Activities

Teach the children the song “Hi-Ho, Library-O” from Dr. Jean to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”:
The author writes the book.

The author writes the book.

Tune: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Brush them every day
We put toothpaste on our brush
To help stop tooth decay Clean, clean, clean your teeth
Clean them every day!

Use the book The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle to teach children how to seek support when solving problems.

Read a book such as The Way I Feel by Janan Cain and encourage the children to make the different faces they see in the book.

Read The Way I Feel by Janan Cain. Talk about how you can use facial expressions to help you decide how someone is feeling. Use small mirrors and encourage the children to copy the expressions they see in the book for each emotion.

Encourage the children to take turns pouring water from plastic cups onto a large water wheel to keep it moving. Talk about what you see: "The wheel is spinning. You put water in the cup.

Sing the song “The Wheels on the Bus” with the infant. Place the baby close to you as you sing and do the hand gestures and movements.

You will need simple headbands or puppets for a variety of animals found in the forest or on the farm, such as a rabbit, cow, pig, duck or butterfly, and a long sock to fit over one child's arm to be the snake.

Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell"
Let's sing a winter song

Let's sing a winter song

The days are short, the nights are long

Let's sing a winter song.

Create a dictionary for new vocabulary words for each study topic. Put word cards you have used for your topic on book rings. Label each collection with a title, such as “Farm Dictionary.

Create vocabulary cards that reflect new vocabulary introduced by your theme, such as ocean animal names. Print the words on cards with picture cues and post them in the writing center area for children to use during centers.

Read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback. Use a plastic trash can with a swing lid as the old lady. Have the actual objects or use pictures of the items she swallowed.

Cut a small hole about the size of a quarter in a plastic bucket and challenge the children to fix the bucket so it will hold water. They must use natural items found on the playground or ones that you have provided – leaves, soil, rocks or sticks.

During outdoor time, cut a small hole about the size of a quarter in a plastic bucket and challenge the children to fix the bucket so it will hold water.

Recite the following while making the suggested gestures. Have the children hold their hands up in front of themselves, with palms out, and say, “These are my hands and they belong to me.” (Tap chest with hands).

Add some interesting or unusual clothes into the dramatic play area for the children to use for dress-up such as a shawl or a vest and a bow tie. As the children try them on, name the clothing items. “Jaden has on the vest.

Place a set of picture cards in front of the children. Have them choose two cards with things that rhyme and two more with things that do not rhyme. For example, “bear” and “chair” rhyme, but “bear” and “dog” do not.

Use an old pair of shoes to make puppets. On the soles of the shoes glue eyes, a pom-pom nose, felt or yarn mouth and yarn hair. Encourage the children to name the puppets.

Read Cars and Trucks and Things that Go by Richard Scarry. Provide a selection of small vehicles for the children to push along a playmat or teacher-made roadway.

During outdoor time, call out certain movements and ask the children which body parts are able to move that way.