Author: S. J. Little

Christmas – 2.C – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit C

Christmas

Developmental Focus: Imaginative Fun

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

Snowman Bowling

Supplies:

  • 3-6 empty plastic pop bottles or water bottles
  • White paper
  • Tape
  • Markers – black and orange
  • Scissors
  • A medium or large ball

Prep:

  • Rinse the bottles and allow to dry.
  • Cut the paper into strips about 3 inches wide (1 strip per bottle).
  • On each strip of paper, draw a snowman face and tape it onto a bottle. This transforms the bottles into snowman.
  • If desired, place a line of tape on the floor for the children to stand behind when bowling, and place a piece of tape where each bottle should stand.

Time to Play:

  • Set up the bottles at one end of the room or hallway. Help your child stand a few steps back from the bottles.
  • Give your child the ball and encourage them to roll it at the bottles. The goal is to knock the bottles over.
  • Continue rolling the ball at the bottles until they all fall over.
  • Set the bottles back up to play again.

Additional Tips:

  • If the bottles tip over too easily, consider adding a small amount of water into each bottle. Securely close the lid and try playing again.
  • To make the game even more Christmas-y, consider decorating the bottles as Christmas trees rather than snowmen.
  • If you have more than one child playing, consider using two balls and/or setting up two separate groups of bottles to roll the balls at.

Brain Boosting

Package For You

Supplies:

  • One small bag, box, or blanket (to hide a toy in)
  • Various small toys

Time to Play:

  • Select one small toy. Hide it in the bag.
  • Approach your child and declare, “Package for you!”
  • Hand the bag to your child.
  • Encourage your child to guess what might be inside the package as they open it.
  • Be excited about what it is.
  • Put another toy in the bag to deliver, or encourage your child to wrap a toy to deliver to someone.

Extend the Play:

Get creative and have fun while you play together, consider:

  • Pretending to read the shipping address. For example: “This package is for Peter.”
  • If you have a playhouse, go to the door and ring the doorbell to deliver the package.

Let’s Sing

Shine Shine Christmas Lights

Find the words and actions here.

 

Let’s Read

Biscuit Gives a Gift
Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Pat Schories

A Christmas book that does not discuss Santa or the Nativity.

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Jesus Came At Christmas Time

Find the words and actions here.

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Jesus’ Birth
Luke 2:1-21, Matthew 2:1-12

Beginner’s Bible Chapters:
An Angel Visits Mary
Baby Jesus Is Born
Shepherds Visit
The Bright Star and Three Visitors
Page 266-281, 286-290

Jesus Came At Christmas Time

Posted on by S. J. Little

I was trying to remember a simple Christian preschool song about Christmas to sing with my toddler. I ended up creating my own easy song to this catchy tune.

I hope you enjoy this song and that it sparks as much interesting conversation with your children as it has with mine.

This song is featured in my 2-year-old Add A Little Curriculum Christmas Unit. Check it out here.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

 

Jesus Came At Christmas Time

Tune: Praise Him, Praise Him (Composer Unknown – Pre 1974)

Song by: S. J. Little

 

Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus came at Christmas,

As a tiny baby.

Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus came at Christmas time.

 

Shepherds, shepherds,

Shepherds saw the angel,

And hurried to the stable.

Shepherds, shepherds,

Jesus came at Christmas time.

 

Wise men, wise men,

Wise men saw the star,

And traveled from afar.

Wise men, wise men,

Jesus came at Christmas time.

Looking for more original simple preschool songs for Christmas? Check out the following:

Baby Jesus, Welcome Lord

Shine Shine Christmas Lights

Simple Gingerbread Man Song

Unexpected Influences

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

“Ready, Mommy?” My toddler called from her car seat.

I twisted in the passenger seat to see her. “Ready for what?”

“Ready for me to put my sunglasses on?” She held her sunglasses poised above her head, ready to be put on.

Amused, I glanced at my husband who was driving. “Okay, I’m ready for you to put your sunglasses on.”

Slowly, and with great emphasis, my toddler pulled her pink sunglasses down over her eyes and settled them in place.

“I have my sunglasses!”

I smiled. “Yes. You put them on. Very good.”

I was slightly puzzled at her wanting my attention when putting on her sunglasses, but toddlers sometimes do things that don’t make sense to me. I didn’t dwell on it.

Turning back towards the front of the vehicle, I resumed my conversation with my husband.

This event repeated itself several times over the course of a few months. I still didn’t think much of it, until my husband made an observation.

“It’s because of the babies wearing glasses videos she’s watched.” He pointed out.

I immediately saw the truth in his statement.

We don’t watch many videos or TV shows at this point, but from time to time, I will watch YouTube videos with her. Her absolute favourite, which she often requests, is “babies wearing glasses videos”.

“Babies wearing glasses videos”, as she termed them, are short videos of babies or toddlers, who have vision challenges, trying glasses on. Typically they have huge smiles as they get to see clearly for the first time. Family members cheer and exclaim adoringly as the little one takes in the world.

It was in mimicking these little ones that my toddler was insisting I watch as she dramatically put on her sunglasses.

I know that what youngsters see has a huge impact on them. Therefore, I am quite particular about what we watch. These “babies wearing sunglasses” videos seemed harmless and cute. Other than being wary that she might try putting her sunglasses on her baby brother, I hadn’t expected them to influence her much.

Yet here she was, clearly repeating what she’d observed.

What about me? Is there something seemingly benign and unimpactful that is influencing me?

Most likely yes.

Peers, TV, books, social media, church, friend circles… They all influence me whether I know it or not.

I am instructed to imitate what is good, not what is evil (3 John 1:11).

The writer of Hebrews tells me, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:12 NIV)

Then later, in Hebrews 13:7, he says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (NIV)

So what about my life? Who or what has influenced me?

Are there any things or people that may be influencing me towards ungodly and unhealthy attitudes or lifestyles? How can I minimise those?

On the flip side, how can I increase the good and beneficial influences on my life?

May I be intentional about who and what I imitate with the ultimate goal of imitating Jesus.

What Colour? – 2.4 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 4

What Colour?

Developmental Focus: Colour Recognition (Primary Colours)

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

4 Sides

Supplies:

  • Four sheets of paper, each a different colour (ideally focus on the primary colours this unit, so use red, yellow, and blue, plus one more)
  • Tape (or some other way to attach the papers to the wall)

Prep:

  • Clear an area for running
  • Tape one sheet of paper to each wall, ideally in the center of the wall.

Time to Play:

  • Explain to your child that you are going to play a game together. When you say a colour, you are going to run to the wall with that colour.
  • Call a colour, such as “Yellow!” Then run to the yellow wall, inviting your child to run with you.
  • Call another colour and run to that wall together. Continue playing in this way.
  • Once your child understands the game well, consider making it more challenging by adding specific actions. For example: “Crawl to blue” and “Stomp to red”.
    • Actions could include:
      • Run
      • Stomp
      • Crawl
      • Tiptoe
      • Take big steps
      • Take little steps
      • Fly
      • Run fast
      • Walk slow
      • Walk backwards (careful about this one in group settings)

Brain Boosting

Colour a Box

This activity is fantastic for your child’s fine motor muscle development (the muscles needed to write with a pencil). The benefit is increased if the crayons are short, though beware of choking hazards.

Supplies:

  • One large cardboard box or some other 3D object your child can colour on
  • Crayons (or washable markers, but crayons are better for development)

Time to Play:

  • Invite your child to colour on the box with the crayons. If it is a big box, they could sit inside the box while they colour.
  • Join in colouring with them.
  • Discuss which colours are being used as you colour.

Let’s Sing

I See Colors Everywhere

Let’s Read

Colors
Airlie Anderson

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

A Song About Joseph

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Joseph
Genesis 37, 39-46

Beginner’s Bible Chapters:
Joseph’s Colorful Robe
Pharaoh’s Dreams
Joseph Saves His Family
Page 71

For Granted Flush

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I reached for the doorknob, grateful to be home. It had been a pleasant outing, but there is no place like home.

Unlocking the door, I stepped inside, then wrinkled my nose. Something stunk!

My toddler followed me in and, a minute later, my husband entered carrying our baby in his bucket seat.

He sniffed and looked at me.

I shook my head. “It stinks in here.”

My husband set our baby down and moved to untie his shoes. “What’s making it smell so bad?”

I shrugged out of my light jacket. “Don’t know. Maybe we have a mold problem? Or a dead rodent?”

“Maybe we should get our furnace cleaned.”

“Yes. We might have to. This stink has been around for a while.”

As we stepped into the living room, I glanced at my husband. “Can you watch the kids while I go to the bathroom?”

Our two year old was already pulling out the paper and crayons. “Colour with me, Daddy.”

My husband began unbuckling our baby. “Yup. I’ll watch them.”

“Thanks!”

I headed for the bathroom. As I entered, I took a deep breath.

At least our bathroom didn’t stink anymore!

We had been under water restrictions for the past month during which our city urged everyone to conserve water wherever possible. This included a direct request to not flush toilets unless absolutely necessary. We were warned that non-compliance could result in a boil water advisory for everyone until they could flush the systems out in the Spring.

We certainly did not want that!

As we did our best to use less water. We quickly discovered why outhouses used to be outside the house… Without flushing every time, our bathroom quickly began to stink and that stench worked its way throughout our house.

Now that the water restrictions had been lifted, we could use water freely again.

What a wonderful thing to be able to flush! My appreciation for flush toilets reached new heights.

As I flipped on the light, I wondered, “Could the bathroom be the source of our entryway stink?”

The bathroom was on a different level of the house, and the stench in the bathroom had cleared up a few days ago. Perhaps, though, the foul air had made its way into the furnace system. The past couple of weeks had been comfortably warm so we hadn’t run our furnace. Now, as autumn drew near, the furnace had run a time or two, circulating whatever air was sitting in its ducts.

Maybe it was time to get the furnace cleaned as my husband had suggested.

Why do I share this smelly story? Because I see a valuable reminder for me in it that perhaps you will appreciate as well.

A flush toilet is one of those things that is taken for granted in my city, as is clean drinking water piped straight to every house.

I hardly think about it. I flush and move on with my day.

What else do I take for granted?

Do I take my family for granted, always assuming they will be there rather than being thankful for them?

Do I take a warm safe place to live for granted? Or the ability to read and write?

The list could go on. There is so much to be thankful for! 

Then my thoughts turn towards my relationship with Jesus? Do I take Him for granted? When was the last time I thanked God for inviting me to come before Him freely in prayer? 

Have I thanked Jesus today for enduring the cross so that I may have life? Or do I take that for granted? 

I was recently reading in the New Testament. In Romans 1:21, Paul talks about those who didn’t glorify God as God. God gave them freedom to follow their own desires and ideas though the end result was suffering.

That’s not all he said in that verse. Not only did these people not glorify God as God, they did not thank Him or show gratitude to Him.

When was the last time I stopped to thank God? Or do I forget to be grateful to Him?

Thanking God is an act of worship.

With Canadian Thanksgiving just past and American Thanksgiving coming soon, may I remember to thank God rather than take Him for granted. He is worthy of all my gratitude.

Here’s one of my favourite songs about thanking God. Do you have a favourite song for thanking God? Share it with us in the comments below.