Activities

Give each child a can or other container that will roll. Have him/her place it a one end of the rug. Before starting, have him/her predict how many times he/she will have to kick the can or container to get it to the other end of the rug.

Fill a shallow container with a small layer of sand. Hold the infant over the container, and let his/her feet touch the sand. As the infant kicks his/her feet, describe what he/she is doing.

Before reading King Bidgood's in the Bathtub and He Won't Get Out by Audrey Wood, read the title to the children and show them the cover. Encourage them to predict what the book will be about.

Place butcher paper on a table and provide the children with a variety of kitchen tools such as forks, spatulas and potato mashers.  Show them how to dip the tools in shallow pans of paint and press them on paper.

Use kitchen items such as bowls, pots, pans and spoons as musical instruments. Encourage the children to make music on the “new instruments.

Use pots, pans, wooden spoons and kitchen utensils from your housekeeping area and have the children create a kitchen band. Have the children march around the room and make noise!This could be done in large group.

Provide each child with a Kleenex® or other facial tissue. Have the children sit on the rug with their legs straight out in front of them. Play music and have the children kick their tissues in the air with their feet until the music stops.

Have a variety of simple, large knob puzzles for play and exploration available throughout the day. Begin with single, geometric-shaped large knob puzzles. Prompt as the child manipulates the pieces: “It almost fits.

You will need packets of Kool-Aid® or powdered tempera paint, paper and ice cubes. Have the children sprinkle Kool-Aid on their paper. Give the children ice cubes and encourage them to “paint” and see what happens.

During outdoor time, draw two parallel lines on the ground about 20 feet apart. One child will be “it” and stands in the space between these lines. The rest of the class stands on one of the lines.

Remove a shoe lace from a shoe. Show the children how to put the lace back in and pull it through the holes.

Sit with the children on the floor or at a table. Provide them with large lacing beads and strings. Encourage the children to lace the strings through the beads.

Use the front of greeting cards from any holiday or event and have the children choose one from the selection. Provide them with shoelaces and hole punchers. Have them punch holes on their card to create their own lacing card.

Draw large shapes on card stock, cut out and laminate. Punch around the edges of the shapes with a hole puncher. The children can use yarn to lace around the shapes. As they work, talk about the attributes of the shapes they are lacing.

Punch holes in Styrofoam® deli trays to resemble shapes such as a house or flower. Provide large laces for the children to use to lace through the holes.

Provide balls of different sizes and textures, and/ or blocks of different materials, shapes and sizes for the infants to explore. Comment on the toys they are exploring: “Andrew, you have the square block, It's red.

Encourage the children to look at similar shapes of different sizes. Place several cut-out shapes in a basket and have a child choose one – a square, for example.

Ask the children simple questions about what they did the night before. You can start with a question such as, “What did you do when you left school yesterday?” As the children are able to recall, chart their answers.

Provide several pairs of rolled-up socks and a laundry basket. Encourage the children to toss the socks into the basket. Talk about how the socks are like a ball: they are round and we can toss them.

Place a large box or laundry basket on its side in an open space. Put something sturdy behind it. Place a few medium-sized balls nearby. Encourage the children to kick the balls into the target.