Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Ask the children help you build an obstacle course. (It is easier outside where there is more room).

Materials Needed: You can use tunnels, cones, hoops, toys, etc. for the course.

Procedure: Tell the children how to go through the course.

Variations: You could also play Follow the Leader through the obstacle course.

Guidance Suggestions: Place the objects for the course far apart so the kids do not get squished together.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Have a list of Jj words in mind or write a list.

Materials Needed: Paper and pencil to write the list.

Procedure: Say some random words. Have children jump up every time you say a Jj word.

Variations: You can do this for any letter of the alphabet. Use some words that children do not hear often to increase their vocabulary, such as minuscule.

Guidance Suggestions: Make sure the kids have enough room so they do not bump into each other.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Think of some simple tasks that children can easily do.

Materials Needed: None

Procedure: Ask a child to do several simple tasks in a row. Only ask one time, do not remind the child, to see if the child was listening.

Variations: For younger children you should start with one task at a time.

Guidance Suggestions: Remember to get the child’s full attention before asking her to do the tasks assigned.

Curriculum Area: Literacy
Preparation Needed: Pull out the letter matches that you want to use.
Materials Needed: Make or buy upper and lower case letter cards.
Guidance Suggestions: Use the upper and lower case letters in the child’s name for a matching game. For example, match “A” with “a”
Variations: You can use number words (one) and numerals (1) for a number matching game.

Curriculum Area: Literacy
Preparation Needed: Make sure the cards are not already sorted.
Materials Needed: Make or buy a set of cards that include letters and numbers.
Guidance Suggestions: You can lay the cards on the floor for sorting or hold them up and ask the group if you are holding a letter.
Variations: You can replace the number cards with shape cards for an easier game.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Put a group of chairs in the middle of the room.

Materials Needed: Child sized chairs, recorded music and something to play the music with.

Procedure: Start the music and have the children walk in a circle around the chairs. When the music stops the children have to find a chair and sit down. You will use one less chair than the number of kids participating. Take a chair and child out every time the music stops.

Variations: The children can march or skip around the chairs.

Guidance Suggestions: Have the children that are out of the game help make the music. Or use the same number of chairs and kids so they can all play.

Curriculum Area: Literacy
Preparation Needed: Fold several pieces of paper in half. Staple them together to make a book.
Materials Needed: Paper, stapler and a pencil
Guidance Suggestions: Have the children draw pictures on the paper book. Ask the child to tell you about the pictures. Then write what the child says.
Variations: Write a number on each page and have the child draw one to one correspondence pictures to count for each number. For example write number 1, then the child can draw one circle.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Decide which child will be the stop light and where the starting line will be. It is easier if you mark the starting line with masking tape.

Materials Needed: Masking tape

Procedure: Ask the children to line up. When the “stop light” says green light the children can walk to him. When he says red light the children need to stop or they will have to go back to the starting line.

Variations: You can make a large sign that says “stop” on one side and “go” on the other if you have the time.

Guidance Suggestions: Play with the children and help the younger ones follow the rules.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: None

Materials Needed: A book

Procedure: Read a short story to the children. After the story ask the children questions about what happened in the book.

Variations: You can ask a question about each page as well.

Guidance Suggestions: If a child is having a hard time sitting still, give them some thing small and quiet to play with; or have her turn the pages in the book.

Curriculum Area: Literacy
Preparation Needed: Remove the label from the bottle. Cut out some pictures from the magazine and tape them onto the bottle.
Materials Needed: A two litter bottle, magazine, and tape
Guidance Suggestions: Roll the bottle and ask the children questions about a picture on the bottle.
Variations: You could write letters or numbers on the bottle instead of using the pictures.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Have a list of ideas in mind or write a list to refer to.

Materials Needed: None

Procedure: Gather the children and ask them to do quick simple tasks, but only if you say “Simon says” first. If you do not say “Simon says” and a child does the task they are out of the game.

Variations: Change the name of this game to your name; for example, Dora Says

Guidance Suggestions: If the children get frustrated you can simply let everyone keep playing when they make mistakes.

Curriculum Area: Listening

Preparation Needed: Collect some things that make noise.

Materials Needed: Instruments or toys that make noise

Procedure: Have the children sit in the middle of the room and close their eyes. Make noise with an object. Ask the children to turn their heads toward the sound. Then open their eyes to see if they were right.

Variations: You could ask the children what instrument or toy is making the sound too.

Guidance Suggestions: Many kids will peek so you will need to be quick or ignore it.