Activities

Ask the children questions when reading Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle. Ask the children to point to and identify the different animals and colors in the book.

Have a police officer bring his/her K9 dog to visit your class. Have the children and the officer discuss safety for humans and animals.

Gather six to 12 extra-large pom-poms in different colors. Paint the inside of each section of a cardboard egg carton the same color as each of the pom-poms.

Have small bowls or cone-shaped cups and a variety of large pom-poms in a bowl. Have the children use an ice cream scoop to serve the pom-pom ice cream during center time.

Clasp pom-poms with clothespins to use as paintbrushes. Put a variety of colors of paint in small bowls. Have the children dip a pom-pom clothespin into the paint and dot it on their paper. Use one pom-pom per paint color.

Wrap tall Pringles® chip cans or toilet paper tubes in construction paper the same colors as an assortment of small pom-poms. Stand each tube upright. Provide tweezers or chopsticks to pick up each pom-pom and place it in the tube.

Place a variety of pom-poms of different sizes and colors on the highchair tray or at the table for the infant to explore and play with. You can include a strip of the hook side of VELCRO® for him/her to stick the pom-poms onto.

Provide colorful pom-poms for the children to shake while dancing to an upbeat song. CDs may include 150 Toddler Sing-A-Long Songs by the Countdown Kids and Move to the Music: Toddler Dance Class by Bright Stars.

Provide craft pom-poms in various sizes, small, medium, large, in the same color, plus three containers. Encourage the children to put all the ones that are the same together.

Cut foam pool noodles into sections about 3 feet long and show the children how to use them to strike beach balls.

Give the children short pool noodles and a soft ball. Set up a goal on each side of the rug in the block area using masking tape or a small container. Encourage the children to use the noodle to hit the ball into the goal.

Take pool noodles and slice them into round pieces. Provide the children with lengths of rope and have them lace the pool noodles onto the rope.

You will need pool noodles cut in half and medium-size foam balls for this activity. Have the children use the pool noodle as a club to hit the ball, similar to hitting a golf ball.

Provide a water table, goggles and small pool noodle blocks (create blocks by slicing a pool noodle into 3- or 4-inch pieces). Have the children create a splash by dropping the blocks in the water.

Place several older infants on a blanket together. Give them pop beads to pull apart and put together.

Gather five or six children in a circle and sing “Pop! Goes the Weasel.”
All around the cobbler's bench

(Holding hands, run in a circle.),
The monkey chased the weasel.

Place pop-up toys in front of the infant. Demonstrate hitting the top to make the toy work. Then take the infant's hands in your own to assist him/her in doing it. Encourage the infant to play with toys.

Sing a song or play music and encourage the children to stoop/crouch down, then stand up with the music.

Let the children help make popsicles for snack by pouring fruit juice into an ice cube tray and adding a craft stick for a handle. Freeze the popsicles overnight.

Have the children draw a self-portrait using a paper plate. Provide crayons, markers and other art materials. Once completed, create a class portrait gallery to display the self-portraits.