This document provides suggestions for a variety of fun early childhood activities that engage young children's learning. The activities cover different themes like arts and crafts, stories, songs, and drama. They also introduce or reinforce learning concepts like colors, numbers, letters, animals, and seasons. The activities aim to create a stress-free environment and accommodate different learning styles through movement, hands-on projects, books, and more. Specific activity examples include making flowers, playing number games, learning about butterflies, spiders, dinosaurs, shapes, holidays, careers, transportation, weather, and more.

1. Fun early childhood activities

2. There is a variety of themes and activities to engage young children
Create a stress-free and fun atmosphere
Use games, puzzles, stories, songs, drama, arts and crafts
Introduce or reinforce learning: colors, numbers, letter recognition, animals, seasons, holidays, etc.

3. Keep it simple: demonstrate while you explain directions
Change activities often
Don’t force participation
Sometimes children are more comfortable just watching
They will learn from observing and participate as ready

4. The following suggestions may be adapted according to ages, interests, and abilities of your students
Accommodate different learning styles with movement, music, hands-on activities, and books

5. First, children trace five flowers onto heavy paper using template you have created
Next, children cut out patterns and color or paint using a variety of colors
◦You may prepare flower patterns ahead of time if desired
Then, display flowers on poster board and seat children so everyone can see
Allow everyone to have a turn

6. Five pretty flowers in the flower shop.
Five pretty flowers, who are they for?
Along came (child’s name)
With a penny to pay.
He (She) bought a __________one,
(Child selects a flower, identifies its color, and pays a penny or paper coin.)
And then he (she) went away.
(Repeat with)
Four pretty flowers…..
Three pretty flowers….
Two pretty flowers…..
One pretty flower

7. To learn about butterflies
To introduce or practice the letter “B”

8. Display a butterfly and the letter “B”
Elicit what children already know
Briefly discuss:
◦The butterfly is an insect with four large wings that flies mostly in daytime
◦Butterflies come in brilliant colors and many sizes
◦Butterflies are closely related to moths but have thinner bodies

9. Read a poem of short story about a butterfly
Sing a song about butterflies
Talk about possible colors and then have children color or paint a butterfly coloring sheet
Encourage children to talk about their pictures to each other and to you
Brainstorm other words that start with the letter “B”

10. Show pictures and explain basic facts
A spider is a small animal with eight legs and a body made up of two parts
◦Most spiders spin webs in which they nest and catch insects to eat
◦Spiders are related to mites, ticks, and scorpions

11. Watch a video about spiders
Read the Nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet”
Recite nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider” using hand gestures (spider climbing, rain coming down, arms wide to show sun coming out, spider climbing)
◦Itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
◦Down came the rain and washed the spider out
◦Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
◦And the itsy bitsy spider came up the spout again

12. Brainstorm with children to access prior knowledge about dinosaurs
Read Dancing Dinosby Sally Lucas and illustrated by Margaeux Lucas
◦First time read book without interruption
◦Next, pause to count the dinosaurs on each page
◦Then, go back and ask children to identify objects and where they are found: In what room did the dinosaurs eat, in what room did they take a bath, where did they spill water, etc.
◦Finally, in pairs have children act out their own stories using plastic models of dinosaurs

13. Introduce shapes to children: circle, oval, diamond, triangle, rectangle, square, etc.
You may use plastic shapes or pictures to demonstrate
Have children identify various shapes in classroom: what shape is the clock, the desk, the poster, etc.
Elicit names of shapes with sets of flashcards either purchased or made by the children
Play bingo with cards containing shapes

14. Engage children in discussion about upcoming Holiday, may be religious or national
Elicit what they already know about the Holiday:
◦calendar date, history, what it means, how different people celebrate, traditions, and customs

15. Children trace bookmark onto heavy poster board using template
Children or teacher cut out bookmark
Children decorate bookmark with colors and items appropriate to Holiday
Seated in a circle, children describe bookmarks with the whole classroom

16. Discuss importance of reading
Visit library and have children select books
◦Children may also bring favorite book from home
Have discussion about what makes a book a favorite: characters, illustrations, story, etc.
Taking turns, children show and tell about their favorite books
Encourage children to read everyday at home and make regular trips to the library

17. Discuss various careers children are familiar with
Introduce new jobs and professions with flashcards and books
Associate jobs with verbs that describe what a person does:
◦pilots fly airplanes, firefighters put out fires, doctors care for the sick, etc.
Play “guess the profession”:
◦I’m thinking of a person that arrests bank robbers. Police officer. I’m thinking of a person that writes books. Author.
Invite parents to the classroom to talk about their work

18. Specify land transportation and have children name all the modes of travel: car, school bus, train, subway, etc.
Encourage children to talk about their favorite way to travel or what they would like to experience
Demonstrate with plastic models, toys or pictures to enhance discussion

19. Discuss trips children have taken and various forms of transportation on land, water, and air
Show locations on map as children describe where they traveled
Tell what activities they participated in on vacation
Draw or paint showing where they visited or what they did
Share stories with the rest of the class

20. Talk about weather patterns in your area:
◦We live in the far north and it’s cold and snowy in December
Track weather daily on felt or bulletin board:
◦Today it’s cloudy, 85 degrees, and very windy
Ask children to describe what activities they prefer when it’s cold outside, when it rains, when it’s sunny:
◦When it rains, I like to stay inside and play games
Discuss weather conditions and the clothes they wear:
◦I wear a jacket, hat, mittens, and boots when it snows
Sing songs about the weather and act out motions

21. Engage the imaginations of your students
Build on children’s innate desire to learn
Keep children motivated with variety and frequent change of activities
Establish and maintain discipline in classroom: be clear about acceptable and unacceptable behavior
Keep the focus positive. Praise appropriate behavior often

22. www.first-school.ws