Activity Idea: We're Going on a Trip

Language and literacy set the stage for success in all areas of a child's life. Preschool QuickSource® reminds us that "nothing supports a child's language skills like early experiences with speaking and listening. By engaging children in conversations; exposing them to new words; singing songs; discussing symbols and their meaning; and encouraging expression of thoughts, feelings, and opinions through words, you lay the foundation for a child's later reading success."

Here's a fun activity called We're Going on a Trip that promotes language and communication skills development. Children will practice expressing ideas and responding to questions in complete sentence with more complex vocabulary.

For this activity, you will need: language cards with pictures (some that match your destination and some that don't).

Let's get started!

1. Tell the children that today everyone is going on a pretend trip to the beach. (This activity can be adapted to any destination. Other trip examples might include: the zoo, park, library, camping, etc. Choose appropriate and inappropriate pictures for the specific trip.)

2. Spread an assortment of language cards facedown on the floor or table (the cards should contain pictures of items you would take to the beach, such as sunglasses, shoes, ball, etc., and items you would not take to the beach, such as a drill, chalkboard, desk, etc.)

3. Have the children take turns choosing a card. Once the children identify the card, have them determine if they would take the item to the beach. If using POCET™, this activity correlates to Developmental Guideline: LG 5 Expresses Ideas and Responds to Questions with Complete Sentences and More Complex Vocabulary.

Use storytime to supplement this activity or, if the weather is nice, take this activity outside. You can also plan this activity around a specific field trip that is planned. You can also have the children write a story using complete sentences about their imaginary trip explaining what they would bring and how they would use the items. How was this activity? Where did your class go on their trip?

For more developmentally-appropriate activities, visit Teacher QuickSsource® and browse through all age areas, including Preschool, Kindergarten, Infant, Toddler, and Head Start. Don't forget to explore activities promoting environmental awareness at Environmental QuickSource®, too!

Activity Idea: Recharge Your Batteries

While childhood health has always been a hot topic, recently the topic has gotten even more attention particularly with First Lady Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to combat childhood obesity. Teacher QuickSource® offers many ideas and activities that make it easy to incorporate physical health into your daily lessons and classroom.


So why is physical health so important early childhood education? Preschool QuickSource® reminds us that "young children learn best when they have healthy minds and bodies." Planning activities that involve fine and gross motor development and good nutrition can promote a child's physical health and development.

Here's a fun activity called Recharge Your Batteries to try that teaches children to recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods and how healthy foods make their bodies grow. For this activity, you will need: a small vehicle or flashlight that uses a battery, a food pyramid chart, plastic food representing healthy and unhealthy foods.


Let's get started!

1. Show the children the vehicle (or flashlight) that is used and how it works.

2. Remove the battery from the item. Show the children that now it does not work because it does not have any energy to make it work.

3. Explain that our bodies are very similar to the vehicle (or flashlight). If we don't put healthy food in our body, it will act like the battery has been removed and we will have no energy.

4. Using the food pyramid and the plastic food, show the children healthy and unhealthy foods and help them determine in which group each food would belong.

5. Encourage the children to make good choices to keep their batteries charged.


If using POCET™, this activity correlates to Developmental Guide: PH5 Demonstrates Independence in Hygiene and Nutrition (page 58).


Use storytime to supplement this activity and build your students' understanding of healthy foods. Encourage the children to think about and talk about foods they like to eat. Are they healthy or unhealth?

How was this activity? What other materials/items have you found that also work for this activity?


For more developmentally-appropriate activities, visit Teacher QuickSsource® and browse through all age areas, including Preschool, Kindergarten, Infant, Toddler, and Head Start. Don't forget to explore activities promoting environmental awareness at Environmental QuickSource®, too!

Activity Idea: Animal Habitats

Now that spring is officially here and the Easter Bunny is on his way, it's a perfect time for children to learn about animals, particularly the ones they may have seen depicted on spring cards and candies and are beginning to see in parks, yards and gardens.

Kindergarten QuickSource® tells us that "children are natural scientists and their curiosity leads them to seek answers to questions and make connections. By experimenting, making predictions, exploring, testing observations and investigating, children learn about the world around they live in."

Here's an activity called Animal Habitats that helps children explore their world and begin to understand the animals and their habitats.

This is a great sensory activity to do with a partner or as a small group. For this activity, you will need a sand table , sandbox, or sand activity tubs; regular dry/wet sand or moldable sand; sand tools including shovels and rakes; assorted animals, toy landscape items, such as trees, rocks, sticks, etc.

Prior to this activity, you can read a story to the children about animal habitats such as Look Once, Look Again!

Let's get started:

1. Allow the children to create a habitat for whatever animal is being discussed. (Perhaps rabbits, chicks/birds or other animals associated with Easter and spring holiday festivities.)

2. After talking about the animal's habitat, encourage the children to make a habitat in the sand that would be appropriate for the animal.

3. Provide toy landscape items and any materials appropriate for creating the habitat. (Some locations may be easier to build if the sand is wet or moldable.)

Expand the lesson by encouraging the children to create a story about their chosen animal and its habitat. Where does it live? Why does the animal prefer their habitat over others? Encouraging the child to think about another animal that lives in a very different habitat (for example if the child has chosen a rabbit, think about a fish that lives in a pond), can help the child explore the differences in animal habitats. Let the children share the story they have created with the class.

For more great developmentally-appropriate activities, visit Teacher QuickSource® and browse through all age areas, including Preschool, Kindergarten, Infant, Toddler, and Head Start. And with Earth Day around the bend, don't forget to explore activities promoting environmental awareness at Environmental QuickSource®.