Four Seasons – 4.1 – Add A Little

Ready, Set, Move

Spring’s Coming

Prep:

• Clear a large area for active play
• For your own reference, write down which commands you will use. Have a few extra at the bottom of the list in case your children need an added challenge. Options include:
  • Spring – be a growing flower: crouch low and move your arms upwards until you are standing tall. Spread your arms wide like a flower.
  • Summer – pretend to go swimming to cool off
  • Fall -pretend your hands are leaves: reach up high with your hands then have them float gently to the ground.
  • Winter – pretend to put on winter clothing – snow pants, boots, coat, toque, mittens.
  • Could add directions: run to North, East, South, or West. (These would be easier to remember if you put up letter posters for each side. Keep each direction on its true compass direction since your children may use these as a reference point in the future.
• For an added challenge, could use partner actions that involve two children or all the children.
• Optional: Consider making visual cues for each action. For example, hold a yellow object for summer, orange for autumn, white for winter, and green for spring.

Time to Play:

• Gather your children and explain that you are going to play “Spring’s Coming”. They will walk around the area until you call a command. When you call that command, they stop and do the action wherever they happen to be standing.
• Show them two or three actions to begin with.
• Play with those actions until your children get the hang of it, then you can add in more actions one or two at a time.
• Have fun and smile. Participate with your children by doing the actions too.

Explore, Learn, Create

Activity Title

Academic Focus: Name Writing

Supplies:

• White paper
• 1 blue paper per child
• Optional: yellow paper (to make a sun)
• Makers, etc. to decorate with
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick (or tape)

Prep:

• On the white paper, draw enough cloud shapes to have one cloud shape per letter of each child’s name.
• Decide whether you will cut out the cloud shapes or have your child cut them out. If you will cut them out, do that now.
• Consider making a sample picture with your name to show your children.

Time to Create:

• If you made one, show your child the example picture, if not, show them the supplies. Explain that they are going to write their name on the clouds.
• Give them one sheet of paper with clouds on it. Have your child write one letter of their name on each cloud. If needed, use a yellow marker to write their letters for them, then give them a dark coloured marker to trace over top. Be encouraging. It doesn’t have to be prefect. (Don’t worry about how your child grasps their marker yet. That will come later. Put more emphasis on how they draw the letters, i.e. starting at the top and the order of which part of a letter to draw first.)
• Have your child cut out the clouds, unless you already cut them out.
• Help your child glue the clouds on the blue paper in order.
• Optional: decorate the picture by adding a sun or drawing birds, etc.