“Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn what needs to be learned.”—John Holt

The last year and a few months has demonstrated the necessity of being a lifelong learner. As a society, we faced unprecedented situations. No person alive had seen a pandemic and the history of the last was scarce due to the fact that it was in 1918. Science, business, education, healthcare, manufacturing, government, and more had to stop what they had been doing for decades and rethink of new processes, safety precautions, and procedures. People needed to learn not only about the virus, but also what to do with the information in regards to their lives and professions. If everyone felt they had completed the learning phase of life by graduating, society would have stopped and never restarted.

Children are born with the capacity and desire to learn. As an early childhood educator, it is not our role to make children learn. Rather, we need to foster the natural desire of learning within the child. Here are five ways to help a child continue his love of learning.

ONE

Let them lead. Children learn best by doing, by being an active participant in the process. The questions “how” and “why” are heard often in the preschool classroom. As the facilitator in the learning process, take the time to genuinely discuss these questions with children. If the questions need more than a verbal answer, go the distance to provide experiences and information to help. Pay attention to the theme of the questions. Children may reveal what they are passionate about which can help you plan additional activities. Remember the main goal of this interaction is to follow the child’s lead. Don’t take over and don’t provide more than the child wants. If a simple answer is sufficient, leave it at that. A child who is allowed to guide the intake of knowledge will build a sense of trust with you. This trust will allow him to return as he needs.

TWO

Create a classroom where children belong. Another important aspect of learning is a feeling of safety and security. The first suggestion is an important part of this. Your relationship with the child matters. Trust is essential for a child to feel safe. Other ways to help children feel as though they belong is through representation. Children need to see themselves, their families, and their culture in the classroom. Additionally, allow children to control the use and time within the classroom space. Have clear guidelines so the children know the boundaries. If children have complete control, chaos is sure to break out. It is a balance between allowing children choices and setting realistic boundaries. As the educator, be available in the classroom. Allow children to choose your role in their exploration.

THREE

Allow children to explore. Make the process the focus and not the product. As adults, we often hold children back from in depth learning by having limits on activities. When a child shows a curiosity, let him follow through to the next step. The next step is often messy, loud, and not part of the adult plan but is necessary for the child. Avoid making children demonstrate or verbalize the intention of the exploration. The activity does not require a quiz to demonstrate the skills and knowledge gained. Trust the child to know he has accomplished his intended goal.

FOUR

Children need to take risks and fail. This connects to the exploration aspect of learning. A child may not always reach their goal and that is ok. If a child fears failure, learning will become more difficult. Children need to experience the results of failure as a positive rather than as losing out. A child who never fails, may be devastated when it inevitably occurs. The ego of a child can be fragile and such devastation can have a lasting impact. Instead, encourage children to think outside the box and try new things. When things don’t go as planned, talk about how to make changes and try again. Failure is just the beginning of the process, not the final destination.

FIVE

Allow children to be lazy. Essentially, recognize that when children are still and not engaged, they are still learning. Children do not need to be stimulated all the time. Often as adults we try to fix a child’s boredom rather than stepping back and valuing this time for a child. This suggestion relates to many of the others. If a child needs a quiet moment, he is not losing out on opportunities. He is instead gaining trust that you will give him what he needs. He is sensing that he is in control of how and what he learns. Children need time to think. If a child’s day is scheduled with structure, the time to invent solutions to problems, time to cope with stressful events, and time to simply be quiet do not fit in.

The love of learning does not need to be gifted to children. Instead, children need to be encouraged to continue an already established desire for knowledge and growth. Even though children are naturally inclined to love learning, adults often get in the way and that love starts to dwindle. Adults tend to make learning a time to control, a time to be filled with academics, and a time to test. All of these have a negative impact on a love of learning. Learning should be filled with exploration, risk, trust, discussions, and quiet. So, how do we teach a love of learning…we don’t. We simply foster what children are naturally inclined to do.

Additional information:

• https://www.prekadvisor.com/how-can-pre-schools-instill-a-love-of-learning-in-their-students/
• https://www.gettingsmart.com/2015/04/10-ways-to-inspire-a-love-of-learning/
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201712/the-joy-and-sorrow-rereading-holt-s-how-children-learn
• https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/jan_hunt/unschooling.html

Gardening offers the opportunity for children to develop a vast array of skills. The wonderment of what will happen if I place this seed in soil captures the minds of all young children. Dirt, water, and seeds provide endless sensory experiences. In addition to academic based skills such as math and literacy, children will explore emotional skills as they nurture the growth of a plant. Affiliate link:

This sorting activity engaged children from 18 months to 3 years old. Each carrot is a different width. There is only one correct spot for each carrot. The wooden base is solid and each carrot is well constructed to be durable. You can purchase this product at the above affiliate link. You won’t be disappointed!

In addition to size sorting, this activity offers children the opportunity to sort shapes. Each compost bin has a different shape. Children are to sort the vegetable cards into each compost bin. Sorting is both a math and literacy skill. Children are noticing differences and similarities. When children sort objects, they are learning a fundamental math skills. They are learning how rules apply to sets. The act of sorting mimics the function in the brain to file new vocabulary. This process is called fast mapping and is essentially a sorting process.

The following activity can be downloaded here for a low fee:

Here is a FREE download to sort by sizes. Small, medium, and large are included!

The following activity provides children with fine motor skills along with the sorting skills. Use pompoms, sorting vegetables, or foam vegetables to sort into each seed packet. You can use a sorting tray or simply place the seed packets on a table. You can also tape them to an envelope for a more realistic feel.

As a planting activity, we used vegetable stickers to decorate small colored pots. Children placed dirt, seeds, and water in each pot and were excited to watch them grow!

Additional activities include:

Patterning is a fundamental preschool skill.  Patterning helps with math, science, and language skills.

Children will use visual discrimination skills as they recreate the fence with colored popsicle sticks. Visual discrimination is the process of seeing differences between two things. Children use these skills when learning to read. It is important to give young children the chance to practice and develop these skills. This activity encourages children to spot the differences while actively being involved.

You will receive 10 distinct fence pattern cards. The cards also have different numbers of growing items needing to be contained. This will allow the children to also use math skills.

Directions:

•Print the fence building pages.

•Provide the children colored popsicle sticks that can be found here (affiliate link): 200 PCS Colorful Craft Sticks Natural Wooden 4-1/2″ Length Treat Sticks Great for DIY Craft Creative Designs

•Encourage the children to recreate the fence patterns.

This .pdf printable includes 3 color flowers and 1 black/white flowers with circles for children to place an object, stick a sticker, or mark with a dauber. Children will develop one-to-one correspondence in addition to fine motor skills!

You will receive a .pdf download of:

• 1 to 10 gardening puzzle cards

Use these cards to practice counting.  Children will also use visual discrimination to match the written number to the garden item. 

This .pdf download includes 6 unique lines to trace. Children will match the watering can to the growing plant.

They will practice key comprehension skills as they sort the real items from the clipart items. Children will also develop classification skills that are helpful with math.

There are endless possibilities in a gardening preschool theme! Below are some other resources full if ideas:

• https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2018/04/garden-activities-for-preschool.html
• https://www.pinkoatmeal.com/garden-themed-fine-motor-activities/
• https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/preschool-gardening-ideas/
• https://www.pre-kpages.com/science-for-kids-planting-and-growing-in-preschool/
• https://mothernatured.com/gardening/garden-crafts-for-kids/

Ever wonder how to create colored spaghetti like those Pinterest posts? Well…look no further! I admit, I have not always been successful recreating Pinterest creations. I go back to my roots in early childhood education and remind myself, it is the process not the product that is important. Even as adults we need to let go the feeling of failure and embrace the experience. These noodles are super easy though and sure to be a favorite with your children!

I used a bunch of boxes with only a little bit left in each box. I just can’t bring myself to throw them away. It wound up coming in handy! This was a large pot full that was sufficient for around 6 children.

Rinse, rinse, rinse!

I wore gloves for this part, but still wound up with colored hands.

Even after just an hour in the ziplock bags these noodles were vibrant!

Once rinsed, let the kids have at them! The dye did not stain the children’s hands. We used scissors to cut the noodles. The children added the Teddy Grahams from our previous activity. One child found them to be quite tasty! Everything used is food grade, so they are safe to eat. This was a favorite activity for toddlers and preschoolers.

The following items were used (Affiliate links):

What child doesn’t love the rhythm, vivid colors, and familiar animals the Brown Bear book offers? Brown Bear is a popular preschool theme that has been proven time and again to be effective in keeping children engaged. Personally, I have done the Brown Bear theme many times over the years. This time I wanted to try to find new ways to incorporate developmental skills while keeping true to all that the story has to offer.

We began with the book. I chose to use the slide and find version to add a bit more excitement in the animal reveal. Each child was given a Brown Bear story retell grid and printed pieces with an animal image on each. The children not only heard the story being read, they also used additional skills while using the pieces. Children would have to use visual discrimination skills to find the each animal as they came up in the book. They also would use one to one correspondence when placing one animal in each square.

The book can be found here (affiliate link):

The Brown Bear Story Retell activity can be purchased from the following link for a low fee:

Once we finished with the story, we moved on to our sorting bears. We used the Joyin Play-Act Counting Sorting Bears toy set. This set can be purchased at the following link (affiliate link):

This set kept the children engaged for some time! It is a great deal for how many uses it has. Shapes, colors, numbers, and fine motor are all developed while using this set.

We used the Brown Bear Math Mats next. These mats encourage children to use various math skills such as patterning, one to one correspondence, and noticing similarities/differences. The mats can be printed from the following link for FREE:

We used Teddy Grahams as the markers for each brown bear on the mat. The children enjoyed eating the bears once they finished the math mats.

We used brown finger paint on large white paper for a sensory experience.

Another way to retell the story is with printable stringing animals. The download can be found at the following link for a low fee:

This product can also be used to create a felt story!

We wrapped up our day with cutting colored spaghetti noodles. These noodles were vibrant, easy to cut, and edible! Direction on how to make these noodles will be posted soon! Check back to find out how to make a cheap, easy, and engaging sensory activity!

Young children are often fascinated by dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are perfect to encourage children to use observational skills. These creatures offer children the opportunity to question and wonder. They provide a sense of mystery and wonderment. All areas of development are easy to incorporate in a dinosaur thematic unit. I have created a dinosaur theme with over 11 different activities. These activities are engaging, hands-on, and build skills while children are having fun.

One way to set the scene is through dramatic play props. These paleontologist style hats were perfect! (Affiliate Link)

Once the stage is set with props, invite the children into your classroom with a daily question. This allows children to transition from home to school. Answering the daily question provides children with a routine they can count on each day. The following .pdf download contains one question and 6 options to choose from. The cards fit a standard pocket chart but can also be put on a magnet board or used with velcro. This product can be downloaded from the following link for {FREE}:

Patterning is a fundamental preschool skill. When a child learns patterning, he is learning a skill that will transfer to many areas of development. Patterning is part of math, science, and literacy. This patterning printable activity provides children the chance to practice ABA, AABB, ABC, ABBA patterns. Children are also able to use the blank cards and 40 image cards to create their own patterns. This activity can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

The spikey dinosaur is an easy item to create at home. With a few supplies, you can make a fine motor manipulative that will keep children engaged! (Affiliate link)

Supplies:

With the foam, cut out eyes and a tail. You can be creative as you want with this. I cut three different colors for the eyes and added eye lashes. The tail is a basic snake shape with triangles hot glued standing up. Cut the pipe cleaners in half. This activity is excellent for toddlers!

Another math activity is sorting by size. In this .pdf download, you will receive 9 sorting cards with small, medium, and large dinosaurs along with the printed words. This product can be downloaded from the following link for {FREE}:

Children will use visual discrimination skills while they interact with these fun shadow matching cards. Visual discrimination is the ability to perceive differences between objects. We perceive differences by differentiating colors, shapes, sizes, and orientations. Children typically rely on color to differentiate objects. Shadow matches removes the color and forces children to focus on shapes, sizes, and orientations. This .pdf download will include 9 image cards and 9 shadow cards. This product can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

Match games in general are a great way for children to use memory and visual discrimination skills. This .pdf download includes 10 match cards. Simply print, laminate, cut, and use! This product can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

Creative arts can be a part of the dinosaur theme also! Provide the children with dinosaurs, paint, and large paper. The dinosaurs make great footprints! This activity also opens up dialog about colors, shapes, and new vocabulary. (Affiliate links)

Supplies:

Another way to incorporate dramatic play is through the use of puppets. These puppets also offer children to opportunity to work on fine motor skills. Puppets often are used to “irritate” other children. This opens up the opportunity to practice social emotional skills. Children should be encouraged to tell the other child they do not like that and to stop. (Affiliate links)

Supplies:

Print the dinosaur patterns that are included in the .pdf download. Laminate them. Cut them out. Cut along the mouth line. Glue one half to the top of the clothespin and the other half to the bottom.

The dinosaur puppets can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

The next activity will also develop visual discrimination skills. Children can use new vocabulary to describe the missing piece of the dinosaur. Simply print, laminate, and use! The dinosaur pattern match is a .pdf printable with 6 dinosaurs and 6 matching pattern cards. This product can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

Dinosaurs can be a great sensory activity! A popular sensory experience in our class is kinetic sand. Children love the various aspects of this wonderful experiences. Kinetic sand stretches, holds its shapes, and is easy to clean up! The following items were used to create our dinosaur sensory bin: (Affiliate links)

Number puzzles help children develop counting and cardinality skills. These puzzles also include the written number. As children manipulate the pieces, they are being exposed to many math skills! These .pdf puzzles can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

As stated above, children begin developing visual discrimination skills with color. This activity allows toddler aged children the opportunity to practice visual discrimination while using fine motor skills to place the objects on the dinosaur. Children will also be developing one-to-one correspondence as they interact with this manipulative. This .pdf printable activity includes 5 dinosaurs with different colored dots to match. Use pompoms, dot markers, stickers, or dinosaur sorters with this product.

Supplies: (Affiliate links)

This product can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

Literacy can be encompassed in all activities with dinosaurs. There are many dinosaur books available for all ages!

Suggested Reading: (Affiliate links)

Another literacy activity is by using the dinosaur alphabet match game. This product includes uppercase and lowercase letters. Simply print, laminate, cut, and use! This .pdf product can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

Gross motor can be included in the dinosaur theme with the use of these movement cards. These cards include:

• Stretch like a brontosaurus
• Stomp like a triceratops
• Soar like a pterodactyl
• Wiggle like a hatching baby
• Erupt like a volcano
• Squeeze your claws like a t-rex

These cards can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

If you are looking for easy, cheap ideas to help toddlers develop fine motor skills look no further! Stickers are the perfect item to use to develop the pincer grasp. Foam stickers that are slightly raised work the best. I simply cut a simple dinosaur shape out of various colors of colored paper.

Supplies: (Affiliate links)

All of these activities can be found in the following bundle for $10.00!

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you find something useful. My TPT store can be found here:

All the printables can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

In order to facilitate a sense of belonging, we need to understand what it is and how it is felt.  All children have a right to feel accepted and respected.  This is especially important in the early childhood setting.  By promoting understanding of difference and diversity, early childhood educators can assist children and their families to build positive relationships with their local communities.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology made up of a five-tier model, often depicted as a pyramid. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualization.

Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.

As humans, we need to belong. To one another, to our friends and families, to our culture and country, to our world.

What does it mean to belong?  Or to feel a sense of belonging?  Those are important questions as we move towards building a framework to help children feel accepted and respected.  Belonging is a sense of fitting in or feeling like you are an important member of a group.

In 1968, a man named Fred Rogers took to the television.  Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood offered children a place to be accepted and understood.  Mr. Rogers understood that a sense of belonging is a basic human need and that it is vital to children’s social and emotional development. He assured children regularly, “I like you just the way you are.”

Sometimes the world has a way of making us think if we’re in the helping profession, if we’re helping children, we need to do something big, spectacular, transformative, and that’s the only way that counts,” he said, but in fact, children learn volumes from the smallest interactions — how we greet them, how we address them when they are sad.

When we are building a connection with children to foster that sense of belonging, it is important to maintain awareness of each child’s culture.  Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.  Culture is not just things that are visible.  Culture encompasses many beliefs that are not readily seen.  A child may be raised in a culture that shows higher respect for men than women, a child may be raised in a culture that uses loud voices to display happy emotions, or a child may be raised in a culture where quality clothing represents much more than monetary wealth.  In order to learn about these small nuances of each child, a conscious effort must be made to get to know the child and family.

Part of culture is the development identity.  Children are constantly working to develop a sense of self.  Children begin in infancy by defining themselves with their senses.  They focus on their bodies.  Toddlers begin to notice differences in others and may be uncomfortable around those who differ.  When children reach the age of 3 to 4, they start to realize the aspects of culture that have importance for those around them.  School-age children are transitioning out of the egocentric “me” stage, to a stage in which they have a greater understanding of the “me” within the “us.”

Giving children messages of respect, love, approval, and encouragement enables them to develop a positive sense of who they are and a feeling that they have an important contribution to make wherever they are. Children constantly bombarded with images portraying people from the same background in a negative light or as inferior, start to dislike who they are. Children may reject what they have been taught by their parents if they find that what they do at home is never mentioned, or is considered strange by other children and adults. As society is not equitable and racial bias does exist, the colorblind approach denies children the validity of their experiences of the world. Children who do not feel a part of the classroom community will have difficulty forming trusting relationships. Children who exhaust their energies attempting to meet a belonging deficiency have no reserves left for cognitive functions.

Children who feel a sense of belonging and connectedness will be happy, more relaxed and have fewer behavior problems than others. When children feel included, they are more likely to be accepting of others and sensitive to their needs, and they feel safer and more secure. Children begin to understand unfairness and understand that it hurts. As children become more aware of their own physical traits and characteristics, they become more aware of the differences between themselves and others. Depending on their experiences, children can form both positive and negative ideas and attitudes about difference. Early childhood is a crucial time to equip children with pride in their own racial and cultural identity and an appreciation of other people’s racial and cultural identities.

Educators must have more than a positive disposition. They also need to understand ways to ensure that children can access activities and learning opportunities in the classroom, participate and engage with their peers, and experience success.

Here are some tips to help encourage a sense of belonging in your early childhood environment. Remove stereotypes.  In Disney’s The Lion King, the destructive hyenas have black or dark skin. Scarface, the mean lion, has a black mane. After hearing the story Snow White, a child announced, “Stepmothers are wicked.”  It is important to look at the physical environment and be aware of possible stereotypes.  The other way to remove stereotypes is to challenge them when they are verbalized or displayed by children.  If a child is heard saying, “You can’t have two moms,” present books such as Mommy, Momma, and Me or Love Makes a Family.  Ignoring these comments will send the message that the child is correct.

Here is an activity to use in your classroom. This activity is designed to help build an inclusive, culturally competent classroom. You will download 22 inclusive career cards for a low fee.

Use inclusive language.  Language is a way of signaling to children “you belong here,” or conversely, “you don’t belong here.” “Let’s draw our house.”  Seems like a simple statement.  However, not all children live in houses.  Some are in apartments, mobile homes, grandparent’s basements, or even cars.  A more inclusive way to say this is to draw where you sleep.  Use neutral language when talking about groups of people, and when you don’t know someone’s gender.  Here are some examples:

• Students
• Friends
• Children
• Kiddos
• Families
• Grown-ups

Try not to genderize supplies.  Research has found that dividing children’s toys based on gender can have lasting developmental implications.  Between ages three to five, gender is very important to children.  When children see clearly divided aisles with reinforced gender cues like pink or blue toys, they pay careful attention.  Pink dollhouses can be replaced with primary colored houses.  Have books such as Julián Is a Mermaid By Jessica Love that allows boys to like beautiful things and Mae Among the Stars By Roda Ahmed that encourages girls to think about the sciences.

Represent all children. What children see around them positively or negatively shapes their expectations for themselves and each other. Be sure children can see themselves and their peers as strong, creative, capable, happy, and connected.

Here are area posters to use that show 8 languages. These will help children see a familiarity of their home language and also learn that other languages are part of our world. This download is for 9 different areas and is FREE!

Here is a multicultural match game. Children from around the world are depicted in a positive way. This download is for 15 cards and can be downloaded for a low fee:

One way to make sure you represent all children is by having familiar materials. Children see adults pay in a variety of ways; cash, checks, credit cards. Here are two free downloads to include in your dramatic play area:

One way to acknowledge differences is through the use of communication cards. Children with a unique home language may have a difficult time communicating in the classroom. Communication cards bridge the gap between home and school by allowing children to effectively have their needs met. This download is for 30 common daily activities and situations children may encounter in the classroom. You can download these cards for a low fee.

Adults are captivated with the landing of Perseverance on Mars currently. Earlier this week the vehicle made its first drive on the surface for 33 minutes. Just as adults find space fascinating, children are equally amazed. Space exploration is an extension of human curiosity. A space preschool theme is perfect to capture the wonder and provide opportunities for children to develop new skills!

More information about this space mission can be found at: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

All of the Space Theme activities are available to download in a bundle for a low fee:

Fine motor activities combined with counting are two key developmental skills children will engage in while competing the Space Astronaut Count. You will receive a .pdf download of Rockets numbered 1 to 5 and 20 astronauts.

Children are to use this activity in a variety of ways. One way is a child can place the number of astronauts on each space ship. There are small dots to help younger children with one to one correspondence. Another option is to use plastic links such as these (Amazon Affiliate link): http://JIALEEY 100 Piece Plastic C-Clips Hooks Chain Links Rainbow C-Links Children’s Learning Toys Small Pet Rat Parrot Bird Toy Cage

Place holes on each dot on the space ship. Then place one hole in each astronaut. Attach a link to the astronaut. Have the child place the corresponding number of astronauts. A more challenging idea is to place one hole at the bottom of the rocket. Children will use place the corresponding number of links on one astronaut and then attach it to the space ship. The following pictures demonstrate both of these options using the links above.

This activity can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

{FREE} The Space Alphabet Sort provides children the opportunity to explore letters. Children will develop visual discrimination skills, letter shape skills, and comparison skills as they sort letters.

This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• Curvy vs. Straight Line Letter Sort Card
• Holes vs. No Holes Letter Sort Card

Use magnet letters, scrabble pieces, or letter beads to sort letters by shapes! The following are suggestions to use with this activity (Amazon Affiliate links):

• JCREN Magnetic Alphabet Magnets Letters and Numbers Toy ABC 123 Fridge Plastic Toy Set Educational Magnetic in Bucket Preschool Learning Spelling Counting Uppercase Lowercase Math Symbols for Toddler
• Curious Columbus Magnetic Letters and Numbers. 115 ABC Magnets. Foam Alphabet Letters Plus Numbers. Educational Toy for Kids for Pre-K Preschool Spelling Games and Counting Games
• Yochus 1000pcs White Round Acrylic Alphabet Beads 4x7mm Gold Letter A-Z Beads for Jewelry Making and DIY Bracelets, Necklaces, Key Chains

This activity can be downloaded for {FREE} from the following link:

Space Movement Cards help children develop a variety of gross motor skills! Children are also able to practice following directions with this activity. They will run, jump, and spin! This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 10 Space Related Movement Cards

Lift off like a rocket! Rotate like a planet! Rise like the Sun!

This activity can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

The next activity helps children notice similarities and differences, match by color, and build visual discrimination skills. Children will love helping the astronaut create various space stations. This activity will need something similar to colored popsicle sticks or strips of colored paper.

This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 9 Cards with Space Station Pattern Cards
• 1 Create your own

Here are some suggested popsicle sticks (Amazon Affiliate Link):

• 4.5″ Colored Wooden Craft Sticks – Pack of 100ct

This activity can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

Here is another {FREE} activity to help children with sorting and classification. Children will be able to place all the small items together and also seriate by small, medium, and large. This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 9 Sorting Cards

This activity can be downloaded for {FREE} at the following link:

The Space Shadow Match activity allows children to notice similarities and differences, classify objects, and develop visual discrimination skills. This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 6 Image Cards
• 6 Shadow Cards

This activity can be found for a low fee at the following link:

Patterning is a key math developmental skill for preschool children. This activity uses clipart to engage the child while patterning. This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 9 Pattern Cards
• 3 Create Your Own Cards
• 36 Image Cards

This activity can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

The stars are part of space children are able to see. Constellations are a great opportunity for children to practice one to one correspondence, counting, and noticing similarities and differences. This activity allows children to recreate constellations and create their own! This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 10 Constellation Cards

Use this activity with marshmallows & toothpicks, stickers & tape, or foam stars & string.

The following are suggested supplies (Amazon Affiliate Links):

• Medley Hills Farm Cereal Marshmallows 1 lb
• MontoPack Bamboo Wooden Toothpicks |1000-Piece Large Wood Round Toothpicks in Clear Plastic Storage Box | Sturdy Safe Double Sided Party, Appetizer, Olive, Barbecue, Fruit, Teeth Cleaning Toothpicks.
• 8 Colors, 1000 Pack, Foil Star Metallic Stickers, 0.6″ Diameter
• Colored Masking Tapes, 7PCS Arts Rainbow Labelling Masking Tape Fun Supplies Kit for Kids and Adults, Painters Tapes for Crafts, School Projects, Party Decorations and More (0.4 Inch, 12 yd)
• Honbay 200pcs Colorful Self Adhesive Star Shape Foam Glitter Stickers
• TYH Supplies 20-Pack 22 Yard Acrylic Yarn Assorted Colors Skeins – Perfect for Mini Knitting and Crochet Project

This activity can be downloaded for a low fee from the following link:

A classic game that helps children develop key skills is the match game. Children will notice similarities and differences, develop visual memory, and new vocabulary as they engage with this activity! This is a {FREE} download! This activity is a .pdf download. You will receive:

• 8 Match Game Cards

This activity can be downloaded for {FREE} at the following link:

All of these activities are created to keep children interested while developing new skills! Additional activities can be found at the following links:

• https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2018/07/space-theme-activities-preschool.html
• https://turnertots.com/2019/01/11/blast-off-with-these-preschool-space-activities/
• https://www.planesandballoons.com/2019/04/22/preschool-space-activities-learning-binder/

I hope you enjoy these activities! An easy option to download them all at a reduced price is available at the following link:

Snow came late in Michigan this year. A favorite activity is to build a snowman outside our window. It is fun to see it each day while it is cold and to watch it slowly melt away as the days get warmer.

If you live in an area where it snows, you know how magical it is for young children! As adults we see cold, poor driving conditions, extra work to go outside, and did I mention cold? Children see a whole new world filled with endless possibilities.

Before you head outside, use these sequencing cards to put together a snowman. Children will enjoy planning their snowman before they head into the snow! This is a FREE printable activity!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-to-Build-a-Snowman-Sequencing-Cards-6440285

Snow play is a great physical activity. Getting suited up to head out is a gross motor in and of itself. Adding movement throughout the day helps burn energy. Here are 6 movement cards that connect to winter. You can pull a card or attach them to a large dice to choose each movement.

This activity can be downloaded from the following link for FREE:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-Color-Match-6572170

Snowman activities in the classroom tie together with the outside play. A simple activity to do with children of all ages is painting with small, medium, and large pompoms.

Supplies:

• Pompoms (small, medium, & large)
• Clothespins
• Paper
• White paper

Place paint in a container. Clip each size of pom pom in a clothespin.

Color matching is a fundamental preschool skill! Early identification of colors helps to create the cognitive link between visual clues and words. Children need to learn what color represents. The following snowman activity provides an opportunity to practice this skill.

Supplies:

• Printable file
• Pompoms
• Clothespins
• Hot Glue
• Laminator is helpful

Download the file from the following link for a low fee:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-Color-Match-6572170

Hot glue the pompoms to the clothespins. Provide the activity for the children to explore!

After we build our snowman outside, it doesn’t take long for it to start to melt! Children will love to recreate the melty snowman with a few simple supplies.

Supplies:

• Black paper
• White paint
• Paper in colors to make hats, scarves, and noses
• Googly eyes

Fold the paper in half. Place 3 blobs of paint in the crease. Close the paper and squish the paint. Open the paper to see the melty snowman! Have the children cut out hats, noses, and scarves or have them precut. Place the items on the melty snowman.

The following printable activity will help children gain math skills. Each snowman will have a corresponding number of buttons. Use pompoms, buttons, or play doh to have children match the number of buttons on each snowman.

Skills children will be using while engaging with these cards include:

• Cardinality
• Counting
• Number recognition
• Color words
• One to one correspondence

Download from the following link for a low fee:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-Button-Count-6440518

Another way to recreate a snowman is with the following activity!

Snowman Dress-Up

This activity is designed to use with cookie baking sheets or a magnet board. Simply print, laminate, and add magnets to the back to provide children an interactive activity.

This activity includes a snowman, 4 hats, 4 scarves, 3 sets of boots, 4 sets of mittens, and 4 vests to encourage children to create new snowman every time! Children will use descriptive words as they decide what items to use. Many of the items match encouraging children to use visual discrimination skills to choose items that are the same.

Skills children will be using while engaging with this activity include:

• Visual discrimination
• Color words
• Recognizing items that are the same

This activity can be downloaded from the following link for a low fee:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-Dress-Up-6440480

Use the Snowman ABC Upper and Lower Case Letter Match to help children gain literacy skills. This is a later in preschool/kindergarten skill. However, it is never a bad thing for children to be introduced to letters.

Snowman ABC Upper and Lower Case Letter Match

You will receive a .pdf file with each letter of the alphabet in upper and lower case. Children will use these to complete the snowman with one upper case letter and the corresponding lower case letter.

The activity can be found at the following link for a low fee:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowman-ABC-Upper-and-Lower-Case-Match-6572426

These activities are tried and true to keep your young child engaged and learning! They will be having so much fun, they will not realize they are learning new skills.

The following post contains affiliate links. All of the activities listed can be purchased from the following link:

Whether you are a teacher in a school or you are a parent providing activities for your child, literature is easily integrated into all areas of learning. The book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff offers many opportunities to explore math, science, literacy, and motor skills. The book can be purchased at the following affiliate link: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

This book offers children to explore cause and effect as the mouse moves from one thing to the next. As the children become more familiar with the rhythm of the story, you can move on to helping the children create their own versions. An understanding of cause and effect helps children to see relationships between two events. It shows children that we all have an effect on others and our environment. Children are constantly receiving if/then scenarios throughout the day. “If you don’t put on your gloves, then your hands will be cold.” “If you step on the bug, then we will have less flowers.” “If you take his toys, then he will cry.” Children need repetition for skills to develop pathways in the brain. The more times children repeat skills, the stronger the pathway becomes. One way to use this book to further a child’s ability to use cause and effect, is to allow the children to create their own If/Then statements. The following cards help children develop the relationship between two events or two items. The cards pose the question, “If you give a mouse a car, then he will???” Children will begin to use conditional thinking as they decide what the mouse would do with a car. These cards can be purchased at the following link:

The book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie provided the basis for many math skills. Activities that involve counting cookies, matching recipe cards, and putting halves of cookies together easily tie skills to literature children are familiar with. The following activities are available to purchase from the following links:

Use these mats for children to practice number recognition, counting, and cardinality. Use cookie cereal, printed cookies, or play dough to place on the plates for the mouse to eat!

Print, laminate, and cut! Children will use math skills to match the halves of cookies. These cookies can be used to practice fourths easily!

This activity provides a plate mat, 8 recipe cards to feed the mouse, and 6 cookies and milk cards. Children will follow the recipe on the cards to feed the mouse what he is asking to be fed. This activity uses one-to-one correspondence among other math skills.

Literacy skills are also being developed in the previous activities. Children are beginning to see themselves as readers as they follow the recipe cards to feed the mouse. Children should be offered a variety of materials to read and be read from. As children become preschool age, they develop further receptive English language skills. One of these skills is phonological awareness and phonics. Phonological awareness allows one to discriminate, remember, and manipulate sounds at the sentence, word, syllable level. Phonics is the matching of sounds to the written letter or grouping of letters. Preschool children begin to hear familiar sounds especially at the beginning of words. The following activity can be purchased from this link:

Children will use this printable to match letters, letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words. Print, cut, and let the children practice the letters of the alphabet with this activity!

A full weekly lesson plan along with these FREE activities are available to download at the following links:

All areas of development are developed through the use of this lesson plan. In addition to the above activities, 5 more activities that are connected to the story are provided. You will learn how to paint with a mop, paint with straws, and create a counting chocolate chip cookie with your children.

An excellent experience for all children is baking! This theme provides the perfect opportunity to make chocolate chip cookies. An excellent recipe can be found at the following link:

https://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/chocolate-chip-pudding-cookies-2/

All of these activities and lesson plan are bundled together for a nominal fee:

Whenever you can tie activities to literature, it is a positive experience for children.

This entire Farm Theme Unit may be downloaded for a small fee from the following link:

This time of year, many families visit local farms. Children have the opportunity to pick apples, select pumpkins, and see farm animals. If you are in Michigan here are a few suggestions to take your family:

Children will have many different experiences at each of these farms! One way to connect common family activities to the classroom is through the use of themes. A farm theme is perfect this time of year in Michigan! You can incorporate many learning objectives in a fun and relatable way for preschool children. I will be using the Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality to direct the activities provided in this theme. These standards are easily adapted to the HighScope Approach and The Creative Curriculum.

Math – Farm Animal Patterning:

Classification and Patterns. Children begin to develop skills of recognizing, comparing and classifying objects, relationships, events and patterns in their environment and in everyday life.

A common preschool goal is to complete, recreate, and create patterns. When children work with patterns, they are learning to make predictions based on observations. This is a math concept children will continue to use later in life!

This product is a .pdf of 12 different patterning cards offering children the opportunity to practice AABAA, ABBA, ABC, and ABAB patterns. The patterning cards give the children the ability to create new patterns also!

These cards can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Math – Barnyard Shape Sort

Simple Operations and Beginning Algebraic Thinking. Children begin to develop skills of sorting and organizing information, seeing patterns, and using information to make predictions and solve new problems.

You will receive a printable .pdf that allows children to use visual discrimination and algebraic skills as they match the shapes. This set includes:

• Circle
• Square
• Triangle
• Star
• Oval
• Rectangle

The fun clipart will appeal to children as they develop new skills!

These cards can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Math – Fence Building

Classification and Patterns. Children begin to develop skills of recognizing, comparing and classifying objects, relationships, events and patterns in their environment and in everyday life.

Children will use visual discrimination skills as they recreate the fence with colored popsicle sticks. Visual discrimination is the process of seeing differences between two things. Children use these skills when learning to read. It is important to give young children the chance to practice and develop these skills. This activity encourages children to spot the differences while actively being involved.

You will receive 6 distinct fence pattern cards. The cards also have different numbers of animals needing to be contained. This will allow the children to also use math skills.

Directions:

•Print the fence building pages.

•Provide the children colored popsicle sticks that can be found here (affiliate link): 200 PCS Colorful Craft Sticks Natural Wooden 4-1/2″ Length Treat Sticks Great for DIY Craft Creative Designs

•Encourage the children to recreate the fence patterns.

These cards can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Language – Barnyard Shadows

Children begin to understand written language read to them from a variety of meaningful materials, use reading-like behaviors, and make progress towards becoming conventional readers.

Visual discrimination is the process of seeing differences between two things. Children use these skills when learning to read. It is important to give young children the chance to practice and develop these skills. Shadow matching activities are an excellent way to practice visual discrimination in a fun way! Children will match the picture of the animal to the picture of the shadow. This activity can also be used to play memory.

You will receive 6 animal cards and 6 shadow cards.

Directions:

•Print the cards.

•Encourage children to match the farm animal to its shadow.

These cards can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Language – ABC Barnyard Search – DIGITAL/VIRTUAL ACTIVITY

Show progress in identifying and associating letters with their names and sounds.

Struggling to keep young children engaged during virtual class time? This is activity is a must-have for virtual preschool! Tested and kid approved!

You will receive a PowerPoint activity to be used virtually with children. Simply open the PowerPoint, share your screen, and begin searching for the letters of the alphabet. Children can identify the letter based on the farm animal it is near. Click the mouse to move the animal and letter to the barn.

This activity can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Language – Farm Question of the Day

Struggling with morning drop offs? The question of the day helps establish a routine or this often difficult transition time!

Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.

You will receive a .pdf file with a question and 6 animal cards for the children to choose from. These cards are designed to fit a standard pocket chart. You can also use a cookie sheet and magnet tape to create a sign-in board! Images can be found for free from: https://unsplash.com/

This activity can be downloaded for FREE from the following link:

Language – What Animal Do You Hear? – DIGITAL/VIRTUAL ACTIVITY

Expressive. Children develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate ideas to others.

Children love to guess what different sounds are! This activity makes it easy to play a guessing game with young children virtually. The sounds, graphics, and animal photos are all in one place! Simply open the PowerPoint, start the slideshow, and share your screen. Each click of the mouse will progress you from guessing to the answer.

Included are the following animals:

• Cow
• Pig
• Sheep
• Chicken
• Cat
• Duck

This activity can be found at the following link for a small fee to download:

Physical Health – Muddy Pig, Horse Hair, Cotton Sheep – FREE

Fine Motor Development. Children experience growth in fine motor development and use small
muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills both in structured and unstructured settings.

Horse Hair: You will receive a template to use to create a horse with a beautiful mane. Children will use their fine motor skills as they cut, decorate, and thread pipe cleaners to create a horse. One .pdf template is included.

Directions:

•Trace horse onto card stock or colored paper. You can choose a color or white so the children can then add color on their own.

•Hole punch on the circles.

•Cut pipe cleaners into half.

•Provide 6 pipe cleaners per horse.

•Have the children place a pipe cleaner in each hole and twist to create a mane.

Muddy Pig:

You will receive a template to use to create a muddy pig. Children will use their fine motor skills as they cut and finger paint brown all over the pig. One .pdf template is included.

Directions:

•Trace the pig outline on pink paper.

•Have children cut the pig or precut the pigs.

•Provide children with brown paint.

•Encourage the children to paint the pig to make it muddy.

Cotton Sheep:

You will receive a template to use to create a cotton sheep. Children will use their fine motor skills as they cut, squeeze glue, and place cotton balls. Two .pdf templates are included.

Directions:

•Print the sheep.

•Trace onto card stock or construction paper.

•Allow children to cut out the sheep or have them precut.

•Provide children with glue and cotton balls.

•Encourage the children to squeeze the glue and place one cotton ball on the glue.

•The second sheep provides spots to place a dot of glue or from a dauber.

Download the templates for FREE at the following links:

The following links contain additional activities to include all areas of development using a Farm Theme!

• https://stayathomeeducator.com/best-farm-activities-for-preschoolers/
• https://planningplaytime.com/preschool-farm-theme/
• https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/farm-sensory-bin-preschoolers/
• https://www.pre-kpages.com/farm-small-world-sensory-play/
• https://modernpreschool.com/gross-motor-farm-game/

The following items can be purchased to use with children for a Farm Theme (affiliate links):

• Melissa & Doug Lace & Trace Farm
• Fabulous Foam Adhesive Farm Shapes – Crafts for Kids and Fun Home Activities
• Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm
• The Learning Journey: Match It! Bingo – Farm – Reading Game for Preschool and Kindergarten 36 Picture Word Cards
• Learning Resources Counting Cows Toy Set, Math Games for Kindergarten, Counting & Sorting Set, 20 Pieces, Ages 2+
• Learning Resources Friendly Farm Animal Counters, Educational Counting and Sorting Toy, 72 pieces
• The Farm: A 4D Book (A Visit to…)
• Learning Resources Veggie Farm Sorting Set, Food Sorting Game, 46 Pieces, Ages 3+
• National Geographic Readers: Farm Animals (Level 1 Co-reader)
• Farm Animal Masks for Kids Party – 8 Felt Masks, Great for Barnyard Farm Themed Birthday Parties, Novelty Dress-up and Halloween
• TOMY John Deere Animal Sounds Hayride Preschool Toy
• Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

The full Preschool Farm Theme Unit can be downloaded at the following link for a fee: