Activities

After reading Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley, encourage the children to add additional soldier names and activities to the end. This could be done in large group.

Give each child an aluminum pie plate and a marker or drumstick. Call out objects in a category such as animals or food. As you call out the object, “broc-col-i,” have the children beat out the syllables on the pie plate using the marker.

Create a duck finger puppet using a glove, yellow pom-poms and VELCRO.® Use felt for the pond.

This game is played like “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Instead of saying “goose,” the child names a different animal, for example, “elephant.

Give each child a container with five to 10 toys, such as blocks, connectors, links or sensory balls. Encourage the children to tip the container over so that the toys fall on the floor, then pick the toys up and put them back in the container.

Using containers with small toys or soft blocks, encourage the children to dump and fill the containers. Model dumping and filling. Talk the children through what they are doing, Say, “Now you put all the blocks in the truck.

Add a vacuum cleaner, duster, and empty spray bottle and encourage the children to pretend to clean while in the dramatic play area.

Two little feet go stamp, stamp, stamp  
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap 
Ten little toes go tap, tap, tap 
Ten little fingers go snap, snap, snap
One whole body stands up so tall 
One whole body gets very small

Give the children early reader books to read. These can be borrowed from a local library. Have the children pair up and choose a book to read. Encourage them to lay comfortably on the carpet and look at the text.

During outdoor time, fill tubs with different types of surface materials found on the earth. Examples include sand, black garden soil, gravel and water.

Gather fingerpaints, fingerpaint paper, small squares of cardboard, small plastic vehicles and tape. Attach the fingerpaint paper to the table with tape. Encourage the children to cover the paper with paint.

Give each child a peeled banana, a small plastic knife, yogurt and a small amount of brown sugar. Help the children cut the bananas in slices. Now have them dip the slices first in the yogurt, then in the brown sugar.

Pretend to eat healthy snacks in dramatic play using your play food.

Read the book Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert during large group. You should call attention to those foods that may be less known to children.

Read the book Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert. You should call attention to those foods that may be less known to children.

Instruct the children to echo you as you count to 20. After stating each number, have the children state the number back to you as a group. Use different voices, such as a baby voice, a robot voice or a monster voice to echo the count.

Play Greg & Steve's "Number Rock." Encourage the children to sing and clap along. Have the children count during other times of the day, walking to the playground, for example. Encourage the children to echo your words.

Here's a fun echo song. When you sing this song, try varying the pitch of your voice with each verse, getting higher as you move from toe to middle to head.

Collect lots of egg cartons.  The children can use the cartons as building blocks in the block center.

Spraypaint cardboard egg cartons. Provide pom- poms in the same colors and child-sized tongs.