Freeze Dance
Art & Creativity
Growing up, I remember enjoying watching cartoons and informative shows about animals on channel nine, which was the Public Broadcasting System more commonly known as PBS. As times have changed over the years and technology transformed, PBS has grown from television only to include online resources. One extension that has evolved from this transition is PBS for Parents. This portion of the website provides families with a wealth of knowledge on child development and learning activities for children ages two to eight. Clicking on the Learn and Grow tab directs the adult to many resources, allowing them to narrow down their searches by age and/or learning content, enabling the children’s activities to be individualized to their abilities and interests. While looking through the activities list for a four-year-old in the art section, I noticed they are interactive and support children’s learning and development by being as creative as they want as there is no wrong way to engage. I found the Freeze Dance activity under music and movement, which is a preschool favorite. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out the PBS for Parents Learn and Grow by clicking the button below.
Create a Story Box
Language & Literacy
Have you ever been in a situation of needing a story to read with your child, but you do not have a book on hand that sparks their interests? HOMER, an online and digital app, has over one thousand activities and games for children ages two to eight that promote developing reading, math, social-emotional, cognitive, and creative expression skills. These activities can be chosen by age and theme, customizing the child’s abilities and interests. They also support the preschooler’s learning development as they can be implemented independently or with others in the comfort of their own home. Moreover, the skills used in the activities grow with the child’s age, abilities, and interests. HOMER offers some free resources in the Activity Center. However, a paid membership is needed to access all tools after a free month's trial. One of my favorites that HOMER’s Activity Center offers from their older post section is Create a Story Box. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out the HOMER Activity Center by clicking the button below.
Personal Pizzas for Playing with Numbers
Mathematics
Do you find math challenging and wonder how to support your preschooler in building confident mathematical skills? It is easier than you think because math is part of our daily lives. At the Development and Research in Early Mathematics Education (DREME), a network of scholars from across the country collaborates to advance math teaching and learning for children from birth to eight years old through Family Math activities. These family activities are free, research-based early math materials that are playful and engaging. There are no special skills or materials required because DREME takes everyday household routines, such as cooking or chores, and transforms them into math learning opportunities. Each activity supports families by offering tips on talking with the child about math and games to engage with them. One of my favorite activities from DREME Family Math is the Personal Pizzas for Playing with Numbers. This cooking activity comes with a full page of instructions in English or Spanish and includes tips on engaging in math talk with the child. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out more DREME Family Math activities by clicking the button below.
Pepper and Soap Science Experiment
Science & Technology
Have you ever told your preschooler to wash their hands and as they look at them, they say they are clean? Living in a pandemic, young children need to learn about handwashing and how it prevents them from getting sick. This short YouTube video from Ryan’s World provides an example of a science activity that adults can do with children teaching them about germs and the importance of washing their hands. Using simple household materials of black pepper, liquid dish soap, water, and a bowl, visually demonstrate what it would look like if you could see the microscopic germs on your hands and how they react to soap. This activity provides a fun and interactive way to investigate using scientific methods. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out the Pepper and Soap Experiment by clicking the button below.
Breathing Choices Memory Game
Social-Emotional
Everyone has days where they have big, strong feelings and children are no different, especially in these challenging times of COVID-19. They do not always understand why they are stuck at home and cannot go to the parks, stores, or friends' houses, resulting in frustration and anger. Adults need to remember that all emotional behavior is a form of communication and young preschoolers sometimes do not know how to express their feelings in words or calm down successfully. With social-emotional learning (SEL) being foundational to other skills necessary for children to learn and develop, children need to know how to express those feelings positively and safely. Conscious Discipline, created by Becky Bailey, is an award-winning SEL program that is an evidence-based and researched-backed trauma-informed approach. It provides children with the skills and knowledge to identify and express their emotions and how to regulate those feelings. Conscious Discipline offers many free resources that can be used with preschoolers in developing their SEL skills. They even have some of the resources in Spanish. Each activity has a list of materials needed and an explanation of instructions that are printable along with the templates. As I looked through the resources, I found a preschool favorite, Memory Game: Breathing Choices. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out all the free resources from Conscious Discipline by clicking the button below.
Sesame Street Monster Meditation
Social-Emotional
Is your child sometimes frustrated, feels overwhelmed, or nervous about going to school? These emotions are normal, but how we deal with them makes the difference within our lives. To help children foster these social-emotional skills, Sesame Street and Headspace have teamed up to showcase mindfulness techniques assisting children in learning ways to manage their emotions through animated shorts called Monster Meditations. There are six YouTube videos in this collection and are approximately three minutes in length, focusing on combating stress and anxiety during everyday challenging times. Each video focuses on one feeling of frustration, impatience, overwhelmedness, nervousness, disappointment, or excitement. Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe helps each famous furry Muppet monster learn various breathing and sensory activities and other mindfulness techniques, which provides children with an example of the tools used to manage their emotions in everyday scenarios better. One of my favorite Sesame Street Monster Meditations is number three, Focus Rhyme with Grover and Headspace. To learn more about how this activity supports preschooler's authentic and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, click here. Check out the compilation of Sesame Street Monster Meditations by clicking the button below.