Halloween is approaching! As many child daycare centers begin to implement Halloween themed activities, consider this black cat sorting activity. Black cat sorting is a fun Halloween themed activity that supports cognitive development.
Cognitive Development in Preschoolers
Cognitive development focuses on developing functions of the brain such as thinking, learning, awareness, judgment, and processing information. According to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, children go through several stages of cognitive development and learning activities for toddlers and children should correspond to the appropriate developmental.
Sorting black cats is a cognitive activity for preschoolers that helps them learn and practice the skills of classification, relationships, and counting. This lesson plan includes preparation instructions, procedures, and materials list for this activity. The lesson plan also includes age-appropriate learning objectives and examples of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning in child care centers.
Activity Materials
Large Felt Board
Black Felt
Black cat templates (optional)
Scissors
Activity Preparation
Trace black cats in various sizes (some large and some small) on a large piece of black felt. You may also use black cat templates to trace the cats on the felt. Cut the cats out the felt. Arrange them randomly on a large felt board.
Procedure
Invite the children over to the felt board. Explain to them that they will be sorting black cats arranging them biggest to smallest. Encourage the children to place the black cat cut outs in graduated order from biggest to smallest. After they are arranged, encourage the children them into two categories, placing biggest black cats on one side of the board and smallest black cats on the other. Next ask them to count the number of black cats in each group.
Objective 1: To develop an understanding of classification by encourage children to sort black cats by size
Verbal Cue A: Can you sort the cats into groups of big and small?
Verbal Cue B: Let’s put the biggest black cats on this side of the board and the smallest black cats on the other side.
Objective 2: To teach about relationships using the terms small, big, and bigger
Verbal cue A: Let’s arrange all of the cats in order from big to small.
Verbal Cue B: Which cat is bigger? This black cat or this black cat?
Objective 3: To introduce the number concept of 1-10
Verbal Cue A: Let’s count the number of small black cats.
Verbal Cue B: How many large black cats are there?
With this black cat sorting activity, children will learn important cognitive skills such as sorting and classification, spend time becoming familiar with the symbols of autumn, and have great fun.
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