Activities

Invite families of the children to come in to speak with the class or send in photos or items that represent the family. Let each child tell why his/ her family is special.

During outdoor time, play a version of “Simon Says” using family characteristics. Base your directions on what you know about the children in your classroom. You might say “If you have a brother, jump three times.

Place a tape recorder and tapes in the reading center and have the children record a story about something special he/she has done with his/her family. This could include a vacation, a special custom or an everyday story.

Provide an opportunity for each child to bring in a family treasure box, a shoebox filled with examples of favorite things, family artifacts and family celebrations. Turn the dramatic play area into a museum to store the boxes.

Send a preprinted family tree home with the children. Encourage family members to help the children fill out the names of grandparents, great-grandparents and so on as well as their places of birth. The children can then share these with the class.

Ask the children to bring in a photo from a recent family trip or gathering. Provide an opportunity for the children to explain what is happening in their pictures.

You will need the book, Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood and Bruce Wood, fish templates and pom- poms or other items of your choice for the children to decorate the fish.

Tune: “Polly Wolly Doodle”
Fare thee well, fare thee well,

Fare thee well, good friends today

For our busy day is done, 

Let's go home and have some fun

Sing polly wolly doodle all the way!

Put prices on the fruit and vegetables in your dramatic play area. Remember that young children are generally able to recognize numerals to 10 or 20, so keep your prices low.

During outdoor time, set up an outdoor farmers' market with shopping carts, play fruit and vegetables, purses, bags, cash registers and play money. The children can act out the roles of cashier and customer in their outdoor market.

Play the “Fast And Slow” song by Maple Leaf Learning on the Songs for Learning 2 CD. Provide dancing scarves. Have the children follow you as you follow the directions in the song.

Have the children build several ramps of different heights in the block center.  Encourage them to take turns driving trucks and cars on the ramps to see which is the fastest or slowest.

During outdoor time, talk with the children about what causes them to swing higher or kick a ball farther.

Have children select their favorite book from the classroom library and bring it to the group.

In a large or small group, ask each child to name a favorite color, animal or song. Chart the results. Have the children illustrate their choices, and then talk about whose are the same and whose are different.

Provide large sheets of butcher paper, paint in pie tins and feather dusters or pine tree branches with needles to use as brushes. During outdoor time, encourage the children to make designs and creations on the paper.

During outdoor time, provide large sheets of butcher paper, paint in pie tins and feather dusters or pine tree branches with needles to use as brushes. Encourage the children to make designs and creations on the paper.

Encourage the children to act out familiar stories, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, using the equipment in the play space during outdoor time.

Sing "Apples and Bananas" as you feed the infant. Emphasize a word or sound and use facial expressions to help the infant realize that a spoonful of food is being fed to him/her.

This activity is based on of the book The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian. You will need a “feed me” puppet and a variety of plastic foods. In a growly monster voice say, “Boy, am I ever hungry; I think I would like some apples.