Activities

Begin playing any upbeat song and encourage the children to move in different ways. For example, have them jump up and down or wave their hands in the air. Periodically pause the music. When the music stops, the children have to freeze.

Play music, and encourage the children to dance while the music plays and freeze when it stops. Dance quickly for fast tempo songs, slowly for slow tempo songs. Then reverse the cues. Fast music means slow dancing. Slow music means fast dancing.

Play a game of freeze tag during outdoor time, but change the rules slightly. Instead of just tagging someone to unfreeze them, the children must also say their name.

Inside your writing center provide clipboards made from cardboard, paper, and butterfly clips. Encourage the children to interview classmates or families as they enter the classroom.

Take pictures of the children engaged in a play activity. Print each picture on 81/2" x 11" paper and wrap it around a PVC pipe and place them in the block center. Use these as bowling pins. Provide a ball to knock them down.

The children play bingo, taking turns calling the item to be placed on the game board.

For a small group activity, say a child's name and have the other children say the name.

Use a puppet to play a gentle hugging game. The puppet tells the children that a hug can make you feel better when you are sad or mad. The puppet then hugs a child. Encourage the child to hug a friend.

Take one white cake mix and follow the directions on the package. Give each child a Dixie cup with batter and have them add food coloring to create the color batter of his/her choice. Each child then pours their batter into a greased Bundt pan.

Give each child a strip of paper to decorate using markers or paint. The teacher then attaches all of the strips together into a friendship chain to display in the classroom. This activity could be done in small group.

You will need a large mixing bowl and a spoon. Ask each child to bring his/her favorite fruit to school. Wash and cut fruit into small pieces.

Use the writing  center to create a friendship quilt using paper and markers. Have each child decorate a piece of paper. Attach each child's completed work with yarn to make a quilt to display in the classroom.

Create a friendship quilt using paper and markers. Have each child in the writing center decorate a piece of paper. Attach each child's completed work with yarn to make a quilt to be displayed in the classroom.

Read Frog and Toad: The Lost Button by Arnold Lobel. Give the children animal headbands to help retell the story. Emphasize how Frog and Toad feel when they can't find their buttons.This could be done in large group.

Read Frog in a Bog by Karma Wilson. As you read the story, pause and talk to the children about some of the words that may be unfamiliar, such as bog, half-sunk, reeds or tick. This could be done in large group.

Encourage the children to pretend to be frogs and jump around the room.

Provide pictures and flannel pieces from the book Froggie Gets Dressed by Jonathan London. Have the children retell the story using clothing pieces and pictures from the book.

Share the story or rhyme “Five Little Speckled Frogs” using the flannel board. Retell the story again but pause throughout the story to ask questions.

Read the book Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London. Have the children recall the different things Froggy does at school and how this compares to their own days at school. You can chart their answers or do a comparison graph.

Give the children a set of plastic frogs and lily pads.