Activities Page One

Home Preschool Curriculum
Developed by: Community Collaboration for Four Year Olds
School District of La Crosse

Crayon Rubbings

Many of us have made leaf rubbings, but we can also make rubbings with lots of other things, both inside and outside. Some interesting things for rubbing include the bottom of shoes, chain link or wooden fences, brick, tree bark, and flooring of any kind. The crayons need to be peeled so your child can use the side of the crayon to make the rubbing. Sometimes it helps to tape the paper down so it doesn't move around while making the rubbing. This is a good use for old crayons.

Cutting

Always sit at a table with your child while cutting. Use children's scissors with rounded tips. It is easier to cut when the child's elbow is close to the body and the thumb toward the ceiling. Don't force this in the beginning if the child isn't comfortable with it. When children are first learning to cut, they enjoy just sniping paper for the joy of it. They can practice on construction paper, but greeting cards or junk mail can also be fun. To keep the snips of paper contained the child can cut over a shoebox. Keep snips of paper and let your child use them to make a collage. Most children are eager to cut with scissors. If your child is reluctant he/she probably isn't ready. When cutting magazine pictures it is helpful for an adult to trace the picture with a marker. Click here for information on using scissors.

Freezer Activity

Freeze water in a variety of containers such as margarine tubs, ice cube trays, and plastic cups. For fun you can put small objects in the containers so they become hidden in the ice. Next use the "Magic Melting Solution" (see recipe below) and an eye dropper to melt the ice. Compare which container of ice melts the fastest or slowest. Guess what is hidden inside the ice.

Magic Melting Solution: Combine one part salt and four parts of hot water in a bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Musical Activities

Four year olds love to march, skip, gallop, and stamp to music. They can enjoy keeping rhythm to the beat of the music. They can even imitate simple rhythmic patterns by repeating them back to you. These are good ways to develop a child's auditory and motor abilities. Try to find children's CDs and let children imitate songs with body and voice.

Homemade Instruments

Children love playing homemade instruments. Here are some you can make together:

Shakers - Shakers are lots of fun and easy to make. All you need is a container and something to put inside that will make noise when you shake it. Here are some ideas:

Containers -

Plastic syrup bottle

Dish soap bottle

Vitamin bottle

Margarine tub

Paper plates stapled together

Disposable foil pie plates

Noise Makers -

Dried beans or peas

Rice

Small bells

Other instruments include: shoeboxes with rubber bands stretched across, tissue paper held over a comb, and a coffee can or oatmeal container as a drum.

Nature Bracelet

Put masking tape on your wrist so the sticky part is on the outside. Go for a walk through your neighborhood picking up nature items and sticking them on the bracelet. By the time you get home you'll have a nature bracelet. It's fun to talk about the way items feel, smell, and sound. Let your child discover what is alike and different about some of the items you have found.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a good learning activity for children. You can find them in discount stores and garage sales. You can also make your own. The simplest homemade puzzle is to cut the front off a cereal box and then cut it up into smaller "puzzle" pieces. You can also use photographs or pictures from magazines and glue them on cardboard. Store each puzzle in a Ziplock bag or other container.

Puzzles are fun, but challenging for children. If your child is having difficulty putting a puzzle together there are a variety of ways to offer help. Encourage him to put together specific parts of the puzzle such as the person's face or the cereal bowl. If they have the right piece turned the wrong way encourage them to turn the piece a little. When they are frustrated by a piece not fitting suggest they try a different piece. Puzzles help children develop spatial relationships, eye/hand coordination, small motor control, problem solving skills, and delayed gratification.