Activities

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'

Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know it"
If you're ready for a story find a seat

If you're ready for a story find a seat

If you're ready for a story

Check your hands and then your feet

If you're ready for a story find a

During outdoor time, make a sensory tub with gravel, small bulldozers and dump trucks to use on the playground. Have some larger rocks with letters written on them so the children can identify the letters in their dump truck or bulldozer scoop.

Toddlers adore piling up blocks and knocking them down. Help the children build a tower of blocks. When the blocks are stacked, say, “Ready, set, crash!” On the word “crash,” knock the blocks down. Now repeat the activity with the children's help.

Encourage mobile infants to move through and around obstacles. Place two soft pillows side by side, with a space between them, or put a chair in the way for the infants to go around.

This is a race that requires children to wait for the words “Ready, Set, Go.” Substitute the word “Go” with another word such as “Grow”: “Ready, Set, Grow.” Make the connection between the children being able to control their bodies in the game.

As you dismiss the children to play during outdoor time, ask them to act out the activity they want to play and ask the other children to guess it.