Activity Idea: Animal Parade

Halloween offers a great opportunity for bringing dramatic play into the classroom. Afterall, Head Start QuickSource® teaches us that "children learn through play. By assuming different roles, children have the opportunity to work out solutions to problems, practice new skills, and interact with others."

Here's an activity called Animal Parade that helps children discover the wonderful world of animals with art and dramatic play. Children will create animal masks and march in an animal parade. The goals of this activity are to participate in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex, and to encourage the development of children's imagination and creativity.

Gather your materials: For this activity you will need: masks in the shape of animals or paper plates; glue; paint; animal pictures; collage materials.

Before you get started: Show the children photographs of real animals. If you don't have classroom photos, you can use photos out of a nonfiction children's book or a nature magazine. Talk about the characteristics of each animal. For example, pelicans have a very large beak, lions have a large mane of fur, elephants have a large trunk, etc. Ask the children to make the sound of each animal.

Let's get started!

1) Invite the children to make their own animal mask.

2) Give each child a mask (or paper plate) and plenty of arts and crafts materials, such as feathers, crinkle paper (to make a lion's mane), paint, etc.

3) Help the children use the materials to create their animal mask.

4) Once the children have finished making their masks and all the paint and glue have dried, have an animal parade. Lead your line of animals on a march through the classroom or outside.

Furthermore: Use the masks again at circle time. Invite the children to pretend to be animals grazing or wandering around their natural habitat. Let them get up and scatter around the room. When you call for them with their animal sound, they must return back to the circle.

If using POCET™, this activity correlates to Developmental Guideline: CA6: Plans and Works Independently through the Process of Art Activities. It also correlates to Developmental Guideline: CA8: Participates in Dramatic Play by Using Materials to Create Different Roles and Situations.

For more developmentally-appropriate activities, visit Teacher QuickSource® 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: Daily Schedule

Preschool QuickSource® tells us that "by nurturing children's self-concept, you can help them feel accepted and valued by the people who are most important to them. You can enhance this development by creating classroom activities that allow children to assert their independence, gain confidence in their abilities, and express pride in their accomplishments."

Here's a great activity idea called Daily Schedule that helps define a daily routine for children and allows them to feel centered. This activity may be especially helpful for children who have difficulty with transitions throughout the day. The goal of this activity is to have children display confidence and independence in a school setting.


Before you start: For this activity you will need pictures of daily activities (created by you, the teacher) or photos of the children in the classroom functioning at various activities. Poster board and hook & loop dots, a camera, a visual daily schedule, or pocket chart are optional helpful resources to have for this activity.


Let's Get Started!


1) Using pictures of each stage of the daily routine (for example: circle time, snack time, learning centers, outdoor play, etc.), create a visual daily schedule.



2) Place the pictures in the schedule order for the day on a poster or on the circle time wall. You may want to place hook & loop dots on the pictures and display area so that the pictures can be easily adjusted if the schedule changes.


3) Talk through the schedule with the children, reminding them they can refer to the daily schedule as a reminder of what activity is next.

4) You may want to remove each picture throughout the day as that activity is completed.


Helpful hint: Some teachers find it useful to begin the school year with generic pictures of daily activities. Soon after school begins, the teacher will replace the generic pictures with photos of the children in the classroom. Having photos of the children in the classroom provides the best reference for the group. Providing a visual daily schedule is also helpful with transitioning the children back into the classroom after a holiday break.



If using POCET™, this activity correlates to Developmental Guideline: SE3: Expresses Feelings and is Aware of How Actions Affect Self and Others. This activity also correlates to NAEYC Standard: 2.L.06: Children have varied opportunities to engage in discussions about fairness, friendship, responsibility, authority, and differences.




For more developmentally-appropriate activities, visit Teacher QuickSource® 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!