Activities

Write upper case letters on one color of paper plates and lower case on another color. Keep them handy for lots of activities. Pass out the upper case letters to the children, one to each child. Place the lower case letters on the floor.

Provide different shapes and sizes of plastic bottles in the science center. Place the bottles in one bin and their corresponding lids in another. The children must figure out which lid goes on which bottle.

Have the children lie on large butcher paper while a buddy traces their body. You or the child can cut out the figure. Have the children draw and decorate their “body.

Show the pictures from the book Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban. Attach aluminum or platinum craft paper to the inside of a wide box. Provide small mirrors and shiny and dull objects along with flashlights.

Create a light table in the sensory center. To create one, place battery operated string lights inside a clear food storage container with a top.

You will need paint strips in a variety of colors and shades from a home improvement store. Cut the strips apart. Have the children put three to four squares of the same color in order by shade, from lightest to darkest.

Before center time, explain to the children that there are no brushes to use for painting.

Lead the large group of children in a game of Limbo.   This could be done in large group.

Teach children simplified versions of popular line dances such as “The Electric Slide.” After they have mastered the steps, play music and encourage them to dance to the beat of the song. This could be done in large group.

Teach children simplified versions of popular line dances, such as “The Electric Slide.” After they have mastered the steps, play music and encourage them to dance to the beat of the song. This could be done in large group.

Using four pieces of construction paper, number each paper one through four. Tape them to the floor near the door to the room. Have the children line up according to the number of syllables in their names.

Tune: “Gilligan's Island Theme”
My hands are tight behind my back

I'm standing straight and tall

My eyes are looking straight ahead

I'm ready for the hall

I'm ready for the hall

Tune: “B-I-N-G-O”
There was a teacher, 

had a class always on the go –oh.

Alex, you may go.

Phyllis, you may go.

Sammy, you may go.

And line up at the door-oh.

Stand the children in a long line and provide a string for them to hold.  Tell them that they will be following a leader and doing everything the leader does.

Observing the infant face-to-face, smack your lips together several times. Start out very slowly so he/she can observe your lips and hear the sound. Encourage the infant to imitate you.

Read Down Comes the Rain by Franklin M. Branley. Demonstrate the process of water changing from a liquid to a gas by safely heating water in a tea kettle and observing the steam (gas) that is produced. This could be done in large group.

Sometimes children behave impulsively because they have difficulty processing the directions. Encourage them to listen to the directions first and repeat back what they've heard before they take action.

Tune: “Do You Know the Muffin Man”
Listen to directions now, 

directions now, directions now.

Listen to directions now, 

then you'll know what to do.

Invite one child to play a pattern with rhythm sticks and others listen and repeat after you have modeled the activity. This can be done in small group.

Record the children chanting or singing classroom songs and finger plays. Let them listen for the uses during the reading center time.