Preschool Themes - Music and Body Awareness

Two preschool themes that go hand in hand with preschoolers is music and body awareness.

You can use music to teach them music from around the world. They love these songs and the motions that go with them.

You can teach set movements to songs or simply allow them to feel the beat of the music and move in their own way. Use this as an opportunity to look at a globe of the world, show them where the song is from, and talk about the country and culture.

Music Day --Music of the World

Explore Music from other countries: London Bridge (England), Day-O (Jamacia), Did You Ever See a Lassie? (Scotland), I Am a Pretty Little Dutch Girl (Holland), Waltzing Matilda (Australia), Kum Ba Yah (Africa), Frere Jacques (France), the list can go on.

Following Instructions

Take any household object and place it under a chair or on a table. Ask your child to close his eyes and then ask him to find the object. Make him learn the concept of under, over, on, beside, etc. Explain verbally where the object is such as "under a chair" and see if they can follow your instructions.


Have fun with these ideas and please continue to send me more or to leave a comment.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool St Patricks Day Ideas - History and Leprechaun Hunt

If you're looking for preschool St. Patricks Day ideas, check out the ones below. These are ones I've used for years and everyone always has fun.

My kids always enjoy celebrating holidays. My own preference is to explain the history of the holiday and how we come to celebrate it the way we do.

Try these preschool St. Patrick's day ideas with your preschool class or preschoolers.


WEARING O' THE GREEN
Explain to your child that it is customary to wear something green on St. Patrick's Day. Let them choose a green article of clothing to put on for the holiday. Or tie a green ribbon or piece of yarn around their wrist. If you go out for a walk, encourage them to look for green items others are wearing in honor of St. Patrick.

LEPRECHAUN LEGEND
Tell the children that there are many stories about the magical little characters called leprechauns. Legends state that they are hard to spy and very hard to catch. But if you should catch a leprechaun, the theory is, he will have to show you where his pot of gold is buried. Ask your class to tell you some ways they might try to catch a leprechaun if they spot one.

MYSTERY LEPRECHAUN VISIT
In the morning, everyone arrives to find strange little green footprints on the floor! Then...the teacher's chair (or reading circle chair) is missing! But wait...a clue in here, a Leprechaun story book." The children love trying to find the Leprechaun and the chair so that they can have story time.


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Toddler Activity Ideas - Let's Pretend

Are you trying to come up with toddler activity ideas for the younger children in your class? Imagination is the key element with all of these and we all need to be encouraged to draw on this resource!

Try the ideas below and you'll find that all of your preschoolers will enjoy these and learn from them no matter what their age may be.


Let's Pretend

The teacher names the theme, gives an activity, and then teaches concepts or following directions about that activity.

Here are suggestions to start and you can add whatever you wish to your list:

Theme Pretend Activity Directions/Concepts

Children -> Getting Dressed-> Name Body Parts
Hiking-> Marching/walking-> Slow, fast, climb
Tricycles/bicycles-> Moving on a path/road-> Stop, go, slow, follow
Grocery Shopping-> Pretend to go shopping-> In, out, reach, up, down
Nature Walk-> Pretend to go on walk-> Name colors,trees, flowers,
Meal times-> Name the meal-> Name items we eat then
Clean House-> Pick the room-> clean, dirty, messy



I hope you get the idea here. This is such an easy activity to do with your children and there is no end to the ideas you can use. Just take a topic from every day life and then have them imagine and think about how they do these things. Use the terms they need to know and understand and you will find they may have some unique suggestions of their own to add to the class!

Fun for any age of preschooler from the youngest to the oldest.


Have fun with this and enjoy the new month!

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Easy Preschool Crafts - Bear Theme Art

I've had many requests for easy preschool crafts recently. Thanks to one of my subscribers who sent in this project that can be done by all ages.

Bear Theme Art

NEED: Bear shape pattern for 4 different bears
Tissue paper
Shredded wheat cereal
Black pompoms or furry fabric
Glue


Give each child the 4 bear designs.
Panda Bear--They can tear flat pieces of tissue paper and glue it onto a partial white bear for the panda.
Grizzly Bear--Take shredded wheat biscuits for the grizzly and glue on another bear shape.
American Black Bear-- Glue black shiny or furry fabric all over shape for the American black bear.
Polar Bear--Here we just used glue and added white glitter or Karo syrup and paint to make it shiny.

Then the children can glue all the bears on large paper or display on the wall or bulletin board.

Story time can be held in the Bear's Den where all the bears are displayed. There are so many stories to choose from for bear stories and I'm sure your children will have their favorites that they might want you to read as well.

Thanks to all of you who send in your ideas to me.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Presidents Day Preschool Activities

Next week, February 16th, the US celebrates a federal holiday called
President's Day. Here are a couple of ideas for presidents day preschool
activities for your lesson plans next week.

Use these to help enhance your teaching what the holiday is about and who is being celebrated. Two of the most famous presidents are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and many of your children may have heard of them already, especially since this was an election year a new president of the US.

American Flag Collage

Need: Old magazines, blank copies of the outline of the American Flag.
Photo of the American flag or an actual flag which you may have in your classroom already to use as an example.

Send students looking through magazines for pictures with lots of red, white, and blue in them. When you have collected enough, have students start pasting the colors onto the blank flag that they have on their desk.

They can overlap pictures, use bits of pictures, and do whatever else they need to in order to make the flag look as real as possible. When you are done,put up the flag for everyone to see.



Log Cabin

Need copies of blank sketch of the front of a log cabin.
Lots of sticks and twigs
glue


I make copies of a blank sketch of the front of a cabin.
We go out for a walk and find as many twigs and sticks as possible.

Use these to glue onto the picture to make it resemble a log cabin. Children love this idea for a craft and get quite creative with this activity.

You can discuss that many people in the early days of the US lived in log cabins, even our presidents like Abraham Lincoln. If they want to make windows you can give them plastic wrap to glue on those openings to look like a window.


I hope you enjoy these ideas and have a wonderful week! Send me any of your ideas and I will share them here for all to see.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your

preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Math Activities - Blocks and Towers

Hello there,

Many of you have written to me asking for preschool math activities. There are so many and some of the simplest ideas seem to be the childrens favorites.

Thanks to all of my readers who have been sending me their ideas for teaching math and counting. Here are just a couple I'd like to pass on to you everyone.


Blocks and Towers

Use some wooden cube shaped blocks small enough to fit in the palm of a child's hand. Ask them to build a tower as tall as they want it to be. When it falls, they have to count the blocks and tell you the number. Of course, remember to help out the younger ones or count together. Each time they start to build again they will try to use more blocks than the before. Three skills in on--counting, fine motor, and hand-eye cordination.


Toddler/Preschool Bingo

Make a set of cards with 8 large squares on it. The center square is a "free space". Put one number in each square. Not every card must have every number. Next make a deck of cards with individual numbers on each one.

Hold up one card and then ask them to find that number on their card. This is good for number recognition and listening skills.

Keep these wonderful ideas coming in and I'll share them for you here.

Until next time, have a great day!


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Valentine Day Ideas - Valentine Bouquet

I am always flooded with requests for ideas for preschool Valentine day ideas. Children love to make gifts for the special people in their world and I love finding ways that allow them to do so.

Simple is the key word here. Try the idea below for a fool-proof way to help them make something to give to that special person.

Save this idea as well for mother's day or father's day gifts. It works well for any occasion!


Valentine Bouquet
Need:

Muffin Tin liners, (great if you can find ones with Valentine designs)
Pipe Cleaners
Green construction Paper
Green tissue paper
Heart garland tie or ribbon


Have children pich and twist the bottom of the muffin liner and attach the pipe cleaner to the pinched end to create the flower.

Let them trace a leaf shape on the construction paper and cut it out and tape the leaves to the pipe cleaner. You can help the younger children do the cutting or have pre-cut leaves ready for them.

Next they can make the flower into a corsage, boutonniere or even use several to make a bouquet. If they choose to make a bouquet, wrap the pipe cleaner stems with the tissue paper and tie the garland or ribbon around it.


Have fun with this and enjoy the new month!

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html