Activities

Use a “feely box” for the children to touch an item inside and guess what it is. You can use a tissue box and include items with different shapes and textures.  This can be done in small group.

Use a “feely box” for the children to touch an item inside and guess what it is. You can use a tissue box and include items with diff erent shapes and textures. This can be done in small group.

Create a feely box and place it in the science center.

Use mystery “feely boxes” for the children to guess what is inside. You can use tissue boxes and put different fabric pieces or small toys in the box for them to feel.

Place the infant on his/her back on a blanket. Have him/her explore using bare feet. Encourage awareness and movement with the touch of soft items like a feather or toy.

Gather several medium-size balls. Invite pairs of children to sit on the ground "feet to feet" with their legs spread apart. Give a ball to each pair and show them how to roll it back and forth gently.

Provide felt pieces for the children to use with the song “I Went to Visit a Farm One Day.” As the children listen to the song, have them find the animal to place in the barn.

Many authors, such as Jan Brett, have printable cutouts on their websites. After reading a story such as The Mitten to the class, encourage the children to retell the story using felt board pieces.

Create "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" felt board pieces. Read the story several times. Afterward, encourage the children to participate by adding felt board pieces as the story unfolds.

On a felt board, display cutouts that represent

a range of feelings such as happiness, sadness and fear. Refer to the board throughout the day to help the children learn to label their emotions.

After a field trip to the local market, have the children draw things they saw or did. Have them talk about their art. Compare responses and talk about the similarities and differences.  This can be done in small group.

During outdoor time, divide the class into multiple groups and have a relay race. For example, the children have to take a sponge, run to the other end to dip the sponge in water and then run back and squeeze their sponge into their team's cup.

You will need pairs of socks in different sizes and colors and a small laundry basket. Empty the socks onto the carpet. Have the children find matching socks which they will place as matched pairs into the basket.

Set up the game in the traditional manner, with one less chair than children. When the music stops, the children work together to find space for a child who does not have a chair. Continue to play, removing a chair each time.

Gather a variety of soft toy animals. Call out different body parts and have the children point to their bodies then point to the same part on the toy animal. Point out how body parts look different from one another.

Draw several large shapes on poster board, or cut them from construction paper and glue them onto poster board. Give the children matching shapes cut from fun foam. Encourage them to match the shapes.

Read a farm animal book. Favorites such as Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Child's Play; My Big Farm Book by Roger Priddy; and Animals on the Farm by Christopher Hernandez.

Sit with a small group of children. Provide a variety of number cards, zero through 10. Have several examples of each number, enough for each child in the group.

Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Find your circle (color, shape, number, etc) and sit down

and sit down and sit down

Find your circle and sit down

It's time to start our day

Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Find, find, find your smock

Help and do your part

Button, button, button up

Now it's time for art