More Infant Ideas can be found at www.pam-ball.com
Infant Curriculum can be found at www.lilexplorers.info
Language/Literacy Development
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Developmental Area: Language & Literacy
Target Age: 9 – 12 months
Objective: To begin the infant with using words that mean something.
Procedure: (Begin with 5 fingers splayed and palm away from you, bouncing hand to rhythm of verse...)
Five little monkeys
Jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
(hold up one finger,
then rub head)
Mommy called the doctor
and the doctor said,
"NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"
(Index finger out,
shaking in chastising manner)
Four little monkeys... etc.
Materials: Only the Fingerplay…5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Sing Hush Little Baby
Developmental Area: Language & Literacy
Target Age: 4 – 9 months
Objective: Interacting with baby
Procedure: Sing the song to baby, while singing be sure to smile and touch baby.
Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond
ring turns to brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy
goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull,
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
Outside Puppet Show
Developmental Area:
Language & Literacy
Target Age: 9 – 12 months
Objective: To help children to enjoy stories…by showing them the interaction between the characters.
Procedure: Take the Puppet Theater outside and put on a puppet show for the children.
Materials: Puppet theater, and several puppets
Baby Scavenger Hunt
Developmental Area: Language & Literacy
Target Age: 9 – 12 months
Objective: Help baby understand words have meaning
Procedure: Walk around the yard telling baby what things are. Ex. Tree, rocks, grass, sky, etc…
Materials: The Great Outdoors
Physical Lesson Plans
Baby Catch
Developmental Area:
Large muscles
Target Age: 6 – 10 months
Objective: To get the infant to use his hands and arms to move the ball.
Procedure: Roll a ball to the infant and encourage him to roll it back.
Materials: Ball and floor covering the ball will easily roll on.
Additional Comments: You can change this game by getting closer or further away from the infant.
Now you See it Now
You Don’t
Developmental Area:
Large Muscle
Target Age: 3 – 6 months
Objective: To get the infant to start using his/her large muscles.
Procedure: Dangle objects for the infant to reach out to grasp.
Materials:
a rattle, or other
object to get the infants attention.
Additional Comments:
Squeaky toys are popular with infants, too. Try different objects, one at a
time until you find one that attracts the infant’s attention.
Take a Walk
Developmental Area:
Large Muscle
Target Age: 10 – 14 months
Objective: To help the infant develop his/her muscles needed for walking on his/her own.
Procedure: Hold the infant’s hands above his/her head and encourage him/her to walk around the yard.
Materials:
None
Additional Comments:
As the infant gets
better at balance and coordination you can do this activity by holding only
one hand.
Squeeze the Sponge
Developmental Area:
Small Muscle
Target Age: 8 – 12 months
Objective: To get the infant using small muscles, while having fun!
Procedure: Give the infant a sponge to squeeze filled with water to squeeze.
Materials:
sponges and water.
Additional Comments:
Make sure this is a clean sponge and water as we all know that infants will
probably put it in their month.
Emotional Development
If You’re Happy and
You Know It
Developmental Area:
Emotional Development
Target Age: 14 – 18 months
Objective: To help children express their emotions.
Procedure:
Sing: "If You're Happy And You Know It" using:
"If you're sad and you know it, cry a tear," and "If you're happy and you know
it, wave your arms"
Materials: None
Emotions Placemat
Developmental Area: Emotional & Social Development, Art
Target Age: 16 – 18 months
Objective: To help children recognize feelings in others and show empathy for others.
Procedure: Help child find and cut out pictures of different emotions in magazines. Then help the child paste these pictures on a piece of construction paper. Laminate and discuss these emotions over and over with the child. Let the child use his or her placemat at meal or snack time.
Materials: Construction paper, Scissors, Old Magazines, Glue, Laminator or clear contact paper.
Emotions Ball Relay
Developmental Area: Gross Motor Skills, Emotions
Target Age: 18 – 24 months
Objective: to teach children about different emotions and help them understand their feelings.
Procedure: Have the children sit in a row on the ground. Place a box with several balls in it across the yard. Ask the first child in the row to walk quickly over to the box. pick up the ball, showing how they feel, walk back, give it to the next child in line and sit down. Then have that child walk over to the box, put the ball back in it and, choose his/her emotion from the box then return to his or her place in line, then have the child pass to the next child and repeat this procedure until all children have had a turn.
Materials: Several balls with pictures of emotions taped to them., A box
Feelings Tag
Developmental Area:
Emotional Development, Gross Motor Skills, Thinking Skills
Target Age: 18 – 24 months
Objective: For children to recognize and understand emotions.
Procedure: Draw large pictures of feelings (smile, frown, etc.) on the drive or sidewalk with chalk. Take turns calling out an emotion and the children have to get to that emotion as quickly as possible.
Materials: Chalk, Driveway or sidewalk,
Cognitive Development
See Those Tracks!
Developmental Area: Cognitive, Physical
Target Age: 9 – 12 months
Objective: Infants will grasp cars, and imitate what I do with them in the shaving cream, dirt, pudding, etc (whichever I choose).
Procedure: Place all the children around the pan that is on the sheet (they should be placed on sheet as well to prevent mess). Talk to the children simply about tracks, like, “Ooooh, look at the tracks everybody!” Bring to their attention what the car is doing. Make sure each child has a car to play with in the shaving cream. Allow the children to experience with the material hat the children are running their cars through.
Materials: Toy cars that can be cleaned easily (one for each child)., Pan or container for the shaving cream, etc., Large sheet for the activity to be held on.
Comments: With pre-toddlers and toddlers, one would want to emphasize more about the tracks, and how they are made. By stressing the relationship between pushing the car and the tracks that are created, the children will begin to recognize what is going on.
Fill It Up
Developmental Area: Cognitive
Target Age: 9-12 months
Objective: This makes the infant feel powerful and supports his understanding of the concepts of empty and full.
Procedure: Give baby an empty shoebox and some small (but not small enough to choke on) objects to put inside and dump out again.
Materials: empty shoe box
Small safe objects to put in the shoe box
Sand Monster
Developmental Area: Cognitive
Target Age: 9 - 12 months
Objective: To teach a child about object permanence (meaning, things that disappear are actually just somewhere else).
Procedure: Hide your feet in the sand. Let your toes pop out. Children love the thrill of "hiding" and "finding" things.
Materials: Sand box
Sound Ideas
Developmental Area:
Cognitive
Target Age: 9 – 12 months
Objective: To teach baby about sounds animal makes.
Procedure: Take baby outside and sit in the yard. Tell baby about the stuffed animals and show her what sounds they make—such as, "This is a lion and he says, 'Roarrr!'"
Materials: Many different Stuffed animals