Activities

You will need a cookie sheet, magnetic letters and a dry erase marker. Laminate a large piece of paper with three boxes. The first says, “Say it.” The second says, “Build it.” And the third says, “Write it.

Play instrumental music that changes tempo (fast and slow). Provide the children with scarves and/or crepe paper streamers. Have them move and wave their props to the pace of the music. You can mix up the colors of the props based on seasonal events.

Sit on the floor with infants in a comfortable position. Older infants may want to stand. Turn on music and move scarves to the beat. Encourage younger infants to move toward and/or reach for the scarf.

Play instrumental music that changes tempo (fast and slow). Provide the children with scarves or crepe paper streamers that they can move and wave to the pace of the music. Mix up the colors of the props based on seasonal events.

During music and movement, give each childa bandana or scarf. Model with the children the different movements they can make with the scarf, such as fast, slow, throwing it up and letting it fall and waving it overhead.

Have the children move to a large area. Toss a beach ball in the air and show the children how to keep it moving using any part of their bodies. Challenge them to keep in the air without letting it touch the ground. This can be done in small group.

This can take place indoors or out.  The class will work together to find all items within a given time frame.

Using a map of the playground or classroom, invite the children to search for various items by following the map.

Invite the children to choose a letter to find in the school. Give each child a clipboard made of cardboard and clips to secure the paper. Ask them to write their letter at the top of the paper.

Use scented play dough to keep the children's hands and minds alert and busy. Make or purchase scented play dough. You can make scented play dough by adding flavored drink mix.

Add scented extracts or oils to easel paint in the art center. Provide chart paper and list the various scents. Encourage the children to paint a dot next to the scent they smell.

Post a daily schedule in the classroom with pictures and a movable marker to follow the day. Assign a child to move the marker as the day progresses. This could be done in large group.

Take a walk around the school to identify petsin the various classrooms. Discuss with the children why the pets are living things. List the characteristics that the children point out. Next, make a list of characteristics of nonliving objects.

Turn the dramatic play area into a science sensory lab. Provide lab coats, gloves, goggles, magnifying glasses, scented bottles and natural items such as pinecones, tree bark, soil samples and insects.

Provide “lab books” in the science center and encourage the children to document (in pictures and/or words) the steps and results of a simple science experiment. For example, “Document what happens as ice melts.

Listen to Greg & Steve's song “Scat Like That.” Encourage children to listen and repeat the words. Talk about other songs or books with silly words, such as Dr. Seuss. Take turns making up your own nonsense words and repeating them to each other.

Give the children a large bowl with an assortment of plastic eggs or ping-pong balls inside. Provide a ladle for scooping. Encourage the children to pour the eggs into a second bowl.

Provide children with letter tiles that spell out their names. Have them line up the letters in their name and then count the number of letters.

Write sentences on sentence strips. Read each sentence out loud to the children and have them cut each sentence strip into words, keeping each sentence in its own pile.

Cover the table with butcher paper. Put out large crayons and encourage the children to scribble all over. Show them how to make dots and circles or big, long lines. Comment on their work. Say, “You are making the crayon go dot, dot, dot.