Subject: Fine Motor

Movement Activity Songs

This is the way I move!

(Tune of Mulberry Bush)

By teachingmama.org

This is the way I touch my nose, touch my nose, touch my nose,

This is the way I touch my nose, when I’m at Preschool!

Additional verses:

This is the way I jump up and down…

This is the way I balance on one foot…

This is the way I spin in a circle…

This is the way I hop like this…

This is the way I touch my toes…

This is the way I stretch up high…

This is the way I sit on my spot…

 

 

Brushing Your Teeth

(Tune of “The Hokie Pokie”)

By Shelly Ores

Pick your toothbrush up

Put your toothpaste on

Put it in your mouth

And brush ’round and ’round

Do this in the morning and before bed at night

That’s how your teeth stay white!

Nooooooooo cavities

Nooooooooo cavities

Nooooooooo cavities

And that’s how we brush our teeth!

 

 

Healthy Choices – Food Group Song

(Tune of ‘Where is Thumbkin?)

By Play to Learn Preschool

Where’s my fruit?

Where’s my fruit?

Here it is!  Here it is!

I make healthy choices

I make healthy choices,

Every day! Every day!

Additional Verses & Options:

Vegetables, protein, grain, dairy, balanced meal

 

Option:  Create picture cards that children could hold up during each verse

 

Brush Your Teeth

  • Hard boil eggs…some in tea…this will stain it brown and a few just plain.
  • Show your students the brown eggs and the white eggs.
  • Tell your students that if we don’t take care of our teeth every day they will become stained.
  • Encourage students to brush the egg gently, using toothpaste.

The stain will come out if your students are persistent.

Teeth Count

  • Fold a 12×18 piece of construction paper in half.
  • Cut a large half circle from the paper.
  • Glue white squares to represent teeth.
  • Give your students dice, white.
  • Roll the dice and add teeth to represent the number on the dice.

Encourage your students to use the tweezers to extend fingers.

Sensory Table: Bugs

  • Layer items in the sensory table.
  • Instruct the children to explore the items in the table.
  • Put bugs in the boxes using the tweezers.
  • Magnifying glasses help the children find details that they cannot see just by looking.
  • If you are able to catch any bugs around your home or school, the children will find live bugs a wonderful experience.

Mosaic Name Plate

  • Create a mosaic name plate art project.
  • Use a sheet of black construction paper.
  • Write the student name on the sheet of paper with chalk.
  • Pre-cut 1″ square pieces of colored construction paper or scrapbooking decorative paper.
  • Have students glue the 1″ square pieces of paper onto the outline of their name.
  • Create a colorful name plate for a bulletin board or classroom display.

Dirt Playdough

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup salt
  • 1 T cream of tartar
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1 c water
  • brown food coloring
  • play sand

Stir flour, salt and cream of tartar in a non-stick skillet.  Add the water and oil.  Heat the mixture over medium heat until it forms a ball.  Transfer the mix to a Kitchen-aid stand mixer and let it cool.  Add quite a bit of food coloring and let the machine do the work for you.  Kitchen-aids are nice but not necessary; any stand mixer will work.

Give the student dried seeds and beans to plant and if you have small trucks or tractors…spoons and forks.

Instruct students to form different types of ground and plant food to grow.  Use pipe cleaner to represent when the seeds are growing into plants.  The pipe cleaners can be formed into all sorts of plants.

Note:  The dough lasts a very long time.  If it becomes dry or clumpy, add a little more oil and knead

Colored Rice

1 c white, uncooked rice

2 T rubbing alcohol

8 drops food coloring

  • Place ingredients in a Ziploc bag, seal and mix until color is evenly distributed. Spread rice on a piece of wax paper to dry.
  • About 4 to 6 cups works well in a sensory table.
  • Students can use tweezers to pick up the rice for sorting colors.
  • Realistic colors can be made or have fun.

Note:  I made this at home.  I was surprised how easy and quick it was.  The alcohol evaporated so quickly that the odor was nowhere to be found.  This project can be used in a variety of ways

Life Skills

  • Fill sensory table with soapy water.
  • Give the students different dish scrubbing tools.
  • Encourage the students to wash a variety of toys.
  • Place towels or blankets on the floor or tables.
  • After items are dry, have the students put items away.

Pony Bead Sorting

  • Secure the floral foam to a pan of your choice.
  • Put hot glue onto one end of the pipe cleaner.
  • Place the pipe cleaner into the foam in rainbow order and at a 90-degree angle.
  • Put an assortment of pony beads in the tray that coordinate with the pipe cleaners.
  • Encourage the students to use their forefinger and thumb to pick up the beads and place them on the pipe cleaner.

Tracing Lines

  • Gather a variety of colored dry erase markers.
  • Print PDF file on cardstock.
  • Laminate cardstock.
  • Instruct students to follow the lines carefully.

Note:  the PDF is great for copying and scissor skills

Paper Chain Boa

  • Cut paper ahead of time.
  • Fold sheet of paper into eighths.
  • Repeat with the other color.
  • Cut on the lines.
  • Fold a strip of paper into a circle shape.
  • Staple the edge.
  • Loop the other color through the other circle.
  • Repeat process.
  • Glue googly eyes onto one end.
  • Glue the red balloon or ribbon to make a tongue.

Note:  A variation, make a class snake…ask the students what they are thankful for.  Write the dictation on each link

Bread in a Bag

Source: Susie – Busy Toddler Blog

1 gallon zip-lock bag

3 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 packet yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, and yeast packet in a bowl. Pour into a zip-lock bag.

Add warm water. Seal bag, pressing out air.

Begin shaking and mixing the bag by hand

Set bag to rest for 10 minutes of proofing

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with salt. Pour into bag along with melted butter.

Seal bag again, pressing out air. Shake and mix again.

Open bag and add in last cup of flour.

Seal bag and mix for a final time.

Pull out dough and place on a floured surface.

With floured hands, knead dough for 5-10 minutes

Place dough in a greased loaf pan.

Lay towel over the loaf pan and set it in a warm spot. Allow the dough 30-45 minutes to rise

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Cooking Activity

  • Choose a bagel recipe to make with the class. **The following option is a great recipe that correlates with the Jalapeño Bagel

Jalapeño Bagels

Source: Jalapeño Bagels by Natasha Wing

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1/2 tsp dry yeast

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

6 cups flour

1/3 cup jalapeños, chopped

1/4 cup dried red peppers

Mix water, yeast, salt, and sugar.  Add flour and jalapeños and mix into a ball.  Knead for ten to twelve minutes, adding more flour if you need to.  Add red peppers and knead for three additional minutes.  Let the dough rest for ten minutes, and then cut into twelve pieces with a knife.

Roll each piece of dough on a table to form a long worm-like shape.  Then, for each of the twelve pieces, connect the two ends by overlapping them about 3/4 of an inch and rolling the ends together to make a ring shape.  Make sure it is secure or it will come apart while you’re boiling it.  If you’re having a hard time keeping the bagel together in a ring, wet the ends and press them together, kind of like you did making clay pots in elementary school.

Cover the dough with a damp towel (paper or cloth) and let it rise for an hour and a half in a warm spot.  In a large pot, bring two gallons of water to a boil.  Drop the bagels in the water and boil until they float (about thirty seconds).  Remove and place them on a slightly greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes or until golden brown.

Tube Blocks

  • On the cardstock; roughly mark off lines about 1.5 or 2 inches.
  • Roll cardstock into a tube.
  • Use the tape to secure along the entire edge.
  • Cut the tube along the marked lines.
  • Smooth out the lines the scissors might have made.
  • Stack the “blocks”.
  • Encourage the students to create pyramids, towers, buildings, floor block puzzles or pattern buildings.
  • Different colored paper or cardstock makes the structures interesting.

Rubber Band Race

  • Show the students how to use a timer.
  • Give your students the supplies needed.
  • Challenge them to place as many rubber bands on the soup can as fast as they can.
  • Ask: How many rubber bands did you get?
  • Encourage them to beat their previous score each time they try.

Weaving with Paper

  • Take your first piece of paper and folded in half.
  • Cut the folded paper in half, but don’t cut all the way through; leave the last inch or so uncut.
  • Cut the halves in half again so you now have four equal sections.
  • Cut the sections in half again so now you have eight equal sections.
  • Unfold the first piece of paper and set it aside.
  • Take the second piece of paper and cut it the same as the first.
  • Then cut all the way through to make 8 equal strips.
  • Start by weaving the first strip of paper under then over the slots.
  • For the next strip of paper alternate the pattern.
  • When you have finished weaving, fold the ends of the strips to the back and tape them down.
  • Display your creations in your classroom space.

Rubbings

  • Remove the paper from a dark crayon.
  • Demonstrate different rubbings with the crayon by laying the crayon on a piece of paper creating rubbing patterns.
  • Secure paper so the rubbing will be accurate.

Sticks

  • While on your walk collect a variety of sticks.
  • Cut the sticks to various lengths.
  • Place the sticks in ascending lengths.
  • The sticks can also be sorted by circumference.

Butterflies

  • Place handful of random buttons on the jellyroll pan.
  • Tell students that buttons are like butterflies: they come in a lot of shapes and sizes.
  • Show the students how to sort the buttons by color using the tweezers.

Paper Caterpillar

  • Prepare supplies ahead of time.
  • Demonstrate how to secure the paper chain together.
  • Then place the head securely to the body with staples or glue.
  • Draw a large leaf on a piece of construction paper.
  • Encourage your child to cut it out.
  • Play with the caterpillar and the leaf.

Poke, Poke, Poke Grass

  • Make a recipe of playdough.
  • Use food coloring to make the dough brown.
  • Collect grass clippings.
  • Place items on tray or jellyroll pan to protect surfaces.
  • Using toothpicks, poke the dough and place the grass into the holes.
  • Allow time for play.
  • Place the dough in an air tight container for another day.

Material Matching

  • Choose a variety of materials with different weights, colors and textures.
  • If you do not have scrap material, ask neighbors and church family members to help you collect scraps.
  • Cut sets of matching fabric with pinking shears.
  • Ask the students to match the fabrics together.
  • Place in the storage bag for additional use.

Sewing Cards

  • If you have sewing cards, this would be a great time to use them.
  • Or make your own.

Note:  All you need is construction paper, a laminator, and a hole punch

  • Provide the students with necessary supplies
  • Demonstrate sewing.
  • Allow time for students to explore.

Tic-Tac-Toe

  • Tell the students that pioneer kids were very creative with games
  • Play tic-tac-toe with your student

 

Weaving Activity:

  • Weaving is a great way to have your students practice their fine motor skills.
    • Items Needed:
    • Make or purchase a loom:
      • Make a wooden frame from popsicle sticks let it dry and then use it as your loom
      • Purchase an oven cooling rack in the kitchen area of your local store: such as, Target, Walmart or the Dollar Store
    • You will also need serval spools of ribbon cut and place in a small basket
    • Then show the children how they can weave the ribbon on the oven cooling rack or homemade loom

Movement Activity Songs

This is the way I move!

(Tune of Mulberry Bush)

By teachingmama.org

This is the way I touch my nose, touch my nose, touch my nose,

This is the way I touch my nose, when I’m at Preschool!

Additional verses:

This is the way I jump up and down…

This is the way I balance on one foot…

This is the way I spin in a circle…

This is the way I hop like this…

This is the way I touch my toes…

This is the way I stretch up high…

This is the way I sit on my spot…

Brushing Your Teeth

(Tune of “The Hokie Pokie”)

By Shelly Ores

Pick your toothbrush up

Put your toothpaste on

Put it in your mouth

And brush ’round and ’round

Do this in the morning and before bed at night

That’s how your teeth stay white!

Nooooooooo cavities

Nooooooooo cavities

Nooooooooo cavities

And that’s how we brush our teeth!

Healthy Choices – Food Group Song

(Tune of ‘Where is Thumbkin?)

By Play to Learn Preschool

Where’s my fruit?

Where’s my fruit?

Here it is!  Here it is!

I make healthy choices

I make healthy choices,

Every day! Every day!

Additional Verses & Options:

Vegetables, protein, grain, dairy, balanced meal

 

Option:  Create picture cards that children could hold up during each verse

Brush Your Teeth

  • Hard boil eggs…some in tea…this will stain it brown and a few just plain.
  • Show your students the brown eggs and the white eggs.
  • Tell your students that if we don’t take care of our teeth every day they will become stained.
  • Encourage students to brush the egg gently, using tooth paste.
  • The stain will come out if your students are persistent.

Teeth Count

  • Fold a 12×18 piece of construction paper in half.
  • Cut a large half circle from the paper.
  • Glue white squares to represent teeth.
  • Give your students dice, white.
  • Roll the dice and add teeth to represent the number on the dice.
  • Encourage your students to use the tweezers to extend fingers.

Sensory Bin: Blood Cells

  • Ahead of time, read the instructions to hydrate the water beads.
  • Place water beads and water into a storage container large enough for multiple students to explore at a given time.
  • Cut the craft foam into rectangular shapes—platelets.
  • Place platelets and ping pong balls into a plastic tub with a designated lid for storage.
  1. Red water beads=red blood cells that carry oxygen
  2. Ping pong balls=white blood cells that fight germs
  3. Craft foam=platelets that heals
  4. Water=plasma that helps move blood through the veins

Color Clip Cards

  • Print Color Clip Cards found in the PDF section of this resource.
  • Cut and laminate the cards.
  • Set out cards along with enough clips to complete the game.
  • Pick a card and clip the color that matches the primary circle.
  • Game is complete when all the cards are clipped.

Note:  Due to marker hues being so different, blank templates were provided by this designer

Tree Buttons

  • Gather supplies ahead of time.
  • Make trees by folding 4 pipe cleaners in half and twist the ends together.
  • Put the buttons and trees together in the bin.
  • Place the same number of trees as students in a bin at a center at one time, 2 students = 2 trees.

Note:  A large bin with more elbow space would allow a few more students to participate

  • Give the students time to explore on their own.
  • If guidance is needed:
  1. Add numbers to the trees; the student then must place the same number of buttons on that tree
  2. Sort buttons by color: all yellow buttons on one tree
  3. Skip counting, 2 buttons on each tree branch
  4. AB or ABC patterns for the different branches

Blizzard Spaghetti Paint

  • Cook ½ box of spaghetti per child. Rinse and cool the spaghetti.
  • Place colors of paint on a paper plate.
  • Pinching the spaghetti at one end and then running the other ends through the paint/paper.
  • Dip the paint, drop the spaghetti onto the paper.
  • Grabbing it from the middle and blotting it onto the paper.
  • Smearing the paint with a fistful of spaghetti.

Styrofoam Cups Stack

  • Snowflakes stack one at a time making a very large “pile”.
  • Stack Styrofoam cups upside down forming a pyramid.
  • Slow movements work best.
  • Your child will love knocking them down.
  • Use a stuffed animal to simulate penguins swimming and landing on the snow tower.

Scooping Snow

  • Use electrical tape to designate varying heights of fill lines on a set of clear glasses.
  • Use a bowl to place your ice or simulated ice.
  • For clean up purposes, a jelly roll pan can be used.
  • Demonstrate how to scoop just enough ice to meet the film lines in each glass.

Playdough

  • Students use playdough to create artic animals.
  • Use cookie cutters or animal molds to create animal shapes.
  • Mix your favorite homemade dough recipe or use the playdough recipe provided.

Playdough Recipe:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • Food coloring

 

  • Mix together all the ingredients, except the color, in a 2-quart saucepan.
  • Cook over low/med heat.
  • Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring.
  • Continue stirring until mixture is thick and clings to the spoon.
  • Remove from the pan; place on wax paper or a plate to cool.

Note:  Store in sealable bag or airtight container for future use

Shiny and Bright

  • Ravens and children love bright and shiny objects. Collect a variety of shiny items:  beads, keys, watches, sparkling ribbons, shiny barrettes, shiny toys, buttons, utensils, etc.
  • Add several black items to the collection: black dominoes, black cloth, black thread, black toys, etc.
  • Provide a pair of tweezers or small tongs to use instead of fingers.
  • Ask your child to sort the things they like best into a container.
  • Discuss the reason for each item chosen.
  • To learn a bit more about the Northern Raven—

National Geographic / Animals Website

Egg Balance

  • Collect a variety of spoons: teaspoons, serving spoons, soup spoons, plastic spoons, toy spoons.
  • Collect a variety of plastic eggs in different sizes.
  • Use a piece of masking tape to mark a line on the floor.
  • Place a container full of eggs at one end of the line and an empty container at the other end.
  • Ask students to place one of the eggs in a spoon, walk on the line and place the eggs in the other container.
  • Challenge them to try different eggs with the same spoon or different spoons with the same egg.

Make a Blizzard

Note: On a large post-it paper draw a line down the middle (from top to bottom). On the top left side write the word “Stay” and on the top right side write the word “Leave.”

  • Watch video clip.
  • Stop the video clip when it gets to the part where the chicks have to make two choices, whether to stay together or search for the remaining adult penguins.
  • Talk about the risk the chicks will take to stay together or to find the adult penguins.
  • Ask the children to predict what the chicks are going to do by raising their hands if they think the chicks will stay together. Write their names on the stay column. Then have those who think the chicks will leave their huddle to find the adult penguins raise their hands. Write their names on the leave column.  Explain to the children that this is called predicting.
  • Continue watching the rest of the video clip.
  • At the end of the video clip, ask the children if the chicks made the right choice.
  • Have those who predicted the chicks would leave stand.

Penguins Lost in a Blizzard- Snow Babies—BBC

  • Take the snowflakes made previously and tell the children that they will all be working together to make a blizzard.
  • Have the children glue snowflakes to a large piece of construction paper to make a blizzard.
  • Have them estimate how many snowflakes they used from the container.

Hand Strength: Snowflakes

  • Cut ahead of time strips of white paper.
  • Model how to use the paper punch.
  • Encourage your child to make as many complete snowflakes as possible.
  • Have the children estimate how many snowflakes they all made together.
  • Count how many snowflakes they made individually and then add up the totals.
  • Have the children put the snowflakes into a storage container for next activity.

Pipe Cleaner Fish

  • Provide your child with bright colored pipe cleaners.
  • Encourage them to make a variety of colorful fish.
  • Demonstrate how to bend the wires.

Beaded Pipe Cleaner Fish:

  • A pipe cleaner is bent into a simple fish shape.
  • Have students string beads on the pipe cleaner.
  • Good for ages 3 and up.
  • Source credit: Munchkinsandmayhem.blogspot.com.
  • For more instructions refer to link below:

Pony Bead Fish

Coupon Cut-out

  • Many people today like to use coupons to stretch their money just like Adika and his mother liked to “stretch” the flour for the pancakes.
  • Provide a variety of coupons for your students to cut out.
  • Encourage them to cut neatly on the lines and accurately.
  • Place coupons in an envelope and take them with you the next time you go grocery shopping.

Weaving Dragon

Watch the video clip below

Chinese New Years Parade 2012

  • “Ask: which one was your favorite?”
  • Print blackline 3.16.
  • Measure 2 pieces of construction paper 4.5” x 12”.
  • Demonstrate how to accord fold.
  • Encourage your child to try this movement.
  • Ask your child to color the dragon head and tail.
  • Cut out the blackline page.
  • Tape the 2 pieces of paper together to form a long rectangle.
  • Attach the head and tail with tape.
  • Secure long sticks, forks, kabobs, etc. with tape.
  • Gently move the dragon as you pretend to be in a parade.

Noodle Writing

  • Cook noodles.
  • Add a small amount of cooking oil after the noodles are drained.
  • Place noodles onto an easily cleaned surface.
  • Encourage the students to form letters, numbers and shapes with the noodles.

Flower Arranging

  • Place the floral foam in the bottom of the vase.
  • Encourage your child to arrange the flowers.
  • Demonstrate how to push the flowers into the foam.
  • Encourage your child to display their creation somewhere in your home.

Chinese Yo-Yo

  • Cut 4” x 5-foot-long piece of wrapping paper.
  • Secure it to a pencil or dowel with tape.
  • Wrap and roll the paper tightly around the pencil.
  • Tape secure with one piece of tape.
  • Let it rest for a time.
  • Undo the piece of tape.
  • The yo-yo will unroll .
  • Practice releasing and returning quickly with a snap of the wrist.

Why Does a Yo-Yo yo?

Colored Rice Pictures

  • Help your children draw a large basic shape (example: flower, house, star, cloud, tree….).
  • Generously spread glue over the desired area for one color.
  • Sprinkle colored rice.

Note:  You may wish to push the rice into the glue

  • Allow to dry thoroughly before hanging in your classroom.

Colored Rice

Ingredients:

  • 4 c white rice
  • 4 T white vinegar
  • food coloring
  • packets of powder cold drink (optional)

Directions:

  • Mix the vinegar, food coloring and powder.
  • Mix with the rice, making sure all is colored.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper for easier clean-up

  • Place on a baking sheet.
  • There are a variety of drying methods.
  1. Oven: no heat, for an hour so the rice can dry, stirring it once halfway through
  2. Place baking sheet on the counter top over night

 

Soapy Sea Foam Sensory Play

  • 1/3 c water distilled makes the best bubbles.
  • 1/3 c Dawn or liquid dish soap.
  • 1 T corn starch.
  • Few drops of food coloring or water color paint.
  • Mix with an electric mixer for several minutes.
  • Make several batches and place it in a large, 20+ gallon container.
  • Give the students a variety of small ocean toys for exploration.

Sorting Gifts

  • Fill a container with gift shape confetti.

Note:  This can be something you made yourself or purchased

  • Spread a small amount confetti out on a jellyroll tray.
  • Using tweezers, ask your child to sort the gift by color or by size.

Curling Ribbon

  • Gather supplies.
  • Demonstrate how to curl ribbon by pulling it across the edge of the craft stick.
  • Give the student blackline 2.16.
  • Ask them to color the package.
  • Then tape the ribbon to the top of the present.

Playdough Christmas Ornaments

  • Ask your child to create ornaments from playdough.
  • Put the dough back in an air tight container when finished.

Playdough Recipe:

2 cups flour

2 T oil

½ cup salt

2 T cream of tartar

Up to 1 ½ cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels like a good consistency for manipulating)

few drops food coloring to the water (optional)

few drops glycerin (optional- adds more shine!)

  • Mix dry ingredients together and add boiling water, food coloring and glycerin as desired.
  • Cool playdough and create ornament shapes.

Scented Clay Dough Ornaments

  • Make the clay dough recipe below.
  • Create the shapes.
  • Place a hole in the top of the ornament (a pencil will work!).
  • Place ornaments on a cookie sheet.
  • Bake per recipe directions.
  • Let ornaments cool.
  • Check your ornaments to see if they are completely cooled.
    • If so, gather painting supplies
  • Encourage your child to paint the ornaments.

Clay Dough Recipe:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3/4 to one cup water
  • Your scent choice (a few drops)

Instructions

In a large bowl mix together flour and salt. Add your choice of scent to the oil then it to the flour and salt and then slowly add the water and stir until you get a nice clay consistency. Once completely mixed, make into the desired shapes. Bake in a 250-degree oven for approximately one hour. This will vary depending on how thick your creations are. You want to bake it long enough for the clay to harden but not start to burn.

Paper Trees

  • On a piece of brown construction paper, teacher should draw the trunk of a tree.
  • Have the children rip green paper into a variety of shapes (avoid tiny pieces).
  • Glue the pieces of paper one at a time on the trunk overlapping the pieces to create a tree with leaves.

Muddy Kid

  • Make instant pudding together.
  • Refrigerator until solid.
  • Have the children wash hands thoroughly.
  • Have the children squish the pudding (mud) between fingers.
  • Draw a picture using the “mud”.
  • With a pencil have the children write their name and date.

Pebble Games

  • Have a bag of pebbles or beans ready for this activity.
  • Have the children hold 6 -10 small pebbles or beans in their dominant hand and have them place into the egg carton one by one.

Additional Activities:

  • Inside each section of the egg carton, write a number from 1-12 with a permanent marker. Have the children place pebbles or beans representing the number.
  • Stress to the children that the important step is to place one pebble or bean at a time. This is not a race.

Log Rolls

  • Teacher will cut apart paper grocery sacks; as an alternative use brown craft paper.
  • Have the children twist into logs for the “play” campfire.
  • Have the children cut strips of colored tissue paper to mimic flames.
  • Place outside the classroom tent.

Tweezing the Baby Owls

  • The teacher fills the plastic eggs with pom poms.
  • The children open up each egg and remove the pom pom with tweezers.
  • Using the tweezers, have the children place the pom poms in the nest they made previously.
  • The next day have the children put the pom poms back in the eggs using the tweezers.

Collection Transfer

Note:  You can do this activity as a large group or individually

  • Gather small toys or a collection of things that are alike (like buttons).
  • Place all items in a large bowl or container.
  • Give the children tongs and another container (repeat activity several times).

Note:  You can also have the students categorize the items

Sorting

  • Set out a small bag of bird seed.
  • Demonstrate for the children how to use tongs or tweezers.
  • Have the children sort the items into different containers.
  • Have the children count how many items are in each container.

Tracing Leaves

  • Show the children how to do a crayon rub by using real leaves or artificial leaves.
  • Show the children how to trace the leaves.
  • Cut them out.

Note:  Use the materials you have on hand, die cut leaves, artificial leaves, tree leaves etc.

Pastry Sprinkles

  • Have the children pretend they are a baker putting sprinkles on cupcakes or sugar cookies.
  • Ask them to use a spoon to transfer the beads from one bowl to another.
  • Challenge them to complete the task without spilling any “sprinkles”.

Toys on Ice

Note:  Dehydrated water beads can be found at a variety of craft stores and online.  They can be used for many types of projects.

  • Hydrate some blue water beads or use clear beads in tinted water by adding blue food coloring.
  • Bury toys for the children to find.
  • Use plastic craft tweezers as finger extensions.

Be a Digger

  • Paleontologists dig up all sorts of treasures.
  • You can use rice, beans or sand for this activity.
  • Ask the children to gather small objects and toys.
  • Place all ingredients in a large bucket.
  • Have the children to pretend to be a paleontologist and find all the toys.

Colorful Umbrellas

  • Mix a few drops of food coloring with corn syrup.
  • On card stock print black line 1.22.
  • Ask the children to cut out the umbrella.
  • Paint the umbrella with the colored corn syrup.

Note:  This project takes a long time to dry especially in humid environments

Rainbow Science and Milk

  • Rainbow science is not easy. Rainbows are included in the water cycle. Weather conditions must be just right to create a rainbow.  Talk about God’s amazing love and how He reminds us with a rainbow that the earth will not be destroyed with water again.
  • Watch the following videos.

Meteorologist Aaron Pickering–60 Second Science–Rainbows

Rainbows In The Sky–Top 20 beautiful rainbows around the world

Cool Changing Milk Science Experiment—Steve Spangler Science

Experiment #1: 

  • Re-create the experiment shown in Cool Changing Milk Science Experiment (Note: other liquids can be used for further experimentation).
  • Take pictures of your experiment.

Note:  Remind the children on how to handle a camera properly.  Let them take the pictures.  Review them before moving onto the next experiment.  Add any additional pictures if needed.  Include the children in the pictures. 

Experiment #2:  Use primary food colors to make the colors of the rainbow:  red, yellow, and blue.

  1. red + yellow = orange
  2. red + blue = purple
  3. blue + yellow = green
  • Again, take pictures of your experiments.

Rainy Day Picture

  • Choose a FREE coloring page online
  • Web search: coloring page: rainy day

Suggestions:

Coloring Pages

  • Use crayons or pencils and washable markers
  • When it is raining it looks like streaks of water coming down Use washable marker to draw the streaks you might observe
  • With a spray bottle, mist the paper lightly
  • The washable marker will smear and run like raindrops
  • Allow to dry thoroughly

Magnetism

Collect different kinds of magnets.  Refrigerator magnets, horseshoe magnets, commercial magnets and medical magnets are just a few options. Gather a number of different objects, some that will respond to the magnet and some that won’t. Let the children experiment and see which items stick together. You can also use a magnetic board to show them how some of the magnets stay on the board without taping, gluing or velcroing them on.

·  Place all sorts of magnetic items along with similar sized items.

·  Demonstrate the use of a magnet to find building materials.

City Lights

  • Cut yellow construction paper in 1 x 12-inch strips.
  • Keep the scraps.
  • Review with children that these are rectangular shapes.
  • The teacher will model how to snip the yellow strips to make smaller rectangles and squares.
  • Let the children practice their scissor skills.
  • Tell the children the yellow shapes represent light coming through the windows at night.
  • Glue the shapes on a black piece of construction paper to represent building windows.
  • Add a moon in the night sky.

Pipe Cleaner Punch: Day 1

  • Choose a container with a safe plastic lid.
  • The teacher will provide 2 x 2 squares or other shapes.
  • The teacher will place multiple holes in the lid using a drill or other kitchen tool ahead of time.
  • The children will spread Mod Podge on the container.
  • Apply tissue paper to the surface.
  • Once container is covered with tissue, the children will cover the surface with Mod Podge again for a protective coating.
  • Allow to dry overnight.

Glove Try-On

  • Teacher brings to class a variety of gloves from different professions.
  • Put all the gloves in a bag.
  • Take the gloves out one at a time and ask the children how each pair would be used, and by whom.
  1. Construction workers
  2. Farmers
  3. Garbage collectors
  4. Landscapers
  5. Doctors
  6. Nurses
  7. Veterinarians
  8. Food service workers
  • Have the children inspect and try on the gloves.

Making a Picture with Puffy Paint

  • Mix 1-part self-rising flour, 1part salt, and enough water to make a paste.
  • The children will mix the items together.
  • Place equal amounts of paste into different disposable bowls.
  • Add food coloring or washable paint for the desired colors.
  • Provide each child a small piece of cardboard to use as a canvas and have the children paint a picture with the puffy paint.
  • Microwave the picture for 5 seconds.

Cotton Ball Tweezing

  • Ask the children what they think cotton balls are used for.
  • Ask the children how cotton balls are used in the medical field.
  • Have the children move the cotton balls from one bowl to another using their dominate hand.
  • Have them switch off using their non-dominate hand.

Rock Removal

  • Place sand and small rocks in a plastic bucket.
  • Encourage the children to use a spoon to remove the rocks and dump them into a toy or small bowl if they were at a building site.

3D Maps

  • Make your favorite playdough recipe.
  • Instruct the children to make a 3D map of their home and classroom.
  • Instruct children to transfer it carefully from one place to another.

Here are some ideas on how to build a 3D map

Drawing

  • Many children can be fearful of drawing at this age.
  • Provide encouragement for the students’ abilities and ‘trying their best’.
  • Provide a variety of sample shapes.
  • Brainstorm with your students about the different shapes and what they can create with the shapes.
  • Ask: What does this shape look like?
  • A variety of tools/mediums as well.

3D Paper Bag Design

  • Have the children draw a picture of a home on a brown lunch bag.
  • Then cut different shapes to represent elements in the picture.
  • Glue shapes to the house.
  • Then stuff the “bag” with tissue paper, securing it with a pre-cut roof that is stapled to the top.
  • Glue bag to a piece of green cardstock.
  • Finally add different landscape elements.

Balancing Act

  • Tape some fun lines on the floor in different colors.
  1. Blue zig zag line
  2. Red curved line
  3. Green straight

Variations:

  • Walk the lines of colored tape.
  • Blow the pom poms along the colored line.
  • Roll balls along the lines?

Curvy Lines

  • Show the children how to fold a piece of paper into fourths.
  • Open the paper.
  • While talking about all the kinds of different lines, demonstrate each on the folded paper.
  1. Curvy lines
  2. Bent lines
  3. Scalloped lines
  4. Curly lines
  5. Loops
  6. Waves
  7. Zig-zag lines
  8. Straight lines
  • Provide crayons, markers, chalk, or pastels.
  • Have your child make different kinds of lines in each box.
  • Turn the paper over for more sections.
  • You can provide children with wikki sticks or pipe cleaners to make different lines.
  • Learning Center Ideas
    1. Place shirt boxes on a table and have pieces of construction paper that fit into the shirt boxes. Then have golf balls and green paint.  The children will dip the golf ball into the green paint and put it into the construction paper lined shirt box and roll it around to make a fun design.  (For more fun, add glue to the green paint and then sprinkle glitter on the picture before it dries)
    2. Show children how to cut green paper to make grass. Encourage the children to experiment making grass of different lengths and widths.
    3. Set pails of goldfish gravel in the sand and water table for children to feel and explore. Add pails and shovels and other sand toys.
    4. Have a basket of gloves of different colors and sizes for the children to match and try on.

Help children trace their left and right hands and then have them cut out the hand shapes and label them left or right and encourage the children to decorate their construction paper gloves.

Cotton Ball Sharing

  • Using a permanent marker, write numbers 1 – 10 on the outside of bowls or plastic containers.
  • Using tongs, have the children verbally count while they transfer the number of cotton balls that correspond with each container (i.e. 1 cotton ball goes in the container with the number 1).

A Touch from the Heart

Pre-activity preparation:

Collect a variety of different colors of stamp pads and several colored balloons.  Take cardstock paper and fold in half like a card (one per child).

  • Blow up 2-3 balloons to show the children how air expands the balloons.
  • Tell the children that they are going to create a card to share with someone.
  • Have the children use their finger prints to create a balloon bouquet with an assortment of colors.
  • While the prints are drying have the children count the number of balloons per color (i.e. red, yellow, blue, etc.).
  • Create a balloon color graph: tally up the number of balloons in each color category and graph in different colors.
  • After the prints dry, help the children write the words “Thinking of You”
  • Encourage the students to draw a picture on the inside of the card.
  • Have the children write their name and put the date it was created.
  • Have the children share the card with someone special.

Sorting and Transferring: Counting / Pattern

·  Items can be counted, sorted or made into pattern activities.

Counting Examples:

·  1, 2, 3, 4, 5 lady bugs.

·  1, 2 frogs.

·  1, 2, 3, 4 balls.

Patterns Examples:

·  Ladybug, frog, ladybug, frog.

·  Frog, ball, ball, frog, ball, ball.

·  Frog, ladybug, ball, frog, ladybug, ball.

·  Other patterns can be made with items.

·  Observe which items attract the child the most.

Pet Lacing Cards

Note:  The following website is a wealth of coloring pages, games, puzzles and more

Activity Village

  • Choose lacing shapes from the website or Printable File T0-B2.
  • Print on extra thick card stock.
  • Laminate, if possible.
  • Punch holes.
  • Show the students all the animals.

Discuss different types of animals: zoo and house pets.

Food for Lola

Activity:

  • Provide child safe tools for play and formation of “biscuits for Lola” and/or toys for a dog.
  • Demonstrate rolling, using cookie cutters, and moving “cookies” with a small spatula.

Additional Activity:

  • No tools required.
  • In your newsletter to parents, ask them to send a snack size bag of pet food, labeled with brand, type of pet and the weight in pounds of the pet.
  • Show the children the different kinds of pet food.
  • Demonstrate rolling balls of dough into different shaped food.

Place the food into a pet bowl.

Paper Rip Dogs

· Ahead of time.

1.       Printable file, T0-B2 for various outlines.

2.       Blow up to the size desired.

3.       Cut strips of colored paper (see supply list with color options).

· Model ripping paper into little strips.

· Squeeze glue onto a surface.

· Overlap each small piece.

· When the project is completed, and no white paper is showing, turn the paper over and follow the lines to cut out the shape of a dog.

Add to the ceiling or a bulletin board.

Mitten Ball

Pre-Activity:

Attach 6 Velcro circles on each ball.

  • Group the children in twos (one will throw and the other one will catch)
  • Have the catcher pick one glove and put it on their right hand.
  • Give the thrower the 6 balls and have them count every time a ball is caught.
  • Have them repeat up to 10 times.
  • Then repeat with left hand.

Once the children finish throwing and catching have them switch positions.

Mittens and Gloves

Have the children do the following:

  1. Put the gloves and mittens on/off.
  2. Pair together.
  3. Group by colors.
  4. Group by sizes.
  5. Pin pairs with clothes pins.
  6. Pin each glove on a clothesline.
  7. Count how many pairs of gloves you have.
  8. Count how many black gloves you have?

Polka Dot Gloves

Pre-Activity:

  • Draw a simple shape of a glove/mitten
  • Photocopy a glove/mitten for each child

Activity:

  • Have the children use a Q-tip, dipped in paint, to make polka dots on the glove or mitten.
  • Have the children cut the shape out of the glove/mitten, once completely dry.

Other variations:

  • Use hole punch to make dots to glue on mittens.

 

Play-Dough with Straws

Pre-Activity:

  • Ahead of time: Cut smoothie straws into 1” lengths. (If straws are too long, the student will have a difficult time filling the area.  Also, the straw could easily bend when used)

Activity:

  • Have the children flatten and pound the dough with both hands.
  • Use plastic butter knife to draw letters, shapes or numbers into the play dough.
  • Make sure the letter is large enough to be filled with straws.
  • Model insertion of straws until the letter is filled.

Variation:

Role & form play dough into a letter, shape or number.