Activities

Create a “Talk Box” or a “Question of the Day” to encourage conversation. These could be silly topics. The children may start out with one-word or two-word sentences, but as the year progresses, you should encourage more complex dialogue.

Bring an old item such as a telephone with a dial.  Ask the children," What do you think it is?"  Point to the dial, receiver or cord, asking about each part.  After allowing enough time to guess, model how the item is used.

During greeting time as the children enter the room, ask, “What do you want to do today?” Have a chart with simple activity cards such as puzzles, blocks, dolls or paint. Have each child pick one with his/ her answer and put it on the chart.

When you feed, dress and change an infant's diaper, make eye contact and use simple words to talk about what you are doing. Say, "I am changing your diaper because it is wet. This wipe will feel so good on your skin and clean you off.

Use a prop to indicate whose turn it is to talk during a large group discussion. Explain to children that some native Americans use a “talking stick” to make sure each person has a turn to share his ideas and opinions with the rest of the group.

Make an alien phone using two large plastic cups and a metal Slinky.  Punch a small hole in the bottom of each cup and place the first loop of the Slinky through the cup.  On the underside of the cup, secure the Slinky with packing tape.

Pose questions to the children such as, "When it starts raining when we are on the playground, then we would...?"  Have several of these types of questions ready, and discuss or record the children's creative approaches for solving the problem.

Read In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. The simple text allows the children to point to the words on the page and discriminate text from pictures.

After reading Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert in large group, encourage the children to use tangram pieces to duplicate the animals according to the pictures in the book.

After teaching the children to play a strategy game in the mth center, such as Tapatan, model your strategy aloud and encourage them to explain their thinking.

Let the children take turns tossing a beanbag onto a target on the ground.  Each ring on the target will represent a certain number of points.  The children will not be working on individual scores, however.

Use the sensory center to expose the children to new eating experiences. Choose one day a month to try a food from a different culture. As the children try the new food, talk about how they are the same or different from what they usually eat.

Vote for the class snack. Give the children three different snacks to taste and determine which ones they like the most. Create a graph with pictures of each item at the top, such as pretzels, cheese crackers or graham crackers.

Provide a small amount of different foods, such as sweet, sour or savory. Encourage the children to taste new foods as you name and describe them.

Bring in mozzarella and blue cheese.  Talk about the ways they are the same and different.  Encourage the children to examine the size, shape and texture.  Have them taste each type of cheese on a cracker if they would like.

Cut an orange and a grapefruit into sections. Encourage the children to taste each one. Describe it. Was it sweet? Sour? Pour a small amount of orange juice and grapefruit juice into clear cups.

Set up a tea party in the dramatic play area. Provide the children with a teapot, cups, saucers, cloth napkins and pretend cookies. Model pouring the tea and eating the cookies.

Read a book such as Olivia Plans a Tea Party by Natalie Shaw. Ask the children what they will need to have a tea party of their own.

Play “Simon Says” with the children. Give them simple commands such as touch your nose, touch your toes, jump up and down, spin around.

At circle time, play “Simon Says,” but substitute the teacher's name for Simon. For example, say, “Miss Betty says clap your hands... Miss Betty says stop.