Showing posts with label Large group. Show all posts
Hop Skip Jump
Hop! Skip! Jump! is a super simple activity for toddlers, and even preschoolers or kindergartners, will love that I found with Knoala App.
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Play Area,
Blocks: Create a Neighborhood Map
During this early childhood lesson plan preschool children begin outdoor and then continue indoor as they use creative thinking, problem solving and spatial awareness skills.
You will need:
Unit or table blocks, colored or masking tape, construction paper and trashable materials such as tubes, egg cartons, small boxes and containers. Also, experience chart paper, markers and a local map (optional).
Unit or table blocks, colored or masking tape, construction paper and trashable materials such as tubes, egg cartons, small boxes and containers. Also, experience chart paper, markers and a local map (optional).
Outside: Teachers and preschool children take a walk together around the neighborhood. Look carefully at the buildings closest to yours. Then notice important roads / streets and other buildings nearby. When you come back inside, record the children's observations and descriptions on an experience chart.
Inside: With a small group of youngsters talk about maps and, if you can, locate where your building is on a local map. Mark where you took your walk with a red marker and then explain that together you are going to make you own neighborhood "map" out of blocks.
Teachers provide preschool children with construction paper and tape and help them make a "floor" for the map. Use tape to make the roads / streets, green paper for yards and parks etc. Next talk about what buildings to include. This works best when you start with your building and then move to buildings further away. Use the trashable items to create the structures. Keep in mind that accuracy is not the most important thing. The process young children work through is the key. Youngsters learn from the cooperative experience of interpreting real life into block forms.
Extension: After the map is complete take another outdoor walk and again look carefully at the buildings. When you return to the classroom ask children to consider ways they would like to change and improve the neighborhood. Ask, "What can we add to our map? What do you think would make our neighborhood more fun and attractive?"
As youngsters brainstorm, chart their suggestions. Encourage them to use their imaginations. But before you make any improvements take a picture of the "old" neighborhood map. After making improvements with the trashable materials, take a picture of the "new" neighborhood. Use the pictures to help children dictate a story about the experience.
Story time suggestions:
The House With The Red Roof
by William Wise
The Little House by Virginia Burton
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Outdoor Water Art
Promote fun with color mixing during this outdoor play activity by Christy.
Materials: A spray bottle for each child, watercolors, water, large wall or fence.
Description: Fill each water bottle with a different color watercolor, mixed with water. Outdoor, on a large wall or fence, let children spray and watch what happens as colors mix. Dries quickly and washes off easily.
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Game: Hop In The Hoops
During this outdoor early childhood activity by Lisa C. children use gross motor skills.
Materials: Different colored hoops, an open area and drum or tambour.
Description: Let the children warm up in an open area. Give the children different ideas for moving around - walk, hop, skip, run, walk sideways, run, backwards and so on. Place lots of different colored hoops around the open space. Demonstrate to the children how to walk or run around without touching the hoops. Intersperse these instructions with 'stand in groups of two in red hoops' or 'three people go into each green hoop' and so on.
Get the children to listen to the next instruction using a tambour, beat the drum or clap your hands, the children stop and listen for the next step. For example, put your hand in a hoop, put your foot in a hoop. Make it more complex by adding colors and numbers. For example, put one knee in a red hoop, put four fingers in a yellow hoop and so on.
Comments: The children really enjoyed this activity and had lots of fun doing it.
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Game: Hula Hooping
During this preschool physical education activity Isabel C. encourages youngsters to use both fine and gross motor skills. Children also develop problem solving and social skills as they create their own methods of "hula hooping".
Materials: 6-8 hula hoops (child size) and a large outdoor space.
Description: Allow 6-8 children to use hula hoops in any way that they like, making sure that the hoops are used safely. After the children have used the hula hoops in their own way, the teacher will show them different ways to use the hula.
a) Around the waist - setting it right to your back, then spinning it around with your body.
b) Make the hula hoop go round and round on the ground.
c) Make hula spin on arm
d) Arrange hula hoops on ground and jump over them
e) Make up your own ideas, such as the activity below.
a) Around the waist - setting it right to your back, then spinning it around with your body.
b) Make the hula hoop go round and round on the ground.
c) Make hula spin on arm
d) Arrange hula hoops on ground and jump over them
e) Make up your own ideas, such as the activity below.
Comments: The hula hoops are now part of our outdoor games because the children like them so much!
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Sheet Painting
Young preschool children use fine motor and color recognition skills as they explore creativity during this early childhood outdoor activity by Angela L.
Materials: Spray bottles, water, liquid tempera paint (variety of colors) and a old sheet.
Description: Fill a spray bottle with half water and half tempera paint. For creative outdoor fun, hang an old sheet on a fence or create a clothesline and have the children spray paint it.
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Outdoor Game: "Hot Potato"
During this gross motor game by Colleen, preschool and kindergarten youngsters use their feet instead of their hands.
Materials: Medium size playground ball.
Description: Put a medium sized ball in the center of a circle along with a child chosen to be 'it'. The child who is 'it' pushes the ball with his or her feet, trying to get it out of the circle. The other children try to stop the ball with their feet. Once the ball is out, another leader is chosen. The ball is called the 'hot potato' and the children will enjoy trying to keep it in the 'oven'.
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Outdoor Car Wash
Encourage social skills as preschool children participate in this warm weather water play activity from Betty N.
Materials: Riding cars, sponges, and shallow dishes of soapy water.
Description: During outside time, set up an area where the children can pretend to be a car wash. Place many shallow bowls containing soap and water outside and give each child a sponge. Promote sharing and cooperation as preschool children work together washing the cars. The children will absolutely love this idea. Before you know it they will be washing all of the outdoor toys and equipment.
Comments: It must be a nice day, warm weather and teacher supervision is absolutely a MUST at all times.
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Outdoor Transparent Painting
Preschool children use both large and fine motor skills and teachers can introduce a new vocabulary word, transparent, during this creative early childhood activity by Susi.
Materials: Long strip of clear plastic (sheet), tempera paints (lots of colors), paint brushes, wire to hold up the plastic sheet, and a fence.
Description: Let the children help in attaching the plastic to the fence thereby encouraging participation and the use of large motor skills. Ask the children to paint the 'canvas' with any images they like, or you can provide ideas according to your theme. These murals are an amazing addition to any outside play area.
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Bluebird, Bluebird Song
Bluebird, bluebird, through my window.
Bluebird, bluebird, through my window.
Bluebird, bluebird, through my window .
Oh, Johnny I'm so tired.
Take a little girl (boy) and pat her (him) on the shoulder
Take a little girl (boy) and pat her (him) on the shoulder
Take a little girl (boy) and pat her (him) on the shoulder
Oh, Johnny I'm so tired.
Take a little girl (boy) and pat her (him) on the shoulder
Take a little girl (boy) and pat her (him) on the shoulder
Oh, Johnny I'm so tired.
Playing the Game:
Teachers introduce this song and ask children to join hands and form a circle. Youngsters hold their hands up high to represent "windows" and the preschool "bluebird" weaves in and out of the windows during the first verse. During the second verse the "bluebird" chooses a child and gently pats him/her on the shoulder several times. Repeat the first verse as both children weave in and out of the windows, with the first child holding on to the second child's shoulders.
Continue until there are no more windows and all the children are holding onto each others shoulders.
Teachers introduce this song and ask children to join hands and form a circle. Youngsters hold their hands up high to represent "windows" and the preschool "bluebird" weaves in and out of the windows during the first verse. During the second verse the "bluebird" chooses a child and gently pats him/her on the shoulder several times. Repeat the first verse as both children weave in and out of the windows, with the first child holding on to the second child's shoulders.
Continue until there are no more windows and all the children are holding onto each others shoulders.
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Large group,
Rainbow Squish Bags
Jennifer teaches mixing two colors to create a new color with this easy preschool activity.
Materials: Zipper zip lock bag, shaving cream and food coloring.
Description: Each child has his / her own bag almost full of plain white shaving cream, they then choose two colors they like and add three drops of each of the two colors. For example, 3 drops yellow and 3 drops blue the bag is then zipped shut (and should be taped also). Then the child squishes the bag, mixing the yellow and blue to create: green! This is almost magic to them!
You could ask the children before they begin squishing, "What new color do you think will appear?"
Children love this activity for the sensory experiences and fun.
Comments: Be prepared for each child to want to make more than one!
You could ask the children before they begin squishing, "What new color do you think will appear?"
Children love this activity for the sensory experiences and fun.
Comments: Be prepared for each child to want to make more than one!
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Large group,
Large Group Activities
Who is Missing?
Introduce this game by starting in a group sitting down. Provide little plastic people. Let the children give the family role name to each one: "This is the Mom. This is the Grandma. etc."
Tell the children to close and cover their eyes. Take one away and have them open and uncover their eyes and ask "Who is missing?" Once you have played this with them a few times, tell them you are now going to play "Who is missing" together!
Have an area near you where one child can stand and not be seen by the other children (behind a table, etc.).
Have all the children stand up, turn around (with their backs to you) and close and cover their eyes.
Choose one child to hide behind the spot you have chosen and have the others guess who is missing!
This is a favorite activity of mine!
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