Activities

Include examples of artists' work in the art center to encourage children to continue practicing the observation skills you introduce during large group time. Seek out books and magazines of artwork or books about artists.

Place a variety of books about solving problems in the reading area for the children to choose.

Sit with the infant in your lap and read A Circle Here, A Square There: My Shapes Board Book by David Diehl. As you read, encourage the infant to touch the pages.

In a small crate or basket, keep a variety of books for the children to choose from. Include board books, simple text picture books, wordless books and books with rhyming text.

Encourage the children to focus on the pictures in books by providing flannel board pieces or picture cards for familiar stories and placing them in the book area.

Select a child to "read" a familiar story that your class knows, such as The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner.  Encourage the reader to select others to help retell the story.  Have the child "read" as the children re-enact.

While reading a book to the children, pause and ask them to guess what will happen next.

Sit on the floor with a book and begin reading. Use a lot of inflection and facial expressions. Infants who are able will most likely crawl over to see what they are missing.

Children love repetition when it comes to reading stories. Pay attention to their favorites, and read them again and again. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is a classic that most one-year-olds love to hear over and over. Laminate pages as needed.

Place a few language experience charts made by the class throughout the year in the reading center area and invite the children to reread them.

Encourage a child to hold a board book and turn the pages while "reading" to a favorite stuffed animal.

When a child finds a book, ask the child if he/she would like you to read the book to him/her. Hold the child in your lap, if possible, so you both can look at the book together. Have the child help you turn the pages.

Encourage the children to read books to their peers by designating a chair in the room as the Reader's Chair. During center time, the children may choose to gather there and take turns reading familiar books to one another.

Place books in the reading center on endangered species for the children to explore and read such as Endangered Animal by Elise Forier. Provide cards with pictures that talk about animal characteristics.

During outdoor time, create an outdoor reading cave with a large box as the outer structure and put soft items inside. Include a selection of books.

During outdoor time, take a walk to photograph different types of signs that are found in the neighborhood. Ask the children to name different places where they see signs or words on their way to school.

Sit with the infant in your lap and read a short, simple story such as Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt or other touch-and-feel books. Encourage the infant to touch the objects on the page.

Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and discuss the book. Have the children act out the story using props. This can be done indoors or during outdoor time.

Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and discuss the book. Have the children act out the story using props. This could be done in large group.

Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know it"
If you're ready and you know it, 

sit right here

If you're ready and you know it, 

sit right here

If you're ready and you know it 

then you will surely show it

If you'