Fun early childhood activities

There is a variety of themes and activities to engage young children

Create a stress-free and fun atmosphere

Use games, puzzles, stories, songs, drama, arts and crafts

Introduce or reinforce learning: colors, numbers, letter recognition, animals, seasons, holidays, etc.

Keep it simple: demonstrate while you explain directions

Change activities often

Don’t force participation Sometimes children are more comfortable just

watching

They will learn from observing and participate as ready

The following suggestions may be adapted according to ages, interests, and abilities of your students

Accommodate different learning styles with movement, music, hands-on activities, and books

First, children trace five flowers onto heavy paper using template you have created

Next, children cut out patterns and color or paint using a variety of colors ◦ You may prepare flower patterns ahead of time if

desired

Then, display flowers on poster board and seat children so everyone can see

Allow everyone to have a turn

Five pretty flowers in the flower shop. Five pretty flowers, who are they for? Along came (child’s name) With a penny to pay. He (She) bought a __________one, (Child selects a flower, identifies its color, and pays a penny

or paper coin.) And then he (she) went away. (Repeat with) Four pretty flowers….. Three pretty flowers…. Two pretty flowers….. One pretty flower

To learn about butterflies

To introduce or practice the letter “B”

Display a butterfly and the letter “B” Elicit what children already know Briefly discuss:

◦ The butterfly is an insect with four large wings that flies mostly in daytime

◦ Butterflies come in brilliant colors and many sizes◦ Butterflies are closely related to moths but have

thinner bodies

Read a poem of short story about a butterfly

Sing a song about butterflies Talk about possible colors and then have

children color or paint a butterfly coloring sheet

Encourage children to talk about their pictures to each other and to you

Brainstorm other words that start with the letter “B”

Show pictures and explain basic facts

A spider is a small animal with eight legs and a body made up of two parts◦ Most spiders spin webs in which they nest and

catch insects to eat

◦ Spiders are related to mites, ticks, and scorpions

Watch a video about spiders Read the Nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet” Recite nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider”

using hand gestures (spider climbing, rain coming down, arms wide to show sun coming out, spider climbing)◦ Itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout◦ Down came the rain and washed the spider out◦ Out came the sun and dried up all the rain◦ And the itsy bitsy spider came up the spout again

Brainstorm with children to access prior knowledge about dinosaurs

Read Dancing Dinos by Sally Lucas and illustrated by Margaeux Lucas ◦ First time read book without interruption ◦ Next, pause to count the dinosaurs on each page◦ Then, go back and ask children to identify objects

and where they are found: In what room did the dinosaurs eat, in what room did they take a bath, where did they spill water, etc.

◦ Finally, in pairs have children act out their own stories using plastic models of dinosaurs

Introduce shapes to children: circle, oval, diamond, triangle, rectangle, square, etc.

You may use plastic shapes or pictures to demonstrate

Have children identify various shapes in classroom: what shape is the clock, the desk, the poster, etc.

Elicit names of shapes with sets of flashcards either purchased or made by the children

Play bingo with cards containing shapes

Engage children in discussion about upcoming Holiday, may be religious or national

Elicit what they already know about the Holiday: ◦ calendar date, history, what it means, how different

people celebrate, traditions, and customs

Children trace bookmark onto heavy poster board using template

Children or teacher cut out bookmark

Children decorate bookmark with colors and items appropriate to Holiday

Seated in a circle, children describe bookmarks with the whole classroom

Discuss importance of reading

Visit library and have children select books◦ Children may also bring favorite book from home

Have discussion about what makes a book a favorite: characters, illustrations, story, etc.

Taking turns, children show and tell about their favorite books

Encourage children to read everyday at home and make regular trips to the library

Discuss various careers children are familiar with

Introduce new jobs and professions with flashcards and books

Associate jobs with verbs that describe what a person does: ◦ pilots fly airplanes, firefighters put out fires, doctors care

for the sick, etc.

Play “guess the profession”: ◦ I’m thinking of a person that arrests bank robbers. Police

officer. I’m thinking of a person that writes books. Author.

Invite parents to the classroom to talk about their work

Specify land transportation and have children name all the modes of travel: car, school bus, train, subway, etc.

Encourage children to talk about their favorite way to travel or what they would like to experience

Demonstrate with plastic models, toys or pictures to enhance discussion

Discuss trips children have taken and various forms of transportation on land, water, and air

Show locations on map as children describe where they traveled

Tell what activities they participated in on vacation

Draw or paint showing where they visited or what they did

Share stories with the rest of the class

Talk about weather patterns in your area: ◦ We live in the far north and it’s cold and snowy in

December

Track weather daily on felt or bulletin board: ◦ Today it’s cloudy, 85 degrees, and very windy

Ask children to describe what activities they prefer when it’s cold outside, when it rains, when it’s sunny: ◦ When it rains, I like to stay inside and play games

Discuss weather conditions and the clothes they wear:◦ I wear a jacket, hat, mittens, and boots when it snows

Sing songs about the weather and act out motions

Engage the imaginations of your students Build on children’s innate desire to learn Keep children motivated with variety and

frequent change of activities Establish and maintain discipline in

classroom: be clear about acceptable and unacceptable behavior

Keep the focus positive. Praise appropriate behavior often

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