Activities

You will need two large containers of rice or small gravel and a variety of tools such as spoons, pitchers, plastic bottles and scoops.

Provide each child with a toy spaceship or similar toy vehicle. (You could also make spaceships from cardboard tubes with red and yellow streamers attached to the end).

Encourage the children to hold books right-side up and to turn the pages one at a time. Describe the parts of the book as well.

Provide each child with a bell or tambourine. Have the children listen as you call out their names. When a child hears his/her name, the child shakes the bell or tambourine to make it sound.

Have four or five children hold a single hula-hoop as they walk in a circle singing “Ring Around the Rosie.” Begin by having the children hold the hoop with both hands, then later with one hand as their motor skills develop.

Sing “Ring Around the Rosie” and encourage the children to watch each other as they participate. Say, “I see Aidan falling down... and Jordan falling down... and Amy falling down.

Sit with the infant as he/she explores a ring stacker. Show the infant how to remove the rings and put them back on. The infant will be able to remove them before he/she can put them back on, so you may need to assist with this.

Provide the children with ring stackers and encourage them to stack the rings based on size. Verbalize what the children are doing as they practice. “That one doesn't go there, does it? Try the bigger one to see if it will go.

Create shape cards to make several small decks of cards. Give the children tap bells or small clickers. Play in pairs. Each child turns over a card from his/her deck at the same time. If the shapes match, both children ring the bell.

Games that require the children to compare and contrast make good problem-solving activities. Here's a fun one that the children really enjoy. Divide the children into groups of two and give each child a bell that you tap to ring.

Tune: "Rise and Shine"
 Rise and Shine and welcome to school today (3x)

We're so glad you're here
Rise and Shine, let's clap our hands together (3x)

We're so glad you're here

Create road signs for the children to use during their explorations in the block center.

Read The Robot Book by Heather Brown. Have a cardboard box available to be the robot and examples of the parts mentioned in the story. Ask children to VELCRO® the parts on the cardboard box robot to assemble it.

Give the infant soft balls with a rattle inside, balls that are easy to squish, or balls that light up when touched. Encourage the infant to play with the balls.

Read the book Rocks Are Everywhere by Deborah P. Cerbus. Show the children a variety of rocks. Have the children call out things they notice.

Mix together equal parts salt, ammonia, liquid bluing and water, and pour mixture into a glass dish such as a round pie pan. Add various objects to the liquid such as paper towel bits, rocks, wooden blocks, food and metal objects.

You will need a timer and a plastic bag for every child. Set the timer for 30 seconds. Have the children find as many rocks as they can in 30 seconds. Once the timer has stopped, ask the children to freeze.

Collect a variety of rocks and put them in a basket or bowl. Provide the children with play dough in a choice of colors. Let the children pick out rocks to push into the play dough to make 3-D art sculptures.

Give the infants soft baby dolls to hold and sing “Rock-a-Bye, Baby.

During outdoor time, have the children gather rocks from the playground or from other areas around the school. You will want them to look for rocks with a smooth surface. Clean the rocks and let them dry.