Children S Activities

Children S Activities

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

Concept: Many activities enjoyed by small children are inexpensive and fun to prepare. Activities help meet children’s learning needs.

As you introduce the children’s activities to the students, you can have children’s music playing and discuss how music can motivate or calm children. Playing tapes and records and singing songs are good ways to entertain children as well as being learning activities. Divide the class into six groups and have each group complete one of the following activities:

  1. Welcome Activity
  2. Flannel/Magnet Board Story
  3. Hand Puppets
  4. Nutritious Snacks
  5. Finger Play or a Counting Activity
  6. Art/Craft Project

The teacher should provide the groups with the directions, patterns, and materials necessary to complete the assignments. Complete the following preparations prior to class time.

  1. Each activity has directions for the student to complete. If you can copy and laminate a number of these and keep them for future use, you won’t need to make more copies.
  2. All of the supplies required for each activity should be together in a bag, tote tray, or box along with the student directions. Label each container according to the activity. The necessary supplies are listed at the top of each page of directions.

Some specific notations, alternatives, and directions for each of the activities are as follows.

  1. Welcome Activity

The pages for this activity should be prerun and ready for students to assemble for the children.

  1. Flannel/Magnet Board Story

The items/characters for this story can be made on laminated paper with a magnet or piece of flannel glued to the back of each piece. A cook sheet or refrigerator front can be used for a magnet board if a real one isn’t available. Additional characters can be added as needed. Coloring books are a great resource for additional story items.

  1. Hand Puppets

The patterns need to be precut out of poster board for the students to use as stencils.

  1. Nutritious Snacks

Another nutritious snack that you may use is a fruit kabob.

  1. Finger Play or a Counting Activity

This activity can be used in different ways

  • The monkeys can be used as finger puppets and put on each finger to count as the monkey count decreases.
  • The monkeys can be put on craft sticks and used as described in the directions.
  1. Craft Project

You may use any number of art or craft projects for this. Three patterns for craft projects are included; the students may make play dough for the children; or children could string cereal or macaroni—all these activities children enjoy and learn from.

If the class is going to have the child care laboratory experience as described in the next activity, the teacher needs to explain to the students that they will be sharing and using the activities they are preparing with the young children when they visit. It is highly recommended that the teacher has a practice session with the class the day before the small children come to school.

When the students have finished their learning activities, have them complete the worksheet and share some ideas of things to do with children while tending.

Name ______Date ______Score ______

CHILDCARE PROVIDER QUALITIES

Personal qualities that are important for child care providers to have are

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

5. ______

6. ______

7. ______

8. ______

IDEAS OF THINGS TO DO WITH CHILDREN

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

5. ______

6. ______

7. ______

8. ______

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