-the-blank papers that read “It looked like __________.”
- note to the child
0
0
The cloud literacy suitcase provides opportunities for children to copy word cards based on the book It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw (New York: Harper, 1947). It also encourages them to use invented spelling to write the names of cloud formations they observe or imagine.
Helpful Hint
Include an outline of a cloud on the original fill-in-the-blank paper.
Include a small picture dictionary in the suitcase. Children can copy words they choose to describe clouds.
Some children will write all the cloud formation names into the blank boks. Children will write in a variety of ways, such as personal cursive or letter-like forms depending on their stage of development. Some children will use inventive spelling to write on the fill-in papers.
278
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
School-Age
Preschool/KG
Group Weaving Frame
- large frame
- yarn, in assorted colors and thickness
- various types of ribbon
- long fabric strips
- lace
0
0
For this project, a large wooden frame strung with string is left out in the classroom with a variety of weaving materials—yarn, ribbon, paper strips, fabric strips, lace, etc. Children can take turns adding to the group weaving in their own way. The frame is the same one described in activity 6.4. Instead of burlap, string is wrapped around the dowels to create the warp threads for the weaving.
Helpful Hints
When the weaving is finished, cut and tie the strings. The weaving can then be displayed.
Teachers may wish to limit the choices of weaving materials at first so that children are not overwhelmed. Additional materials can be added at intervals to stimulate renewed interest.
Children will explore the physical properties of glue along with flexible material. They will build pattern making and begin to consider forms and contrast as well as plan within boundaries.
226
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Basket Sculptures
- plastic vegetable baskets
- pipe cleaners, in various colors
- copper, brass, or steel wire, in various gauges
- spools
- beads
- pasta
- lace
0
0
In this activity, children can bend or weave pipe cleaners and wire through the webbing of plastic vegetable or fruit baskets. Additional materials with holes, such as spools, beads, pasta, or lace, are included. The baskets create a three dimensional base for the creations. Imaginations can run wild with this activity. Helpful Hints
Grocery stores may be willing to donate vegetable baskets or sell them at a nominal price. Parents can save them for your class.
To simplify the activity, start with just pipe cleaners. Various types of wire can be added later.
Children will bend or weave pipe cleaners and wire through the webbing of plastic vegetable or fruit baskets. In doing so, they will create three dimensions experimenting with line, shape and form.
240
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Wire Sculptures
- copper, brass, and steel wire (in assorted lengths, but not longer than 12 inches)
- plastic wrapped wire (not longer than 12 inches)
- wire in various gauges (14–28 gauge)
- springs
- steel wool
- metal washers and nuts
- flip tops
- paper clips
- short dowel pieces or spools, in several diameters
- wire cutters (for the teacher’s use)
0
0
After children have had some experience exploring wire, they may begin to create with it. This activity includes a variety of types of wire, but also incorporates dowel pieces for children to bend the wire around to create coils. Other metallic objects are available to add to the sculptures.
Helpful Hints
If the wire is sharp after it has been cut, quickly sand the ends with sandpaper.
Use shorter pieces of wire for children who have not had many experiences creating with wire. Shorter pieces are easier to manipulate.
Children will experience exploring the relationship between wire and dowel pieces to help create three dimensional forms.
244
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Clay Tiles
- firing clay (06-04) or self-hardening clay
- 4 trays
- smocks
- rollers (small rolling pins or dowels)
- objects to create impressions
- glaze or paint (optional)
0
0
Children can apply their experiences in working with clay to creating clay tiles. An endless variety of styles is possible. Children start by smoothing the clay flat with a roller. They can then add patterns and designs to the clay by pressing various objects into it. Leaves and shells make interesting impressions, as do lace, beads, chains, and many more found objects. The edges of the clay can be cut to create tiles of the desired shape: rectangular, square, hexagonal, etc. The teacher may need to help with this. The clay can then be allowed to dry. It can be fired if it is not self hardening clay. Depending on the type of clay, children can either paint or glaze their tiles.
Helpful Hints
Teachers may wish to cut out the center of the tiles before the clay is fired or hardens to create picture frames. Be sure the clay is not too thin after it is rolled out or it may easily crack. Don’t roll the clay all the way to the edge.
Plan many opportunities for children to experiment with making impressions in clay before creating tiles.
Children will investigate the properties of clay and the use of simple tools and objects to create patterns and interesting impressions. Children can cut the clay into different shapes.
262
1999
Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
Art
More Than Painting
Fine-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Pasta Mobiles
- 1-inch-diameter dowels, cut in 4-inch lengths, with two ¼-inch holes drilled through them so that the holes are perpendicular to each other (1 dowel piece per child)
- two 12-inch lengths of ¼-inch-diameter dowel inserted through the holes on each 1-inch-diameter dowel s thin-gauge wire (22–26 gauge)
- colored pasta in a variety of shapes (rigatoni, penne rigate, rotelle, wagon wheel), colored with a mixture of food coloring and water
- screw eyes or cup hooks to attach to the top of each mobile
0
0
Mobiles are three-dimensional art forms that move. For this activity, children use dowels, wire, and colored pasta to create mobiles. They can experiment with balance as they add pieces to their creations.
Helpful Hints
Invest in wire clippers. Although scissors will cut the wire, they will soon become damaged.
Use large pasta and pipe cleaners for younger children if they have trouble manipulating the wire. Older children can attach additional pieces of dowel to their mobiles with wire to create more complex mobiles.
Children will experiment with different materials to build three dimensional structures that move They will experiment with shape, color and balance and explore movement.
268
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Gross-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Punchinello
none
0
0
This activity provides an excellent review for the end of class. The children form a circle, with one child in the center (Punchinello), and chant or sing: “What can you do, Punchinello, funny fellow? What can you do, Punchinello, funny you?” The child in the center chooses one of the day’s activities to demonstrate. Then the group sings: “We can do it too, Punchinello, funny fellow. We can do it too, Punchinello, funny you.” And they do!
To make the activity more challenging, the child in the center can demonstrate both the activity shown by the previous Punchinello and one of his or her own, both of which the other children must also imitate. This works the memory a bit and also provides additional practice with each skill demonstrated.
Child can think of an activity to demonstrate. Child is able to perform the activity correctly. The responding child is able to correctly imitate what has been demonstrated.
42
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Gross-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Exploring Up and Down
music player
0
0
For this initial exploration of the levels in space, pose the following questions and movement challenges:
Show me with your body what “up” and “down” mean.
Show me you can make your body go all the way down. All the way up. How high up can you get?
Show me you can go down halfway.
Make yourself so tiny I can hardly see you.
Show me you can become as huge as a giant.
Now pretend your feet are glued to the floor. Move your body up and down without moving those feet.
1.) Incorporate imagery into the exploration of up and down by posing the following movement challenges:
• Pretend you are a piece of toast coming out of a toaster.
• Show me how a yo-yo moves.
• Can you look like a jack-in-the-box?
• Show me popcorn popping.
• Move up and down like a bouncing ball. A seesaw. An elevator. A balloon inflating and deflating. 2.) Play a bit of “High and Low” for the students, asking them to listen for the sound that gets higher and lower. Once they can identify it, return to the beginning of the song. The children should be sitting. As the music gradually gets higher and higher, the children should raise their arms. Then they lower their arms with the music and rest them where the song provides for it. The pattern follows. If it seems complicated, don’t worry; the rising and falling of the music is obvious.
8 counts up; 8 counts down; 8 counts up; 8 counts down; 8-count rest. 4 counts up; 4 counts down; 4 counts up; 4 counts down; 8-count rest. 2 counts up; 2 counts down; repeat twice
8-count rest. 8 counts up; 4 counts down; 4 counts up; 4 counts down; 8-count rest. 2 counts up; 8 counts down; repeat; 2 counts up.
When the children are ready, ask them to crouch low to the ground as you start the song. As the music gradually gets higher and higher, so do the children. Then they descend with the music and rest where the song provides for it. Do it with them at first, later challenging them to do it with the music only as their guide.
Child is able to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts involved. Child can relate and demonstrate the imagery used. Child is able to demonstrate that he hears the rising and descending pitch and respond appropriately.
54
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Gross-motor
School-Age
School-Age
Let's Slide
hand drum
0
0
A slide resembles a gallop in that one foot leads and the other plays catch-up in an uneven rhythm. In a slide, however, the movement is to the side rather than forward. (Facing forward, with feet together, the child slides one leg out to the side and then, with the weight primarily on that leg, slides the second leg in, so that the feet are once again together. The action, therefore, is step-close, step-close.) Demonstrate the slide to the children and then have them practice it to both sides.
1.) When the children are ready, introduce some variations to the slide, remembering to have them slide to both the left and right side. For example, ask them if they can slide in these ways:
• quickly; slowly
• lightly; heavily
• in a circle
• with their arms out to the sides; above their heads
Next, challenge them to slide in both directions with a partner, making at least one physical contact (holding hands, hands on shoulders, and so on). Finally, challenge the whole class to perform the movement in a circle, holding hands. Ask them to begin with a gallop around the circle first, then to turn to face the center of the circle, and to slide in unison around the circle. Can they move sideways rhythmically to the accompaniment of your hands clapping? Can they lead with either foot, circling in both directions? Can they circle first in one direction (for example, to eight counts) and then the other, changing directions smoothly? 2.) Sliding is a locomotor skill commonly used to move a parachute in a circle. You might also want to beat out the correct rhythm on a hand drum to add another sense to the experience, and especially to assist the auditory learners.
The child can face one direction and move in another. The child can perform the slide with an uneven rhythm. The child is able to slide in both directions.
96
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Music - The Arts
School-Age
School-Age
Forming Letters with Partners
Provide large letters on poster board for children to follow. An alternative activity is to invite partners to create various letters and numbers with a rope on the floor, and then to replicate the shape with their bodies. They can also follow the pathways created by the shape with a variety of loco-motor skills.
0
0
Begin the activity by discussing the difference between the straight, curving, and angular lines that make up letters. You may wish to have the children demonstrate with their bodies the three different types of lines. Ask the children to pair off, and then assign letters that they can easily form with two people. Possibilities include A, H, O, D, P, J, L, S, T, V, W, and Y.
Similarly, you can ask children to pair off and form numbers. Possibilities include 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Child can realistically replicate letters and numbers. The child differentiates among, straight, curving, and angular lines.
114
2014
Rae Pica
Movement
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Footsie Rolls
Discuss log rolls with the children. Then have them pair off, with partners lying on their backs with the soles of their feet together.
0
0
The object in this activity is for the partners to roll over without their feet breaking contact. This one takes lots of cooperation and enough room to move safely. For example, if you have a small area for movement, you may be limited to only one or two sets of partners working at a time. Any waiting children can act as the audience, cheering or applauding while the partners remain connected and groaning when the connection is broken. Once the
connection is broken, another pair takes a turn.
Increasing the challenge can include asking partners to roll from one end of the room to the other, and in both directions.
Child can work cooperatively with a partner. The child is able to roll with a straight body, in a straight pathway. The child is able to coordinate their movements with those of a partner.
122
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Breath Rhythms
No added materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Instruct the children to make a huge body shape by breathing in slowly and letting the body “grow” as they inhale. They then slowly exhale, curling themselves in toward the body center as they do. Repeat this until the children have grasped it, and then pick up the pace. Ask your students to make the large and small body shapes more quickly by breathing in and out more quickly. Finally, you can ask them to make the large shape quickly and the small shape slowly, and then the reverse.
Challenge the children to breathe, moving out and in as though against some resistance, first exerting a lot of force and then just a little. Another alternative is to ask them to move out and in with three or four sharp accents so they are breathing in and out with short sniffs. (Note: To avoid hyperventilation, keep this activity short!)
Children will develop and strengthen the ability to control breathing with varying amounts of force. Child learns the concept of accents.
41
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Moving As If
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Stressing realism, ask your students to move as if in the following situations:
- caught in something very sticky
- taking a cold shower
- being tickled by a feather
- inside a small box
- inside a beach ball
Suggest additional scenarios for each of these situations. For example, if children demonstrate only feet caught in something sticky, encourage them to think of how it would look if other body parts were caught. What if a foot, a hand, or a nose were being tickled by a feather? What if, while inside a small box or beach ball, they were on their bottoms, their feet, or their knees?
Child develops ability to imagine. Child shows that he/she can identify with imagery used.
51
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Exploring Body and Spatial Directions
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Ask the children to each find their own personal space and to remember where that space is. Then stand in the center of the room where everyone can see you, acting as a point of reference, and present the following challenges:
- Walk to me, turn, and go back to your own space.
- Walk forward to me, but return to your space sideways.
- Walk sideways to me, and return to your space backward.
- Walk backward to me, and return to your space in a forward direction.
Extending the Activity: You can further challenge children to approach and retreat from you in the following ways:
- in a straight path
- from one side; from the other side
- from the back
- in a curving path; a zigzagging one
Ask the children to really use their imaginations by challenging them to approach and retreat from you as though in the following situations:
- on slippery ice
- on hot sand that is burning their feet
- in deep snow
- in sticky mud
- on the moon and weightless
- through thick fog
- in a jungle with thick growth
- on a busy, crowded sidewalk
Adding Equipment: Using hoops, carpet squares, or poly spots can help children identify and remember their own personal spaces.
Children build listening skills and show they have the ability to move in the direction cited. The child will demonstrate they can moved without interfering with the movement of others. The child is able to demonstrate that they can identify with the imagery used.
61
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
STEM
School-Age
School-Age
Let's Sit
No additional materials are needed for this activity.
0
0
Although sitting may be a skill primary grade students have long since mastered, it can still be a challenging activity when explored at a variety of levels, especially with the additional movement elements of time and force. Explain this to the children, and then present the following challenges:
- Sit from a standing position, using your hands to let you down.
- Do it again, only this time without using your hands.
- Sit down very slowly.
- Sit with a thump.
- Sit with the weight on your right (left) thigh.
Extending the Activity: Additional challenges might include the following:
- From a kneeling position, sit down gently.
- From a kneeling position, sit down with a thump.
- From a kneeling position, sit with the weight on your right (left) thigh.
- Sit up from a lying position.
- Show me how slowly you can sit up from a lying position.
Adding Equipment: Performing these tasks within a hoop or on a poly spot can make them more visual and colorful, thereby making them more fun.
Child will demonstrate the control it takes to perform the tasks. The child demonstrates understanding for what is expected.
84
2014
Rae Pica
Transitions
Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning
Music - The Arts
School-Age
School-Age
Let's Walk
“Walking Along” (Length 1:41)—CD Track 13
0
0
This activity provides an excellent opportunity for you to observe the children’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to posture and alignment, weight distribution, and use of body parts—while the children simply have fun walking. Observing closely, have the children walk in the following ways:
- freely (while being straight and tall)
- in place (“Can you make your knees go higher? Can you do it faster?”)
- forward (“Can you do it slower?”)
- on tiptoe (“Can you make yourself even taller?”)
- on heels (briefly)
- very slowly; very quickly
- with tiny steps; with giant steps
- very lightly; very strongly
- walk-walk-stop; repeat
Extending the Activity: When the children are ready, challenge them to walk in sideways and backward directions (space), reminding them to be even more careful when moving among their classmates. To increase the challenge, combine two movement elements, offering challenges like the following:
- Walk forward on your heels (space and shape).
- Walk backward on tiptoe.
- Walk sideways while making your body very small.
- Walk slowly in a curving pathway (time and space).
- Walk quickly in a zigzagging pathway.
- Walk as quickly and lightly as you can (time and force).
To incorporate rhythm, accompany any of the previous activities with the “Walking Along” song. Don’t worry if the children do not move “at one” with the beat of the music; it will all come in good time. Incorporate imagery into the exploration of this loco-motor skill by asking the children to walk like they are the following:
- really mad; sad; tired; proud; scared
- looking for the towel with soap in your eyes
- in a parade
- on hot sand that is burning your feet
- trying to get through sticky mud; deep snow; an overgrown jungle
- on slippery ice
- on a crowded city sidewalk
Adding Equipment: Play “Walking Along,” inviting the children to accompany the song with rhythm instruments. Challenge them to roll a hoop, to balance a beanbag on different body parts, or circle a ribbon stick overhead or to one side while walking.
Child will demonstrate proper posture and alignment with weight evenly distributed over all five toes and the heel of foot. Child demonstrated understanding of the imagery used by responding appropriately.
88
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
STEM
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Tubular Flatulence
- The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts by Shinta Cho (Kane/Miller 2001)
- test tubes
- water
- vegetable oil
- Alka-Seltzer tablets or Tub Tints (effervescent color tablets)
0
0
The brain loves it when real life combines with abstract thought. When children make connections between something their own bodies do naturally and spontaneously and something they read about bodies doing in a book, their knowledge about their bodies is reinforced. This type of connection is called text-to-self connection, and making text-to-self connections helps them picture how they fit into the world around them. For young children, ideas presented in books often seem abstract. If they can see how something they do is presented in a book, they begin to realize that books aren’t always about abstract things—that the words on the pages can have meaning in real life. This is a fun activity to demonstrate how our bodies break down and release gas. Even very young children know what a toot is, even if they don’t know what creates it. As an adult, you might be thinking this is a silly, or even offensive, activity, and you may not be comfortable with it. But children love to talk about their bodies and the magic they can produce with it. You will have a rapt audience with this activity. Begin by reading the book The Gas We Pass to the children. Ask them what they know about how the gas comes out and how it got there in the first place. Then demonstrate how our bodies are like a bottle: Fill a bottle three-quarters full with oil. Then fill the remaining space with water. Add the Alka-Seltzer or Tub Tints tablet to the bottle, and explain how the tablet doesn’t begin to dissolve or change color until it reaches the water. Without capping the bottle, watch as the tablet dissolves and the gas bubbles rise to the top of the bottle and pop. Once the gas is released, the bubbles slowly begin to fall to the bottom of the bottle. Then the bubbles pop, releasing the gas.
This same activity can be done to create different kinds of bottles, such as lava lamps or “ocean in a bottle.” These kinds of bottles can demonstrate how elements, such as oil and water, work together. You can also include items such as sand, small toys, and so forth, to create a soothing scene. Use scented oil to create a different sensory experience. Some cultures and families are not comfortable discussing bodily functions. Be respectful of this perspective, and adapt your language accordingly. While you’re on the subject of oil, many cultures use different kinds of oils for cooking and also for lamps. Stories such as the Arabic folktale “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp” or the origin of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the celebration of lights, can help you teach about how important oil is around the globe.
To promote cause and effect, observing, predicting. To encourage discussion about body functions.
96
2010
Nikki Darling Kuria
STEM
Brain Based Early Learning Activities
Social-Emotional
School-Age
School-Age
Delicious DNA
- blunt-edged toothpicks
- mini marshmallows (four or more colors)
- licorice strands
- paper
- markers
- book(s) by Frances R. Balkwill and Mic Rolph
0
0
Now here’s some science you can sink your teeth into. Helping children understand something as complex as DNA can be fun and easy with marshmallows and licorice to demonstrate how the molecules cling together to form a double helix. Using a pincer grip to place the marshmallow on a blunt-edged toothpick builds fine-motor skills. This activity also develops critical thinking skills. Gather the children around you, and ask them if they know how they got their color of hair, eyes, or skin or how tall they are going to be. Each child can create a chart of his or her characteristics (blue eyes, red hair, three feet tall, freckles, shoe size 3—the more, the better). Then to help explain where the characteristics come from and what cells and DNA are, I suggest books by Frances R. Balkwill and Mic Rolph. This duo has written a series of books explaining DNA and cells for children:
- Enjoy Your Cells
- Have a Nice DNA
- DNA Is Here to Stay
- Amazing Schemes within Your Genes
- Cells Are Us
To further illustrate what DNA looks like, go back to the characteristics chart and ask children to choose different colored marshmallows to represent each characteristic. Once they have mapped out the marshmallows to go with the characteristics, demonstrate how to stick the marshmallows onto the toothpicks. Then connect the toothpicks to licorice strands on each end, starting at the bottom and working up to create a ladder. Space the toothpicks about an inch apart. After the two pieces of licorice are connected by the toothpicks, twist the ladder to represent the double helix. Explain that each ladder represents the parts that make each person unique. Have children show each other their double helix to show how everyone’s is different, even for members of the same family. Children can decide if they want to display their double helix or have it for a snack. Either way it’s fun!
Construct larger models more accurately with gummy bears connecting to the marshmallows to show how the molecules are literally attached. Use two different colors of licorice as well. Use scented marshmallows or flavored toothpicks. Instead of marshmallows, use foods like pasta or rice, which can be glued on paper with yarn instead of licorice.
To promote perceptual-motor skills, critical thinking. To practice recording and charting physical characteristics. To introduce the concept of DNA.
102