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Children’s creativity blossoms through rich experience in the arts. According to Play Projects and preschool Standards by Gera Jacobs and Kathy Krowley, “Through the arts, children learn to express themselves and discover that they can represent their thoughts and ideas through many different media. The arts help children develop the concept that one thing can represent an idea…Art assists children in making meaning of their world”. Art nurtures creativity.

Preschool teachers and daycare providers have the opportunity to promote creative development by providing art activities that explore media and materials and encourage imagination.

This relief print craft is an excellent example of an activity that provides the opportunity to for expression, to encourage spontaneity in material usage, and to introduce children to textured materials.

This relief print lesson plan includes a materials list, preparation instructions and procedures for this activity to make childcare jobs easier, but also the age appropriate learning objectives and a sample of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning.

Relief Print Materials:

• Cardboard
• Glue
• Scissors
• Tempura Paints in a variety of color
• Paint Brush
• Rolling pin
• Art Paper

Relief Print Activity Preparation:

• Cut cardboard into the shape of your choice and glue it onto another cardboard square. Allow to dry completely.
• Set out tempura paints in a shallow tray
• Cover the activity table with butcher paper and set out paint, paint brushes, art paper, and rolling pin.

Procedures for Relief Print Activity

1. Invite the children over and tell that you are going to make prints on paper.
2. Show children how to press the stamp into the paint or brush paint on the stamp  and then press the stamp on the art paper.
3. Alternatively children can roll a rolling pin over the back of the stamp to be sure that the stamp is completely pressed down.
4. Children can make as many prints as they like. Allow to dry completely.

Relief Print Craft Objectives

Objective 1

To provide the opportunity for expressive activities by encouraging the children to create prints using relief stamps.

Verbal Cue A: Today we are going to make designs with stamps!
Verbal Cue B: Would you like to press the stamp onto the paper?

Objective 2

To encourage spontaneity in material usage by allowing the children to choose paint colors and for the relief stamps.

Verbal Cue A: Which color paints would you like to use first?
Verbal Cue B: I like the designs you have made!

Objective 3

To promote the sharing of art materials to foster social interaction and cooperation

Verbal Cue A: Let’s take turns using the paints.
Verbal Cue B: Can you let Tracy use the green paint?

Kids will have great fun in your childcare center while learning important creative arts skills.

*Relief Print activity adapted from Scribble Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl.

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For young children, developing gratitude begins at home, but learning gratitude can be supported in the family daycare or preschool environment. Young children are naturally self-centered and this is normal. Children then grow to develop sensitivity and empathy as they are taught in the early years to be thankful, to be generous, to share, and to be patient. This involves teaching children to be thankful through role playing and modeling by adults and cultivating environments that foster the development of thankfulness.

Modeling Gratitude
Role modeling is important in cultivating gratitude. Child care providers create environments that model and enhance children’s learning of gratitude. As young as 2 years old, children can learn basic manners by being taught to say “Please” and “Thank you” when appropriate, even if they do not understand the reasons for being polite. As children complete preschool, they will learn more about acceptable and unacceptable etiquette. Teaching and use phrases of gratitude as often as possible such as:

• Thank you
• I appreciate….
• I enjoyed…
• Would you please…
• I would appreciate….
• I’m grateful that….
• You are such a great help..
• I value you(r)…

Gratitude Exercises

While teaching a unit on gratitude, encourage children to dictate a list of things that they appreciate/are thankful for. Children can illustrate one of the things on the list. Post the pictures and the lists around the classroom.

After a field trip, help the children write a thank you letter or create a thank card for those at the facility and thank them for their kindness and the products, experience or services provided. For example, if you visit a library for story time, kids can write a letter to the librarian thanking them for the story, activities, and books they were able to check out.  Each child can sign their name to the letter or card and the group of children can present the card.

Providing an age appropriate volunteer opportunity is a great way to teach gratitude through giving back to the community. Children can participate in holding a food drive and delivering it to a food bank. Children can put together activity boxes for children in hospitals. Another great way to give back is to clean the neighborhood. Children can volunteer to pick up trash at the local playground or park.

Books about Gratitude:
Here are some great books about gratitude to share with children:
The Most Thankful Thing by Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore [Cartwheel, 2004]
Henry’s Life as a Tulip Bulb or Developing an Attitude of Gratitude by Linda M. Brandt [Bloch Publishing, 2007]
I’m Thankful Each Day by P.K.Hallihan [Ideals Publications, 2001]
The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood and Greg Shed [Simon & Schuster, 2005]
Little Critter: Just so Thankful by Mercer Mayer [HarperFestival, 2006]

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Butterfly Preschool Lesson Plan

Enjoy this preschool lesson plan all about butterflies. The activities below will introduce children to butterflies through fun facts, activities, books, songs, and crafts. This lesson plan works well in conjunction with a daycare center unit with a theme about insects and bugs.

Learning about Butterflies

Basic facts about butterflies:

The life cycle of a butterfly goes from egg to caterpillar to pupa/chrysalis to butterfly
A butterfly has six jointed legs, 3 body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), 2 antennae, eyes, and an exoskeleton.

Butterflies taste with their feet and sense with tiny sensory hairs.

Caterpillars eat leaves and help to pollinate plants

Butterfly Craft

Tissue paper Butterflies
Materials: Tissue paper in various colors, black pipe cleaners, scissors

Instructions: Cut the corners off of the tissue paper squares. Encourage each child to bunch the tissue paper in the middle and then wrap and twist the pipe cleaner together. The pipe cleaner then becomes the antennae.  Allow each child to create several. Decorate windows with them or create butterfly mobiles.

Butterfly Math/Manipulation Activity
Cut out butterflies from construction paper from felt in three colors or three different sizes. Encourage children to arrange/sort the butterflies on the felt board by color or size.

Butterfly Finger Play
“Butterfly”
Sing “Butterfly” to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Encourage children to hook their thumbs together and wiggle their fingers to look like a butterfly

“Flutter, flutter butterfly
Floating in the springtime sky
Floating by for all to see
Floating by so merrily
Flutter, flutter, butterfly
Floating in the springtime sky”.

*”Butterfly” taken from indianchild.com.

Books about Butterflies

My Oh My: All about Butterflies by Trish Rabe, Aristides Ruiz, and Joe Mathieu [Random House, 2007]
From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman and Bari Weissman [Collins, 1996]
Are you a Butterfly? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries [Kingfisher, 2003]
Goodnight Sweet Butterflies by Dawn Bentley, Melanie Gerth, and Heather Calhoon [Little Simon, 2007]
Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder and Lyne Cherry [Puffin, 1996]

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Enjoy this preschool lesson plan all about the Ocean. The activities below will introduce children to the ocean through fun facts, activities, books, songs, and crafts. This lesson plan works well in conjunction with a unit with a daycare center theme about the beach, fish, and ocean animals.

Learning about the Ocean

Basic facts about Oceans:

About ¾ of the Earth is covered by the ocean.
There are five oceans: Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean
Some animals that live in the ocean: fish, octopus, walruses, whales, dolphins, sharks, crabs, seahorses, coral reefs, sea lions, sea turtles, shrimp, and jellyfish
Ocean animals eat plankton, seaweed, other fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, clams, etc..

Ocean Craft

Ocean Sponge Paint Craft

Materials: Fish shaped sponge (or cut fish shapes from sponges), sponge roller with a wave pattern, light blue construction paper, dark blue paint, paint in various colors.

Instructions:  Create an ocean scene using sponges and a sponge roller. Instruct the children to roll the sponge roller in dark blue paint across blue construction paper to create the waves of the ocean. Then show them how to dip their fish sponges in various shades of paint and sponge them on to finalize the ocean scene. Allow to dry.

Ocean Sensory Table

Fill a sensory table with sand, shells, plastic ocean animals such as (fish, whales, octopus, etc.) and water.  You may also add dried seaweed and provide snorkeling masks. If using snorkeling masks, only allow the children to put the mask in the water and of course supervise extremely closely. Encourage the children to feel the items in the sensory table. Provide children with buckets and shovels so that they can collect items from the ocean.

Ocean Song

I Went Swimming in the Ocean

Sing “I went Swimming in the Ocean” to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”

“I went swimming in the ocean
On a summer day.
I went swimming in the ocean
And kicked, and splashed and played.
After lunch we looked for seashells
I found three or four
You can hold one up to your ear.
And hear the ocean roar.
Hear the ocean roar
Hear the ocean roar.
You can hear the ocean roar, roar, roar
Hear the ocean roar
Hear the ocean roar
Hear the ocean roar, roar, roar”.

*”I Went Swimming in the Ocean” taken from preschooleducation.com.

Books about the Ocean

Over in the Ocean by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette Canyon [Dawn Publications, 2004]
Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan and Mark Astrella [Charlesbridge Publishing, 2001]
Jennifer Ward by Jennifer Ward [Rising Moon, 2000]
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry [Dial, 2007]
In the Ocean by A.J. Wood and Maurice Pledger [Silver Dolphin Books, 2001]

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Enjoy this preschool lesson plan all about Flag Day. Flag Day, celebrated in the United States on June 14, commemorates adoption of the flag of the United States of America. The activities below will introduce children to Flag Day through fun facts, activities, books, songs, and crafts. This lesson plan works well in conjunction with a unit with a theme about patriotism.

Learning about Flag Day

Basic facts about Flag Day:

The flag of the United States was adopted on June 14, 1777.
The flag of the United States is one of the nation’s most widely recognized symbols.
The flag of the United States has thirteen horizontal stripes of red and white stripes which represent the first states of the union.
The flag of the United States has a blue rectangle in the corner with fifty small, white, stars which represent the fifty states.

Flag Day Craft

Sponge Art Flag

Materials: Regular sponge, star shaped sponge, white construction paper, blue construction paper, red paint, white paint, scissors

Instructions:  Create the American flag using sponges and paint. Show them a picture of the American flag and discuss its features. Cut out blue rectangles from construction.  Allow children the children to glue one blue rectangle on the upper left corner of a sheet of white construction paper. Encourage the children to use rectangular sponge dipped in red paint to create red stripes. Then allow them to use the star shaped sponge dipped in white paint to create stars on the blue rectangle.

Flag Day Song

“Our Grand Flag”*: Sung to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb“
Our grand flag is red, white, blue,
Red, white, blue,
Red, white, blue,
our grand flag is red, white, blue,
In the U.S.A.

Our grand flag has fifty stars,
Fifty stars,
Fifty stars,
Our grand flag hasty stars,
In the U.S.A.

Our grand flag has thirteen stripes,
Thirteen stripes,
Thirteen stripes,
Our grand flag has thirteen stripes,
In the U.S.A.

*Our Grand Flag taken from theholidayzone.com.

Books about Flag Day

Flag Day by Kelly Bennett [Children’s Press, 2003]
F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and Barbara Duke [Grossett & Dunlop, 2002]
What Freedom Means to Me by Heather French Henry [Cubbie Blue Publishing, 2004]
A Flag for All by Larry Dane Brimmer and Christine Tripp [Children’s Press, 2003]
A mission for Jenny: A Story about the Meaning of Flag Day by Ace Collins [Summit Publishing, 1997]

Cooking and Snack

Red, White and Blue Parfaits
Ingredients: Low fat vanilla yogurt, vanilla extract, thawed light whipped cream, fresh raspberries or strawberries, and blueberries.
Instructions: Combine yogurt and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add whipped topping and blend until completely combined. In a clear glass or dessert dish, alternate layers of berries with layers of the yogurt mixture. Serve.

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Early learning goals for toddlers include creative development. “The creative arts, including music, movement, dramatic play, puppetry, painting, sculpture, and drawing, are a crucial part of early childhood. Not only do the arts allow children to express themselves, but creative activity can enhance development of children’s skills in literacy, science, math, social studies, and more” according to “Spotlight on Young Children and the Creative Arts” by Derry Koralek [NAEYC, 2005]. Art, therefore, nurtures creativity.

Preschool teachers and daycare providers have the opportunity to promote creative development by providing art activities that explore media and materials and encourage imagination.

Popcorn Flowers is an excellent example of an activity that provides the opportunity to for expression, to encourage spontaneity in material usage, and to introduce children to textured materials.

This lesson plan includes a materials list, preparation instructions and procedures for this activity to make childcare jobs easier, but also the age appropriate learning objectives and a sample of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning.

Popcorn Flowers Art Materials List

Popcorn

Plastic sandwich bags

Powdered tempera in various colors

Green construction paper

Tagboard

Glue

Butcher Paper

Activity Preparation:

• Pop popcorn
• Cut stems and leaves out of construction paper.
• Cover a table with butcher paper
• Place all materials on the table

Procedures for Popcorn Flowers Activity

1. Invite the children over and tell that you are going to take turns making popcorn flowers for Mother’s Day.
2. Put handfuls of popcorn into plastic baggies.
3. Let the children add tempura paint to the baggies and shake well so that color is evenly distributed.
4. Encourage children to glue stems and leaves on the tagboard.
5. Let children glue the colored popcorn to the stems to create spring flowers.

Popcorn Flowers Art Lesson Objectives

Objective 1

To provide the opportunity for expressive activities by encouraging the children to create flowers out of popcorn.

Verbal Cue A: Today we are going to make popcorn flowers!

Verbal Cue B: Would you like to design a flower out of popcorn?.

Objective 2

To encourage spontaneity in material usage by allowing the children to choose paint colors or to blend the colors they choose

Verbal Cue A: Which color would you like to use first?

Verbal Cue B: I like the way you are mixing your colors!

Objective 3

To promote the sharing of art materials to foster social interaction and cooperation

Verbal Cue A: Let’s take turns using the paint.

Verbal Cue B: Can you let Sarah use the pink paint?

Kids will have great fun in your childcare center while learning important cognitive skills: sorting and classification.

*Popcorn Flowers is adapted from the Preschool Education Website.

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Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children learn to recognize and write the letter S through fun activities that support clear learning objectives.

Learning Objectives

• The students will identify the letter S.
• The students make and recognize the S sound.
• The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Ss.
• The students will identify objects that begin with the letter S.
• The students will participate in Spider, Spider Finger Play.
• The students will make strawberry pops.
• The students will listen to books that feature the letter S.

Handwriting and Alphabet Recognition

Introduce the children to the letter S along with simple objects that begin with the letter S. Create a colorful letter S poster board that presents both the upper and lower case S. Include pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter D. For example: Squirrel, saw, skunk, star, snail, snow, sand, sugar, slipper, shoe, seashell, strawberry, scale, snake, shirt, spider, seal, and sandwich.

Write both the upper and lowercase S on a whiteboard or chalkboard. Demonstrate the S sound and ask the children to make (repeat) the S sound. Next ask the children to think of words (names, objects, or places) that begin with the letter S.

Allow the children to practice tracing the letter S in both upper and lower case using a letter S worksheet. A good example of such a worksheet is available on the First Preschool website. Children can also practice writing and tracing the letter S on blank sheets of paper using pencils, colored pencils, or crayon.

Letter S Group Time

Spider, Spider Finger Play

Spider hurrying,
(Run fingers back and forth.)
Spider scurrying,
See her silken thread.
(Stretch thread between fingers and thumb.)
Spider hurrying,
(Run fingers back and forth.)
Spider scurrying,
See her little web.
(Make spiral with fingers.)

Letter S Cooking and Snack Activity

Strawberry Pops

Ingredients:  10 ounces of sweetened strawberries and 2 cups frozen yogurt.

Tools: Blender, Popsicle molds, popsicles sticks

Add fruit and yogurt to a blender.  Puree, and then pour into Popsicle molds.  Insert Popsicle sticks and freeze for 3 hours or until set.
Letter S Story Time

• Snake Camp by George Edward Stanley [Random House, 2000]
• Snow Day by Lester M. Laminack and Adam Gustavson [Peachtree Publisher, 2007]
• Tiny Snail by Tammy Carter Bronson [Bookaroos, 2000]
• Shark in the Park by Phil Roxbee Cox , Jenny Tyler and Stephen Cartwright [Usborne Books, 2006]
• Max Dragon’s Shirt by Rosemary Wells [Puffin, 2000]
• She Sells Seashells: A Tongue Twister Story by Grace Kim and Patricia Hammel [Scholastic, 1996]

Including these simple activities into the curriculum of child care centers will greatly enhance preschoolers’ language learning. Lesson plans should contain clear learning objectives but also remember to seize spontaneous moments of opportunity to teach.

*Spider, Spider finger play taken from MrsJonesroom.com.

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Spring is the season of the year between winter and summer when the weather becomes warmer and plants revive and popularly considered to comprise March, April, and May, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Spring is a great time for daycare providers to enhance their curriculum with story-time books and activities that celebrate the spring season.

Consider the following reading lists and resources for free Spring worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets for your child care center:

Reading List

Spring Board and Picture Books Baby-Age 3

Spring by Geurda Muller [Floris Books, 1994]

God Made Spring: A Really Woolly & Friends Fuzzy, Shiny Flap Book by Beatrix Potter [ThomasNelson, 2008]

Spring by Maria Rius [Barron’s Educational Series, 1998]

Guess How Much I Love You in the Spring by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram [Walker Books, 2009]

Spring: Seasons Board Book by Chris L. Demarest [Red Wagon, 1997]

Pooh’s Favorite Things about Spring by Kathleen W. Zoehfield and Elisa Marrucchi [Disney, 2000]

How do you know it’s Spring? By Linda Masterson [Goldenbooks, 2002]

Hunter Hopes for Spring by Marcus Pfister Herbert [NorthSouth, 1998]

Spring Cleaning by Else Holmelund Minarik and David T. Wenzel [HarperFestival, 2003]

Countdown to Spring! An Animal Counting Book by Janet Schulman and Meilo So [Knopf, 2004]

When Will it Be Spring by Catherine Walters [Dutton Juvenile, 2001]

What’s Hatching? by Mara Conlon and Hala Wittwer [Grosset & Dunlap, 2003]

Spring Early Readers Ages 4-8

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlison and Tiphanie Beeke [Greenwillow, 2009]

Hurray for Spring by Kazuo Iwamura [NorthSouth, 2009]

Let’s Look at Spring by Sarah L. Shchuette [Peeble Plus, 2007]

Busy Spring by Carl Emerson and Cori Doerrfeld [Picture Window, 2009]

Diego’s Springtime Fiesta by Laura Bergenand Brian Oesch [Simon Spotlight Nickelodeon, 2008]

It Grows in Spring: Learn the GR Sound by Autumn Leigh [Rosen Educational, 2002]

Keeker and the Springtime Surprise by Hadley Higgins and Lisa Perrett [Chronicle Books, 2007]

Robins:  Songbirds of Spring by Mia Posada [Carol Rhoda, 2004]

Are you Ready for Spring? by Almaflor Ada and Vivi Escriva [Santillana Publishing Company, 1999]

Splish Splash Spring by Jan Carr and Dorothy Donahue [Holiday House, 2001]

Spring by Joanne Early Macken [Weekly Reader, 2006]

Spring Preschool Worksheets and Printables

There are many worksheets for Spring that you can print out and use for your lesson plans and activities. Worksheets should include coloring pages, handwriting worksheets, and printable craft patterns.

The following websites provide free Spring printables:

First-Preschool: Coloring pages, card, patterns, crafts and worksheets.

A to Z Teacher Stuff: Spring printables, coloring pages, activities and word searches

ABCTeach:  Free Spring worksheets and printables

DLTK’s Crafts for Kids: Spring recipes, worksheets, coloring pages, crafts, games and puzzles

All Kids Network: Free color Spring printable worksheets

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Preschoolers and young children in child care centers can successfully learn to write the letter T as well as recognize objects beginning with the letter T through simple, fun activities. This activity ties in well with a Thanksgiving lesson plan.

Learning Objectives

• The students will identify the letter T
• The students make and recognize the T sound
• The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Ts
• The students will identify objects that begin with the letter T
• The students will learn that T is for Thanksgiving
• The students will participate in Thanksgiving dramatic play
• The students will participate in Hot Turkey

Handwriting and Phonetics

Create a letter T poster board which shows both the upper and lower case T. On this poster board, glue pictures of objects cut from magazines or draw objects that begin with the letter T. Display this poster board up for the duration of the Letter T unit.

Introduce the children to the letter T, discuss the poster board, and talk about objects begin with the letter T. Demonstrate the T sound and also ask the children to make (repeat) the T sound. Ask students what things they can think of (objects, names, etc.) that begin with the letter T. Emphasize that T is for thanksgiving and discuss the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have children practice tracing the letter T in both upper and lower case, using a letter T worksheet. A good example of a letter T worksheet can be found on First-School’s website.  Provide pencils or crayon and blank sheets of lined or unlined paper. Then, let students practice making the letter T in both upper and lower case.

Circle Time: Scavenger Hunt and Object Sorting

Make a scavenger hunt list with pictures of items what begin with the letter T. Hide the items within the classroom, then go over the list with the children, explaining that all of the items that begin with the letter T. Let the children search for the items. The scavenger hunt is over when all of the items have been found.

Object sorting is great cognitive learning activity which will help children identify objects that begin with the letter T. For this cognitive learning activity, place toy or real objects which begin with the letter T in a cardboard box or other large container. Along with these items, place objects beginning with other letters of the alphabet. As each object is revealed, children will sort those objects that begin with the letter T from those that do not.

Examples of objects that begin with the letter T: Tiger, teabag, tractor, toothbrush, towel, twig, toast, tooth, tent, telephone, turtle, treasure chest, turkey, tomato, toothpaste, toad, t-shirt, and tuna.

Thanksgiving Feast: Directed and Undirected Play

In the pretend play area, set up a Thanksgiving scene. Stress that that T is for Thanksgiving, turkey, tomahawk, table, and thankful. Provide Pilgrim and Native American costumes. Also provide a table, paper or plastic plates, eating utensils, and plastic food. Discuss things to be thankful for. Prompt the children to talk about all of the delicious food they would eat at a Thanksgiving feast.

T is for Turkey: Hot Turkey Game: This game is a version of the classic “Hot Potato” game. Have the kids sit in a circle and pass a mini plastic turkey around while the music is playing. Once the music stops, the person holding the turkey is eliminated from the game but gets a small prize.

These simple activities will greatly enhance language learning for children in your daycare center.  Have fun with the child care job of lesson planning. Be creative in seizing moments of opportunity to teach.

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Activities for young children in child care centers should include physical gross motor activities. Through gross motor activities, preschool age children learn to master balance, spatial orientation, laterality, and the coordination of major muscles.

Children in your daycare center can learn gross motor skills by practicing and by participating in activities which involves hopping, jumping, and climbing. Activities that involve tossing, catching and kicking objects are also great examples of activities that promote the development of gross physical motor skills.

Activity Materials List

• One large turkey cut out
• One large piece of sturdy cardboard or poster board
• Glue or tape
• Scissors
• Crafting knife
• Small beanbags

Activity Preparation

Purchase a large piece turkey cutout. You can also create one out of construction paper. Draw, color, decorate and cut out turkey. Tape or glue the turkey to a large piece of poster board.  Next cut a hole through the mouth of the turkey cutout and the poster board large enough for the beanbags to pass through.  Place small beanbags for tossing in a box or other open container. Lean the turkey against a wall.

Activity Procedures

Invite the children over to the area. Explain to them that you are going to feed the turkey. Demonstrate for the children how to toss and kick the beanbags into the turkey’s mouth. Let the children take turns feeding the turkey by tossing or kicking the bean bags into the turkey’s mouth.

Gross Motor Learning Objectives

Objective 1: To provide the opportunity for projectile management through tossing the bean bags into the goal (the turkey’s mouth)

• Verbal Cue A: Let’s toss the beanbag toward the turkey!
• Verbal Cue B: Can you throw the beanbag into the turkey’s mouth?

Objective 2: To develop spatial relationships using the prepositions forward and backward, inside, outside, and straight ahead in verbal cues.

• Verbal Cue A: Kick the beanbag straight ahead into the turkey’s mouth.
• Verbal Cue B: Can you toss the beanbag forward?

Objective 3: To provide the opportunity for projectile management through kicking objects into the goal (turkey’s mouth)

• Verbal Cue A: Can you try to kick the beanbag in the turkey’s mouth?
• Verbal Cue B: Let’s kick the beanbag toward the turkey?

This “Feed the Turkey” activity will help enhance young childrens’ gross motor skills by tossing and kicking as well as develop spatial relationships. It will also support Thanksgiving curriculum and lesson plans. Do not keep score or enforce rules that promote competition as this is not a competitive activity.

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