Activities

Play a variety of instrumental music selections from many cultures and encourage the children to respond to the various beats and tempos as they create their own movements and interpretations.

In the art center, provide each child with a medium-sized paper bag, newspaper, markers and crayons. Each child will write his/her name on a bag and decorate it.

Give each child a paint stirrer, a small headshot photo of themselves, cloth, ribbon and pom-poms.  Have the children glue their photos to the top of the sticks and dress their paper dolls.  Encourage them to play dolls with one another.

Provide an opportunity for the children to draw pictures about a common experience, such as a field trip to the farm. Encourage them to describe their work. The teacher can write their descriptions on the drawings.

Have the children find pictures of their favorite foods using magazine cut-outs or photos. Have them create a collage on a paper plate.

Display primary colors of tempera paint in bowls and have the children choose two colors. Put a spoonful of the two colors into plastic bags and have them mix the colors together. Talk about and compare the different colors created.

Before this activity, have children bring in three rocks to show during small group and collect small milk cartons, one for each child. Read Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans. Have children share where they found their rocks.

Have the children draw a map of the school/center on butcher paper as a group. The map should include things such as classroom locations, the doors, the playground, the cafeteria and other places you visit. This can be done in small group.

Give the children a large assortment of art materials, including collage items, paint, tape and three-dimensional items. Encourage the children to create sculptures.

During center time, have several hula-hoops available. As the children begin to work with different materials, use the hula-hoops to assist them in visualizing their work spaces. Encourage the other children to respect those spaces.

Have the children take turns holding a book and turning the pages one at a time.

Provide a variety of farm items such as a toy barn, animals, tractors, fence and people. Play with the children, encouraging them to take turns playing with the toys.

Read I Just Want to Do It My Way!: My Story About Staying on Task and Asking for Help by Julia Cook. Have a discussion about how sometimes we don't feel like doing certain things but we still have to get them done.

Place an item inside a box. Encourage the children to shake the box and guess what might be inside. Write their guesses on a class chart. Open the box and allow an opportunity for the children to confirm their guesses.

Using dry erase board and markers, invite the children to guess the letter you are making. Provide verbal clues or just write one stroke at a time, pausing to let the children guess after each stroke.  This could be done in large group.

You will need some clean, empty egg cartons. Write a numeral in each space in the egg carton. Place a large bead or button in one of the spaces, and close the carton.

Take the pieces to a floor puzzle out of the box and put them in a basket. Have the children work together, with your support, to assemble the puzzle.

Have a container filled with old marker tops and have cotton balls available for children to play nail salon during centers.  As they put nails on their "clients" they will practice one-to-one correspondence.

Place items in the dramatic play area for a “nail salon.” Include items such as Q-tips® and water, and invite the children to polish nails, working together.

Clap and say the letters in each child's name. Make some pom-poms to shake by rolling sections of newspaper tightly in a tube, wrapping tape around one end and cutting the other end into strips. Have one child stand in the center of the group.