Category: Preschool

Bugs – 3.9 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 3 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 9

Bugs

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

Want to learn more about Add A Little Curriculum? Check out the Parent / Teacher Guide

Movement Moment

Stomp A Bug

Supplies:

Prep:

  • Cut out each bug (doesn’t have to be fancy cutting – can be left in loose ovals).
  • Decide which letters or numbers you want to work on with your child. (You can do the numbers of this unit, a few letters, the whole alphabet, or, if doing the activity with only one or two children, the letters of their name. If playing with a large group of children, consider having multiple bugs with each letter.)
  • Write one letter or number on each bug.
  • Clear an area for active play.

Time to Play:

  • Place the bugs on the floor. If they are slippery, consider taping them down.
  • Call out a letter, such as “A”. Have all the children run to find the bug with “A” on it. Continue the fun by calling another letter to run to.
  • Once your children have the hang of the game, consider adding actions as well. For example: “Hop to ‘E’.” Or “Tiptoe to ‘5’.”

Art Activity

Ladybug Painting

Supplies:

  • Red paper
  • Child safe scissors
  • Black paint
  • Small container/plate for putting black paint in
  • Q-tips or other cotton swabs
  • One marker
  • Optional: Googly eyes

Prep:

  • Boldly trace a circle onto the red paper. The circle can be around 4″ or 11cm in diameter.
  • Pour a small amount of black paint into the container (you don’t need much).
  • Create a sample for your child to reference by following the steps below.

Time to Create:

  • Give your child the red paper with the circle traced on it. Have them cut out the circle.
  • Next, using the Q-tip and black paint, help them paint a line for the head and a line to divide the two wings.
  • Let them cover the head with paint and add spots to the wings.
  • Optional: Add googly eyes to the head.

Five-Minute Focus

Let’s Learn Our Numbers

Numbers of the Unit

7 8 9

Number Activity

Supplies: 9 buttons per person (child and teacher)

Time to Learn:

  • Count out 7 buttons. Arrange them in the shape of number seven. Have your child copy with their buttons.
  • Next, count out 8 buttons. Arrange them in the shape of number eight. Have your child copy.
  • Repeat for number 9.                

  • For other letter/number teaching techniques, visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/teaching-the-abcs-at-circle-time/

Let’s Sing

Butterfly, Ladybug, Bumblebee

Let’s Read

The Very Busy Spider

Eric Carle

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

What A Mighty God We Serve

Let’s Read

BIBLE

Read the next story in the picture Bible you are working your way through. Need recommendations for a good Children’s picture Bible? Click Here

Bonus!

Check out to catchy upbeat song “Work Like the Ant” by Amy Essen

Plants – 3.8 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 3 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 8

Plants

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

Want to learn more about Add A Little Curriculum? Check out the Parent / Teacher Guide

Movement Moment

Four Sides

Supplies:

  • Posters of four general types of plants – tree, bush, flower, grass (Or 4 papers and a marker to create your own simple posters)
  • Tape (or other temporary ways to attach the posters to your wall)

Prep:

  • Clear an area for active running.
  • Attach one poster to each of the four walls of the area.

Time to Play:

  • Invite your children to join you standing at one wall of the running area.
  • Point to the different walls and invite your children to name the posters: tree, bush, flower, grass.
  • Explain that you will be giving instructions about which poster to move to and how to move.
  • Start with a few simple instructions, such as: “Run to the tree.”
  • After a few simple rounds to help understand the game, try changing it up:
    • Stomp
    • Tip-toe
    • Fly
    • Skip
    • Crawl
    • Walk slowly
    • Walk on heals
    • Walk backwards (if a small group)
  • If you have a small number of children, consider letting them take turns giving the instructions.

Art Activity

Dandelion Cutting

Supplies:

  • Yellow paper
  • Regular paper
  • Child scissors
  • A pencil or pen
  • A glue stick
  • Green crayons or pencil crayons, and other colours for finishing the picture

Prep:

  • Draw a 4.5″ or 11 cm diameter circle on each yellow paper (you could trace a roll of masking tape).
  • In the center of that circle, draw a 2″ or 5 cm circle (you could trace a paper towel roll).
  • Follow the instructions below in “Time to Create” section to make an example of the craft to show your children.

Time to Create:

  • Show your children the example of the dandelion picture you made ahead of time.
  • Show your child the yellow paper. Instruct them to cut out the large circle (and not do anything with the small one).
  • After they have cut the large circle, show them how to cut from the out side towards the center of the flower stopping at the small circle. This creates the leaves of the dandelion.
  • After they have cut the dandelion, have them glue it onto a regular paper.
  • Offer them crayons to draw a stem and leaves for their dandelion.

Five-Minute Focus

Let’s Learn Our Numbers

Numbers of the Unit

4 5 6

Number Activity

Let’s Sing

The Farmer Plants A Seed

Let’s Read

Little Acorn

Igloo Books

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made

Let’s Read

BIBLE

Read the next story in the picture Bible you are working your way through. Need recommendations for a good Children’s picture Bible? Click Here

Construction Site – 3.7 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 3 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 7

Construction Site

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

Want to learn more about Add A Little Curriculum? Check out the Parent / Teacher Guide

Movement Moment

Fill the Dump Truck

Supplies:

  • An empty laundry basket
  • Lots of balls – consider light plastic balls or create temporary soft balls by rolling up fuzzy socks. (Alternatively, use small foam blocks, etc.)

Prep:

  • Clear an area for active play.
  • Pull all the balls in the laundry basket.

Time to Play:

  • Gather your children around. Explain that you are going to pretend the laundry basket is a dump truck, and all the kids are excavators (diggers) or front-end loaders.
  • Dump the balls on the floor and join your children in moving and sounding like machines as they scoop the balls back into the “dump truck”.

Art Activity

Cut Out a Digger

Supplies:

Prep:

  • Print one digger colouring sheet per child

Time to Create:

  • Show your child the digger colouring sheet. Especially show them the black circle around the digger. Explain that they will use scissors to cut on this black circle.
  • Remind your child to hold the scissors and paper with thumbs up.
  • Give your child the paper and scissors.
  • Supervise and encourage your child as they cut around the circle. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
  • After they have cut all the way around the circle, take away the scissors and give your child crayons, etc. to colour the digger.

Note to parent/teacher: Using scissors is a great way to strengthen fine motor skills. Most children are mature enough to use scissors with supervision at 3 years old. For more tips regarding teaching scissor skills to preschoolers, check out my post: Scissors and Preschoolers

Five-Minute Focus

Let’s Learn the Numbers

Numbers of the Unit

1 2 3

Number Activity

  • Supplies: Lego or other building blocks
  • Time to Learn:
    • Using the Lego or blocks, create a 2D model of numbers 1, 2, and 3.
    • Give your child the blocks and encourage them to create the numbers themselves. They may copy how you did it, or do it their own way.

  • For other letter teaching techniques, visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/teaching-the-abcs-at-circle-time/

Let’s Sing

Johnny Works With One Hammer

Let’s Read

Little Excavator

By: Anna Dewdney

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

The Wiseman Built His House on the Rock

Let’s Read

BIBLE

Read the next story in the picture Bible you are working your way through. Need recommendations for a good Children’s picture Bible? Click Here

Easter / Spring Animals – 3.E – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 3 Year Old Curriculum – Unit E

Easter / Spring Animals

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

Want to learn more about Add A Little Curriculum? Check out the Parent / Teacher Guide

Movement Moment

Move Like Spring Animals

Supplies:

  • Plastic Easter Eggs (alternatively use other small containers or put all the papers in one larger opaque container or bag, etc.)
  • A basket to hold all the eggs
  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Scissors

Prep:

  • Write the following on a piece of paper:
    1. Jump like a frog
    2. Skip like a lamb
    3. Run like a foal
    4. Tip toe like a mouse
    5. Fly like a robin
    6. Pounce like a kitten
    7. Buzz like a bee
    8. Flutter like a butterfly
    9. Hop like a bunny
    10. Roll like a piglet in mud
    11. Waddle like a duckling
    12. Peck like a chick
    13. Prance like a calf
    14. Dig like a mole
  • Cut the sheet of paper so that each action is on its own small paper.
  • Put one action in each egg.
  • Clear an area for active play.

Time to Play:

  • Invite your children to gather round. Show them the basket of eggs.
  • Explain that each egg has something inside it. You will take turns opening the eggs. When an egg is opened, you will read the action and then do it together.
  • Have fun and be energetic!

Art Activity

Sponge Sheep Painting

Supplies:

  • A sponge, or other painting tool
  • White paint
  • Black paint (or black marker)
  • Small container for black paint
  • Plate or other container for white paint that fits the sponge
  • Green paper (or other medium coloured paper) Alternatively, use white paper and a different colour of paint.
  • Optional: googly eyes

Prep:

  • Consider using half a sheet of paper per child.
  • Pour a small amount of paint into each container.
  • If possible, create an example picture.

Time to Create:

  • Invite your children to the table. Explain that you will be painting lambs today. Show them the example picture you made.
  • Encourage your child to dip the sponge into the white paint and paint a fluffy body for their sheep on their paper.
  • If using black paint for the head and legs, let the children paint them now.
  • If using black marker for the head and legs, wait until the painting has dried, then allow your child to draw the head and legs.

Five-Minute Focus

Let’s Learn the ABCs

Letters of the Unit

  • WXYZ

Letter Activity:

  • Supplies: 4 Popsicle sticks per person

Time to Learn:

  • Give each child 4 popsicle sticks, and take 4 for yourself.
  • Model how to lay the popsicle sticks on the floor or table in the shape of a “W”.
  • Encourage your child to copy with their own popsicle sticks.
  • Repeat with letters “X”, “Y”, and “Z”.

  • For other letter teaching techniques, visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/teaching-the-abcs-at-circle-time/

Let’s Sing

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Let’s Read

Curious George Colors Eggs

Author: H. A. Rey

An engaging tale of dyeing eggs with no Easter Bunny or religious content.

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Jesus Chose At Easter Time
Words by S. J. Little

View the lyrics here: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/jesus-chose-at-easter-time/

Let’s Read

CHRISTIAN BOOK

The First Easter Day

Author: Jill Roman Lord
Illustrator: Kimberley Barnes

 

Jesus Chose at Easter Time – Preschool Easter Song

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

To help you instill the reason we, as Christians, celebrate Easter, I came up with this simple song.

(If you’ve been following along, you may notice this is the same tune I used for my song “Jesus Came at Christmas Time” a few years back. My kids enjoyed it so much, I decided to create this Easter song in a similar manner.)

 

Jesus Chose at Easter Time

Tune: Praise Him, Praise Him (Composer Unknown – Pre 1974)
Song by: S. J. Little

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus chose at Easter
To show us that He loves us.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus chose at Easter time.

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus died at Easter
To save us from our sins.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus died at Easter time.

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus rose at Easter
So we can live with Him.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus rose at Easter time.

 

 

For another super simple Christian Easter song, check out my song: He Rose Again and Lives Today