english tasks for toddlers
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Fun early childhood activitiesTRANSCRIPT
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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