Activities

Collect a variety of earth-tone paint chips from a local home improvement store. Encourage the children to choose a paint chip and hunt for rocks on the playground that match the color.

Draw a grid of five to 10 squares on the sidewalk using chalk. Label the squares with numerals out of order. The children get a rock or beanbag to land on the numeral one before moving onto the numeral two.

Fold your arms and rock back and forth while singing “Rock-a-Bye Baby.” Encourage the child to imitate your actions.

You will need enough fun "monster" bodies for each child, a number cube, and materials for different parts of the monster.

Cut cardboard tubes into various lengths and cover with colorful paper. Make a ramp with heavy cardboard. Show the children how to roll the tubes down the ramps. Experiment with different angles for the ramp.

Gently bounce or rock the infant from side to side as you sing “When We All Roll Over” to the tune of “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?”:
When we all roll over,

Roll over, roll over,

When we all roll over,

Sit an infant up on the floor across from you. Gently roll a large ball to his/her right side and have him/her roll it back to you. Next, roll the ball to his/ her left side and so on, alternating sides each time.

Make a cube with different positional words such as on, in, under, beside, behind and in front of an place it in the math center. Give the children a small container without the lid and a small animal or doll that can stand up.

Provide a small group with one die, a sheet of paper with a 5"x5" grid and dot paint. Have each child take a turn rolling the die. Encourage him/her to call out the number of dots without counting.

Sit on the floor with the infant. Place a small ball near the infant and encourage him/her to roll the ball. You may have to model this a few times. Be sure to give directional words as you model, such as, "Roll the ball to me.

Roll a ball slowly for the infant to “chase.” This will keep him/her alert and engaged.

You will need several pencils and a rectangle unit block for this activity. Lay several pencils on the table or rug, about an inch apart and parallel to each other. Demonstrate how to roll the block over the pencils, similar to a wheel and axle.

During outdoor time, sit on the ground across from a child. The teacher will say a phrase, and then the child and teacher will repeat the phrase while rolling a ball back and forth on each word.

Sit on the floor across from a child. Roll a ball slowly toward the child and say, “I'm rolling the ball slowly. Can you roll the ball slowly?” Acknowledge the speed of the ball as you roll it back and forth with the child.

Place a ball on the floor in front of the infant. Encourage nonmobile infants to roll the ball with their hands for you to return it to them. Encourage mobile infants to roll the ball and then crawl or walk to get the ball after they roll it.

Use a large ball. Place the infant on the ball with their tummy on the ball and your hands holding him/her securely.

Recall the story of Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins. Have the children create a paper-bag puppet of Rosie. The teacher retells the story using positional words while the children use the puppets.  This could be done in small group.

Read Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins and have the children repeat the positional and directional cues from the story. This could be done in large group.

Ten Little Fingers: 100 Number Rhymes for Young Children by Louise Binder Scott is a good book for all sorts of rhymes. Here's one to try.

Provide consistent “routine talk” from day to day for a variety of activities. Each day when it's lunchtime say, “It's lunchtime... time to eat!” so the infants associate that specific phrase with the time of day and the action.