Activities

Create a "Social Story" book to read with the children to teach them the concept of personal space. For example, "Personal space is like an invisible bubble.

Provide several stuffed animals, blankets, plastic bowls, dog toys and old pillows for animal beds. Set up an area where the children can feed, care for and play with their animals.

Use the dramatic play area to set up a pet hospital with various stuffed animal pets. Provide supplies needed to care for pets such as first-aid and doctor kits. Provide old encyclopedias, books, and posters for the children to use as resources.

Provide word cards, in the writing center, that list what animals need to live. Encourage children to choose a pet from dramatic play and then make a list of items they need to pick up at the store to take care of their pet.

Create a class animal clinic. Provide band-aids, a play veterinarian kit and soft toy animals. Ask a local vet hospital for props that the children can use such as signs, magazines and old X-rays.

Read the story Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin and James Dean. Encourage the children to count along with the story. Follow up by having the children count the number of buttons, snaps and shoestrings on their own clothing.

Read Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean and Eric Litwin. You will need a felt shirt and 10 buttons for each child playing. Make a number cube having just the numerals one, two and three.

After reading A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats, encourage the children to talk about the characters' feelings.

After reading Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats, discuss some of the words in the book and what they mean. Relate new words to more common words.

Read The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. Discuss different characteristics of people and compare them to pets. For example, the little girl in the story gets really angry.

During large group, read the book Pezzettino by Leo Lionni. After reading, remind the children that the meaning of Pezzettino is “little piece.” Review some of the illustrations with the children and talk about what they remember.

Collect a variety of old telephones and cell phones. Place the phones in the dramatic play area for pretend play and exploration of the different types of phones. Use one of the phones to place a call to one of the children: "Ring, ring.

For the block center, make blocks from cereal boxes, clean milk cartons or tissue boxes. Attach photos of the children making good choices to the cartons. Use these to encourage positive behavior.

Create story picture blocks by attaching photos of characters from a book to unit blocks with clear contact paper. Encourage the children to build a story such as The Napping House by Audrey Wood using the blocks in the block center.

Use a variety of props and dress-up clothes to create your own photo booth in the classroom. Provide funny props such as mustaches, glasses and hats. Use a creative backdrop and have the children take pictures using a digital camera.

Display photos of the children engaged in play throughout the day. Post the photos of the children at eye level and encourage them to explore and find their pictures.

Take a walk around the classroom and outdoors and let each child identify one item to be photographed. Print the pictures and ask the children to explain if the picture is of a living or nonliving object.

Use purchased pick-up sticks or similar real and found materials such as chopsticks or wooden skewers with the points cut off. Place the sticks in the center of the table and have children remove them one by one.

Set up the game "Pick Up Sticks" by dumping the sticks onto the table or any other large, flat surface.  The children then try to pick up a stick without moving any others in the pile.

Add Styrofoam® peanuts, small plates and chopsticks to the sensory center table for the children to pick up and put on a plate.