Activities

As infants arrive, greet each one with a "Hello" and a hand clap. Encourage the older infants to do the same when peers arrive.

Provide a toy telephone for the children and another telephone for youself. Encourage the children to make a call. Role play answering the call. Say, “Hello.

Engage the infant in a soothing song in the morning:
Hello, hello, hello and how are you?

I'm fine, I'm fine and I hope that you are too.

Establish a greeting ritual with the children when unfamiliar adults enter the classroom. Teach the children to smile, wave and say, "Hello" or "Welcome.

At departure time, assist the child in greeting the family member, using simple words and phrases such as "Hi, Mommy!" or "Hi, Grandma!"

When a familiar adult enters the room to pick up an infant, greet the adult with the infant, speaking from the infant's perspective.

When a familiar adult enters the room to pick up a child, greet the adult with the child, speaking from the child's perspective.

When parents or friends arrive in the classroom or leave the classroom, encourage the infants to wave to them. Wave your hand and repeat, “Bye-bye Mommy,” several times. You could also gently hold the infant's hand and make waving motions.

Give the children paper napkins to place on their heads. While music plays, the children dance around. If the napkin falls off a child's head, he/ she freezes. Another child can unfreeze the first child by touching him/her.

In the different centers, place signs that the children can turn around when they need help from a teacher. Encourage the children as they are playing to turn the sign around if needed.

Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Help, help, help your friends

Help them every day

Find a way to help them out

Then go off to play
Help, help, help your friends

Help them every day

Tie their shoe or find the

Show photographs of different community helpers, and describe for the children the job each person does. Include pictures of some family members at their jobs as well.

One child is the “Mama Hen.” As the Mama Hen hides her eyes, choose another child to be the “chick.” Give the chick a small object that makes a peeping sound, such as a dog's squeaking toy.

Recite and model this fingerplay with the children. Use voice inflection to emphasize the word "my" throughout the fingerplay.
Here is my book. I can open it wide

(Hold palms together, open wide.

Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Here we are today

We're gonna play a game 

When I point to you

Please say your name

Provide paper towel tubes, wrapping paper tubes or long PVC pieces that toy cars and small balls can fit through. Give the children time to play and let them explore how to use the items.

Using pictures of animals and vehicles, discuss which one goes the fastest, farthest or slowest.  This could be done in small group.

During outdoor time, use a box lid and take the pet hermit crabs outdoors. Provide a table and challenge the children to create a maze using small rocks, twigs and leaves. Have the children predict the path they will take.

Cut one hexagon into trapezoids and triangles. Invite the children to use those pieces to fill in another hexagon of the same size. This can be done in small group.

Do a picture walk through the book The Big Honey Hunt by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain. Then provide each child with a sentence strip with several honey pots drawn.