Activities

Cut out pictures of faces showing various feelings.  Place them in the hat and pass the hat while music plays. When the music stops, the child holding the hat pulls out a picture, describes it and tells about a time he/she felt that way.

Play “Hot Potato” using an ice cube. Play music and pass the ice cube as the music plays. When the music stops, the children observe the ice and discuss how much it has melted. Continue to pass the ice until it has completely melted.

During mealtime, give the infant some peas on the highchair tray or a plate, as well as a small bowl. Model for the infant how to pick up the peas and put them in the bowl.

Using toy food in dramatic play, model for the children how you would ask them to pass you something. Say, “Please pass me the peas.” Have them ask a friend to pass something. Continue until all the children have had a turn.

In small group, give children a sentence to repeat.  For example, "the puppy likes to eat macaroni and cheese".  Have the children practice saying the sentence two times before starting the activity.

Read Rocks Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough by Natalie Rosinsky. Collect a variety of textured rocks for the children to sort. Have the children form a circle and place baskets in the middle. Label the baskets Hard, Soft, Smooth, Rough.

Have the children create a passport by folding a piece of construction paper into four squares. Decorate it with stamps, and have them write or dictate other countries or cultures they would like to visit. This can be done in small group.

Make a class book to help children understand past and present. Each day, take several pictures of the children doing activities. At the end of the day, have children look at pictures and choose one to represent their day.

Prepare a set of cards showing how things were done in the past and how those same things are done in the present. For example, a typewriter and a computer, a Conestoga wagon and a car, a quill with ink and markers and pencils.

Show the children a 3-frame cartoon of a simple activity. For example, Frame 1: A person walking into a restaurant to eat (a few minutes from now). Frame 2: Same person with fork in hand chewing on a half-eaten steak. (He's eating in the present.

Provide the children with uncooked, short pasta such as rigatoni. You can color the pasta with food coloring first if desired. Also provide lengths of yarn.

Add a variety of dried pasta to the art center to use when creating faces. The pieces can be used for eyebrows, noses and mouths.

Sit with the children at the beginning of naptime. Help them calm down by gently rubbing or patting their backs. Later, give them the opportunity to act this out with baby dolls.

Lay the infant on a blanket or mat. Gain the infant's attention by using the motions to the chant.

Sing “Pat-a-Cake” and watch the infant's response to your words. For younger infants, hold hands gently and use softer tones while making eye contact. For older infants, look for an attempt to imitate your actions.

Recite the rhyme “Pat-a-Cake” with the infants, using gestures:
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

desc

Arrange colored craft sticks in unusual patterns and take pictures. Print these cards. Give the children in the math center cards and sticks to see if they can recreate what they see on the card.

As the children line up to leave the playground or play a game, place the first children to arrive in a pattern, such as jacket/jacket/sweater. Ask the other children to figure out the pattern and line up to extend it, during outdoor time.

Provide large pattern blocks and pictures of things created with pattern blocks. Encourage them to reproduce the pictures using the pattern blocks. Engage them in conversation about how they fit the pieces together. This can be done in small group.