Activities

During outdoor time, take yardsticks out for the children to use as sand-writing tools. See who can create humongous letters.

While on the playground discuss the sun, the clouds, the shadows and the wind. Provide the children with streamers made from lightweight, colorful fabric cut into strips and tied to an empty masking tape roll.

During outdoor time, complete a playground safety check daily with the children and consider selecting a child to be the “Playground Inspector.

Explain to the children that symbols are drawings of things in the real world. Show them a simple map that includes symbols. Allow them to tell you what the symbols mean.

Have one or two children dress up as police officers and issue “tickets” to children on tricycles who are not obeying rules, during outdoor time. You could set up a stop sign and speed limit sign. Let the children have fun and pretend.

Take photos of the children on the playground. Print some out or show children the photos on a phone or computer. Ask, “What are you doing in this picture? Tell us about it.

Encourage the children to explain the safety rules for playground equipment. For example, “You must go down the slide on your bottom,” or “Only one person on the slide at a time.

Encourage the children to help write the playground rules. During outdoor time, discuss playground safety and decide which rules should keep them safe. For example, 1) Go down the slide on your bottom.

At the beginning of the year, model appropriate safety rules for the playground during outdoor time. Demonstrate where it is appropriate to run and walk. Model going down the slide feet first.

During outdoor time, take the children on a walk around the playground or school grounds and have them tell the things they see, such as other businesses, water tower, houses or farms.

Using two hula-hoops, label one “Living” and the other “Nonliving.” Have the children explore the playground and put items they find in the appropriate hoop during outdoor time.

Use the dramatic play area to set up a doctor's office or examination room. Encourage the children to care for the baby dolls and each other.

In the dramatic play area, encourage the children to take on the roles of family members. They can set the table or take care of a pretend baby sister or brother. They can also pretend to get ready for work as they have seen a family member do.

Make or use nontoxic play dough. Encourage the children to manipulate the play dough with their hands and with tools such as plastic utensils, cookie cutters and rollers.

Separate your sensory center table into four sections, using four wide containers. Label each section Dig, Pour, Sift or Scoop. Use diff erent tools to help the children practice each action.

During outdoor time, draw different faces on the ground using sidewalk chalk. Have the children move until their shadow lines up with one of the faces. Be sure to draw the faces where the sun will be behind where the children are standing.

Choose a piece of playground equipment and imagine it as something different, perhaps a castle with a kidnapped princess inside.

Talk about when to say please and thank you. Read The Berenstain Bears' Please and Thank You Book by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Sing this song to the tune of "Frére Jacques." Teach the signs for please and thank you to accompany the song.

Encourage the children, while in the dramatic play are, to play the “Please Pass Game.” Using pretend food, model how to ask for and pass something such as, “Please pass me the carrots.” Have the children ask their friends to pass them something.

This is a traditional game played in Great Britain. During outdoor time, have the children sit or stand on one side facing the teacher, four feet away. The teacher can play the crocodile or have a child do it.