Activities

Lead the class in singing and responding to a song such as “Bear Hunt” or “Mother Gooney Bird.” Encourage the children to clap hands, stomp feet and act out the song.

Sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to the infant. Move his/her arms back and forth with you while you sing. Sing it fast and slow, high and low. Encourage the infant to sing. Copy the sounds he/she makes, and describe them.

During music and movement time, sing a favorite song, such as “BINGO,” with the children.

Sing familiar songs to the infant while rocking. Add his/her name and familiar words to the song whenever possible: “Rock-a-bye, Victoria, in the treetop...” or, “Jackson had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb...

Tune: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing with me.

Sing out loud. Sing out clear.

Soothing an infant with a comforting song is a technique that is popular throughout the world. Try this one: "Rockin' to a Lullaby" from The Learning Station's CD Rock n' Roll Songs that Teach.

Read or sing the favorite book Five Little Ducks. Use finger puppets to follow along in the story or have the children be the ducks and use hand motions to demonstrate going over the hill and far away.

As you transition at the end of the day, make up short verses to a good-bye song such as this to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”:
Our day is over,

our day is over.

Time to go home,

time to go home.

Repeatedly use books such as The Cat Came Back by Dahlov Ipcar or The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Iza Trapani, which support singing the storyline, encouraging the children to sing along.

Provide a microphone for children to use while singing number songs in the math center.

Ask the children to walk around the classroom and grab one item that can fi t in the palm of one hand. Have a large, clear tub of water in the center of the group. Provide a large chart with two columns labeled “Sink” and “Float.

Fill the sensory center table with water and provide various items that will sink or float. Encourage the children to describe why some sink and others float.

Use the bubble concept as a visual for personal space. Blow bubbles and talk about what happens when the bubbles touch each other or an object. They pop! Discuss when our personal space “bubbles” might pop.

Six little ducks that I once knew

(hold up six fingers)

Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones too

(hold up one finger)

But the first little duck with the feather on his back

(wiggle one finger)

He led the others with a

Read Six Sticks by Molly Coxe. Give each child a construction paper mat and six narrow craft sticks and encourage him/her to create something using all six sticks. Encourage the children to talk with each other about what they are doing.

You will need pairs of real or found items, such as rocks, sticks, leaves, shells, plastic lids, buttons or pipe cleaners with one item noticeably bigger or longer than its mate.

Play some lively music and encourage children to move their bodies in interesting and fun ways. Use words such as sashay, plie´ or skedaddle. Teach the movement for each word.

Sing this song and do the motions with the children.
Skidamarink a dink a dink (Put your right elbow

in your left hand and wiggle your fingers.

During outdoor time, have the children sit in a circle with one child in the middle. This child is Skippyroo.

Create a concentration game using pictures of items found in the sky such as, rainbows, sun, clouds, stars and moon. Each time a child makes a match ask what he/she knows about that picture.This can be done in small group.