A Manual for Teachers of Young Children and other ECCE ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000671/067137eo.pdf · PREFACE Digest XV, which is presented as a Manual for Teachers of Young

Digest N o . 1 5

A Manual for Teachers of Young Children

and other E C C E Personnel

by Edith H . Grotberg, P h . D . Professor of Psychology and Early Childhood Education,

Ahfad University College for W o m e n , O m d u r m a n , Sudan.

unesco-unicef co-operative programme

paris

PREFACE

Digest XV, which is presented as a Manual for Teachers of Young Children and other ECCE Personnel, is a contribution to the series of Digests on Early Childhood Care and Education by Professor Edith H. Grotberg. Reflected in it is her recent work in Sudan. The lesson plans in Section IV were actually field-tested there.

This Digest is expected to be a companion volume to Digest V - Preparing to Help the Young Child Learn and Grow: Training ECCE Personnel, by J. Ratnaike. Together, they will provide useful ideas for the training and orientation of teachers, para-professional teaching assistants, and other facilitators of learning among young children. This Digest, in particular, will be further helpful in the organization of parent education programmes.

In conveying the information contained in this Digest, it is important to caution the trainees and specially mothers, so as to avoid certain unnecessary anxieties. The levels of development, indicated for each age-group, are not uniform for all children: some develop faster and some slower and they are both normal. It should be equally emphasized that activities suggesting what one could do to promote various skills must be selected with care according to a child's age and ability. This caution applies in particular to those recommended for very young children (i.e. motor development activities for children below 15 months). The author has herself emphasized on page 111 the importance of safety precautions. She says:

(i)

There are a number of safety precautions which can be taken to prevent injury to children:

a. Do not have small items that the children will tend to put in their mouths.

b. Do not have anything sharp on the materials.

a. Clear the work or play area of glass, sharp stones, etc.

d. Watch the children to prevent possible injurious acts.

e. Bigger children should not hurt smaller children in the groups.

It remains for me to thank and pay tribute to Ananda W.P. Guruge who, as Chief of Unesco's Unit for Co-operation with UNICEF and WFP, discovered Edith H. Grotberg's work and arranged with her to have it published in this Digest. His colleagues in Unesco or UNICEF and, I think, all readers of this series, owe him a great deal.

Paris, December 1985 Dieter Berstecher Chief, Unit for Co-operation with UNICEF and WFP.

(U)

Contents

Page

INTRODUCTION 1

SECTION I

A LISTING OF SKILLS 4

1 to 6 months 4

7 to 10 months 8

11 to 15 months 12

16 to 23 months If

2 years 20

3 years 24

4 years 28

5 years 32

6 years 36

SECTION II

DEVELOPING SKILLS FROM ONE AGE LEVEL TO THE NEXT (AN EXAMPLE)

40

Motor 41

Language 43

Personal-Social 47

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual 51

General Activities 55

(ii.i)

SECTION III

ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE SKILLS 57

Motor O to 15 months 58

Motor 16 to 23 months 62

Motor 2 years old 64





Language 0 to 15 months 71

Language 16 to 23 months 73

Language 2 years old 74





Personal-Social O to 15 months 82

Personal-Social 16 to 23 months 85

Personal-Social 2 years old 87



(iv)



Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual: 0 to 15 months 94

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual 16 to 23 months 99

Cognitive, Fine-Motor, Perceptual: 2 years old 100

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual: 3 years old 101


Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual : 5 years old 104


SECTION IV

SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 107

Special Notes: Guides for classroom or Group Organization 108

Motor Area 110

Lesson Plans : Lesson 1 110

Lesson 2 H 2

Language Area: Letters 114

(V)

Lesson Plans: Lesson 1 115

Lesson 2 115

Lesson 3 116

Lesson 4 116

Lesson 5 117

Language Area: Stories 118

Lesspn Plans: Lesson 1 118

Lesson 2 119

Lesson 3 119

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual Area: Fine Motor 121


Lesson 2 122

Lesson 3 123

Lesson 4 123

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual Area: Shapes and Colours and Sizes 125


Lesson 2 126

Lesson 3 127

Lesson 4 128

(vi)

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual Area: Numbers 129


Lesson 2 130

Lesson 3 131

(vii)

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance to those who work with children or with parents of children from infancy to age 7 years. The guidance is toward the goal of enhancing the development of preschool children in four areas of development. These four areas embrace the total development of the whole child. The areas are:

1. Motor :

This includes the development and co-ordination of the large muscles of the body needed for waVking, running, throwing, catching, hopping, climbing, etc. Motor development also includes balance of the body, which is necessary for all gross motor activities.

2. Language :

This includes understanding sounds and words, using sounds and words to communicate in spoken and written language, and using communication skill for learning.

3. Personal-social :

This includes self-help activities such as feeding oneself, dressing, washing, toileting oneself, and being able to move about the community by oneself. It also means a child can find his/her own toys or materials and can put them away. The child becomes increasingly independent.

Social development includes, in addition, the ability to interact with other children and adults, play with other children, accept rules and adopt social customs of the family and community.

- 1 -

4. Cognitive, fine motor, perceptual :

Cognitive development includes thinking about what one sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes. These thoughts involve understanding the relationship of cause and effect; e.g. five makes water boil; the sequencing of events; e.g. we wash dishes before we dry them; the similarities and differences among things; e.g. beads can be made of the same kind of wood, they can be made in different sizes; categorizing objects; e.g. all objects we sit on that have three or more legs can be categorized as chairs; and getting answers through logic; e.g. if everyone is putting toys away in the room, it is morning, we have food sometime during the morning, and we must put our toys away before we eat, it must be time to eat.

Fine motor development includes the ability to use the hands and fingers to write, to draw, to pick up items, to make things. Fine motor development also includes the co-ordination of eyes and hands so that what the hands do are guided and monitored by the eyes.

Perceptual development includes the ability to recognize objects euch as balls, trees, houses, letters; to know where things are in relationship to each other; e.g. the boy is standing in front of the house, the tree is behind the house; to know directions of relationships; e.g. up-down, in-out, in front of-, behind, toward-away from, etc.; and to recognize the relationships of parts to wholes; e.g. legs, feet, arms, hands, head, and a dress are parts of the whole woman, many trees are part of a whole forest, children in classrooms are part of the whole school.

PROCEDURE

The manual is organized into four sections. Each section uses a different technique to present the critical

- 2 -

information about the development of children, some activities to promote that development, and lesson plans to establish goals, list materials needed, and describe activities to achieving the goals.

Section I presents A Listing of Skills a child should have for different age levels, beginning with 0 months and ending with 6 years. These skills are organized for the different age groups around the four areas of development. On each page stating the age appropriate skills, are several pictures and instructions of what you can do to promote those skills.

Section II is to provide An Example of How A Child Can Develop Skills from one age level to the next through a series of appropriate activities.

Section III organizes development according to the four areas of development for the entire age span of 0 months through to 6 years. The content of the section is A Series of Activities which can be done with children to promote the desired skill.

Section IV provides Lesson Plans that were field tested in a preschool programme at a village in the Sudan. The lesson plans provided are, in effect, units that can be used over an extended period of time, for different lengths of time and in combinations.

- 3 -

SECTION I

A LISTING OF SKILLS

Section I presents a listing of skills a child should have for different age levels, beginning with 1 month and ending with 6 years.

These skills are organized for the different age groups around the four areas of development; i.e., motor, language, personal-social, and cognitive, fine motor, perceptual.

On each page describing the age-appropriate skills are several pictures and instructions of what you can do to promote these skills.

1 to 6 months

Motor Development

1. raises head from the surface while in a prone position.

2. raises chest with arm support in prone position

3. holds head erect

4. sits with support, head steady

5. rolls to side.

• Place the child on his/her stomach.

Hold a brightly coloured cloth, tin or toy in front of the child and move it up so that he/she will lift the head up to look at it.

Hold it, then show it again.

Still with the child lying on his/ her stomach, clap your hands above the child's head to make him/her lift the head to look up.

- 4 -

1 to 6 months

Language Development

Most communication through signals including gestures, facial expressions, crying, sounds and body movements.

1. turns head and eyes in the direction of the source of sound

2. vocalizes, not crying

3. laughs or makes happy noises

During the time you are with the child, you should talk to him/her because this will encourage the child to make sounds which are the beginning of speech. There may be times when the child does not respond to you, but it is very important that you go on talking naturally to the child to encourage him/her to make sounds.

When the child starts making sounds — and he/she does this when only a few months old — show him/her that you are pleased. Since the child will like to see you happy, he/she will repeat the sound and try to make new ones.

awakes or quiets to sound of parents' voices

- 5 -

1 to 6 months

Personal-Social

1. regards face

2. smiles and coos responsively

3. laughs aloud

4. establishes emotional bond with family

Children like the feeling of movement. They feel relaxed and comforted if you move them to the rhythm of a 'lullaby' or 'rock' them to and fro.

When the child cries, hold him/her close to you or on your lap and give the child love and affection.

- 6 -

1 to 6 months

Cognitive, fine motor, perceptual

1. follows object with eyes to midline (turns head 90)

2. equal movements : arms and legs symmetrically

3. follow objects with eyes past mid-line (turns head more than 90)

4. hands together

5. holds and reaches

6. pulls at clothing

7. hands usually open at rest

From the time they are a few weeks old, children like to play with their fingers and toes. This is the age at which they are learning with their mouths. They like to chew their fingers and put their toes in their mouths.

Play with the child with your own fingers. Touch the child, play with his/her fingers, hide fingers, hide hands. Let the child play with your fingers.

Bulge out your face and purse your lips. Let the child feel your face.

- 7 -

7 to 10 months

Motor Development

1. bears weight on legs when supported

As the child's body gets stronger, he/she will be able to sit alone for longer periods. Then you can get the child to sit without the box for as long as he/she can.

2. pulls to sitting, no head lag

3. sits without support

4. stands, holding on

5. pulls self up at side of crib or playpen or other furniture

When the child can sit alone, you can stop using the box.

Next teach the child to pull himself/herself into standing holding onto walls, trees, etc.

You can do this to counting and to singing so that you make it a game.

7 to 10 months


1. turns head and shoulders toward familiar sounds even when not seeing what is happening. Sounds do not have to be loud to cause response

2. squeals

3. babbles, repeats sounds together, ma-ma or da-da

4. is afraid of angry noises

Get a stick and play at tapping different objects in front of the child, behind, near, far. The child will learn to know the differences in sound.

Q

Play with a pan and lid — make it loud and soft.

understands 'no-no ' and 'bye-bye'

imitates sounds or words made to them

- 9 -

7 to 10 months

Personal-Social

1. initially shy with strangers

2. holds own bottle to feed self

3. resists toy pull

4. works for toy out of reach

Babies get the nourishment that they need from mothers' milk.

As the child grows older he/she will be given food in addition to the mothers' milk.

You should see that at this time the child is fed with different kinds of vegetables and fruits. This will teach the child about taste and smell.

5. stretches out arms to be picked up

6. shows likes and dislikes

7. plays nursery games ('peek-a-boo '; 'bye-bye')

It is good to support the child in the sitting position when he/she is being fed.

Let the child smell different flowers and leaves. You will soon know which smells he/she likes and dislikes.

- lO

7 to 10 months

Cognitive, Fine Motor, Perceptual

1. reaches for objects

2. sitting, takes two cubes

3. passes cube from hand to hand

4. thumb-finger grasp of small objects

5. finger-feeds foods

6. picks up and holds two objects, one in each hand, at the same time.

Place small objects in the child's hands. Play giving and taking.

Encourage the child to grasp different fingers on your hands — bend one, move one, poke thumb.

Play at opening and closing your fists in front of the child.

Play at imitating hand gestures.

\<>J> Play with a piece of cloth, folding and rolling.

Play with pencils and sticks to teach the child to hold things. They can be changed from hand to hand, given back, put down and picked up.

You should take care to see that the things that you use as toys will not harm the child in any way.

11 to 15 months

Motor Development

1. cruises around playpen or crib or walks holding on to furniture.

2. walks alone or with hands held

3. pivots when standing

4. gets up to sitting position

5. stands alone

When children first start walking they like to push large objects to get around until they are steady on their feet. Give the child an old metal drum, barrel or box that he/she will enjoy moving around.

- 12 -

11 to 15 months


1. has at least one meaningful word other than mama, dada

Teach the child to walk holding on to boxes, low parapets, trees etc.

Talk to the child and teach him/ her new words at this time.

2. shakes head for 'no1

3. points to or looks at familiar objects or people on request

4. jabbers in response to a question

tends to cry when there is thunder

You can hold the child by the hand and walk with him/her.

6. may frown when scolded

7. can indicate wants by pointing and grunting

Take the child around the neighbourhood walking like this, and talk to him/her as you do so, teaching the child new words.

- 13 -

11 to 15 months

Personal-Social

1. co-operates in dressing

2. comes when called

3. waves bye-bye

4. indicates wants without crying

5. unbuttons large buttons which can be grasped

- 14 -

Hold toys and food a short distance away from him/her and call to the child to come and get it.

11 to 15 months


1. pincer grasp

2. throws toys

3. releases

4. places rings on a stick with help

Children like to have toys that can be rolled on the ground.

Give the child brightly coloured tins or rubber balls which he/ she can play with.

Let the child throw and roll these around. He/She will want them again.

Let the child crawl to pick them up.

tó4, ©

- 15 -

16 to 23 months

Motor Development

1. walks alone

2. stoops and recovers

3. walks backwards

4. crawls upstairs and downstairs

5. walks upstairs with help

6. throws a toy while standing without falling

You should encourage the child to walk by himself-herself.

Hold toys and food a short distance away from him/her and call the child to come and get it.

Some children may take a long time to learn to walk.

• Let the child play on uneven ground.

Help the child to climb slopes and steps.

- 16

16 to 23 months


1. imitates speech sounds of more complex words

2. has at least 6 meaningful words other than mama, dada

3. identifies parts of body, especially nose or eyes

Teach the child to get to know the world around him/her by showing and pointing to them and saying the words at the same time.

In this way teach the child to know different people, animals, birds, trees, and so on.

^r]ßn(

You can also get the child to know his/her body in this way. Point to different parts of the body, say the name of the part, and get the child to imitate you.

17

It is good not only to talk to the child naturally, but also to sing simple songs to him/her. The child will soon pick up the rhythm of your songs and will enjoy them.

At this stage the child will also understand very simple things that you ask him/her to do. The child will learn to point to familiar objects that you name and will start saying a few words.

Personal-Social

1. copies routine tasks (sweeping, dusting, etc.)

2. plays in the company of other children.

Make feeding time play time as well. Teach the child to eat by himself/herself by talking to the child and telling him/her stories while he/she eats.

18

16 to 23 months


1. builds a tower of 2-3 blocks

2. turns book pages (2 or 3 at a time)

3. fills spoon and feeds self

4. scribbles

5. taps table

6. claps hands

7. drinks from a mug or glass

8. puts rings on stick

Give the child bits of wood and small boxes of different shapes and sizes with which he/she can play at building.

- 19 -

2 years

Motor Development

1. runs without falling

2. walks up and down stairs holding rail

3. jumps lifting both feet off the ground

4. kicks a ball forward

5. throws a ball over head

6. jumps off from 6-12 inch elevation with help

7. uses slide

8. walks across a board placed on the floor

9. walks on level board 6-26 inch incline

Find a box which the child can climb onto and jump off of.

When the child can walk steadily, give him/her toys that can be pulled along. Fix some tins to a string, or wheels can be fixed to a box and the child can pull this. The child can pretend that he/she is pulling a train or a cart.

A

A%*¡'̂ a - 20 -

2 years


1. talks in short (2-3 word) sentences; repeats words

2. uses pronouns me_, you, mine

3. uses plurals or past tense

4. uses _I_ correctly most of the time

5. masters sounds - p,m,h, n,w,b,k,g,d,t,ng

6. asks names of things and simple questions

7. names at least one picture

8. follows a few simple directions without visual clues

9. enjoys being read to and shown simple pictures

10. uses a variety of everyday words heard in neighbourhood and at home.

11. shows some interest in radio or TV sounds.

12. enjoys hearing records or parent singing.

13. can say or sing short rhymes or songs.

Encourage the child to talk and say what he/she wants to. Teach him/her how to make new sentences by asking the child to repeat what you say.

In this way you could teach the child simple rhymes and songs which the child will like to repeat.

14. rapid increase in vocabulary.

- 21

2 years

Personal-Social

1. asks to be taken to the toilet

You can start teaching the child activities such as washing and dressing himself/ herself.

2. plays in the company of other children

3. gives first and last name if asked

4. gets a drink without help

5. uses spoon

6. helps with simple house tasks

7. removes garments

8. puts on clothing

9. unbuttons buttons of any size

Talk to the child while you are doing this using the words of the names of parts of the body and of garments - head, neck, back, front, inside, outside, up, down, etc.

The child will enjoy this and will then learn to wash and dress alone.

10. short interest span -moves from one thing to another.

- 22 -

2 YEARS


1. builds a tower of 4-6 blocks

2. turns book pages one at a time

3. removes own shoes, clothing

4. unbuttons large buttons

5. holds a pencil or crayon adult fashion

6. puts pegs in a board

7. works a multiple shape board

8. does a one-to-three piece puzzle

9. points to pictur

10. matches two colours

11. matches two to four pictured objects

12. gives and takes objects and pictures on cue

13. drinks from a cup

- 23 -

14. eats with a spoon.

15. cannot differentiate between word and object

16. cannot abstract classifications.

• Give the child coloured seeds, sea shells, and pebbles of different shapes and sizes. Let the child handle and play with these.

3 years

Motor Development

1. runs, gallops, hops

2. walks on an elevated board

3. walks across a balance beam

4. walks up and down steps

5. jumps in place

6. rides tricycle

* Swing on a tyre tied to a tree, like this.

- 24 -

3 years


1. understands and uses some simple verbs, pronouns, prepositions and adjectives, such as cfo, me, ín^ and big

2. can go to source of sound

At this stage the child will ask many questions such as what things are made of and why things happen.

You should spend some time with the child and let him/ her ask you what he/she wants to know. Be patient and answer the child's questions as well as you can.

uses complete sentences some of the time

masters sounds f» y

tells little stories about experiences

You can even make a game of 'questions and answers' with the child. Each of you asks a question in turn, to which the other should answer.

6. asks unrelated questions

7. follows two commands involving on_, under or behind without gestures provided

8. knows first name

^ V '

- 25 -

3 years Play 'hide and seek' with the child.

Personal-Social

1. shares toys

2. plays well with other children

3. takes turns

4. toilet trained

5. cleans teeth

6. known own sex

You or someone else can hide and call out from the place where you hide. Then the child should look for you. You should make it possible for the child to find you by calling out from time to time.

Then you should let the child hide and call out, and 'seek' him/her yourself.

0 Encourage children to play 'shop' 'house', 'school','health centre", and other make-believe games.

- 26 -

3 years


1. dries hands

From a large piece of cardboard, cut out different shapes — rounds, squares, diagonals, etc., and keep these aside.

dresses and undresses fully including front buttons

Give the child the cardboard which now has holes of different shapes, and give him/her also the pieces that you cut out.

3. builds tower of 9 blocks

4. copies a circle

5. can count up to 10 but understands only the meaning of two, three, and lots

6. cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality

7. understands time related to daily events, not a long time

Teach the child to fit the pieces into the correct holes in the cardboard.

Give the child a number of tins of different sizes and show him/her how to fit them in, one inside

the other. The child will probably like to play for a very long time with these tins.

Instead of tins you can also use pots, pans or boxes.

27 -

4 years

Motor Development

1. hops and skips

2. alternates feet going down stairs

3. balances on one foot for ten seconds.

Children can get a lot of enjoyment with a rope.

They can walk with their feet on either side of it, or crossing their feet from side to side, or placing the heel of one foot in front of the toes of the other foot.

They can walk on it or pull it between them.

They can climb it or tie and untie knots with it.

28

4 years


1. uses past tense properly

2. sings a song or recites a poem from memory

3. knows all the colours

4. masters sounds - r, 1, s

5. can give a connected account of some recent experience

6. can carry out a sequence of two simple directions

7. can carry on long involved conversations

8. can recognize letters and associate with familiar words

Green, red, yellow and blue are the first colours that a child recognizes.

With the child, collect green leaves, also red, yellow and blue flowers.

Use these to teach the child these different colours. You can also teach the child the names of the flowers.

Then teach the child to recognize these colours on his/her own clothes and the clothes that other people wear, etc.

The child will enjoy making drawings in the sand with a stick.

Some children may use their right hand for drawing, and others may use their left hand.

You should let the child you are training use whichever hand he/she likes to use.

29

4 years

Personal-Social

1. tells 'tall Tales' and 'shows off

2. plays co-operatively with a small group of children

3. engages in imaginery play and playmates

4. washes face and hands

5. dramatizes life in play

6. has longer attention span

7. likes nonsense and exaggerations

In playing with others, the children will learn to co-operate and to share their toys. Children also learn to await their turn to do things.

Children enjoy playing to music. Let them sing and dance, clapping their hands and moving to the rhythm of the music.

- 30 -

4 years


1. buttons clothes fully

2. catches a ball

3. copies a cross

4. understands meaning of numbers up to 10

5. understands time elements such as tomorrow, today

6. begins to recognize hours on the clock related to important events

The child will like to draw and scribble

You can let him/her do this with stick on the sand or with a pencil or piece of charcoal on paper.

- 31-

5 years

Motor Development

1. skips, alternating feet

2. jumps rope or over low obstacles

3. gallops

Climbs trees, makes 'houses' in trees and plays in them.

Swings from trees.

32

5 years


1. speech is intelligible although some sounds may still be mispronounced

2. can carry on a conversation if vocabulary is within experience; tells lengthy stories

3. uses some pronouns correctly

4. usually matches the patterns of grammar used by adults of family and neighbourhood

5. masters sounds -ch, sh, z, j , y

6. can follow three sequential directions

Take the child for walks in the countryside. The child should learn about nature - land, rivers, plants, animals and birds, and take an interest in these.

Show the child the differences in hills and valleys, rivers and lakes, trees, plants, bushes and so on.

7. can print first name

8. asks what a word means

-. 33- -

5 years

Personal-Social

1. likes to do things to help

2. plays competitive games and abides by rules

3. learns to separate fantasy from reality; truth from lying

4. buttons various size buttons

5. assumes responsibility for own feeding and hygiene

6. forms basic attitudes towards sex roles, class roles, etc.

7. can carry play from one day to another

8. asks questions about self, friends, parents and things happening

Arrange for the child to play with others singing and dancing together.

Encourage them to tell each other stories and to talk about each other.

- 34 -

5 years


1. ties own shoes

2. spreads with a knife

3. copies a square

4. begins to use reason in making choices, but needs help

5. questions for fact seeking rather than name finding

6. thinks everything exists to be labeled and understood; everything has a purpose

7. asks questions about physical world, about amounts, numbers, space and time

The child should collect various things from nature so that he/she handles them. The child can collect feathers, dried leaves, pressed flowers, pebbles, etc.

Teach the child to sort these out into groups according to differences in shape, size, colour, texture, temperature, etc.

O0 0

S99 "a ta Using a paper or some other material, cut out a shape of a man making the head, arms, hands, legs and feet separate from the body.

Teach the child to put them together by using his/her own body to learn from

- 35 -

6 years

Motor Development

1. broad jump 6-12 inches

2. rides bicycle

3. climbs up and down ladder, 3-8 rungs

Plays 'wheelbarrow'

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

performs : a. waist bends b. leg lifts c. curl ups d. modified

pull-ups

pushes, pulls objects

lifts, carries objects

rolls, throws ball

bounces, catches ball

bounces ball (dribbling)

catches thrown ball

hits ball with bat

jumps rope

swims

hr 1r

\

\

Jumps over a rope held by others or tied to a tree.

Swimming and playing in the water.

-. 36 -

6 years

Language Development Give the child books to look at.

1. improves grammar and style and increases vocabulary

2. makes opposite analysis

3. defines many words

4. reads

5. masters sounds -th (unvoiced); th (voiced); zh

6. begins to develop sight vocabulary

7. may read

8. likes to recognize words and to write

9. understands prepositions

Explain the pictures in the book to the child.

Teach the child letters and let him/her look for these in the books.

- 37 -

6 YEARS

Personal-Social

1. separates from family easily

2. dresses without help

3. has friends

4. involved with many people outside the home

5. knows body parts

6. independently performs self-help tasks: washing, eating,toileting, dressing.

7. engages in hobbies, games, rules

8. performs household tasks

9. asks questions about historical personages, distant places, the how of things.

• When you do your household tasks, let the child do them with you and imitate what you and other qrown-ups do.

Children enjoy playing in groups. In this game one child pretends to be asleep and is called the 'catcher'. The other children dance and run round the catcher in a circle. The catcher then wakes up and must touch one of the other children who run around in a marked area. The child who is touched becomes the next 'catcher.'

UJ^^-X'

The child will enjoy having a patch of garden for his/her own. Teach the child to plant seeds, watch them grow into plants and bear flowers. The child will also enjoy helping to look after the family vegetable plot.

- 38 -

6 years


Give the child 'puzzles to work out. These are some examples :

° Counting games.

1. paints at an easel

2. pastes

3. strings beads

4. uses crayons, pencils; scribbles colours within lines

5. copies geometric shapes

6. completes eight-six-teen piece puzzle

7. makes representative drawings

8. matches, recognizes, sorts, names colours

9. matches, recognizes, sorts, names shapes and pictures

10. can distinguish fantasy from reality

11. imitates motor and verbal behaviour

12. tends to reverse letters when writing

13. understands number concepts, sequence, equivalence, size + quantity relationships

14. can differentiate between word and object.

15. uses more logical thinking

° A picture cut into pieces which the child can put together again.

A 'maze' drawn on the ground which the child should follow to find the correct path.

The maze may also be drawn on a piece of paper. Then the child finds the correct path by following with a finger.

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SECTION II

DEVELOPING SKILLS FROM ONE AGE

LEVEL TO THE NEXT (AN EXAMPLE)

Section II is to provide an example of how a child can develop skills from one age level to the next through a series of appropriate activities.

The example uses the listing of skills from Section I for four year old children, and shows the next age level (5 years old) of skills to be acquired.

The skills are in each of the four developmental areas : motor, language, personal-social and cognitive, fine motor, perceptual. The skills of the five year old level become the GOALS for the child. Activities are provided to promote the development of the child from the four year old level to the five year old level. This information is provided for each developmental area.

************************************************ * * * * * This example should help you to think in * * terms of setting goals for higher levels of * * development and engaging in activities to * * promote that development. Section III * * provides many activities for the different * * age levels which you can use as you promote * * the development of a child with skills at * * one age level to skills at the next age * * l&vel. * * * ************************************************

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DEVELOPMENT LEVEL : 4 YEARS OLD

MOTOR Things this child can do:

a. hops and skips

b. alternates feet going down stairs

c. balances on one foot for 10 seconds

NEXT MOTOR DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL : 5 YEARS OLD

MOTOR Things this child will be able to do:

a. skips, alternating feet

b. jumps rope or over low obstacles

c. gallops

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ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF THE NEXT MOTOR DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL

a. Have this child stand with feet together, then:

(1) jump forward about six inches (2) jump back into place

(3) repeat until a consistent rhythm is apparent and maintained

(4) do the same thing on tip-toes

(5) use a jump rope and repeat the pattern with the full feet and on tip-toes

(6) use low obstacles and repeat the patterns.

b. (1) Hop around the room using both feet together. (2) Then hop around the room using one foot for

ten hops and then the other foot for ten hops.

c. Alternate one jump forward with one hop on the left foot, one jump forward with one hop on the right foot and so forth. Practice until a rhythm is apparent and maintained.

d. (1) Skip with one foot around the room and

then skip with the other foot. (2) When these are maintained then have the

child alternate the feet in skipping.

e. (1) Skip with one foot around the room. (2) Change the skip into a gallop.

Feel free to demonstrate the activities with the child or do them along with him or her. The goal, however, is for the child to do them alone.

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DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL : 4 YEARS OLD

LANGUAGE Things this child can do:

a. understands and uses some simple verbs, pronouns, prepositions and adjectives, such as go_, me, ¿n_ and big

b. can go to source of sound

c. uses complete sentences some of the time

d. masters sounds -f, y

e. tells little stories about experiences

f. asks unrelated questions

g. follows two commands involving on, under or behind without gestures provided

h. knows first name

NEXT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL : 5 YEARS OLD

a. speech is intelligible although some sounds may still be mispronounced

b. can carry on a conversation if vocabulary is within experience; tells lengthy stories

c. uses some pronouns correctly

d. usually matches the pattern of grammar used by adults of family and neighbourhood

e. masters sounds - ch, sh, z, j, y

f. can follow three sequential directions

g. can print first name

h. asks what a word means

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ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF THE NEXT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL

a. Listen to the child's speech and note mispronounced words and sounds. Correct the mispronunciations this way:

(1) Simply pronounce correctly so the child hears the correct pronunciation. Do it by overarticulating and slowing down your speech a little.

(2) Pronounce the word correctly and ask the child to imitate you. Repeat once or twice and then let it alone for a day or two.

(3) Have the child repeat the entire phrase or sentence in which a mispronunciation is corrected by you.

(4) When the child learns the correct pronunciation but goes back to the incorrect one, say: how did we say that word yesterday? Or what is the correct way to pronounce that word?

b. Set aside time to talk with the child or use every opportunity you have to extend conversations with the child. Let the vocabulary and subject of interest be determined by the child. Then do these things:

(1) Add a descriptive word to what the child says, e.g. Child: Look at that big dog; You: My, my, just look at that big brown dog!

(2) Provide more information about what interests the child with an expanded vocabulary, e.g.

Child: Let's go swimming. You: O.K. We can go swimming this afternoon about

2 o'clock. Will we want to take your pail and

shovel to dig in the sand? Child: Uh-huh. You: What else would you like to take? Let's think

about what you want to do at the beach and then we will know what else to take.

c. Pay attention to words having these sounds :

ch, sh, z, j, y. Help the child pronounce these

sounds correctly, e.g.

(1) choo, chop - as a train noise, cherry, chocolate, chimney, church.

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(2) shuh - as a signal to be quiet, shadow, shade, ash.

(3) zzz - as in sleeping, buzz, zebra, bus_y.

(4) jump, fud£e, Jerry.

(5) y_ou, y_es, yellow.

Give the child three directions in a row and guide him or her if there is an error or hesitation, e.g.

You: Joe, please get the scotch tape and the scissors and bring them to me.

Watch Joe do this. If he gets the tape alone and starts to bring it to you say : What was the other think I asked you to bring? Provide the answer if he cannot remember and have him complete the task.

Have the child's name printed and visible many places in the classroom. It can be on the door of the closet, by clothes hooks, at the lunch table - a kind of place card, on pictures the child draws, etc. Use capital letters at first and then alternate with capital letters and small letters, e.g. FRED, Fred.

(1) Print the child's name with letters about one inch high and have the child trace over your letters; make the letters smaller and have the child trace those.

(2) Print the child's name five times down the left side of a page and have her or him copy the names directly next to your printing.

(3) Print the child's name once on the page and have him or her copy it five or six times.

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(4) Encourage the child to print his or her name without a model. Correct it if there is an error, so there is no incorrect learning taking place.

f. Encourage the child to ask questions about words not understood. Be sure to answer the question. If you are not sure of the meaning of a word, consult a dictionary and have the child watch you or help you look up the word. This is a good introduction to the source of information on words we are not sure of.

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DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL : 4 YEARS OLD

PERSONAL-SOCIAL Things the child can do:

a. tells 'tall tales' and 'shows off

b. plays co-operatively with small groups of children

c. engages in imaginery plan and playmates

d. washes face and hands

e. dramatizes life in play

f. has longer attention span

g. likes nonsense and exaggerations

NEXT PERSONAL-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL : 5 YEARS OLD

a. likes to do things to help

b. plays competitive games and abides by rules

c. learns to separate fantasy from reality; truth from lying

d. buttons various size buttons

e. assumes responsibility for own feeding and hygiene

f. forms basic attitudes toward sex roles, class roles, etc.

g. can carry play from one day to another

h. asks questions about self, friends, parents and things happening.

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ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF THE NEXT PERSONAL-SOCIAL

DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL

Invite the child to help you in preparing meals, cleaning living quarters, caring for the yard, repairing toys, etc.

(1) Let the child do these things with you, not for you.

(2) Keep the helping task simple and give instructions clearly and simply.

(3) Praise the child for both the quality of the work and for helping.

Encourage the child to play games that have rules :

(1) Keep the rules simple and clear.

(2) Make sure the child understands the rules.

(3) Praise the child for playing by the rules.

(4) Help the child deal with losing.

(a) It is O.K. to lose; . (b) We don't win all the time; (c) We learn from losing to improve our game.

Have the child pretend to be things, making the noises and the movements :

(1) Animals - a dog, a cat, a tiger, a duck, a bird.

(2) Vehicles - a car, an airplane

(3) Growing things - flowers, wheat, trees.

(4) Talk to the child about what is pretending and what is real in their lives. Point out

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the fun and pleasure of fantasy, day dreaming as well as knowing what is really happening.

d. Let the child practice with larger buttons and stiff material. Gradually introduce smaller buttons and softer materials. Demonstrate how to button and then encourage the child to button his or her own clothes. Praise the child for the effort as well as the achievement.

e. Provide the help the child will need in eating, such as cutting food up, providing the most useful eating utensil, and the size of the plate. Reward the child for eating well, for using a napkin, for washing hands and face and for keeping track of toileting needs. Act as a monitor so accidents do not occur, but give as much room as possible for the child

(1) Show the child how to pierce food with a fork, scoop with a spoon, and cut with a knife.

(2) Show the child how to turn the soap with his or her wet hands, how to rub the soap around the hands, how to rinse, and how to dry hands.

(3) Show the child how to use toilet tissue or

other cleaning method.

f. Talk with the child as often as possible.

(1) Answer his or her questions about himself or herself, about friends, yourselves and what is happening.

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(2) Express your opinions and attitudes toward people and events.

(a) realize that prejudices can be formed at this time;

(b) use occasions to teach tolerance, fairness, consideration and politeness.

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DEVELOPMENT LEVEL : 4 YEARS OLD

COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL

Things that the child can do :

a. buttons clothes fully

b. catches a ball

c. copies a cross

d. understands meaning of numbers up to 10

e. understands time elements such as today, tomorrow

f. begins to recognize hours of the clock related important events.

NEXT COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCENTUAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL:

5 YEARS OLD

a. ties own shoes

b. spreads with knife

c. copies a square

d. begins to use reason in making choices, but needs help

e. questions for fact seeking rather than name finding

f. thinks everything exists to be labeled and understood; everything has a purpose

g. asks questions about physical world, about amounts, numbers, space and time.

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ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF THE NEXT COGNITIVE,

FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

a. Have the child hold a shoe in his or her lap while seated in a chair or place the shoe in front of him or her when seated on the floor. The toe of the shoe is away from the child.

(1) Sit next to the child and demonstrate how to tie the shoe. One loop is enough for awhile. Two loops to the bow can come later.

(2) Have a shoe for you and one for the child and repeat the procedure.

(3) Have the child do it alone.

b. Use soft food for spreading, like mayonnaise, jam, apple butter, soft butter.

(1) Have the child practice scooping up the spread and putting the entire spread on one spot of bread.

(2) Show the child the spreading movement explaining the importance of not pressing too hard and spreading evenly.

(3) After the child can spread on bread -toast is easier because it is firmer - then use crackers.

c. Have the child trace a square you make, then copy it and finally draw it from memory.

d. Talk to the child about the choices he or she is going to make. Here are examples of the procedure.

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Choosing clothes or shoes

(1) Discuss with the child what he or she is planning to do today.

(2) Discuss which clothes or which shoes are best suited for planned activities.

Choosing toys or work books, etc.

(1) Discuss what the child wants from the toys or books.

(2) Discuss level of difficulty and interest.

(a) Examine the toys or look through the books for levels of difficulty.

(b) Examine the toys or books for level of interest.

Choosing between activities or objects which have equal interest

(1) Additional bases for choice.

(a) Length of time to finish.

(b)1: Use of object over time - durability.

(2) Have the child verbalize the bases for choice.

e. Discuss functions and uses of objects.

(1) Explain items in the institute.

(a) Kitchen equipment.

(b) Cleaning materials and equipment.

(c) Yard equipment.

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(2) Explain items in stores.

(a) Cash registers.

(b) Organization of food.

(c) Perishables and staples.

(d) Meat cuts.

(e) Different kinds of stores.

f. Answer questions the child asks and stimulate more.

(1) Questions about time, numbers, distance.

(2) Questions for factual information.

(3) Questions about why certain things are as they are.

g. Indicate when you do not know the answers.

(1) Discuss how you might find answers.

(2) Make clear no one has the answers to some questions.

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GENERAL ACTIVITIES

Some general activities which require cognitive, fine motor and perceptual skills can be conducted at home or the institute. Here are suggestions of increasingly difficult activities requiring all the skills:

(1) Dipping

a. tacos in guacamala b. graham crackers in milk c. raw vegetables in sour cream

(2) Scrubbing with plastic mesh

a. carrots b. potatoes for baking

(3) Tear, break, snap

a. lettuce for salads

b. green beans

(4) Wrapping

a. corn or baking potatoes in foil b. left-overs in plastic tissue

(5) Pouring

a. pouring water into containers up to a certain

b. orange juice into glasses

(6) Mixing and shaking

a. jello b. milk shake

c. cake

(7) Spreading

a. butter on bread b. peanut butter on crackers

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(8) Rolling

a. cookies b. bread

(9) Juicing

a. oranges

b. lemons (later mix with sugar)

(10) Peeling with fingers

a. bananas

b. tangerines

(11) Cracking raw eggs

a. scrambled eggs

b. for cake mix

(12) Cutting with table knives

a. cheese, bologna

b. melon

(13) Beating with eggbeater

a. cocoa b. egg whites

(14) Peeling with a knife

a. apples

b. potatoes

(15) Grating

a. cheese b. cabbage

(16) Nut-cracking

a. walnuts

b. peanuts

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SECTION III

ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE SKILLS

Section III organizes development according to motor, language, personal-social, and cognitive, fine motor, perceptual areas for the entire age span of 0 months through to six years.

*********************************************** * *

* * * The content of the section is a series of * * activities which can be done with children * * to promote the skill. It becomes * * increasingly clear as the activities are * * engaged in that there is a progression of * * development over time, or, more accurately,*. * as the child becomes older. The * * activities are for direct involvement with * * the children, and the purpose of the * * separate activities in each area of * * development are clearly stated. * * * *********************************************** To know where to start, determine the age of the

child and go to the activities for that age. If the child can already do these things or learns them very quickly, go to the next older age level. If the child cannot do the things and has difficulty learning them, go to the next younger age level.

*********************************************** * * * * * Sometimes children can do things at age * * level in motor activities, e.g. but not in * * cognitive, fine motor, perceptual develop- * * ment. Or they can do things at age level * * in language but not in personal-social * * development. A child can be at different * * levels of development in the different * * areas. Use the activities in each area, * * then, which are appropriate for what the * * child is able to learn. * * * ***********************************************

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MOTOR O to 15 MONTHS

Place baby on her back. Have her grasp your index fingers, then slowly pull her upward until her neck and upper back are slightly arched. Then lower her slowly.

Place baby on his stomach and stand at his feet. Put your hands under his thighs and lift them slowly until the baby lifts his head and arches his lower back slightly. Then lower them slowly.

Place baby on her stomach and bend so that your face is at the baby's head, looking at the baby. Talk and make noises to get her attention and encourage her to lift her head and look at you. Move up so that the baby must raise her arms and shoulders more in order to see you.

Place baby on his stomach and kneel at his feet, looking toward his head. Place a colourful toy on a higher level in front of him. Hold both legs firmly against the floor, encouraging him to arch his back and look around.

Place baby on her stomach and kneel at her feet. Take her hands, draw her arms out to the sides and lift the upper portion of her body off the floor but not past the waist.

*********************************************** * * * * * These activities help the large body muscles^ * to develop. * * * ***********************************************

Put the baby on her stomach. Slightly lift her shoulders and put one arm under her chest. The rest of the body will automatically follow to turn her over. Then repeat in the other direction.

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Put the baby on his back and face him. Have him grasp one of your fingers and pull him gently over to his opposite side. The rest of the body will follow. Give him time to roll back or repeat the roll by himself.

With baby on her back, grasp one ankle and foot and cross them over her other leg until her foot touches the floor. The hips and trunk will follow. Then cross the other foot and do this in rhythm.

********************************************-* * * * * These activities help the baby develop * * large muscles and body control. * * * ********************************************

Lay the baby on her back. Kneel at her feet and hold both her hands in one of yours. Place your free hand behind the head for support. Slowly pull her arms and bring her to a sitting position. Then, remove your hand from behind her head to see if she can hold her head up by herself.

Sit on the floor and bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor. Put the baby in your lap facing you. Hold him under the arms and rock back and forth. Then have the baby hold your fingers and rock with you.

Put the baby on his back and kneel facing him. Have him grasp your thumbs and pull him slowly to a sitting position. He should bring his head forward and bring his legs toward his stomach. Then lay him down.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities help strengthen the * * baby's body muscles and let him see * * what he can do with his body. * * * ********************************************

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Hold the baby under her arms and pretend she is walking Talk to her and say, 'Here we go. Look at you walking;' Encourage the natural tendency to go through the step motions, but hold tight. She cannot hold her weight.

Hold the baby to a standing position on your lap and bounce him up and down, using his legs for the limits of the movement.

Sit on the floor with your knees up. Place the baby in a sitting position on your knees and then raise him to a standing position. Do this in a rhythm.

Using a cushion or hassock, have the baby climb over it, pulling himself up and over. Help him as he needs it.

Hold the baby under her arms and when she is holding some of her weight, release one of your hands for a second; then the other hand for another second. Always have one hand holding the baby.

******************************************** * * * * * * * These activities help the baby control * * and use her large muscles. * * * * * ********************************************

Hold the baby under his arms and put him in a sitting position on your lap. Take one of your hands away and if he keeps in position, take your other hand away. Then alternately hold with both hands and no hands. Do this in a rhythm. Increase the time between holdings. Place the baby in a sitting position on the floor and encourage him to crawl over to a toy you have. Hand him the toy so that he must sit up again to hold it. Put him back in the sitting position if he cannot do it alone.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby to con- * * trol his body movements. * * * ********************************************

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Sit on a chair and have the baby on the floor in front of you. Place a toy in your lap and tell the baby to come and get the toy. Describe how pretty it is or the noise it can make. Encourage the baby to stand up and hold onto your knees or legs and lean on your lap. If she cannot do this alone, help her get up to a standing position. Then place the toy or another object on the chair when you are not sitting there. Encourage the baby to stand up and lean on the chair to get the toy.

Have hassocks, small tables, and other chairs around for the baby to pull herself up. Praise her when she does this. The crib is also a place to practice pulling up to a standing position.

******************************************** * * * * * * * These activities get the baby ready for * * walking. * * * ********************************************

Get down on the floor with the baby and both roll over to the right and then to the left. Roll once one way and then the other. Then roll over two times one way and the other. Then roll over once and get in a crawling position. Let the baby see you do this and encourage her to imitate you. Do it the other direction. Then roll over once and get in a sitting position. Again, let the baby see you do this and imitate you. Then roll over twice and repeat the steps from crawl position to sitting up.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities develop the large * * muscles of the baby and help him learn * * to keep his balance. * * * ********************************************

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MOTOR 16 to 23 MONTHS

Stand facing the baby and bend down, taking her hands. Steady her and pull her up slowly until she is standing still. Then, walk backwards and encourage her to walk forward. You can vary this by standing behind her and reaching over to take her hands and walking together in little steps.

Place the baby with her hands holding onto a chair while she stands. You stand about three feet away and tell her to come to you. Bend over or kneel to receive her.

Place the baby standing with her hands on a chair and hold a toy or cracker in your hand and urge him to come over for it or, if necessary, set up chairs so he can use them to hold onto as he comes to you.

******************************************* * * * * * These activities help the baby control * * his body and balance for walking. * * * *******************************************

Have a toy in your lap and let the baby take it. You can let him lean on your lap at first and then gradually move your legs away so he is standing alone. Keep the attention on the toy and see if he can stand alone for an increasing number of seconds. Catch him if he looses his balance and try again later. Build up the number of seconds he can stand alone.

******************************************* * * * * * These activities help the baby control * * body movements and balance. * * * *******************************************

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Hold the baby's hands as you face her. Play the game of both stooping and then both straightening up. Do this in a rythm and say, 'up and down, up and down.' Then do the same thing without holding the baby's hands or just holding one, if that is necessary.

Place some objects on the floor and both you and the baby stoop down to pick them up, without using hands for support. Let the baby see how you do it. If he touches the floor for support, offer a toy so he will grasp it with both hands and no longer touch the floor.

Stand in front of the baby and say, 'we are going to bend way down and then stretch way up.' Show him how you bend over from the waist and straighten up. Then have him do it with you in a rhythm, 'down-up, down-up.'

Place some objects on the floor and both of you bend down to pick them up. You can do this also when cleaning up toys and putting them in a box.

******************************************** * * * * * * * These activities help build body con- * * trol and flexibility of motion. * * * ********************************************

Increase the distance that the baby walks alone. Start with a few steps and aim for a walk across the room. Play the game together of walking across the room and tagging a chair or the wall, turning around and walking back. A variation is to have each parent at the opposite end of the room and call the baby back and forth.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities improve walking skills.* * * ********************************************

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MOTOR 2 YEARS OLD

Get on the floor with the child and both use a crawling position. Crawl toward a toy or a chair or the wall. Then both crawl backwards to the starting position. Turn around using a crawl and crawl in the opposite direction. This can be a game to get something or a race to see who gets to the goal first.

Stand up with the child and take small steps forward at first, then bigger steps forward, turning and coming back. See how small the steps can be and then see how large the steps can be. The child can push a doll buggy or a cart as a variation. Then take small steps backwards and increase the size of the steps. Have the child pull a tower or a toy on wheels along the floor as a variation.

******************************************* * * * * * These activities increase body co- * * ordination and strength. * * * *******************************************

Place the child on some stairs and urge her to crawl up the stairs and crawl down again. Walk behind her so she does not slide or slip. Gradually increase the speed of her crawling by saying, 'I am going to get you. Here I come.' Or, 'I will get down the stairs first,' as you walk down backwards and the child is crawling down backwards.

Take the child by the hand and walk upstairs next to him. You may have to give support and help him balance. Then encourage him to put his hand on the wall or railing as he walks up the stairs.

If there are no stairs, then play a game with the child where you both walk on your tip-toes, reaching your arms high over your heads. Walk forward and backward. Then walk on tip-toes with arms out to the side and then down.

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***************************************** * * * * * These activities help with body co- * * ordination, balance and strength. * * * ***************************************** When the child is lying down, hold his feet, one in

each hand and encourage him to try to get away. Let him win. Then hold your hands near his feet and tell him to try to touch or kick your hands. Use both your hands with both his feet. Then use one hand with one foot at a t ime.

Have the.child stand next to you with a large ball in front of you. Take turns kicking the ball without touching it with hands. Then use smaller balls and finally a ball the size of a tennis ball.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities develop balance, * * body control and strength. * * * *****************************************

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MOTOR 3 YEARS OLD

Stand facing the child about five feet away from him. Roll a big ball to him and have him roll it back. When he can do this, then bounce the ball to him with a low bounce. He may have to run to get it, but urge him to do that and then bounce it back to you. After he can do that with some degree of accuracy, throw the ball to him for him to catch. Show him how to catch if he does not know how to hold his arms or hands. Then use a smaller ball or a beanbag.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * develop control of various body move- * * merits. * * * ******************************************

Face the child and hold both hands. Tell him to do what you do. Holding hands, both stoop down, then stand up and raise his arms over his head. Go up and down in a rhythm. Then, still holding hands, jump in place with both feet. When he can do that, remove your hands and do the same thing.

Put some toys on the floor and demonstrate how to jump over them using both feet at the same time in a broad jump or using a leap with one foot in front of the other. You can vary this by running and leaping around the room or in the yard, and putting toys, chairs and other objects in the path. These can be avoided or jumped over or crawled under.

****************************************** * * * * J These activities help the child move * * his body in a co-ordinated way and * * make judgements about using or avoid- * * ing objects. * * * ******************************************

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MOTOR 4 YEARS OLD

Using a kiddy-car or a toy truck or any object with four wheels and a place for the child to sit on top, urge the child to move around the room or yard. You want him to propel himself with his legs. If there is no steering wheel, have him pretend he is steering. You can push from behind in a straight line and he can pretend to steer.

Using a tricycle, you may want the child to propel himself by putting one foot on the back runner of the tricycle and pushing with the other foot while steering the tricycle. Then have him sit on the seat and steer while you push him. Tell him to put his feet on the pedals so.he feels the movement of them as he moves. You can put elastic straps across the pedals so his feet stay in, but encourage him to get the movement of his legs with the movement of the pedals. If he has difficulty with this, then both lie on the floor and do bike-riding motions in the air with your feet. Urge him to imitate you and to keep in the same rythm as you.

******************************************** * * * These activities help the child co-* ordinate his body and use instruments * or toys to help him move his body. * ********************************************

Have the child jump in place and then have him jump over a toy or a pillow or some small object, using both feet at the same time and then with one foot leading. Do not let him run to make the jump. Let him pretend to be a rabbit or a kangaroo jumping across the room or courtyard.

Have the child hop on one foot at a time. Tell him to hop over to where you have a cracker or toy. Then have him hop to a table or chair on the other foot where he can eat the cracker or play with the toy.

* * * * * * * * *

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Have the child balance on one foot, holding his arms out to the sides to maintain balance. You can hold one hand until he is steady and then let go. Then let him hop on that foot. Do this with the other foot. You can join him in this game and see how far each of you can move your arms and body before losing your balance.

****** **************************** ********* * * * * * These activities help the child develop* * balance and body control. * * * *******************************************

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MOTOR 5 YEARS OLD

Have the child walk on a straight line putting one foot directly in front of the other. You can make the line with a pencil, a piece of chalk, or with a stick marking the sand or ground.

Have the child hop back and forth across the line as he moves down the line. Alternate the feet each time the task is done. Left foot down the line, then right foot all down the line.

Have the child stand with one foot on the line and balance himself for an increasing amount of time. First, six seconds; next twelve seconds; increase the time and stop when the child cannot continue.

******************************************* * * * * * These aati.viti.es help the child * * develop balance and body control. * * * * * *******************************************

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MOTOR 6 YEARS OLD

Stand in front of the child and hold her hands. Tell her to do what you are doing. Jump in place with both feet. See how high you both can jump. Have the child do this with you but let go of her hands. Then take turns hopping on each foot. Hop twice on one foot and twice on the other, having the child still imitate you. Hopping requires getting up on the ball of the foot rather than using the whole foot as in jumping. Increase the hops for each foot. Start hopping while holding her hands and then hop without holding her hands.

Place a small object on the floor, like a towel or a toy and have the child hop over it, pick it up and hop with it over to you. Increase the distance for her to hop.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities develop body control * * and balance. * * * ********************************************

Play catch with the child using a beanbag or a sponge or a plastic bag filled with sand. The child may need something easy to grab and hold. When he can catch and throw with these pliable objects, then use a big ball. Have him throw it and catch it. Begin by standing close to him and showing him how to hold his arms and hands. Then increase the distance between you. Finally use a smaller ball, such as a tennis ball, and help him use his hands and arms correctly. You will want to teach him how to keep his eyes on the ball as it comes or as he throws it.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities develop body and hand * * control. * * * ********************************************

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LANGUAGE 0 TO 15 MONTHS

For short periods during the day, provide background sounds for the baby - radio, records, television. Talk and sing directly to the baby and encourage her to imitate your sounds. Tie a rattle or bell to her wrist or ankle to encourage her to listen to and produce sounds. Expose her to other noises like the telephone, a tea kettle, a clock. Talk to the baby as you move around so she can follow your sounds and movements.

Tickle and rub the baby's stomach until she laughs. Then gradually make gestures of tickling without actually doing it until the baby laughs.

Talk to your baby. When he makes noises, pick him up and tell him how great it is to hear him talk. Encourage more noises from him.

******************************************** * * * These activities help the baby get * * ready for talking. * * * ********************************************

Let the baby hear different sounds and different volumes of sound. The door bell, a light switch, banging on a pan with a spoon. Use your voice from a loud call like 'Yo Ho.'' 'Hello Baby.'1 to the same words in a whisper.

Greet the baby with words, using different volumes and intonations. 'Hi, Baby. How are you? Did you have a nice nap? What is this? This is your foot. ' Sing to the baby, emphasizing the rhythm and rhyme. The Farmer in the Dell, Itsy bitsy spider, and lullabies.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby develop * * language. * * * ********************************************

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Imitate the sounds the baby makes. Then say some simple words like, baby, mama, dada, pretty, toy, dolly, doggy. Use these words appropriately so the baby learns the relationship between what he sees and what he hears.

If you understand what the sounds mean that the baby makes, repeat them but with a more correct pronunciation and praise the baby for saying something you understand.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby relate^ * words to objects and to pronounce * * words with increasing accuracy. * * * *****************************************

7a _

LANGUAGE 16 to 23 MONTHS

When you talk to the baby and the other parent comes near, always be sure to identify the person. 'Here is daddy' or 'Here is mama'.

Also, when you are referring to the other parent, use those identifiers. Babies do not know pronouns (he, she, it), or full names and cannot pronounce them. But they do use dada and mama quite early and connect those names with the correct person. If the baby misuses them with the wrong person, just correct him by saying the right word.

************************************ * * * * * These activities help the baby * * connect words with people. J * * ************************************

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LANGUAGE 2 YEARS OLD

Talk to the child. Describe what you are doing and use the names of things and the actions you are performing. When the child indicates by gesture or movement what he wants, put into words what he wants. Use the same words for the same wants so he connects those words and his wants. Encourage him to use the words instead of gestures or movements to indicate what he wants.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * shift from just fussing or acting * * out when he wants something to * * using words. They increase * ; verbal skills. * * * ****************************************

When you are dressing the child or bathing the child, name the parts of his body. When you are looking at the child say, 'I see two big eyes.' Look at the child's eyes and move closer to them with your own eyes. Say, I see a nose.1 Touch the child's nose and bring yours close to his and touch noses. Then say, 'Where is your nose? Where is daddy's nose?' Do the same with the eyes, hands, ears, head, hair, chin, arms, legs, feet, mouth, chest. Then play the game, 'Touch your nose, touch your head, etc' At first touch your own as you give the instruction and then gradually let the child respond alone.

**************************************** * * * * * * * These activities help the child * * relate words to body parts both * * for his body and that of others. * * He is learning to generalize * * abstract words. * * ****************************************

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When the child wants something or wants to do something, have her use words. If you understand what she wants then give her the correct words. If you cannot understand what she wants, ask her to show you. Then when she does, give her the words. Use simple words. The sequence of learning to talk is this :

a. name things (kitty, dolly, baby,mama)

b. indicate location of things (here kitty, here baby, here mama)

c. indicate recurrence of things (more doggie, more dolly, more baby)

d. indicate nonexistence of things (no dolly, no doggie)

e. reject things (no go, no bye-bye, no eat)

f. indicate agent/action (mommy come, daddy read, baby go)

g. indicate action/object (hit ball, read book, go car)

h. indicate possession (my doggie, mama's shoe)

Use these as guides when you put into words what the child is trying to say. Young children do not speak in sentences but they use the basic grammar with simple words. Increasingly urge the child to use words to express needs and wishes without your providing the words.

******************************************** * * * , * * These activities promote more function- * * al language. * * * ********************************************

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Use magazines, picture books, bill-boards, newspapers or any pictures and have the child name the picture you point to. Use 5 or 6 pictures for the child to name and if she misses one, come back to it later. The pictures should be clear and realistic. Then you name each of the 5 or 6 pictures and see if the baby can point to them. Begin with pictures of familiar things - faces, adults, children, babies, dogs, cats, birds, horses, elephants, etc.

******************************************* * * * * * These activities help the child relate * * real things to pictures of them and to * * words for them. * * * *******************************************

When you give directions to the child, you can use the sequence of simple sentence structure: 'Ronnie dress; we go bye-bye; eat all; come here; wash hands.' Then you can increasingly make the sentences fuller and longer: 'You must get dressed now, Ronnie; We are going to grandma's house; Eat all your dinner, Ronnie; Come over here to the table; Wash your hands before dinner.' You may have to gesture and demonstrate the directions at first, but increasingly rely on words only to give directions.

******************************************* * * * * * These actions help the child interpret * * words to transform into his own * * action, in other words, follow * * directions. % * * *******************************************

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Talk with the child often. Explain what you are doing and have the child describe what she is doing. As she talks, correct her language mistakes by saying the words correctly so she hears the correct words. Do not ask her to repeat after you. It is sufficient • that she hears the correct words. Children will often use a correct grammatical structure, but because of usage, another word is correct. For example, children say readed for read (past tense), sleeped for slept, hitted for hit (past tense), deers for deer (plural), mouses for mice (plural). Let the child hear the correct words. From hearing them, she can acquire the grammar rules and the exceptions. Adding an £ to most nouns to make them plural is an easy one to point out to the child, even though there are exceptions.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help refine grammar. * * * *****************************************

Have the child learn the first and last name of her relatives and friends. Use both names from time to time when talking about the relatives or friends. Let her hear you use the family last name in reference to the members of the family. Be sure to call her by her first and last name so she hears it. Then have her give her full name when people ask her what her name is.

***************************************** * * * * * * * These activities help the child be- * * come more specific in identifying * * people. * * * * * *****************************************

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When you are putting groceries away or laundry or toys, play a game with the child by asking these kinds of questions :

Does your dolly go in the pantry? Do your shoes go in the drawer? Do the clean clothes go into the waste basket?

Have the child see the humour of things being put in the wrong place and then have him tell you and show you where things go.

When the child is playing with toys or materials you can join in the play by asking these kinds of questions:

'The dolly is hungry. What can you do about that?' 'The truck is dirty. What can you do about that?' 'The furniture is tipped over. What can you do about that?'

You want the child to see the relationship between a condition and a solution. In other words, we can do something to meet a need.

When the child says she is hungry, ask her, 'What can we do about that?' Do the same when she indicates she is tired or sleepy or cold or cannot reach something. You want her to learn there are solutions to problems and that needs can be met.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child use * * language to help in solving problems * * and meeting needs, * * * *****************************************

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When you talk with the child, be sure you use opposites like: big-little; tall-short; fat-thin; high-low; here-there; up-down ; in-out; You can say, when looking at a picture book with the child, "This dog is big, this cat is small. This man is tall, this child is short.' Then you can ask the child which animal is big, which is little, which is in the barnyard, which is out of the barnyard.

When you talk with the child, be sure to use comparatives like: bigger than, smaller than, taller than, shorter than, larger than, wider than. Example would be 'Daddy is taller than mama (or the child). This truck is bigger THAN this car. The full balloon is fatter than the empty balloon. This sheet is longer than that towel (or pillow case) . '

********************************************* * * * * * These activities help the child learn to * * discriminate words for more accurate * * descriptions. * * * *********************************************

Any time you give instructions or directions to the child, give them as precisely as possible. For example, instead of saying, 'Put the toy there,' say 'Put the toy on the shelf' or 'in the box.'

The child should learn the location of things by knowing these words: _in_, oil, on top of, next to, under, behind, in front of, inside of. Then play a game with the child by telling him where he can find things. 'Your cookie is behind the cup. Your toy dog is under the chair. Your ball is inside the box on the table.'

********************************************* * * * * * * * These activities develop precision and * * accuracy in communication. * * * *********************************************

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When you use a cereal box or a can of fruit or vegetables or margarine, point out the colours to the child. Most containers have many colours and you can point to one colour and say, 'What colour is this?1

Then do the same thing with other colours. Later you can name one of the colours and have the child tell you where it is on the container.

As you walk down the street or in a grocery store, talk about the colours you see and play a game. 'I see something red. What is it?" Have the child respond. Then let the child say, 'I see something blue. What is it?' And you answer.

The colours should start with the basic ones of red, yellow and blue, then the secondary ones of green, orange and purple, and then pink,lavendar, lime, etc.

Play the same kind of game with shapes. Say, 'I see a square box. Where is it? I see a round dish. Where is it? I see a heart shaped frame. Where is it? I see a triangle in a picture. Where is it?1 Then have the child initiate questions with you.

You can have the child trace the shapes with his index finger so he begins to feel them in his muscles. You can show him how to do this. Be sure to keep your finger on the shape and continue to move it until you are back where you started to trace the shape. Have the child do the same.

When the child knows colours and shapes, then combine them in your game. Say, 'I see a red circle. Where is it? I see a green square. Where is it? I see a blue triangle. Where is it?

Then have the child initiate questions for you.

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************************************** * * * * * These activities develop recog- * * nition and categorizing of * * objects and colours. * * * **************************************

When you help dress- the child or are with him as he dresses himself, talk about the names of the clothes -shoes, socks, pants, shirt, blouse, skirt, etc. Also talk about their colours - black shoes, blue socks, white pants, etc. And then talk about what they are made of - wooden shoes, cotton socks, denim pants, silk shirt, etc. Do the same with items in the home. Tell the child what different things are made of -the wooden spoon, the metal pan, the glass dish, the wooden door, the plastic spoon, the brick house, the blacktop road, the steel bridge, etc.

************************************** * * * * * These activities enlarge and re- * * fine vocabulary. * * * **************************************

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PERSONAL-SOCIAL 0 TO 15 MONTHS

Look at baby and talk to her. With your smiles and nods and talk, reinforce the baby's smiles and cooings and discourage tears, frowns and fussing.

Leave favourite toys with the baby when she sleeps or is in the crib. Hold the toys up for the baby to grasp. Talk to the baby about how nice the toy is, how pretty.

Place colourful pictures of animals, clowns or people near the baby when he is resting or going to sleep. Talk about the pictures, pointing things out, such as the animals, the clown's hat. Then leave the pictures for the baby to look at.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby become * * aware of other people and things. * * * ********************************************

Play peek-a-boo with the baby by covering your face with your hands and then by using a handkerchief. Finally, hide yourself for a second or two and re-appear with shouts of 'Where is mama (daddy)?' Then, 'Here I am!' Cover the baby's eyes in the same game. Then use a napkin or small towel to cover her head. Say, 'Where's baby? Here she is!'

Hold a bright object to the right side of the baby and bring it across his line of vision until it cannot be seen by him. Say, 'Where did it go?' Bring it back into view and say, 'Here it is!' Do this same thing going up and down baby's line of vision and just outside of it.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby learn to * * interact and play with others. * * * ********************************************

Sit with the baby and share a cookie or cracker. Let her see how you eat it. Exclaim how good it is. How you like chewing it. Encourage her to imitate you and guide her hand to her mouth. Also take turns feeding each other.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities show the baby how * * to feed herself and also how to * * interact with others. * * * ****************************************

Hold a toy out of the reach of the baby and encourage her to come toward you to get the toy. Praise her for accomplishing this.

Place a toy near you but out of the reach of the baby and encourage her to come and get it. Shake the toy to hold her attention and then put it down so she must pick it up.

Point to a toy near the baby, exclaim what a nice toy it is and encourage the baby to move toward it and pick it up. Crawling is helpful in this as well as reaching.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby be- * * come more independent. * * * ****************************************

Play hide-and-seek with the baby. Hide and then call to the baby until he finds you. Then hide where he sees you going and be quiet. If he does not come to you, call him and say, 'Find me. Here I am'. Then have the baby hide and you say, 'Where's the baby? There you are!'

**************************************** * * * * * This game helps the baby learn to * * have fun with other people. * * * ****************************************

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Play tug-of-war with the baby using a towel or cloth. Give the towel or cloth to the baby and say, 'Hold it tight! I am going to pull, too.' Then do a back and forth pulling and letting the baby pull. Do this in a rhythm.

Place a toy in the baby's hand and then say, 'I am going to pull it away. Hold it, hold it tight.1

Then you hold it and have the baby pull it away. Say, 'Baby is pulling the .... from me. Pull hard.1

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby learn * * to play and do things with, others. * * * *****************************************

Hold the baby. Hug the baby. Look at the baby. Talk to the baby. Identify yourself by name - mama or daddy. Play with the baby. Let him know by your behaviour that you love him and enjoy him.

Be sure the baby sees other people. You can identify them and point to them and say something about what they are doing or wearing.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities make the baby feel * * secure so that he can begin to be * * interested in other people. * * * *****************************************

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PERSONAL-SOCIAL 16 TO 23 MONTHS

Every time you are leaving the house be sure to say 'bye-bye' to the baby and wave.

When friends come and visit and are leaving, hold the baby and say, 'Say bye-bye. Wave bye-bye.' You may have to take the baby's arm and put it through the waving motions.

Continue to play pat-a-cake with the baby until he can do it alone. You may have to hold his hands and go through the motions or you can place his hands inside yours as you do it. Be sure to use the song. At least, 'pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker man, make me a cake as fast as you can.' You can add for play, 'roll it and press it and mark it with B_ and toss it in the oven for baby and me.' Do the motions for the whole rhyme.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities let the baby engage * * in play with others. * * * ******************************************

When the baby wants something but does not seem able to communicate his need, ask him to show you what he wants or point to it or go over to what he wants. If the baby cries or whines, say, 'Tell mama what you want. Show me. Take my hand and we will go to what you want. Point to what you want. I don't know what you want when you cry or fuss. You will have to show me.'

****************************************** * * * * * These activities encourage the baby to* * use words to express needs. * * * ******************************************

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Sit on the floor facing the baby and both of you separate your legs but touch feet so that a ball will not roll away from you. Use a big ball and roll it slowly to the baby. Ask her to roll it back to you and help her if she has difficulty. Do this as a game and in rhythm. Then lift the ball a few inches and throw it gently to the baby and encourage her to do the same. As she becomes more skilled, use smaller balls.

**************************************** * * * * * This activity helps the baby learn * * to play with others. * * * ****************************************

Give the baby a large ball to carry around with both hands. Then give him a smaller ball, but be sure he uses both hands to hold it.

Tell the baby to help you hold his cup. Praise him for the effort. Make sure he uses both hands, and you may want to spread his fingers out so he is not using fists. Gradually take your hands away.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby be- * * come more independent. * * * * * ****************************************

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PERSONAL-SOCIAL 2 YEARS OLD

When you straighten the house or put away toys have the child help you. Guide him with words or demonstration if he has difficulty putting things away. Then let him do it alone.

When you shop at the grocery store, have the child pick some things off the shelf by pointing to the things you want. Say, 'Take that red box of cereal' or 'Take that pink bar of soap and put it in the basket.'

When you do laundry, let the child help you put clothes in the tub or washing machine. Also let him help fold the clothes when they are dry. Show him how so he can imitate you, if he has difficulty.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child he- * * come move self-sufficient and help- * * ful to others. * * * ******************************************

When you are taking off a shirt or pajama top of the child, take off one sleeve and let the child take the other one off. If the shirt or pajama top comes off over the head, then start it, urging the child to pull all the way over the head. Gradually move to having the child take the shirt or pajama top off alone. Guide him with words as needed.

When you are taking pants or pajama bottoms off the child, have him sit down on the floor or the bed and you pull the pants or pajamas off part way and have him pull them off the rest of the way. Gradually move to having the child take off the pants or pajama bottom alone. Guide him with words as needed.

****************************************** * * * ' * * These activities help the child be- * * c * * come more self-sufficient. * * * ******************************************

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Place a marble or small ball on a spoon and have the child place it in a container.

Have the child use a spoon to dig sand or dirt and put it in a pail.

Put some mashed potatoes or food of similar consistency on a spoon and have the child feed herself. Then encourage her to pick up the food with the spoon. Put a small piece of meat on a fork and have the child feed herself. Then encourage her to pick up the food with the fork. Praise her when she does it without spilling.

*********************************** * * * These activities help the child * become more self-sufficient and * master eye-hand co-ordination. * ***********************************

Ask the child for help as you are doing chores or making something. Have him bring a spoon or a cup or a ruler or something else you need.

Ask the child to pile his toys into a box or on a shelf that is for his toys. Let him know that he is helping take care of his things, that he is putting them on his shelf or in his box so he can use them again.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child be- * * come self-sufficient and helpful. * * * *****************************************

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Have the child help you put on her socks. You can start by putting them on her feet and having her pull them up her legs, one at a time. Then have her stand on the floor with her shoes in front of her and tell her to put one foot in one shoe. Touch the foot and point to the shoe. Have the correct left and right shoe in front of the correct foot. Urge her to put her foot in the shoe until it is in all the way and is comfortable. Easy shoes to begin with are bedroom slippers. Young children do not distinguish between right and left shoe, so you must place the shoe by the correct foot.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child be- * * come more self-sufficient and learn * * relationships and directionality - * * right, left. * * * *****************************************

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Let the child play in water, filling and emptying pans or plastic cups, eating utensils and anything else non-breakable. Show him how to wash and rinse the items and stack them on a table or counter.

When the child is being given a bath, have him wash his hands and arms and legs and feet. Show him how to do this with soap and a wash cloth or soap alone. Be sure he rinses thoroughly and dries his hands on a towel.

Have the child wash his hands before and after meals. Have soap and water where he can reach them and be sure he gets all the dirt rinsed off before using a towel. Help him at first and then gradually have him take responsibility, but check his hands from time to time after he has washed them.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * become more independent. * * * ****************************************

When the child has friends playing with her, you will need to supervise the play to make sure the children take turns, share and follow the rules of the game. Sometimes, in the excitement of playing, the children forget the rules and need to be reminded. They can learn that there is no game if the rules are not followed.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * become more sociable. * * * ****************************************

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To help the child learn to dress himself, take each clothing item and start putting it on him and then have him do the last step. For example, in putting on jeans or pants, have him put each leg in with your help and then have him pull them up around his waist without your help. When he can do that, have him put his second leg in without your help and pull them up around his waist. Then, have him put both legs in by himself and do the complete task. Use the same method for shirt or sweater, socks and shoes, and dress.

************************************** * * * *

* These activities help the child. *

* become more independent. *. * * **************************************

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Have the child help you when you button his shirt. You put the button half way through the hole and let him pull it all the way through. When he can do that, then have him put the button half way through and pull it all the way through. Do the reverse of this when the child learns to unbutton. You will need to show the child and help him, but always let him do some part of the task and increase the tasks until he does them all.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * become more self-sufficient. * * * ****************************************

Any time you are going to leave the child, be sure to tell her where you are going and how soon you will be back. Have the baby sitter come a few minutes early so the child becomes used to her.

When you take the child to a nursery school or day care centre and she will meet strangers, stay with her for 10 or 15 minutes and then tell her you are leaving and will be back to pick her up at noon or in a couple of hours.

Make sure the child has something to do when a stranger or baby sitter or caretaker replaces you for a short time. If the child is busy with something, she will not be so concerned about your leaving.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities will heVp the child* * deal with separation from parents. * * * ****************************************

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Put some piece of clothing on the child and do every step, but the last one, and have the child do that. For example, you guide the legs into the pants, but have him pull them up. Next time, you guide just one leg into the pants and have him put his other leg in and pull them up. Next he should put both legs in himself while you hold the pants in the correct position. Finally, he should be able to hold them in the correct position (front and back, right and left) and put them on. Do this with each clothing item and with shoes. You may have to tell him how to distinguish right and left shoes by the shape or where the thong is, or by some other marking.

*************************************** * * * * * These activities help the child * * become more independent. * * * ***************************************

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL: 0 TO 15 MONTHS

Lay the baby on his back. Place your index fingers in the palms of his hands. When he grasps your fingers, pull his hands gently toward you until his arms are stretched out almost straight. Take your finger away and the arms will go back to their original bent position.

***************************************** * * * * * This is a good activity for the baby * J to become aware of and use his arms * * and hands. * * * *****************************************

Lay the baby on his back. Grasp both ankles with one hand from underneath and gently pull until the legs are straightened. With your free hand, rub the soles of his feed. He will bend his toes downward and draw his legs up to the bent-knee position.

***************************************** * * * * * This activity helps the baby get * * ready for crawling. * * * *****************************************

Place the baby on your lap facing you. Let her grasp your index fingers with each hand. Slowly spread her arms out to her side as far as possible, then bring them across her chest and return them to the starting position.

***************************************** * * * * * This activity helps the baby co- * * ordinate the two sides of her body. * * * * * *****************************************

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Place the baby on his back and hold his legs around the knees and straighten the legs. Move his legs straight up toward his head, stretching the whole leg. Then return them to the fully extended position. When his legs are by his head, you can spread them and say 'Boo!'

****************************************** * * * * * This activity helps the baby become * * acquainted with his legs and also * * allows for some play. * * * ******************************************

Hold a bright object - black and white or red - about 7 inches from the baby's eyes and a little to the baby's right. Then, talking to the baby, move the object across his eyes so that he can follow it. Shake the object and talk to the baby when his attention wanders. Start with a small arc and then increase it gradually until the object is looked at by the baby turning his head from one side all the way to the other side. Use a rattle, a coloured sponge, a flashlight with the light crossing at the baby's middle.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby learn * * to focus his eyes on objects. * * * ******************************************

Put a small block or a rattle in each of the baby's hands and, holding each wrist, shake the baby's hands and bring them together while talking about the objects and the noises and the bringing of the hands together.

Give the baby a stuffed toy or tennis ball or a colourful sponge to hold in one hand. Place the object first on one side for the baby to grasp and then on the other side. Then put the object on his stomach if he is on his back, and encourage him to reach for the object with both hands.

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Hold a toy or towel or coloured material within the baby's reach and urge her to grasp it or to swat at it.

Hold your fingers out and urge the baby to grasp one or two. Then you grasp one or two fingers of the baby.

Play pat-a-cake with the baby's hands, clapping his hands together while saying the words.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby * * develop control of his hands and * * fingers- * * * *****************************************

Point to small objects on the floor or on wallpaper or in pictures. Name the objects and trace them with your finger. Urge the baby to look at the objects you are pointing to . Place small objects close to the baby's eyes, about 7 inches, and describe them. Give the baby a roll of twine or string and let him unroll it.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby co- * * ordinate his eyes and hands. J * * *****************************************

Put baby on his stomach and hold a small ball or toy in front of him. Urge him to reach for it.

Leave toys in the crib or playpen within reach of the baby. Talk to the baby about the toys. Pick up and hug a doll or a toy animal. Put it in the baby's hands.

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*************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby oo- * * ordinate his eyes and hands. * * * ***************************************

Hand the baby a cookie or cracker from her right side so she can grasp it with her right hand. When it is finished or the baby drops it, offer a cookie or cracker from her left side for grasping by her left hand. Hand her the cookie from the front and encourage her to grasp it with both hands or either hand.

Repeat with a small block or a small ball. Be sure she holds the object in one hand at a time and then with both hands.

Put a small object in baby's right hand and talk about it. Also make certain he sees it. Then bring the right hand across the baby's front and have him release the object into your hand. Repeat with his left hand.

Place a pan or other vessel on the floor next to the baby and encourage him to drop small objects into the vessel with either hand individually. Then let him use both hands. Do this with him to demonstrate what to do, talk about the objects and make certain he sees them.

*************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby GO- * * ordinate both hands. * * * ***************************************

Have from ten to twelve small objects in a box and show the baby how to dump them out and put them back in. Have him use both hands, grasping for an object with each hand either together or alternatively. Encourage him with your words and your participation.

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Place two cookies on the table or high chair where the baby is sitting, putting one within grasp of each hand. Talk about the two cookies and how nice it will be to eat them. 'Yum, yum. Pick up the cookies. Eat the cookies.'

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby con- * * trol his hands and fingers. J * * ****************************************

place some obiects on the floor: balls, blocks, etc. Have a box nearby and encourage the baby to pick them up and put them in th<= box. Encourage and praise the effort and hold his attention on the task by joining in. Use a grabbing motion, not a thunb and index finger combination motion. That comes later.

**************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby learn* * to use his hands. * * * ****************************************

Have pieces of coloured yarn on the floor and play a game with the baby of picking them up and putting them in a dish. Then do the same thing with raw peas or raisins. If the baby does not squeeze the objects between his thumb and fingers, then show him with your hand or take his hand and put it through the motion. Tell him what you are doing.

**************************************** * * * * J These activities increase fzngers- * * thumb co-ordination. * * * ****************************************

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL 16 to 23 MONTHS

Clap your hands together and urge the baby to imitate you. Do this in a rhythm. Then, put a rattle or large spoon in each of the baby's hands and clap your hands again and urge the baby to imitate you. Talk about the spoons or rattles and the nice noise they make. Then put a small block in each of the baby's hands and again clap your hands and urge the baby to imitate you.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities help the baby co- * * ordinate both hands and fingers. * * * ******************************************

Place scraps of yarn, marbles or small cubes on the floor and take turns with the baby picking the item up, using only the thumb and index finger. Demonstrate the game and indicate that nothing else can touch the items except the thumb and index finger. You can show the baby how the thumb and index finger make a pincer movement. You can make O's with the thumb and index finger of each hand and put them up to your eyes and look through at the baby. Have him imitate you with his fingers. Then go back to picking up the items.

****************************************** * * * * * These activities refine thumb-index * * finger co-ordination. * * * ******************************************

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COGNITIVE, FINE-MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL : 2 YEARS OLD

Make or buy a peg about 8 inches long, fastened to a stand, and use rings of plastic or wood or donuts for the child to put on the peg. Have her pile the rings on the peg as high as they can go. Then encourage her to dump them off and start again. Later you can have her take one off at a time and replace them. You can play the game of taking turns putting the rings on the peg. First the child, then you, then the child, etc. Speed up the process.

Have the child pile the rings without using the peg. Start with two rings in each pile and then move to three rings in each pile. Increase the number of rings as the child is able to pile them. You can make a pile of your own as a demonstration. Then you and the child can take turns piling each one at a time.

Use some large blocks or squares that are solid and have the child pile these on top of each other, beginning with two blocks in each pile and increasing the number. Then use small blocks about a square inch and have the child pile those. You can demonstrate how to hold the blocks for building and how to pile the blocks without knocking the others down. Lead to guiding the child with words instead of actions and finally let her do it alone, praising her when she is correct. You can play the game of taking turns piling each block alternately - first the child, then you, then the child, etc. - and speeding up the process.

***************************************** * * * These activities help the child * develop eye-hand co-ordination and * increase the skill with which the * child uses his hands and fingers. * * *****************************************

* * * * * * * * * * * *

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL : 3 YEARS OLD

Make some finger paint mixing flour and water and food colouring or buying it already made. Lay out some thick white paper, put a blob of finger paint on it and show the child how to move the paint around with her fingers. Have her use her index finger, her four fingers together, her thumb alone and her whole hand. You can demonstrate and guide.

Give the child a large coloured crayon, place a large sheet of paper in front of her and urge her to make large sweeping motions with her arms and hand and marking the paper. Then give her a smaller piece of paper and a pencil and urge her to make shorter marks on the paper with shorter motions. You can demonstrate and guide.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities develop skills with * * hands and fingers. * * * *****************************************

Take a piece of paper 8V2 x 11 or larger and draw a frame around it about 2 inches from the edges. Tell the child you and she are going to make a place mat. Using a pencil or crayon, you and the child draw lines from the frame to the edge of the paper. Take turns or work at the same time. Try to have the mat look something like this:

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You may have to help the child at first, but increasingly have her do it without your help. Just let her copy your actions. Be sure to use the mat when it is finished.

***************************************** * Î * This activity will help the child * * combine hand control, spatial re- * * lationships and design. * * * *****************************************

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Playing Simon Says, make large circles with one arm stretched out in front of you. Have the child imitate you. Then make circles with the other arm. When the child can imitate these motions, keep your elbow bent and make a large circle just moving your hands and wrists, one hand and wrist at a time. Keep making the circles smaller and smaller and have him imitate you. Then let him initiate the game and you imitate him.

Pretend to make circles by using your index finger against a board or a large piece of paper and have him imitate you. Start by making big circles and then making them smaller. After you both do this, take chalk or a pencil and make visible circles. Go 'round and round1 on the same circle so that he gets the feel of the motion. Then have him draw other circles without going 'round and round' but making each circle separately.

************************************** * * * * * These activities develop fine * * motor control in the hands and * * fingers. * * * **************************************

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Let the child see you make simple letters of the alphabet, then have her imitate you. If she cannot imitate you, then hold her hand with a pencil in it and have her trace what you wrote. You can also make the shape of the letters in the air and make them big at first and then make them smaller. Sound the letters as you make them or write them.

Let the child see you draw different figures:

I I I I I I I o o o o o o o o o

Give these names: circle, cross, longer-shorter line, dots, short lines, small circles. Then draw the figures without the child seeing you draw them and as him to copy them and name them.

***************************************** * * * * * These activities develop fine motor * * control and recognition and pro- * * auction of form. * * * *****************************************

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Have large pieces of paper for the child or clear an area of smooth sand or clay and encourage the child to draw pictures using her finger or pencil or crayon. When she does a picture, ask her to tell you about it and increasingly ask about detail. For example, if she draws a house, ask her where the door is, the windows, the roof, etc. Then ask if people are inside. You can suggest she draw some people, some trees, some flowers. If you use crayons, you have another opportunity to talk about colours.

Ask the child to draw mama or dada or sister or brother, etc. Then talk about which are men, which are women, which are boys, which are girls. You can do the same thing with animals. Have her draw cats, dogs, cows, etc., and then point to which are cats, dogs, etc. This helps the child learn to categorize. You can play games to categorize objects like different coloured beads and sort them in piles according to colour. You can use different shapes and sizes and then you can help the child categorize by two factors - size and colour; shape and size; shape and colour; and then include texture: soft, hard, furry, smooth, etc.

*************************************** * * * * * These activities help the ahild J * organise her environment better. * * * ***************************************

Draw different shapes on a piece of paper and have the child trace them with her finger. Make the shapes about three inches wide or wider so the child has room to trace with her finger. Be sure she uses a continuous movement for the closed shapes:

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and complete line movements for the open shapes :

X # After she can trace them with her finger, have her trace on top of your figures using the appropriate continuous and complete movements. Then draw the shapes one at a time and have her copy each one as you finish it. Then draw the shapes when she does not see you do them and ask her to make the same shapes next to yours. When she knows the names of the shapes and knows how to draw them, you can say, 'Draw a square here' or 'Draw a circle here,' etc.

******************************************** * * * * * These activities develop fine motor * * co-ordination for reproducing forms and * * figures. * * * ********************************************

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SECTION IV

SAMPLE LESSON PLANS

Section IV provides lesson plans that have been field tested. The lesson plans are, in effect, units that can be used over an extended period of time, for different lengths of time and in a variety of combinations.

The children on whom the lesson plans were field tested could easily stay with tasks for about 30 minutes, even the young ones. The 30 minute periods were interspersed with free play time, breakfast, or sitting in the shade.

You will find your own mix of the activities in the lesson plans that meet your needs and those of the children you work with.

************************************************ * * * * * The lesson -plans are organized as follows: * * * * * J Motor: $ * * * Gross motor goals and activities * * Balance goals and activities £ * * * Language: % * * * Letters * * Stories * * * * Personal-Social : J

* Overall. See Special Notes below * * * * Cognitrve, Fine Motor, Perceptual: * * * * F%ne motor goals and activities * * Shapes, colours and sizes goals and * * activities * * Numbers * ************************************************

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SPECIAL NOTES

GUIDES FOR CLASSROOM OR GROUP ORGANIZATION

Separate the children into two or three age groups. These groups can do the lessons at different times of the day. The lessons will, for the most part, be the same; however, the younger children will go at a slower rate and will not complete the more difficult activities of each lesson.

Most of the activities, with the exception of Motor activities, can best be done having the children on the floor or at tables. The teacher should be part of the group. Each child should be able to see and hear what is going on. (The organization for each Motor activity is described in the lessons.)

************************************************* * * * * * N.B. Personal-Social Development: There are * * no separate lesson plans for personal-social * * development. The children will develop in * * this area by learning increasingly: * * * * a. how to do the activities alone when * * individual work is desired £ * * * b. how to get materials and use them * * * * c. how to play near other children without * * conflict * * * * d. how to play with other children * * * * e. how to play group games with rules J * * * * *************************************************

- no

Safety Precautions: There are a number of safety precautions which can be taken to prevent injury to children:

a. Do not have small items that the children will tend to put in their mouths.

b. Do not have anything sharp on the materials.

c. Clear the work or play area of glass, sharp stones, etc.

d. Watch the children to prevent possible injurious acts.

e. Large children should not hurt small children in the groups.

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MOTOR AREA

*********************************************************** *

1. Goals: * * *

a. to increase body co-ordination through physical * activities and games *

* b. to increase ability to balance the body *

2. Materials: * * *

a. ropes or heavy string * *

b. balls - made of cloth, plastic, etc. * *

c. footballs J *

d. frisbee (throwing disk) * *

e. rings and sticks * *

f. small sawhorses or boxes * *

g. containers (cooking dishes) * *

h. chairs or stools * i. boxes, boards (6 inches wide and 5 or 6 feet long *

(2 metres). * *

*********************************************************** 3. LESSON PLANS : LESSON 1

Goal a. to increase body co-ordination through physical activities and games

Activities:

Have the children line up next to each other or in some other format and imitate your motions. Reach way up with your arms - touch the sky. Then bend over and touch the ground with your hands, without bending your knees. Have the children do this 5-10 times at the beginning of your motor activities.

112

b. Have the children line up either next to each other or behind each other. Then have them run toward you or follow you.

c. Mark out a large circle on the ground and have the children run around it. Make lines across the circle with the centre intersection at 90° angles. Have the children run around the circle, across one diameter line, around to the next diameter line, across it, etc. Have two children start at the same time from their places, run around the circle and back to their places.

d. Show the children how to play football, kicking the ball from one end of the playground to the other.

e. Have the children throw and catch balls, increasing the distances between the children as they master the skill. Use a Frisbee or other light circular material as an alternative to the ball.

f. Put a stake in the ground and draw a line about 3 meters (10 feet) away from it. Have a child stand on the line and toss a ring to the stake, trying to get the ring over the stake. Each child has 3 rings to use at a time. Increase the distance between the line and the stake.

g. Set up 4 pans, two next to each other, equal distance from the other two. Put balls or blocks or other objects - have them all the same - in two of the pans that are next to each other. Have a child stand by each pan containing the objects. Each child is to pick up an object from the pan, run down to the other pan, drop the object in the pan, run back to get another one, and so forth. The child must put each object in the pan and the one who completes the task first wins. The winners of each two children can become new contestants.

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LESSON 2

Goal b. to increase ability to balance the body

Activities:

a. Lay a rope or heavy string in a straight line on the floor or on the ground. Have the children line up and take turns in walking along the rope or string, putting one foot directly in front of the other.

b. When the children can walk forward in a straight line, then have them walk backwards, one foot directly behind the other.

c. Have the children hop over the rope once. Then have them hop back and forth over the rope. Then have them hop to the left and right over the rope as they move from one end of the rope to the other.

d. Place chairs around in a circle with one less chair than the total number of children playing. Blow a whistle or clap for the children to begin running around the chairs - in the same direction. Then blow the whistle or clap, at which time the children try to sit in a chair. One child will not have a chair. That person is out of the game. Then remove another chair and do the same thing until there is only one chair left for two children. The winner is the last one to get in the chair.

e. Set up chairs, large boxes with both ends open, hassocks and other materials just far enough from each other to make a path. Have the children walk or crawl around the items without touching them.

f. Have two children hold each end of a rope or heavy string about 6 inches from the ground and let the other children jump over it one at a time. Then raise the height of the rope a few inches

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and repeat. Be sure not to make it too high or the children will trip over it.

g. Show the children how to jump rope by themselves . First have them swing it over their head from behind and jump over the rope once. Then show them how to repeat jumping until they can continue 5 or 6 times.

h. Have children jump over boxes or a sawhorse, running 5 or 6 steps before jumping.

i. Have children chimb a jungle gym, a ladder, a tree or a rope (Jungle gym is optional).

j. Have the children run, then skip, then broad-jump. Make a pattern of these three activities and have races.

k. Have the children stoop down as you blow a whistle or clap and then stand up at the next signal from you. Then have rows of children -4 or 5 across and 3 or 4 deep, and on signal from you, the alternate lines go up or down. Whatever the first line does sets the pattern. Line 1 stoops on signal, Line 2 stands, Line 3 stoops, Line 4 stands, etc. On signal from you the lines do the opposite: Line 1 stands, Line 2 stoops, etc. Speed up your signals as the children master this.

1. Have the children stand on one foot as long as they can. Then stand on the other foot. Show them how to use their arms to balance.

m. Play statue. One child takes another child by the hand and pulls him/her a distance and lets go of the child's hand. The child is to stay in the position he/she is in when he/she stops running. That is the statue. The child who moves or loses balance is out. The child who holds the position the longest can pull the next child. One child can pull several children, but one at a time.

n. Have the children walk on a board that is about 6 inches wide and 5 or 6 or more feet (two or more meters) long.

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LANGUAGE AREA: LETTERS

• • • • A * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* 1. Goals: *

* *

a. to associate letters with pictures of things * beginning with the same sound *

* b. to recognize the letters, using the pictures as *

guides * *

c. to recognize the letters without the help of the * pictures, using the alphabet chart *

* d. to wrzte the letters *

* e. to use the letters to draw pictures, to write *

the child's name, to write words and to * recognize words *

* * 2. Materials: *

* * a. pictures with the letter representing the first *

sound of the pictures, written on or next to * the picture. All the letters of the alphabet * are included. *

* b. paper (white) or sand *

* c. crayons or pencils or sticks to use in the sand *

* d. an alphabet chart - letters should be large *

enough for all the children to see. * Make the chart on large white paper, using black * crayon or pencil or on any material that is light* enough to make contrasting dark letters. You * may cut out the letter shapes and fasten them to * paper or you may cut out the shapes in the chart * and fasten another piece of paper behind the * chart so that the cut out letter shapes are * visible. *

* ********************************************************** - 116 -

3. LESSON PLANS : LESSON 1

Goal a. to associate letters with pictures of things beginning with the same sound.

Activities:

a-. Present the picture of the first letter of the alphabet and have the children tell you what the picture is.

b. Then go through four more letters of the alphabet doing the same thing.

c. Show the children the letter that has the same sound as the first sound of the picture.

d. Let them talk about the pictures and their experiences with the object in the picture.

e. Ask the children if they can think of other words beginning with the same sound. A -picture of apple; other words: ant, add, at, answer, etc.

f. Continue this to include the entire alphabet; it will probably take weeks to cover all the letters.

g. Review the activities to be certain the children are retaining what they learn.

LESSON 2

Goal b: to recognize the letters, using the pictures as guides.

Activities:

a. Point to the letter on a picture and have the children tell you what it is.

b. Gradually add the next letter as the children learn the previous ones.

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c. Have the children look at the picture to help them recognize the letter.

d. Cover the picture and have the children say the letters.

e. Review the activities of the previous days to be certain the children are retaining what they learn.

LESSON 3

Goal c: to recognize the letters without the help of the pictures, using an alphabet chart.

Activities:

a. Point to the first letter of the alphabet on the chart (or make it in the sand, piece of paper or some other surface). Have the children say the letter. If they forget, say the word for the picture that goes with the letter. Do not let them see the picture again.

b. Point to the next letter and continue this process until all the letters are recognized.

c. When the letters are recognized in sequence, then point to different ones or write different ones not in sequence.

d. Review the activities of the previous days.

LESSON 4

Goal d: to write the letters.

Activities:

a. Have the children make the shapes of the letters in the air, using big arm movements. Show them how to do this by standing next to them so that you are making the letters in the same direction they are.

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b. Have the children write the letters with a stick or with their index finger in the sand.

c. Have the children write the letters on paper.

d. Review.

LESSON 5

Goal e: to use letters to draw pictures, to write the child's name, to write words.

Activities :

a. Have the children draw a picture of something that starts with the same sound as a letter you show them and say for them and name.

b. Write each child's name on a piece of paper and have each child come up to you and trace the letters of his/her name. Then have him/her write the letters of his/her name in the sand or on a piece of paper. You can write the names of different children on paper, in the sand or on a blackboard and see if the children can find their own name.

c. Write simple words of familiar things - ball, car, baby, toy, etc., and have the children make the letters in the air, make them smaller in the air, and write them in the sand or on paper. Have them read words.

d. Review.

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LANGUAGE AREA: STORIES

*********************************************************** *

1. Goals: * * *

a. to listen to a story and anticipate what will * happen next *

* b. to recognize objects and people in the picture of *

the stories and to draw pictures relating to the * objects and people. *

* a. to have the children tell stories *

* * 2. Materials : £

* *

a. story books for young children with' pictures or * pictures of stories drawn by the teacher. These % can be drawn with crayon on letter size paper and * covered with transparent paper or plastic cover- * ing to keep clean and reusable. *

* b. paper, crayons or pencils. *

* *********************************************************** 3. LESSON PLANS : LESSON 1 Goal a: to listen to a story and anticipate what will

happen next.

Activities:

Read or tell a story to the children and show the pictures as you tell the story.

Ask the children to tell you what they think will happen next in the story, before you show the picture.

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LESSON 2

Goal b: to recognize objects and people in the pictures of the story and to draw pictures relating to the objects and people.

Activities :

a. Re-read or re-tell the story and have the children identify the objects and people in the pictures.

b. Let the children talk about their own experiences with the objects and similar people.

c. Let the children draw pictures relating to the objects and people in the story. Let the children talk about what they drew and then hang the pictures somewhere for all to see.

LESSON 3

Goal c: to have the children tell stories.

Activities:

a. Ask a child to tell a story about something that happened - a trip, a party, seeing something in the school yard, something a brother or sister did.

b. Guide the child as needed by asking, 'And then what happened?' or other questions to clarify a point or the characters in the story.

c. Supply vocabulary words as the child needs them.

d. Help the children make up a group story about something that happened. For example:

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A tortoise came into a school yard. The children were frightened; especially those who never saw one before. They learned it was harmless and they wanted to play with it. It could not play with them because of its shell. So the children decided to learn how to feed and water the tortoise and to take care of it. They named it Torty and it is the school mascot.

The teacher can write down the story the children tell and put it in a form that is clear. Then the teacher can read it to the children and let them know this is their story. Hang the story up on something for the children to see. They will know that those words are their story. This will encourage them to read.

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL AREA: FINE MOTOR

*********************************************************** *

1. Goals: * * *

a. to pick small objects up and put them in piles or * in containers according to size, shape and colour *

* b. to open and close boxes, take off and put on *

container covers, screw and unscrew caps * *

c. to string beads and form them into designs * *

d. to build structures using a variety of building * materials *

* *

2. Materials: * * *

a. small blocks and stones * *

b. containers, to sort small objects in * •k

a. beads of different sizes, shapes and colours to * string *

* d. boxes with ends and tops to open and close, *

containers with covers, and containers with * screw tops *

* e. empty match boxes to join together *

* /. small sticks, building blocks, (optional: linking *

logs, and Lego). * *


Goal a. to pick small objects up and put them In piles or in containers according to size, shape and colour.

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Activities :

a. Show the children the materials to achieve this objective. Let them handle the materials and you name them. If they do not know how to pick up objects correctly, show them.

b. Have the children sort the objects in the containers ; first according to kind of item - stone, bead, block, etc. Then according to colour, then according to shape. Some of the older children can sort according to colour and shape or colour and kind or shape and kind of item.

LESSON 2

Goal b. to open and close boxes, take off and put on container covers, screw and unscrew caps.

Activities :

a. Show the children how to open and close different kinds of boxes. If they cannot open and close the boxes, start with a large box that has a top. As the children master this, then introduce the smaller boxes.

b. Show the children how to take a cover off a container like a flour or sugar canister, plastic covers for nuts, storage boxes, empty match boxes, etc. Then show the child how to put the cover back on the container. For the match boxes, the children can learn to open them half way and put two match boxes together and keep adding until there is a train of match boxes. Build up speed and you may have a race between two or more children.

c. Show the children how to screw and unscrew tops to jars, plastic water bottles, oil cans, etc. Watch as they do this and correct their mistakes.

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d. Review the activities of the previous lesson in this goal to be certain the children remember what to do.

LESSON 3

Goal c: to string beads and form them into design.

Activities :

a. Show the children how to put beads on a string. You may have to wind a rubber band or some wire around one end of the string to put through the beads. Also you will want to have a large knot or a bead tied to the other end so the beads do not drop off.

b. Have the children place all the large beads on the string and then remove them.

c. Have children place all small beads on the string and then remove them.

d. Have children place all red beads on the string and then remove them. Do the same thing with blue, yellow, green, orange and purple - or any other colour you have.

e. Have the children alternate size of beads, then alternate colours and, finally, for those six years old, alternate colour and size.

LESSON 4

Goal d: to build structures using a variety of building materials.

Activities:

Have the children pile building blocks of the same size one on top of the other. Then two on top of two, then three on top of three. Do this until they have about 6 to 10 blocks

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across and two blocks high. Then have them build three high, four high, etc. Be sure the blocks are level and smooth.

b. Have the children build a wall using blocks of different sizes and help them learn to even out blocks of different sizes so that a level top results.

c. Have the children use building materials of different shapes - triangles, rectangles, squares, etc. These pieces can be made from scraps from construction builders or they can be made from other light weight material, like balsam wood. Have the children make houses, walls, schools, stores, pens, etc.

d. Have the children build with linking logs. These snap into each other at corners to build buildings, etc. These are more difficult to make locally, but it can be done. Use Lego as an alternative building material.

e. Review.

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL AREA:

SHAPES AND COLOURS AND SIZES

*********************************************************** *

1. Goals: * * *

a. to learn to recognize shapes * *

b. to learn to recognize and match colours * *

c. to learn to recognize differences in sizes * *

d. to use play dough of different colours to make * shapes *

* *

2. Materials: * * *

a. white paper and pencils; coloured paper * *

b. crayons, basic and secondary colours (at least) * *

a. objects of different shapes and sizes - squares * circles, triangles, rectangles, ovals, and * diamonds (2 and 3 dimension). *

* d. pictures of objects in the different shapes and J

sizes *. *

e. sand - on the ground or in a large flat pan. J *


Goal a. to learn to recognize shapes

Activities:

a. Show the children the materials to achieve this goal. Let them handle the objects.

b. Make the shape of a circle in the air and have the children imitate you. Correct any mistakes.

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c. Have the children point to the object and pictures that are circles.

d. Have the children look around the room or outside to find circles - a ball, a round container, a can, etc.

e. Let the children run their index finger around the shapes.

f. Make the shape of a circle in the sand and let the children have turns at doing this. Make the shapes with water on the sand or with footpaths .

g. Have the children then make the circle on a piece of paper either by tracing or free hand.

h. Follow Activities a through f for each of the other shapes: squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, diamonds.

LESSON 2

Goal b: To learn to recognize and match colours.

Activities :

a. Show the children the crayons and let them handle the crayons. Correct their way of holding them if it does not let them use the crayon easily.

b. Talk about the basic colours - blue, red, yellow. Then show them which crayon is blue, which red, which yellow. Ask them to pick up the crayon in the colour you say. Have the children do this with each other.

c. Have the children look around to find these colours in the room, in pictures, in flowers, etc. and point to them.

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d. Have the children colour the circles and other shapes they made with the colour they can name.

e. Talk to the children about the secondary colours - blue and yellow make green;" yellow and red make orange; red and blue make purple. Then repeat Activities c_ and d.

f. Cut coloured paper into strips and mix them up. Call out a colour and have a child pick up that coloured paper. Continue this and then let the children call out a colour and have another child pick it up.

g. Have one child called Red, another called Blue and give them a strip of coloured paper corresponding to their colour. Let another child pick up a colour and give it to the correct person.

h. Give each child strips of different colours to hold. Have other children ask for colours and try to have a child get all the same colour in his/her hand.

LESSON 3

Goal c. to learn to recognize differences in sizes (classification)

Activities:

Talk to the children about big and small and show them the same object, one of which is big and the other small. Use the shapes of different sizes and have the children tell which are big and which are small. Work with the same shape to make the task easier at first. Have the children pick out all the big shapes and put them in one pile and all the small shapes and put them in another pile.

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c. Have the children draw big and little circles first then squares, etc.

d. Have the children colour the little shapes one colour and the big shapes another colour.

e. Show the children gradations in size from smallest to biggest. Put circles in sequence of size, then the other shapes.

f. Have the children put the same shapes in sequence of size.

g. Have the children draw circles which gradually get larger, then squares, etc.

h. Have children colour the smallest shape one colour, the next largest another colour, etc.

LESSON 4

Goal d. to use play dough of different colours to make shapes.

Activities:

Show the children the coloured play dough and have them name the colours. Let them handle the play dough.

Show them how to make a ball with the red (or blue or yellow) play dough and have them name the colour and the shape. Have them do this with a square and make it into a block.

The other shapes will need to be made two dimensional. Have the children shape the coloured play dough on a piece of paper or plastic cloth and name the shape and the colour.

Have the children make bowls, dishes, vases, tables, chairs, eggs in the nest, etc. with the play dough. Let them tell about what they have made, name the colour, and tell how the real item this represents can be used.

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COGNITIVE, FINE MOTOR, PERCEPTUAL AREA : NUMBERS

********************************************************** *

1. Goals: * * *

a. to count, recognize and match numbers 1-20 * *

b. to apply numbers to games * *

c. to begin addition * * *

2. Materials: * * *

a. pictures of objects to designate numbers - 1 hat,* 2 shoes, 3 coats, 4 boxes, 5 children, etc. The * number of items should be put up in a corner in * large print. *

* b. blocks, stones, beads, marbles, etc. *

* c. counting frame of 10 beads placed on each wire *

with room to move them from one side to the * other. They should be lined up under each * other and fastened to a board at the sides, top * and bottom (Optional Material) *

* d. dominoes *

* e. small pieces of paper with numbers written on *

one side. * *

********************************************************** 3. LESSON PLANS : LESSON 1

Goal a. to count numbers 1 - 2 0 . Activities:

a. Show the children the picture with one item and the number 1. Talk about the picture and point to the item and the number. Then have them say One.

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b. Hold up 1 pencil and ask how many you have. Do this with a stone, a marble and with one of the beads on the counter. Let the children pick up one of the items and tell how many he/she has.

c. Repeat aor b for 2-10. The children need to master 1-10 before they can learn 11-20.

d. Have the children line up objects according to the total number they are learning.

e. Have a child count 2 children, 4 children, any number up to 10. Count chairs, tables, etc.

f. Show the child how to make each number. Have them do one in the air, on the table, and then on a piece of paper. Do the next number and so forth.

LESSON 2

Goal b: to apply numbers to games.

Activities:

a. Put the small pieces of paper with numbers on them in a pile face down in the centre of the table or floor. Have each child pick up one piece of paper. Then have one child ask the other children if anyone has the number he/ she has. They give him/her their number, if it corresponds, and take up another paper. The child to the left of the first child then asks if anyone has the number he/she has. The child who obtains most of the numbers called out is the winner. (There should be 5 of each number l-lO at first and then add five of each number 11-20).

b. Play dominoes.

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c. Drop blocks or stones in a container, one at a time so that they can be heard. Have the children, with their eyes closed as you drop them, tell you how many were dropped.

LESSON 3

Goal c. to begin addition

Activities:

a. Take one block and set it at one end of the table. Ask the children how many you have. Take a second block and put it at the other end of the table. Ask the children how many you have there. Then bring the blocks together and ask how many you have (two). Tell the children that one block brought together with one block make 2.

b. Repeat this activity with 2 and 1; 2 and 2; 3 and 1; 3 and 2; 3 and 3; etc.

c. Have the children put blocks or beads together in addition form; e.g. 2 blocks in their left hand, three blocks in their right hand, say what they have in each hand and bring them together and say the total.

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Documents

A Manual for Teachers of Young Children and other ECCE ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000671/067137eo.pdf · PREFACE Digest XV, which is presented as a Manual for Teachers of Young