Category: Preschool

My Turn, Your Turn – 1.10 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 10

My Turn, Your Turn

Vocabulary: Catch, Roll, Pass, Turn

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

Let’s Wiggle

Can’t Catch Me

Prep:

  • Clear your area of obstacles to enable safe running around.

Time to Play:

  • Tell your child that you are going to play the “Catch Me” game. Encourage them to run away while you run to catch them.
  • Based on your child’s interest level, run and catch them several times.
  • Then change things up. Explain that you are going to run away and it is their turn to catch you. Be sure not to run away too fast.
  • Play several rounds of them catching you.
  • For older children, once your child has caught the hang of both ways to play, consider taking turns back and forth: “First you run away, then it is my turn to run away.”

Let’s Explore

Roll the Ball

Supplies:

  • 1 medium-large light ball per two or three people
    • Alternatively consider using a bean bag or a toy car that rolls well

Prep:

  • Clear an area to sit on the floor facing each other with no obstacles in between.

Time to Play:

  • Have both you and your child sit on the floor facing each other. Sit with your legs straight in front of you spread into a “V” shape. To begin with, sit with your feet nearly touching your child’s feet.
  • Explain to your child that you are going to pass the ball to each other.
  • Gently roll the ball to your child. Encourage them to catch it.
  • Encourage your child to roll the ball back to you.
  • Continue rolling the ball back and forth from one person to the other.
  • For added challenge, increase the distance between you or consider bouncing the ball to each other.
  • This game is suited for older 1 year olds. Remember that sharing and passing are new skills for your child so laugh and make this a fun game even if your child is reluctant to pass the ball back. If it just doesn’t work, consider playing again in a few weeks.
  • In a classroom setting, pair two children per ball and encourage them to pass to each other.

Let’s Sing

Row Row Row Your Boat

This can be a great partner song. Sit cross-legged facing your child. Hold hands. “Row” your boat by leaning backward and forward together. Consider singing the song again faster.

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Who Did Swallow Jonah

For lyrics and actions, click here.

Let’s Read

I Share

Author: Cheri J Meiners
Illustrator: Penny Weber

Clean Up – 1.9 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 9

Clean Up

Vocabulary: Find, Pick Up, Container, Put In

Tent, Blanket, Build, Knock Over

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

Let’s Wiggle

Pick Them Up Game

Supplies:

  • A set of 8-15 small to medium toys. Could be almost anything. Consider:
    • Bean bags
    • Balls
    • Pompoms
    • Cars
    • Stuffies
  • A basket or box that holds all the toys

Time to Play:

  • Show your child the basket of toys and explain that you are going to play a pick them up game.
  • Dump the toys on the floor. Work together to pick up all the toys.
  • Consider singing the Clean Up Song while you pick them up (see video below).
  • Optional: for children who have a solid grasp of colours, consider challenging them to pick up the toys by colour: “Can you pick up all the yellow ones?” “Now pick up the red ones.”

Let’s Explore

Toy Insert

Supplies:

  • 10-20 small items. Consider:
    • Plastic chain links
    • Q-tips
    • Standard playing cards
    • Washable markers (if your child cannot open them yet)
  • A container to hold the items. Consider:
    • A yogurt container (clean)
    • A cardboard box

Prep:

  • Cut a slot in lid of the container that is a bit bigger than the items you are using.
  • If your cardboard box has a handle hole, consider using that as your slot by setting the box on its side.

Time to Play:

  • Model for your child how to insert the items into the container.
  • Encourage them to try.
  • Optional: Extend the fun by setting the container at one end of a hallway while you stand at the other end with the items. Hand one item to your child at a time. Encourage them to run to the container to insert the item.

Let’s Sing

The Clean Up Song

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Jesus Loves Me

Let’s Read

Clean-Up Time

Author: Elizabeth Verdick
Illustrator: Marieka Heinlen

Buildings – 1.8 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 8

Buildings

Vocabulary: Tent, Blanket, Build, Knock Over

Tent, Blanket, Build, Knock Over

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

Let’s Wiggle

Blanket Tent

Supplies:

  • Large, but not heavy blankets
  • Soft blankets
  • Pillows
  • Furniture that can move but won’t tip, such as a side table, couch or chair.

Prep:

  • Create tent or fort using what you have available.
    • Consider pulling your couch a foot or two away from a chair and draping a blanket over both.
    • Consider pulling a side table to the middle of the room and draping a blanket over it.
    • If you have two couches, consider moving them back to back leaving a crawl space between.
  • Optional: use pillows or a small blanket to create a bed for stuffed animals inside the tent.
  • Test your tent to be sure nothing heavy will fall on your child.
  • Be sure to supervise your child to ensure the blanket does not smother them.

Time to Play:

  • Show your child the tent and encourage them to try going inside. 
  • If needed model by crawling inside yourself.

Let’s Explore

Tower Tumble

Supplies:

  • Blocks – try to use something other than what your child typically uses.
    • Alternatives to standard blocks could include:
      • Small cardboard boxes
      • Small unopened cans
      • Other clean containers

Time to Play:

  • Model how to build a tower with the blocks.
  • Encourage your child to help.
  • Talk about the colours and shapes on the blocks as you build.
  • Invite your child to knock over the tower.
  • Celebrate when they fall down.
  • Work together to build the tower again.
  • Consider counting how many blocks you’ve used.

Let’s Sing

London Bridge is Falling Down

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock

Let’s Read

Biscuit Visits the Big City

Author: Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Illustrator: Pat Schories

Note: This is not a board book, but the simply told story is excellent for 1 year olds.

Coat Flip Trick

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Getting a toddler or preschooler ready to go outside can be quite the hassle. This is even more the case when one or two teachers must prepare a whole class of children to go outside.

Here’s a simple trick your child can learn to enable them to independently put their coat on.

How young is too young? I learned this trick from a preschooler whose parents taught him to put on his coat this way. Then, when my daughter was one and a half years old and desiring independence, I tried teaching her. Within a few days she was happily putting on her coat all by herself (though I still had to do the zipper).

 

 

The Coat Flip Trick

 

  1. Place the unzipped coat on the floor or a low ottoman with the hood towards your child.
  2. Direct your child to put their arms into the sleeves of the coat.
  3. Help your child lift their arms straight in the air, flipping their coat over their head.
  4. Assist your child with doing up the coat zipper or buttons as needed.

 

There you have it. A simple little trick to make your day go so much smoother.

My House – 1.7 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 7

My House

Vocabulary: Kitchen, Bathroom, Run, Puzzle

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

Let’s Wiggle

Can You Find…

Prep:

  • If needed, clear your hallway so that it is safe for you and your child to run through.

Time to Play:

  • Tell your child you are going to play a game. Be excited.
  • Explain that you will tell them which room to find and then they need to run and find it.
  • Start with the easy rooms such as:
    • “Can you find the bathroom?”
    • “Run to the kitchen!”
  • As your child catches onto the game, choose rooms or furniture they have to think about to find.
    • “Can you find the white bookshelf? It’s somewhere upstairs.”
    • “Run to the big couch.”
  • Optional: For more advanced children, add to the fun by including movement instructions.
    • “Can you crawl to the bedroom?”
    • “Now take big steps to the living room.”

Let’s Explore

Home-Made Puzzle

Supplies:

  • A file folder, or a sheet of cardboard, cardstock or other stiff paper.
  • A marker or pen
  • Several familiar household items or small toys. Be sure they have unique shapes. Consider:
    • A tablespoon
    • A soup ladle
    • A clothes pin
    • A measuring cup
    • A role of masking tape
    • A block
    • A toy car
    • A toy animal
    • A teething toy
    • A rattle
    • A plastic chain link

Prep:

  • Lay the sheet of paper flat. Position several items/toys on top of it. Once satisfied with their positions, trace each item creating outlines.
  • Place the items/toys nearby.

Time to Play:

  • Show your child the sheet of paper with all the outlines on it.
  • Model how to match an item to its outline.
  • Encourage your child to try. Be excited when they match an item correctly.

Let’s Sing

Welcome to My House

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Zacchaeus

For lyrics and actions, click here.

Let’s Read

I Love My Home

By Sebastien Braun