Activities

Put small notepads in the writing area. Talk to the children about stopping on the way home to pick up some groceries. Tell the children that you always forget what you need to buy.

Have a discussion about the exchange of goods and services when you go to the grocery store. For example, you make a list of things you need but you have to look at each item to see how much it costs and make sure you have enough money to spend.

Create a grocery store in the dramatic play area. Talk to the children about the different jobs that are required to run a grocery store. Make labels on necklaces that the children can choose when they arrive to “work.

Set up a grocery store for the children to purchase food items. Label products with prices ranging from one to 10 cents, such as carton of milk = 10 cents or dish detergent bottle = 7 cents. Give the children pennies to buy the items they want.

Cover a classroom wall with bulletin board paper at the children's level and title the paper with a theme such as “Winter Fun.” Provide paint, crayons, stickers, construction paper and glue and encourage the children to add to the mural.

Cover a medium size box with butcher paper, and work with the children on a group project. Have them glue a variety of 3-D items such as cotton balls, buttons, sequins and wiggly eyes onto the box.

Group time, group time

Come and find your places

Group time, group time

Come and find your seat

Turn the sensory table into a “garden” by adding clean mulch, small garden tools, gloves, shovel, rake, trowel, aprons, small cups and plastic beads to represent seeds.

Choose seeds that sprout quickly, such as beans or peas, and plant the seeds with the children. Place the plant in a sunny window and have the children help water it regularly. Observe the plant as it grows.

Read the book Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Elhert. Ask the children questions such as, “How do vegetables grow?” Place pictures on the table to represent digging the hole, planting the seeds and watering.

Read Guess How Much I Love You? board book by Sam McBratney to the infants. Emphasize words. For example, stretch hands up high when talking about how "much;" say, "soooo much.

Add books about affection to your reading area such as Hug by Jez Alborough; Hug Machine by Scott Campbell and Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Provide discussion during and after reading the books.

During outdoor time, group the children according to a specific characteristic such as blond hair, brown eyes or tall children. Tell the children, “Guess My Rule!” They must see if they can come up with how the children were grouped.

Hide a paper shape inside the book you are reading during large group. Give children clues to guess the shape. Describe attributes, “It has four corners.” Or compare it to everyday objects, “It's the shape of the clock on the math shelf.

During large group, sort half of the children into two groups by one attribute; for example, wearing long pants versus wearing short pants. The other half of the children try to guess the attribute used to sort the children.

Provide an opportunity for the children to describe locations of objects or people within the classroom. For example, “I am thinking of something that is closer to the block center than the art center. It is above the book shelf.

Place four or five edible items with strong aromas, such as coffee, onions, lemons or cinnamon in separate containers. Have the children shut their eyes and identify each item by smell.

Gather various flavors of gelatin dessert. Put a little powder of each flavor on a plate for each child. Have him/her dip bananas into the gelatin dessert powder. It will change color. Let them guess what the flavor is.

Fill a large container with small objects from the classroom and fasten the lid. Ask a child to come up front. Show the container to the child and say, for example, “I spy something black and you use it to fix hair.

Display several different rhythm instruments with a variety of sounds, such as sticks, drum, triangle, maracas or a tambourine. Identify each instrument.