Julienne M. Olson - 200 Essential Preschool Activities

ESSENTIAL

Preschool Activities

JULIENNE M. OLSON

Redleaf Press www.redleafpress.org 800-423-8309

Published by Redleaf Press

10 Yorkton Court

St. Paul, MN 55117

www.redleafpress.org

2012 by Julienne M. Olson

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted on a specific page, no portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or capturing on any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

First edition 2012

Cover design by Jim Handrigan

Cover photograph Nailia Schwarz/Veer

Interior design by Percolator

Typeset in ITC Slimbach

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 121 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Olson, Julienne M.

200 essential preschool activities / Julienne M. Olson.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-60554-204-1

1. Education, PreschoolActivity programs.I. Title. II. Title: Two hundred essential preschool activities.

LB1140.35.C74O57 2012

372.21dc23

2012007939

Printed on acid-free paper

Thank you to all of the student teachers I have worked with over the years. You have kept me creative and have motivated me to search for fresh new ideas. To the families I have worked with: your children are the reason for this book. A special thank you to Deanne Borgeson for encouraging me and helping me find the path to complete this project.

J.O.

I stood up one day and looked around my early childhood classroom. The volume was excessively high, and the children were busy dumping out boxes of toys and quickly moving on to the next item. They were not engaged and seemed to be constantly squabbling for attention. One little girl, who seemed to prefer observing the scene rather than tossing herself into the stormy sea, came over to stand beside me. She looked up and declared, Well, we sure arent in Kansas anymore.

What was happening was a lack of structure and planning on my part. I quickly realized that I was filling time in the day. My directives to the children went like this:

Go do puzzles.

Here is a box of blocks.

Go look at some picture books.

The children were great, but I needed to change. They deserved lessons that were created to promote learning, functional skills, and interaction. They needed structure, boundaries, and well-thought-out activities.

That was the beginning of this book. The ideas you find here will help children be creative, learn new skills, and build relationships with their peers. Please know that there is a difference between overbearing boundaries and well-planned activities. Structure doesnt need to limit childrens experiences.

Some preschoolers need a direction and are then able to take the play to their own level of imagination. Let me tell you a story about a child like that. As this particular boy sat on the couch watching his friends, I sat down and said to him, Is this your car? Can you take me to the park? Pretty soon, he turned the beanbag chair into Santas sack, placed all the stuffed animals on top as the toys, and recruited four friends to jump around in front of him as reindeer. All I had to do was to give him an ideaand then let the play evolve.

This book was written primarily for student teachers and new teachers in early childhood or early childhood special education. However, it also provides veteran teachers with ideas that will help them refresh their love of teaching and spark their creativity.

Most teachers are proficient in finding activities. Although this book is activity based, it is written to encourage teachers to think about why they are using an activity and how to use the lesson to enhance learning. The activities are a foundation for lesson planning and include adaptations for many different skill levels. The ideas complement curriculum and can be used with numerous topics and a variety of literature. Each lesson is based on common knowledge of the development of young children and on my years of experience working with preschoolers.

I have been an early childhood special education teacher since 1995. I have never found a yellow-brick path or a magical wizard to make sure I was on track. We do need to allow children to break out of their shells, find their wings, and learn to fly. Wouldnt it be wonderful if we could provide them with enough wind to help them soar over the mountains?

Structuring a classroom requires careful thought and planning. Many factors should be considered when you set up different areas of an early childhood room to make smooth transitions throughout the day. Because of the complexities involved, many of the topics in this chapter are broad in scope and involve multiple learning domains. The ideas are not all encompassing; rather, theyre intended to provide you with a place to start planning so you can adapt them to fit your own unique setting. What you will find are tips and suggestions on how to make a classroom predictable and consistent for children.

Why is this chapter so important? With a well-thought-out classroom structure designed to promote learning, you can expect to see an increase in independence, comfort, and positive behavior in children. The ideas can quickly be applied to any classroom setting so a new school year can begin with consistency and engaged learning.

Every teachers goal should be to set up the classroom to promote learning for children in a stable environment. Here are some tips to keep your room organized while creating centers that help children stay engaged.

As you set up different areas in your room, block the areas off with bulletin boards or barriers.

Hang material over shelves of toys that are not currently being used. This keeps your classroom looking organized.