Activities

Collect juice boxes, stuff with newspaper and tape the ends. Place in the block area. These stack higher than wood blocks. When the tower falls, encourage the children to try again.

Collect juice boxes, stuff them with newspaper and tape the ends. Place in the block area. Since these are so light, they stack higher than wood blocks. When the tower falls, encourage the children to keep trying.

In large group, read How to be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Laurie Krasney. Discuss the book with the children.

Provide materials for children to plant their own seed (plastic cup, soil, seed, water). Give step-by-step directions both verbally and by using picture cards.

Sing "If You're Happy and You Know It." Model the gestures so the infants can imitate the actions.

Create a short story to teach the children how to ask for help in the classroom. Keep the text simple and add pictures to match. Say, "When we play outside, we like to do lots of fun things. We can ride our tricycles.

Read Are You A Butterfly? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries. Talk about the different stages of a butterfly and how it grows, and compare this to how children grow.

Create a graph titled “How Would You Feel?” On the graph, draw two or three facial expressions such as happy, sad and angry.

Discuss daily changes in the weather and how the children's routines might change, depending on the weather.

Divide the class into a few small groups and facilitate the retelling of a familiar story such as “The Three Little Pigs.” Assign each group an action from the story and encourage them to perform their action at the appropriate point in the story.

If an infant sees another infant in distress, encourage the first infant to blow a kiss or give a hug to the infant in distress. Model language by saying, "Andrew is so sad.

Invite an environmentalist to come and talk about the importance of protecting the environment. During outdoor time, have him/her talk about how trees can be recycled and replanted. If possible, get permission to plant a tree on the school grounds.

Have a large teddy bear or other stuffed animal. When a child becomes upset, have him/her go to the animal and hug it out. Give the child time to talk to the teddy and self-soothe.

Create a set of cards that shows pictures of different ways to express affection, such as hug, kiss, high five, smile, butterfly kiss or a nose rub. Turn the cards over and encourage a child to pick a card.

Upon arrival, initiate a hug with the child and allow him/her to respond.

During outdoor time, have four to six children stand in a circle holding hands. One pair lets go for a moment and you slip a hula-hoop on one child's arm. Now they link hands again so that the hoop is between them and their arms are through the hoop.

Create a spiderweb using a hula-hoop and masking tape, sticking side facing out. Hang up in the the classroom. Place a small basket of cotton balls (flies) for the spider to catch. Encourage the children to throw the balls toward the web.

During outdoor time, put several hula-hoops out in a sequence. Demonstrate for the children the order they should follow as they hop from one hoop to the next.

During outdoor time, bring hula-hoops outside and challenge the children to a hula-hoop contest.

Set up a hopscotch game using hula-hoops. Encourage the children to hop on one and two feet along the game path.