Early Learning
Family Activity
Packet
Winter
1
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Eau Claire 4 Tomorrow for some of the ideas included within this
packet.
Table of Contents
Welcome………………………………………………………………………...
Purpose…………………………………………………………………………
Tips on Using the Guide……………………………………………………….
Wisconsin Early Learning Standards………………………………………...
Guiding Principles……………………………………………………………..
3
4
5
6
7
Standard I
Self Help Activities
8-10
Recipes
11-12
Movement
Sensory Activities
13-14
Large Muscle Activities
15-16
Relaxation Activities
16
Small Muscle Activities
17-19
Standard II
Social and Emotional Development
20-21
Standard III
Language Development and Communication
21-25
Standard IV
Approaches to Learning Create and Imagine
26-27
Standard V
Cognition and General Knowledge
=
Measurement
28-30
Science and Problem Solving
30-32
Social Studies (systems)
33-34
Adventures
Fun Family Activity Guide/Resources/Bibliography
Websites
Rhymes
34
35
35
35-36
2
Welcome to the Family Fun Activity Guide
Thank you so much for allowing us to have an active roll in your child’s early
development. We hope that the activities in this packet will help your child grow in their
knowledge of the world around them along with developing their bodies and minds.
Children are constantly learning and through the use of the activities included you will be
ensuring that their experiences are beneficial to their development.
This packet is to be used within the home with your 4-year old child. We have strived to
make these activities simple and easy to use with little to no extra materials. We have
followed the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards to ensure the development of
the whole child. We have broken the packet down into the 5 areas of development as
stated by the Early Learning Standards:
Health and Physical Development
Social and Emotional Development
Language and Communication Development
Approaches to Learning
Cognition and General Knowledge
These activities are a collection from elementary teachers, parenting websites, children’s
magazines, Eau Claire 4 Tomorrow, and parents. These packets are arranged to go along
with the seasons and this is the first in a series of four.
For more information or questions please feel free to contact the Monona Grove School
District Early Learning Coordinator Connie Haessly at (608) 839-8515 or
connie_haessly@mononagrove.org.
3
Purpose of the Family Fun Activity Guide
The purpose of this packet is to give parents and caregivers new
and fun ideas to help promote growth within the early years of
development. These activities have been designed to be easy to
use as well as adapt to each families individual needs. These years
in your child’s development are crucial to their later success in
school and life. By taking the time to use these activities in your
home you are ensuring the growth and development in all of the
key areas of your child. The activities were designed for use
within your home taking little time and minimal materials.
Enjoy!
4
Tips on using this Family Fun Activity Guide
When using the early learning activity packet be sure to follow the guidelines below to
ensure the most effective use of the activities in the packet.
Choose a variety of activities
This packet was created from the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, which
focuses on all areas of development in children. By choosing activities from each of the
developmental areas you are guaranteeing a well-rounded experience for your child.
Be an active participant
You are your child’s first teacher. By working with your child you are modeling how to
do activities, as well as teaching problem solving and communication skills. These
activities are also creating new opportunities for you and your child to bond.
Allow for more than one experience with the activities
Repetition is a wonderful teacher! Allow you and your child to do an activity more than
once. Some activities will require more time for “mastery” than others. Be sure to allow
multiple opportunities to share in an activity.
Let your child guide
Choose activities that your child shows interest in. Giving choice between different types
of activities allows for children to feel in control of their surroundings as well as
expressing their own personal feelings.
Be creative
These activities are merely ideas. You are the expert on your home and child. Feel free
to adapt any activity any way that you see fit.
Have Fun!
These activities allow for new opportunities for you and your child to experience learning
together. These activities should be fun and exciting for you and your family!
5
Wisconsin Model of Early Learning Standards
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards specify developmental expectations for
children upon kindergarten completion supported by practiced-based evidence and
scientific research. These standards recognize that children are individuals who,
though they typically develop in similar stages and sequences, have diverse patterns
for behavior and learning that emerge as a result of the interaction of several
factors. These factors include:
• Genetic predisposition including individual temperament,
inclinations, talents and physical characteristics.
• Socio-economic status including access to educational
opportunities, health, and nutrition.
• Values, beliefs, cultural and political practices of their families
and communities.
Because the brain development and social-emotional development are most active in
the early years of a child’s life, all of the child’s experiences are of critical
importance to the child and our society. As such, these standards support the
developmental patterns of children. The Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards
are divided into five areas of development.
They are:
• Health and Physical Development: This includes physical health and wellbeing and motor development.
•
Social and Emotional Development: This includes emotional development,
self-concept, and social competence.
•
Language Development and Communication: This includes listening and
understanding, speaking and communicating, and early literacy.
•
Approaches to Learning (Create and Imagine): This includes curiosity,
engagement and persistence, invention and imagination, and cognitive skills.
•
Cognition and General Knowledge: This includes mathematical and logical
thinking, scientific thinking and problem solving, and social systems
understanding.
The Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards reflect expectations for a typically
developing child; adapting and individualizing learning experiences accommodates
optimal development for all children. The standards can be found online at
www.collaboratingpartners.com.
6
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards
Guiding Principles
The Early Learning Standards Advisory Committee has established the following Guiding
Principles to inform the development and application of Early Learning Standards in
Wisconsin. These guiding principles reflect the knowledge base in scientific research, our
values, and our commitment to your children and families.
1. All children are capable and
2. A child’s early learning and
Competent. Development and learning
developmental is multidimensional.
begins at birth, for all children and in all
Developmental domains are highly
settings. The Early Learning Standards
interrelated. The Early Learning Standards
support practices that promote
reflect the interconnectedness of the
development and protect young children
domains of children’s development: social
from the harm that results from
and emotional development, approaches to
inappropriate expectations. In this, they
learning, language development and
are aligned with ethical principles of
communication, health and physical
early childhood profession.
development, and cognition and general
knowledge.
3. Expectations for children must be
guided by knowledge of child growth
and development. The Early Learning
Standards are based on research about the
processes and sequences of young
children’s learning and development, and
the conditions under which children
develop to their fullest potential.
4. Children are individuals who develop at
various rates. The Early Learning
Standards recognize that there are
individual rates of development and
learning across any age range.
5. Children are members of cultural
groups that share developmental
patterns. The Early Learning Standards
acknowledge that children’s development
and learning opportunities reflect the
cultural and linguistic diversity of
children, families and environments.
6. Children exhibit a range of skills and
competencies within any domain of
development. The Early Learning
Standards support the development of
optimal learning experiences that can be
adapted for individual developmental
patterns.
7. Children learn through play and the
active exploration of their environment.
The Early Learning Standards reflect the
belief that children should be provided with
opportunities to explore and apply new skills
through child and teacher initiated activities,
and through interactions with peers, adults
and materials. Teachers and families can
best guide learning by providing these
opportunities in natural, authentic contexts.
8. Parents are children’s primary and most
important caregivers and educators.
Families, communities and schools all have
significant roles to play in terms of what
opportunities are available to children, and
how well a child is able to take advantage of
those learning opportunities.
7
Helping Your 4 Year Old Child
Standard 1:
Health and Physical Development
Why: As a child grows his/her idea of healthy are directly linked to what
he/she learned as a young child. By modeling and teaching good health and
physical awareness at this age will in-turn encourage healthy living as an
adult!
Self Self-help Activities
Winter Dressing
Zippy
Materials: Snow pants, boots, coats,
hats, mittens
Do: Putting winter clothing on in
order is a great skill for children
learning to dress themselves can
have. By making a logical order of
dress, the students will be able to
avoid the frustration of putting their
snow pants on with their boots
already on!
1. Snow pants
2. Coat
3. Boots
4. Hat
5. Mittens
You may want to make a little sign
with pictures and hang it by the door
to help your child remember the
dressing order.
Materials: Coats, jackets, sweaters
Do: Teach your child how to zip.
Here is a fun rhyme that can help.
1. Meet your mate. (put the
zipper part into the base.)
2. At the starting gate (pull it
down so both pieces are even)
3. Hold them tight (hold both
pieces steady)
4. Pull up with all your might!
8
Pitcher Pouring
Cough or Sneeze
in Your Sleeve
Please!
Let’s Do
Laundry!
Materials: Water Pitcher and small
bowls and glasses, water
Do: Start by modeling how to pour
water from the pitcher into a glass.
Then allow your child to try first by
pouring water into bowls. Be sure
that when you start this activity the
pitcher of water is less than ½ full.
After your child has mastered the
bowl move onto a wide mouth glass
and so on. You can incorporate this
into meal time and pouring milk or
water for the whole family!
Materials: None
Do: Teacher your child that the
proper way to cough or sneeze is in
the crook of your arm, with your
sleeve covering your nose and mouth.
This keeps you from contaminating
your hands and then spreading germs
or virus. Teach younger children this
simple rhyme: “When you cough or
sneeze use your sleeve, please!”
Materials: Laundry, soap, and a
washing machine
Do: Doing laundry together provides
many opportunities to learn. Ask your
child to help you remember all the
clothes that need to be washed. See
how many things he can name.
Socks? T-shirts? Pajamas? Have him
help you gather all the dirty clothes.
Have your child help you make piles
of light and dark colors.
Show your child how to measure out
the soap, and have him pour the soap
into the machine. Let him put the
items into the machine, naming them.
Keep out one sock. When the washer
is filled with water, take out a sock.
Let your child hold the wet sock and
the one you kept out. Ask him which
one feels heavier and which one feels
lighter. After the wash is done, have
your child sort his own things into
piles that are the same (for example,
T-shirts, socks).
9
Recipes
Menu
Menu
Menu
Edible Snowflakes
Snow Ice Cream
Ingredients: Large mixing bowl of fresh snow
1-2 c. Milk (any type is fine, but whole milk is
best)
1-2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or other flavoring
1/2 - 1 c. Sugar
Take your large bowl of snow and stir the
snow around a bit to fluff it up. Now quickly
stir in just enough milk to make the right
consistency of ice cream. Start with about 1/2
cup and keep going until you have enough to
make the snow creamy. If you add too much
milk and it becomes runny, just add some more
snow. Then stir in a little vanilla and sugar, and
Viola, you've got yourself some homemade
snow ice cream! You can also add some other
flavoring such as chocolate or strawberry syrup
if desired.The snow ice cream can be put in the
freezer and saved for later, but it's best served
immediately.
Ingredients: Oil, Tortillas
Using the same technique as cutting out paper
snowflakes, make snowflake shapes out of
flour tortillas, you may need to warm the
tortilla in the microwave first to make it more
flexible. Put a touch of oil in a pan and fry
tortilla until it is crisp. Top with one or more
of these ideas:
•
•
•
•
Sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Spread butter on one side of the
tortilla.
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and
sugar.
Use bologna, turkey, ham, cheese, etc.
and make a snowflake sandwich.
10
Marshmallow Snowmen
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 bag large marshmallows
1 container chow mein noodles
1 package orange tic-tacs
1 package multi-colored tic-tacs
2 ounces melted chocolate
Assorted small candies of your choice
1. “Glue” two marshmallows together by
placing a small blob of melted chocolate on top
of one of the marshmallows, and placing
another marshmallow on top of the chocolate.
2. Repeat this procedure with a third
marshmallow, so that you end up with three
stacked marshmallows, stuck together with
chocolate. This is your snowman body.
3. Give the snowman arms by sticking two
chow mein noodles in the sides of the middle
marshmallow. Pretzels would also work for
this purpose.
Frozen Yogurt Pops
Ingredients: 1-8oz. container of your
favorite flavor of yogurt, small paper cups,
wooden popsicle sticks (available in craft
stores), plastic wrap
1. Pour yogurt into paper cups. Fill
them almost to the top.
2. Stretch a small piece of plastic
wrap across the top of each cup.
3. Using the popsicle stick, poke a
hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the
stick straight up in the center of the
cup.
4. Put the cups in the freezer until the
yogurt is frozen solid.
5. Remove the plastic wrap, peel
away the paper cup, and eat your
pop!
4.Make buttons by pushing tic-tacs into the
front of the middle marshmallow in a vertical
line.
5. Use an orange tic-tac to represent the carrot
nose: dab a small amount of chocolate in the
front of the top marshmallow, and push the tictac slightly into the chocolate to get it to stick.
6. Finish decorating the face and body with
whatever candy or decorations you have. Try
adding sprinkles, red hots, or M&Ms, or
drawing on your snowmen with icing or melted
chocolate. Hair can be created using shredded
wheat cereal, or you can make a hat using
wafer candies. Let your creativity run wild!
11
Bear Biscuits
Porridge
Ingredients: 10 oz. Tube of refrigerated
Ingredients: 2 tbsp oats, 1/2 apple-washed and
biscuits, raisins, maraschino cherries, honey
diced, 1/4 pint of semi skimmed milk , pinch of
1. Separate biscuits. Cut 3 biscuits into
ground nutmeg
1/8’s. Leave 6 whole.
2. For each bear biscuit, round 3 of the
1. Put the oats, diced apple and milk into
small dough pieces for the ears and
a saucepan. Cook on a medium heat
nose.
and then bring to the boil, stirring
3. Firmly press onto one of the whole
continuously.
biscuits.
2. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer
4. Press raisins for eyes and nose.
for about 5 minutes until the mixture is
5. Add ¼ maraschino cherry to each ear.
thick and soft.
6. Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 min. at
3. Sprinkle with some ground nutmeg
400 degrees.
and serve.
4. This recipe makes 2-4 servings and can
7. Dip in honey!
also be made using a microwave.
A great follow up would be to read The Three
Bears while you wait!
Rudolph Salad
Ingredients: 1-½ of a canned pear, 2 large
pretzels, 1 Maraschino cherry, 2 chocolate
chips
On a plate lay out the pear ½, place the
pretzels about the pear to form its antlers.
Press the chocolate chips into the pear for
the eyes, and finally add the cherry to the
tip for his nose. Enjoy!
Bearly Hot
Chocolate Snack Mix
Ingredients: 12 cups popped popcorn, 2
cups mini-marshmallows, 2 cups chocolate
Teddy Grahams, 1 envelope of hot
chocolate mix.
Mix popcorn, marshmallows, and Teddy
Grahams together. Sprinkle the hot
chocolate mix over top. Enjoy!
Including children in cooking activities is teaching
them nutrition, and different tastes. It is also helping
them realize temperature and how hot and cold
change things, as well as building basic math
concepts. When cooking with children you are also
helping them develop a sense of pride in the food
they are preparing for what they eat now is the food
they will grow to prepare for their children!
12
Movement
Why: Movement is an important part of a child’s development. They use their
large muscles to for running, jumping, and pedaling. Small muscles are used for
writing, cutting and coloring, putting puzzles together and building with blocks.
Children use movement to explore and learn about the world around them. By
building these skills now your child will be developing communication techniques
and self-confidence.
Sensory Activities
Why: Sensory activities encourage your child to use all of their senses to gather
information for their surroundings. By providing a sensory rich environment your
child is learning to be more aware of his/her body, as well as building self-regulating
skills. Sensory activities can also provide practice on problem solving and
movement plans.
Materials: Snow, large bowls or
containers
Snow Play
Snow Plow
Do: After a fresh snow fall, collect
snow in a large bowl. Let your child
play with the snow with their hands
and feet. Discuss how it feels and
how it changes as it is left inside.
Discuss the temperature of the snow
and what happens when it is gripped
tight.
Materials: None
Do: Have the child pretend to be a
pile of snow and lay on the floor.
You or another child can pretend to
be a snowplow and gently roll the
“snow” to the designated area such as
a corner. Have the “snow” try all
different laying positions such as in a
ball or laying flat. Discuss the
differences in plowing and being the
“snow.”
Materials: Different noisy objects
from around the house.
Do: Gather objects that make different
Name That
Sound
noises (a bell, a ticking clock, music
from a music box, a rattle, etc.) If your
child doesn’t mind being blindfolded,
you can blindfold him and have him
guess the sound. If blindfolding is scary,
just hide your objects behind a propped
up book or curtain.
13
Through the
Looking Glass
Textured Finger
Painting
Gingerbread
Boy
Materials: Non-breakable Mirrors
Do: Hang non-breakable mirrors at
your child’s level around the house.
As they play they will catch different
movements that they do in them. If
he brings his toys to the mirror, he
can watch himself hold things and
recognize his own motions as he
plays.
Materials: Finger Paints, textured
substances such as corn starch,
oatmeal, sand, rice . . . paper and
newspaper
Do: Before beginning cover the work
surface with newspaper. Then lay out
the painting paper and mix the finger
paints with a substance. Let your
child paint with the different finger
paints. Discuss the differences in
texture.
Materials: Rolling Pin or another
round canister
Do: Read the story Gingerbread Boy
to your child. Have him/her lay on
the floor and roll the rolling pin
gently over his/her body pretending
that they will become the gingerbread
boy.
14
Large Muscle Activities
Why: Large Muscle activities help your child learn balance and coordination. It also
allows your child to participate fully in all learning experiences.
Snow Storm
Walking on
Snowballs
Queen Bee
Catching
Snowflakes
Materials: A bed sheet, cotton balls,
stuffed animals or small balls
Do: Stretch out the bed sheet holding
onto the sides. Through the objects in
the middle and have you and your
child hold onto each corner. Move
the sheet up and down to make the
objects on the sheet bounce in and out
of the sheet. Practice moving it
slowly so it is snowing just a little
and then quickly when it is snowing
very hard. This is a great activity to
do with more that 2 people!
Materials: Empty Egg Cartons
Do: Turn cartons upside down onto
the carpet. Walk on top of them in
stocking feet.
Materials: Jump Rope
Do: A mix of jump rope, tag, and
follow the leader Queen bee follow
me See if you can catch me
(Anything the Queen bee does, the
worker bee must copy while trying to
catch up with and tag the Queen bee.
The Queen may leave and enter the
rope as s/he wishes. With more than
two people, you may have more than
one Queen and one worker, but the
worker always follows only one
Queen.)
Materials: cotton balls, Vaseline,
string (or handkerchief)
Do: Spread out cotton balls in a
designated area. Each player has their
hands tied behind their backs, or
hands in their pockets and Vaseline
on their nose. When the game begins,
the player walks to a cotton ball,
bends down and picks up the cotton
ball with their nose. Either the first
one back wins or set a time limit and
whoever gets the most cotton balls.
You can also play with teams
15
Make a
Snowman or
Woman
Broom Hockey
Go Ice Skating
Flash Light
Pounce
Holiday
Bowling
Materials: Snow, spare snow attire
(if desired)
Do: Push a snowball to make
snowperson. This pushing action is a
great way to strengthen children’s
growing muscles!
Materials: Brooms, a soft ball
Do: Designate a goal on one end of
the playing area. Have the child use a
broom to push or bat the ball towards
the target.
Materials: Skates or winter boots
Do: You can start by practicing
sliding in your own front yard or
sidewalk using your snow boots. If
you would like to try the “real-thing”
call your local parks and ice arenas to
see when their open skates are.
Materials: Flashlight
Do: Shine a flashlight on the floor,
and the children try to pounce on the
spot before it moves. After this gets
old, you can shine the light on the
walls and furniture in addition to the
floor. Another variation could be to
"get" their feet, tummies, etc. with the
light. This invariably gets lots of
giggles.
Materials: toilet paper tubes, soft ball,
paper, markers, tape
Do: Take ten toilet tissue tubes and
attach tag board ghosts and
pumpkins. Draw a triangle shape on
the floor and place the tubes in a 4-32-1 triangle. Have the child roll a soft
ball and bowl. Get the children
counting by setting up tubes, and by
counting the ones that are knocked
over.
Variation:
You can use cleaned out 2 liter soda
bottles with a small amount of water
in them (decorated). And you can
bowl with a small pumpkin, or even a
grapefruit.
16
Relaxation Activities
Why: Even children need to learn how to relax. In this busy world we live in we often
over look the importance of taking time for ourselves. By learning correct ways to relax
children will learn self-regulation, be less anxious and more in tune with his/her body.
Quiet Music
Falling
Snowflakes
Read a Book
Rocking Chair
Back Walking
Materials: Classical music
Do: The winter is a great time to sit
back and listen to some classical
music while the snow is falling.
Encourage your child to find a
comfortable spot in his or her room
and turn on some quiet classical
music. Have them either lay down or
get comfortable and just listen to the
sounds.
Materials: None
Do: Observe the snowflakes falling
from the sky. Then have your child
stand like a snowflake and slowly
(and safely) fall to the ground.
Materials: Child’s Story Book
Do: Let the child get very
comfortable either snuggled up to
you, or in a blanket. Read the book
in a quiet voice or whisper. For a
twist, have your child close their eyes
and make the pictures in their head.
Materials: Rocking Chair
Do: Hold your child in your lap and
rock slowly in a chair. You can do
this as you read a book, or just talk
about the day. Hearing your heart
beat and feeling your warmth as they
sit can be very calming.
Materials: None
Do: Have the child lay on their
stomach. Pretend your hands are feet
and gently by firmly “walk” on their
backs. Try using your fingertips to
“walk on tiptoes.” You can try other
types of movements to like:
galloping, running, jumping, or
skating.
17
Small Muscle Activities
Why: Small muscle control is one of the last developing skills. The more practice that
your child is exposed to the better control they will have in their hands. Small muscle
control is readily used in the school setting everyday and your child will need this control
to help him or her learn to write as well as to do art projects and handle small objects.
Play dough
Snowmen
Snowball Fight
Snow Sculptures
Snowball Letters
Materials: Play dough
Do: Have the child roll the play
dough into balls - using the palms of
the hands facing each other and with
fingers curled slightly towards the
palm. These can become the body.
For the face, have the child roll the
play dough into tiny balls (peas)
using only the fingertips. Use pegs
or toothpicks to make designs in play
dough.
Materials: Newspaper
Do: Have the child tear newspaper
into strips and then crumpling them
into balls. Another great strength
builder is to have the child scrunch
up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand.
You can use these newspaper balls to
have an indoor snowball fight!
Materials: Snow, water spritzer
bottles, food coloring
Do: After a day of building it is nice
to add some color to your creations.
By using a plant sprayer to spray
snow (mix food coloring with water
so that the snow can be painted). Or
for an indoor option melt
"monsters". (Draw monster pictures
with markers and the colors will run
when sprayed.)
Materials: Cardboard, glue, mini
marshmallows, white beans, or
cotton balls.
Do: Write the child’s name in letters
at least 3 inches tall on cardboard.
Then have the child cover the letters
using the mini marshmallow, bean or
cotton balls.
18
Paper
Snowflakes
Letter Fun
Stitches
Object Grab
Materials: Scissors, paper
Do: Show your child how to make a
snowflake. Practice folding the
paper to create a large triangle. Then
have the child cut out different
shapes from the paper. Then open
the paper to discover the snowflake
that you made!
Practice forming letters is very
important. Here are some fun ways
to incorporate this practice.
• Shaving cream spread on the
bathtub wall. Use fingertips
to write letters.
• Use pipe cleaners to form the
letters.
• Use yarn to form letters.
• Put paint, or hair gel into a
plastic bag (be sure the bag is
shut tight) then have your
child use their fingers to draw
letters.
• Trace letters in a cake pan
filled with snow or salt.
Materials: Styrofoam trays, yarn,
plastic needle, paper punch
Do: After reading the book The
Mitten by Jan Brett, trace an outline
of a mitten on a Styrofoam try.
Punch holes around the outside of
the tray or cut shape. Have your
child sew the yarn in and out of the
holes, working along the edge of the
mittens.
Materials: Tweezers or tongs, spoon,
small objects such as cotton balls,
crayons, buttons, or screws.
Do: Place small objects in a tray.
Have your child practice picking
them up using the tweezers or spoon.
Discuss which was easier, how did
you think to pick it up that way. To
add a twist you tell the child what
item to pick up by saying the first
sound of the item like “Grab the
thing that starts with a “S” sound.”
19
Standard II:
Social and Emotional Development
Why: Social and emotional development includes your child’s
feelings towards him or her self, as well as their feelings towards
others. This development effects how they will interact in their
future relationships. Through this standard your child is learning
to interpret social cues and norms as well as being able to identify
their feelings as well as those of others around them. Healthy
social and emotional development directly relates to your child’s
overall success in school and life.
Taking Turns
The Gift of
Giving
Materials: Ball, or stuffed animal,
and a laundry basket
Do: Put the laundry basket in the
middle of the floor and have your
child try to throw the ball, or stuffed
animal into the basket. Then you take
a turn. Continue to go back and forth
and take turns throwing the ball in the
basket. Another great way to build
turn taking is to play board games.
Make a game night with your child
where they are forced to take turns.
Do: With the holidays happening this
time of year. It is a great time to
teach your child the gift of giving.
Some ways to do that is to volunteer
with your family at a nursing home.
Give toys or food to the salvation
army. Make ornaments and give
them to your neighbors. Children are
very “giving” by nature, now is a
time to nurture that!
20
Share a
Snowman
Drawing
Being Thankful
Materials: Crayons and paper
Do: Before you start your drawing
discuss what kind of a snowman you
would like to draw. Then share the
drawing with your child. Practice
taking turns by drawing one piece of
the snowman at a time. Start with
drawing the body, then the face, and
finally the accessories. This give and
take of the drawing will help teach
turn taking as well as a sharing of
ideas.
Do: Being thankful is an abstract
term and many children may not
totally understand it’s meaning. It is
best to ask children things like –
• What do you like?
• What makes you most happy?
• What are you glad about
today?
When the child responds to your
question, then you can broaden
their vocabulary by taking their
answer and including it in a
sentence using the word
“thankful”. “Mary is thankful for
_____ and _____.” Continue to
model this language everyday. “I
am thankful that it is a nice sunny
day today!”
21
Materials: Paper, crayons or markers,
puppets
I want that!
Dentist Office
Emotions Chart
Do: 1. Have your child write or draw about
a thing or activity he wishes he had or
could do.
2. Have a conversation with your child about
what she wishes or wants and why.
3. Tell your child about something you wish
you could have or do, and why.
4. Use puppets to play different roles in the
following pretend situations:
• Your friend has one of the new action
figures (e.g., Pokemon, G.I. Joe) that you
have been wishing to have for weeks.
• You want to play with your friend, but he
has to go somewhere with his
family all day.
• A girl in your class who uses a wheelchair
has a computer with a game you
love to play.
• Your brother just got a great bat and
baseball for his birthday … just
like the one you want.
Materials: Dress up Clothes,
appointment book, magazines, plastic
gloves, mirrors, tooth brushes, and
flashlights.
Do: Take turns being the patient.
Label the different types of teeth.
Practice counting how many teeth
everyone has and make a brushing list
so that everyone remembers to brush
every morning and night!
Materials: Magazines, scissors, tag
board, glue, markers
Do: To help children begin to
identify emotions in themselves and
others, have them look through
magazines and books at peoples
expressions. On the tag board make
squares for the different emotions that
you find, glue the pictures of those
emotions in the squares. Then have
your child try remembering a time
they felt like that, or made that face.
Some ideas of emotions to find are
happy, sad, excited, mad,
embarrassed. You can then relate
back to the chart when your child is
having problems finding the words to
express how they are feeling.
22
Standard III:
Language Development and Communication
Why: Language has a huge impact on a child’s brain development within the
first years of life. Children are able to increase their knowledge of language and
words through participating in conversations with adults and other children.
Exposing children to new words on a daily basis will increase their vocabulary
and their understanding of the world around them. Children learn to
communicate in a variety of ways. In the early stages of communication the
child will use physical cues as a way to express their needs and wants. As the
child grows and begins to become conscious of their voice they will begin to use
some words. The more exposure to words they have the more fluent they will
become. This communication awareness eventually leads to communicating
through drawings and eventually written words. Speaking and listening are the
first steps to reading and writing!
Listening and Speaking
Children gain a lot of their knowledge about language by listening to adults and
peers talk. Your conversation helps to build their vocabulary, as well as their
understanding of the world around them.
Story Telling
Clean-Up
Sound-Off
Materials: None
Do: Tell as story to your child
without using a book. Be creative
and imaginative. Old classic stories
like Jack and the Bean Stalk and The
Three Pigs are stories that can be
easily adapted and changed. By not
having a book for the child to look at
they will be forced to see the pictures
in their minds and really think about
the story. After you have been the
storyteller, reverse rolls and let your
child’s imagination roam free.
Materials: Toys
Do: To add a new twist to clean up
time, ask your child to pick up things
only beginning with the same sound.
For example /b/ sound and you put
away the ball, baby, Barbie, blocks
and blue truck. Then choose another
letter to continue the cleaning up!
23
Pretty Package
Mom’s Mixed
Up
Mitten Fun
Materials: Various Toys
Do: Here is a fun song to help
practice both listening and rhyming.
Place various toys out in front of your
child. Then sing: Pretty Package ( to
the tune of “Where, Oh, Where Has
My Little Dog Gone.”)
I wonder what’s in the pretty
package.
I wonder what’s in it for me.
It starts with a /b/
And rhymes with hair.
What do you think it could be?
The child will choose the bear.
Replace the bold sounds and words to
continue the song. For example: It
starts with a /b/ and it rhymes with
tall. What do you think it could be?
Materials: Outdoor Clothing
Do: A new twist to getting dressed
for outside play will be to sing the
song Mom’s Mixed Up (to the tune of
Farmer in the Dell) while your child
is dressing.
It’s raining outside, it’s raining
outside.
My mom said, “Put on your –oots.”
So I put on my boots.
It’s snowing outside, it’s snowing
outside.
My mom said, “Put on your –ittens.”
So I put on my mittens.
It’s windy outside, it’s windy outside.
My mom said, “Put on your –acket.”
So I put on my jacket.
It’s sunny outside, it’s sunny outside.
My mom said, “Take off you –arf.”
So I took off my scarf.
Materials: Mittens of various size,
color and designs, pillowcase.
Do: Spread the pillowcase on the
floor or table. Describe each mitten
and dictate where it goes on the
pillowcase i.e. striped mitten goes in
the corner. The blue glove goes in
another corner; switch the brown
glove and blue mitten. Then switch
roles!
24
Early Literacy
Early literacy skills are essential to later reading success. These skills focus
around the understanding and awareness of different sounds. The more exposure
young children have to word play the more awareness of words and their sounds
they will develop.
Lots of Lists
Retelling A Story
Materials: Grocery flyers, toy
catalogs/flyers, wrappers or box
labels, scissors and glue
Do: Have your child make a list
using some suggestions listed below.
This list can be written, drawn, or cut
pictures from flyers and glued onto
the list. The child can add their own
words.
Favorite food
Things that are cold
Favorite Toy
Things that are red
Things you can hear.
Materials: Books about fall
Old Socks (optional)
Paper (optional)
Popsicle Sticks (optional)
Markers (optional)
Do: Go to the local library with your
child and find books that interest
them. Bring them home and read
them to your child. After reading the
story 2 times, practice retelling the
story to each other. A fun way to
retell stories is by making puppets.
You can decide what characters from
the story you would like to be and
make sock or stick puppets to help
you retell the story.
25
Stop and Go
Signs
Scarf Letters
Literacy
Labels
Materials: Old picture books, green
and red marker
Do: Remind the child that green
means go and red means stop. Use a
green marker to draw a green circle
on the front cover of the book and a
red marker to draw a circle on the
back cover of the book. Use a green
dot to mark the title and beginning of
each page and a red dot to mark the
end of each page.
Materials: Scarf
Do: Write a letter on a piece of paper
or chalkboard. Have your child make
that letter on the floor using a scarf.
This is also a lot of fun to do with
your bodies too!
Materials: Paper, tape, markers
Do: Children can pick up on print
around them that they see everyday.
By making your home a “print-rich
environment” you are helping to
promote early word recognition of
common house hold items. With
your child decide things around your
house to label. You write the word
on a strip of paper and have your
child illustrate the word i.e. Sink .
Hang these around your house and
add a couple each week. Things to
label could be:
Stove
Refrigerator
Television
(Child’s Name) Room
Computer
Table
Chair
Toys
Bicycle
26
Standard IV:
Approaches to Learning
Create and Imagine
Why: Creativity is one of the greatest things about childhood. Being able to
spy a shape in the clouds requires imagination. This creativity and imagination
is what creates great scientists and engineers. It is also how children gain
knowledge from the world around them. However creativity is not innate in
children, it has to be taught and fostered so that it can grow.
12 Popsicle
Sticks
Materials: 12 Popsicle sticks
Do: Set out the 12 Popsicle sticks
and ask your child to think of
different things you could do with
them. Make a list and find your
favorite one. Enjoy your
imagination. Here are some ideas:
1) Use them for puppet handles.
2) Use them for drumsticks.
3) Make four triangles.
4) Make three frames.
5) Glue together to make a raft.
6) Use to make play dough people.
7) Make Popscicles with
8) Glue around a soup can.
9) Use as markers in the garden.
10) Glue on wings to make dragonflies.
11) Color like snakes; glue on red yarn
tongues.
12) Glue on paper in the shape of a house.
Shape Pictures
Materials: Construction paper,
scissors, glue, crayons
Do: Cut out a variety of shapes
(squares, circles, rectangles,
rhombi) in a variety of sizes. Put
the construction paper flat in front
of you. Take turns putting the
shapes together to make a picture.
Once your child has made a picture,
guess what it could be, then switch
and you make a picture and have
your child guess what it could be.
Then you can decide on an object
to make, and glue the shapes to the
paper to make a permanent shape
picture.
27
Dress Up
Igloos
Tempo Talks
Rubbing
Materials: Old clothing from mom
and dad
Do: Put your old clothing into a
bin and have a fashion show. Have
your child dress up in an outfit and
even pick one out for you. These
clothes can also help to promote
creative play!
Materials: sugar cubes, glue
Do: Create an igloo by gluing
sugar cubes together.
Materials: Recorded music: jazz,
classical, tempos, waltzes, scarves
or streamers, drums, and shakers
Do: As music of different tempos
is played, rock or swing the child
slowly, medium or fast to
correspond to the music. Say
aloud, “faster,” “slower” as
appropriate. Other children can
swing or rock a rag doll to the jazz
tempos, tap drums to the marches,
and wave streamers or scarves to
the waltzes. Encourage the child to
match the instrument’s tempo
accurately with the tempo of the
music.
Materials: Lightweight paper,
crayons with paper removed fro the
sides, various textured items.
Do: Lay paper over the item. Rub
with the side of the crayon over the
top of the item. The image of the
item should appear on the paper.
Place another item under the paper
in a different location and repeat
rubbing steps. Here are some ideas
to use for rubbings:
String, grates, keyholes, wall paper/
paneling, tile, or wood floor
28
What If?
Snow Glue
Animal Dances
String Painting
Materials: Paper and pencil, fish
bowl (optional)
Do: Write “What If” questions on
strips of paper and put them into a
fish bowl. Call this the “Think
Tank.” Pull one out each day and
have your child think of new ways
to answer it. Here are some
possible questions:
What if you could ride on
snowflakes? Where would you go?
What if you were Jack Frost? What
would your frosty picture look like?
What if you could change the color
of the snow? What color would
you choose?
What if snow was gluey or never
melted?
Materials: Equal parts of glue and
shaving cream, cardboard
Do: Have the child paint with the
gluey snow on the cardboard. It
will dry foamy.
Materials: Radio
Do: Turn on the radio or a tape that
your child enjoys. Have them
begin to move to the music. Stop
the tape and call out an animal
name. Have them then change their
dance to what they think that
animal might dance like. Be
creative and join in on the fun.
Some possible animals: monkey,
snake, spider, elephant, or goose.
Materials: String, poster paint
thinned with water, paper
Do: Dip string into thinned out
poster paint and lay the sting in the
middle of the paper. Fold the paper
in half with the string inside.
Slowly pull and move the string
inside the paper. Open it up to
discover the different designs you
made! Repeat with new string and
color.
29
Standard V:
Cognition and General Knowledge
Why: Math surrounds young children. They are fascinated by their age, or who
got more snack than they did. By expanding on these interests you are building
basic number knowledge as well as problem solving skills.
Math
Winter Calendar
Materials: Calendar page (optional)
Paper
Stickers
Markers
Crayons
Do: If you do not have a readymade calendar to use, you can make
one of your own by drawing a grid
on paper. You can start by drawing
the grid in pencil and having your
child help you trace the lines using a
marker. After you have your grid
you can have your child write the
numbers that he or she knows in the
correct spaces and you can fill in the
rest. Then together with your child
decide what fun days are coming up
and denote them in a special way
either by using stickers or different
colors. For example you can mark
days that you are going to the
library, or taking a trip to
Grandma’s. Then every day count
with your child how many days until
that special event. And mark off the
days that have past before going to
bed. This repeated practice and
exposure to numbers and counting
would make “math” real to your
child.
30
Fishing
Sort and Classify
Snow Tallies
Foot Prints in the
Snow
Materials: Shallow bucket on a
towel on the floor. Add water, boats,
plastic fish, measuring cups, etc.
Do: Place a shallow bucket or bowl
on the floor and put water in it. Add
boats and plastic fish as well as
measuring cups and different sized
drinking cups. Let your child play
in the water. Discovering which
things sink and which float, as well
as filling up different sized water
glasses with others.
Materials: Household Items
Do: Collect similar house hold
items some ideas may be: pieces of
ribbon, mittens and gloves,
silverware, nails and screws, holiday
cards. . .Lay them out for your child
to see. Then model how to sort the
objects into like groups. For
example: Mittens and gloves:
separate into color piles. Then ask
your child if there is another way to
sort them, and they may say by ones
with fingers, ones without.
Challenge your child to find as
many different ways to sort the
object as possible.
Materials: Large paper
Markers or Crayons
Do: On a large sheet of paper write
down the days of the week. Explain
to your child that for every time it
snows on a Monday we will put a
tally mark next to the Monday word,
same for Tuesday and Wednesday
and so on. At the end of the winter
go back and count the tally marks
made and see which day it snowed
the most on!
Materials: Fresh Snow or Frost
Do: You walk in the snow and then
have your child count the footprints
they see. Change roles—next you
be the counter! An indoor option
would be to have your child count
how many steps it takes to get from
the bathroom to their room. Or
from the stove to the refrigerator.
31
Snack Time
Ribbon Lengths
Coat Hanger
Balance
Measuring
Materials: Dice, snack with many
parts, such as gold fish crackers
Do: Have your child roll the dice and
see how many crackers they can take.
Materials: Different lengths of ribbon
Do: Have your child compare the
different ribbon. Have them tell you
which is longer or shorter. Be sure that
they are measuring from the end. Also
you can have them put the different
ribbon in order from longest to shortest.
Materials: Coat hanger (wire
preferred), zipper bags, paperclips or
string, item to weigh
Do: Cut the middle section out of the
bottom part of the wire hanger. Cover
the 2 sharp ends with tape and bend
them slightly. Tape paper clips to each
corner. Punch a hole into the top of the
plastic bags. Thread the paper clip
through the holes and hang them at
each corner of the hanger. To use the
scale, place a small object in each bag.
Balance the coat hanger scale on your
finger or doorknob and ask your child
to tell which of the objects is heaviest
and lightest. Repeat with other objects.
Materials: Scarves, hands, arms or
some other measurement tool and
something to measure.
Do: You lay down on the ground and
have your child measure you from foot
to head with different measurement
tools. Compare if the measurements
were the same or different. For
example you may be 2 scarves long, but
15 hands long. Find different things to
measure with.
32
Science and Problem Solving
Pulley Trick
What Happens to
Snow?
Materials: 2 brooms or dowels, a length
of rope
Do: This will demonstrate that
machines (pulleys) make work easier.
Tie the rope to one of the brooms and
wrap it around both brooms. Have two
people hold one broom and 2 more hold
the other broom. Give the free end of
the rope to the 5th child. Have the
people holding the brooms try to keep
the brooms apart while the 5th child
pulls on the rope and bring the brooms
together. The 4 children will not be
able to keep the brooms apart because
the rope forms a pulley system that
makes it much easier for the 5th child to
bring the brooms together. One can do
mare work than 4.
Materials: Plastic zipper bag, fresh
snow
Do: Put a scoop of fresh snow into a
plastic bag. Have your child carry the
snow with them throughout the day.
Occasionally draw your child’s
attention to what is happening to the
snow. After it has melted put the baggy
back out side. Ask your child what
they think will happen to the snow. In
a day or 2 check on the bag again and
see if your predictions were right!
33
Materials: Materials: Large ice
Why Do they Salt
the Roads?
Animal Habitats
blocks (We made them by freezing
water in empty one gallon milk
containers). When the water is
completely frozen, tear off the
cardboard container.
Coarse salt, Food coloring,
Eye droppers
Do: Place ice blocks on trays
covered with several layers of
newspaper. Then have children
sprinkle coarse salt on top of the ice
blocks. Next children drip various
colors of food coloring on top of the
ice block. Tunnels of color are
created as the salt melts through the
ice block. Finally put the colorful
ice blocks outside. If it's cold
enough, they should stay frozen for
several days. Children can continue
to examine the melting process
during outdoor play.
Materials: Animal pictures from
magazines or printed off of the internet,
pictures of animal habitats, such as
water, desert, forests. . .
Do: Glue animal pictures on to recipe
cards. Lay out pictures of different
animal habitats. Have your child sort
the animals were they believe they
should go. Point out things about the
animal that would give you hints. For
example the duck has webbed feet they
are probably good for swimming.
34
Social Systems
Wants and Needs
Family Finger
Puppets
Draw Your
Surroundings
Keys to Culture
Materials: Paper, magazines,
scissors, tape or glue
Do: Teaching children the
difference between wants and needs
is an important lesson, especially
around the holiday season. A good
way to do this is to make a chart in
one column list the things they
want, and in the other list the things
they need. Have the children cut out
pictures from magazines of different
things that they want and need.
Some examples of wants would be a
new toy, or video game. A need
would be new clothes or food.
Materials: Old glove and markers
Do: Have the children decorate the
fingers of an old glove to resemble
the members of their family. The
use the finger puppets to reenact
stories, or events that take place in
your home, such as dinnertime, or
special occasions.
Materials: Paper, markers or paint
Do: To help develop spatial and
geographical awareness you and
your child draw or paint their
physical surroundings. This could
be their room, neighborhood, or
house. . .
Materials: Children’s and adult’s
recordings of music from different
cultures, and a world map
Do: Play the recordings from a
number of different cultures, for
example Hispanic, Vietnamese,
Korean, Greek or Irish. Talk about
the country of origin and locate it on
a map. Look at the recording covers
for pictures of children and adults
dancing. Discuss how they dance
and move to the music. Have the
child listen to and sing the songs.
35
Adventures
Fall is a great time to get out and explore the changing world around you. There are many holidays and
special events that happen during the fall. Below are some ideas of places to visit and adventures to take
during this time of the year!
Go Ice Skating or Snow Skiing
Go Sledding
Materials: Sleds, saucers, toboggans, even cookie sheets, shovels,
boxes, inner tubes, salt bags
Do: Count how many steps to the top of the hill and how many
seconds it takes you to get down. Try sledding in different ways,
do you go slower or faster?
Visit the Children’s Museum
100 State Street, Madison, WI 53703
608.256.6445
Visit your local Library.
Monona Public Library: 1000 Nichols Rd., Monona, WI 53716 |
608-222-6127
Cottage Grove Contact the Dane County Book Mobile (608) 2669297 201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI
Eat in a restaurant
Do: Go to a restaurant and notice the letters/words in the menu.
Are the foods sorted by categories? How?
Emphasize how all the people work together to get you your food.
Ask for a menu, flyer or order pads to take home for pretend play.
Visit the Capitol
Contact Capitol Tours
B20se State Capitol Bldg
Madison, WI 53702-0001
Phone: (608) 266-0382
Go to a hockey game!
Visit the State Historical Museum
30 North Carroll Street
Madison, WI 53703-2707
608-264-6555 www.shsw.wisc.edu
36
Family Fun Activity Guide Resources/Bibliography
Eau Claire 4 Tomorrow Family Fun Activity Guide
Quarter 2: Winter
Channels to Children: Early Childhood Activity Guide for Holidays and Seasons
Carol Beckman, Roberta Simmons, Nancy Thomas
Kindergarten Teacher’s Month by Month Activities Program
Elizabeth Crosby Stull, Carol Lewis Price
Phonemic Awareness Songs and Rhymes: Fall
Kimberly Jordano, Trisha Callella
The Early Childhood Teacher’s Every-Day-All-Year-Long Book of Units, Activities and Patterns
Imogene Forte
Websites
http://Familyfun.com
http://Themailbox.com
http://fun.familyeducation.com/outdoor-games/earlylearning/33375.html
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/winter.htm
http://www.learningplanet.com/parentideas.htm
http://www.kidsdomain.com
http://childfun.com
http://www.lth5.k12.il.us/enternet/enternet99/roe13/swright/WINTER
http://www.songsforteaching.com/preschoolkindergarten.htm
37
Rhymes
Mr. Snowman
FIVE LITTLE SNOWMEN
(sing to the tune of “This Old Man”)
Five little snowmen on a winter's day.
Mr. Snowman
Sings /p/ songs.
He sings /p/ songs all day long.
With a pick-pack-paddy-pack
Sing his silly song.
He wants you to sing along.
Mr. Snowman
Sings /ch/ songs.
He sings /ch/ songs all day long.
With a chick-chack-chaddy-chack
Sing his silly song.
He wants you to sing along.
Replace bolded phonemes to continue the
song.
The first one said, "Wake up, so we can
play!"
The second one said, "Let's stomp on the
ground."
The third one said, "Let's roll around."
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and
run."
The fifth one said, "I'm afraid I feel the
sun."
"Oh dear," cried the snowmen, As they
looked toward the sky.
And the five melting snowmen Waved a
fond good-bye.
A CHUBBY LITTLE SNOWMAN
A chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose
That hungry little bunny
Looking for his lunch
Ate that little snowman's nose
Nibble, nibble, crunch
Can You Find My Mitten?
(sing to the tune of “The Muffin Man”)
Oh, can you find my mitten,
My mitten, my mitten?
Oh, can you find my mitten?
It’s /r/ /e/ /d/.
Replace the bolded words and phonemes to
continue the song. For example Oh can
you find my jacket? It’s str-iped.
38
FROST
(Sing to the tune of “The Farmer in the
Dell”)
The frost is on the roof,
(Point hands over head)
The frost is on the ground.
(Point to the floor)
The frost is on the window,
(Make window with your hands)
The frost is all around!
Make large circles with hands)
WINTERS COMING
(sing to the tune of Frere Jacques)
HIBERNATION SONG
(sing to the tune of “Are You Sleeping”)
Bear is sleeping, bear is sleeping
In the cave, in the cave.
I wonder when he'll come out, I
wonder when he'll come out
In the spring, In the spring.
Birds are flying, birds are flying
In the sky, in the sky.
I wonder when they'll come back,
I wonder when they'll come back,
In the spring, in the spring.
The Opposite Song
By Jack Hartman
Winter's coming. Winter's coming.
It is dark. It is cold.
I am bundled snug and warm.
Animals sleep safe from harm.
Sleds and snow.
Cold winds blow.
The opposite of up is down
The opposite of high is low
The opposite of in is out
The opposite of fast is slow
The opposite of on is off
The opposite of day is night
The opposite of stop is go
The opposite of left is right
Chorus:
Learning, learning opposites today
Learning, learning opposites today
The opposite of up is _______
The opposite of high is _______...
39