Activities

Tell the class you're going to read them a story. Ask the children to listen and watch for times when the characters use one of their five senses.

Whisper a message in the ear of the first child. That child repeats what he/she heard to the next child, and so on. Encourage the child at the end to share the message with the whole group and compare it to the original message.

Sit with the child on the floor. Speak/babble in a normal tone and volume, encouraging the child to repeat the sounds. Then whisper the same word or sound and encourage the child to whisper it as well.

Describe the job of someone who keeps people safe and healthy. Have the children guess the community helper. For example, “I drive a big, red truck that makes a lot of noise. I have to have water to do my job.

Read Whoever You Are by Mem Fox. Ask the children questions and have the group respond whether or not they like or do the same things.

Introduce the children and let them talk about themselves so they get to know each other. This can be done in small group.

Introduce the children and let them talk about themselves so they get to know each other. This can be done in small group.

Place photographs of each child on a cookie-cutter- shaped paper cutout. Put the cutouts in a container such as a cookie tin or animal cracker box.

Display photographs of typical homes, your center or school, workplaces and neighborhoods in your community. Discuss with the children the different functions of these places as part of the community.

Display photographs of typical homes in your community, your center or school, workplaces and neighborhoods in your community. Discuss with the children the different functions of these places as part of the community.

At the end of center time, use a call-and-response chant to get the children's attention and remind them that it is cleanup time:
Teacher: “Who got the toys out?”

Children: “We got the toys out.

Have the children sign in when they come into the classroom by moving their photo from the home board to the school board. During small group time, have the children count how many children are at school and how many are at home.

Using a play telephone or block, pretend to talk on the phone. Prompt the child by saying, “Mommy wants to talk to you.

Sit in front of a mirror with the infant in your lap.

Lie on the floor with the infant. Hold a hand mirror just above you. Point to the infant and ask, “Who is that?” and then use the infant's name and say, “I see you, Tyrese.

Have pictures of different people familiar to the children (such as the director, other teachers, the cook) on a poster in the classroom. Review with the children who each person is: "This is Ms. Kim. She helps fix our lunch.

Ask the children to tell you what they know about caves and what kinds of animals live there.  Read a book, such as Gail Gibbons' Caves and Caverns, or engage the children in research to learn about caves.

Show different items used for different jobs such as a rolling pin, a firefighter's hat and a hammer. Ask the children what person would use that particular item while working at their job.

Gather several familiar items that can be easily related to specific tasks, people or occupations: a toy stethoscope, a whisk, a computer keyboard, a flashlight, a hammer or a toothbrush.

Before reading the story “The Little Red Hen,” use a variety of props to spark the children's curiosity.