CCEI122- Active Learning in Early Childhood - HandoutWelcome to CCEI122 This course presents practical methods for integrating movement and active involvement across allcurriculum areas, including art, language arts, mathematics, music, science, and social studies.

Course Objectives:

By taking notes on the handout and successfully answering assessment questions, participants will meetthe following objectives as a result of completing this course.

Define active learningIdentify differences between authentic, active learning, and rote learningIdentify examples of active learningIdentify effective modes of learning for young childrenDefine bodily/kinesthetic intelligenceIdentify the role of active learning in brain development and the development of cognitive skillsIdentify the importance of cooperative learningIdentify appropriate movement-based activities for use in all content areas of the early childhoodcurriculum

During this course, participants are expected to reflect and write about topics related to their ownlearning and teaching experiences in relation to course content.

References:

Pica, R. (2007). Moving & learning across the curriculum. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.

Pica, R. (2007). Jump into literacy: Active learning for preschool children. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.

Pica, R. (2009). Jump into math: Active learning for preschool children. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.

Follari, Lissanna. (2014). Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education. Pearson Higher Ed.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, Revised Edition (2009) NAEYC PositionStatement. Washington D.C.

Morrison, George S. Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 2016. Pearson Education, Inc., UpperSaddle River, NJ.

Fauth, B. (1990). Linking the visual arts with drama, movement, and dance for the young child. In W.J.Stinson (Ed.) Moving and learning for the young child (pp. 159-187). Reston, VA: AAHPERD.

Gardner, H. (1993). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Grineski, S. (1996). Cooperative learning in physical education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Hannaford, C. (2005). Smart moves: Why learning is not all in your head. Salt Lake City: Great RiverBooks.

Jaques-Dalcroze, E. (1931). Eurhythmics, art, and education (F. Rothwell, Trans.; C. Cox, Ed.). New York:A.S. Barnes.

Jensen, E. (2000). Learning with the body in mind. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Kohn, A. (1992). No contest: The case against competition. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

What Is Active Learning?

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The Difference between Active and Rote Learning

The Rationale for Active Versus Rote Learning

Using the Senses Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Active Learning and Brain Development

Active Learning and Cognitive Development

Active Learning and Social/Emotional Development

Active Learning across the Early Childhood Curriculum

Art: Concepts and Suggested Activities2 of 7

Language Arts: Concepts and Suggested Activities

Mathematics: Concepts and Suggested Activities:

Concepts and Suggested Activities Science:

Concepts and Suggested Activities Social Studies:

Concepts and Suggested Activities

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Job Aide

Below you will find the Try This! activities from the course. Print and save these activities

and try them in your own class!

Try This!

Active Shape Activities

To explore shape with toddlers, begin with simple comparisons between straight and round.

Show the children straight objects (e.g., rulers or the lines on ruled paper) and round objects

(e.g., a ball or a globe); ask them to create these opposite shapes with their bodies or body parts.

When the children are developmentally ready, challenge them take on various shapes (e.g., wide,

narrow, crooked, high, low, etc.) with their bodies. This is fun and challenging, and it also builds

vocabulary and spatial awareness.

Try This!

Active Line Activities

To focus on the concept of lines, use a jump rope or similar object to demonstrate the differences

between vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and crooked lines. Can the children use their

bodies to replicate the lines you have created with the rope?

Try This!

Active Color Activities

Shape and colors can be explored in tandem by providing pictures or examples of objects in

various colors (e.g., a yellow banana, a red apple, a green plant) and asking the children to

demonstrate the shape of each object.

An alternative is to mention a color and ask them what it brings to mind. The children can then

demonstrate their interpretation of the color through body movement (e.g., if the color green

reminded some children of frogs, they could depict the movement of frogs).

Try This

Active Texture Activities

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You can explore the concept of texture through movement by gathering items of various

textures for the children to see and feel. Examples include rope, satin, burlap, feathers, a beach

ball, seashells, stuffed animals, and carpet samples. Talk to children about how each item feels or

makes them feel (i.e., feathers might make them feel ticklish). Then ask them to demonstrate the

feeling through movement.

Try This!

Play−Acting

Acting out the meaning of individual words from stories, poems, or even spelling lists can lead to

greater understanding. Through movement, children can begin to comprehend suffixes and, thus,

the distinction between words like frightened and frightening. They can better grasp the meaning

of action words (verbs) like slither, stalk, pounce, or stomp, or descriptive words (adjectives) like

graceful, smooth, or forceful.

Preschool children can work in pairs to demonstrate the meanings of simple opposites like sad

and happy or up and down, with primary grade partners challenged to demonstrate possibilities

like tight versus loose or open versus closed.

Try This!

Math Moves

Movement is an ideal, tangible means of conveying quantitative concepts to children. Activities

involving levels and body shapes can demonstrate the concepts of big and little, long and short,

high and low, wide and narrow, tall and short, highest, lowest, and even same length and longer

than. Concept related to force (light, heavy, strong, weak) can also be conveyed through

movement.

Children can work together to explore these concepts through movement. Throughout the

movement activities, teachers can pose questions and challenges like: “Which body part has the

most possibilities?” “How many ways can you find to . . . (move the chair, pick up the crayon,

etc.)?” “Repeat the action once more.”

Try This

Positional Concepts

Positional concepts can be demonstrated by asking the first or last child in line to perform an

action. You can ask children to stand in front of or behind a person or object, or between or in

the middle of others. Props and obstacle courses are excellent for demonstrating such positional

concepts as over, under, around, and through. As children experiment with these concepts

through movement they are also building their working vocabularies.

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Try This!

Blast Off

To develop number awareness and recognition, the children must hear the numerals often. The

simple activity "Blast Off" is appropriate for toddlers as well as preschoolers. The game can help

them advance from rote memorization of numbers to actual comprehension.

With this activity, the children squat low, pretending to be spaceships on their launching pads as

you count backward from 10. When you say, “Blast off!” the children “launch” themselves

upward. It′s simple, fun, and effective!

Try This!

Geometry

You can begin acquainting children with geometric shapes by giving them blocks, puzzles, and

other manipulative materials. The children work along or with others to form lines, curves,

points, and angles. Later, they can advance to forming geometric shapes. They can move in

straight, curving, zigzag, and diagonal lines and advance to moving in circular, square,

rectangular, and triangular patterns.

Try This!

Statues

Asking children to move in the way the music makes them feel may confuse or intimidate young

children. However, making a game out of putting movement to music can free children of their

natural inhibitions. "Statues" is a great game for this purpose, plus it develops listening skills and

helps children differentiate between sound and silence.

Instruct the children to move in any way they like while the music is playing and to freeze into a

statue when the music stops (you pause it). To take the children by surprise and inspire a variety

of responses, vary the time you allow the children to move and freeze. To expose the children to

a variety of music styles and rhythms, use a song with a different feel (a march, a waltz, rock and

roll) each time you play.

Try This!

Musical Bodies

Children love to make noise, and making noise with their bodies can be a great introduction to

rhythm. Ask the children to discover how many sounds they can create with different body parts

(e.g., hands, feet, tongue, and teeth). Can they move about the room, accompanying themselves

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with any of these sounds? Can they use different parts of the room (floor, walls, chalkboard) to

create new sounds?

Try This!

Gravity Games

Is it possible for human beings to really float in air? No, because of gravity. When we jump, hop,

or leap in the air, the force of gravity pulls us back down, just as it pulls down any object (e.g., a

beanbag or ball) we toss in the air. But the higher we toss the object, the longer it takes to reach

the ground. Challenge the children to discover how many times they can clap or turn around

before the beanbag or ball returns to their hands or to the ground.

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