Any art or music and movement ideas for older toddlers?

Question

I am studying to be an Early Childhood Teacher and we have to come up with some lessons plans for them. I need some fun and creative ideas to do with three year olds.

Answer 1

Try a freeze dance.  Put on some music and just dance, but when the music stops, everybody has to freeze.  Children love this.  It's open-ended.  The children can be doing anything as long as they are moving, but when they freeze they can make a silly pose!

Art activities should be open-ended too.  Don't try to get them to copy a specific craft.  Just let them create.  Put out empty toilet tissue tubes and a variety of small pieces of paper or tissue paper, chenille sticks, googly eyes, glue, aluminum foil, feathers, etc.  and let them make whatever you have read a story about.  Maybe a monster, a dinosaur, a bug, etc.  Or look up a play dough recipe on line and then make it with the children.  (Teaches measuring, and builds fine motor strength because the dough has to be kneaded.)  Then let them play with it.

Answer 2

You could do some music activites.May be start with sitting on a mat or floor or stand Sing a song with movements. With or without a recording. Then use some sticks, then change to eather dancing around with scarfs, change to chanting, clapping. You clap and chant a rhythm and let them imitate( My turn, your turn) and then also use rhythm instruments. My 3 year old loves the rhytm instruments. We are taking a class right now called :musictogether . ( mixed ages) Another music class is Kindermusik, same age classes.

Answer 3

One of my favorites to do with my class at this time of year is "Abstract Turkey Art."  I make an example turkey from geometric shapes, I'll try to describe it.  Large oval for the body, rectangle legs and neck, triangle feathers, circle head, star feet.  I use random colors, it's a great project for using scrap paper.  After I make my example, I cut pieces for each of the kids (unless they are skilled enough to cut them out).  I introduce my turkey during circle time and we talk about colors and shapes.  I display the example in my art center.  During center time there are sets of shapes ready for my little artists.  I tell them simply to use their shapes to make a turkey like mine (we usually give him a name in circle time too).  I provide guidance on glue usage but not selection, placement or orientation of the pieces.  You get some funny, crazy turkeys.  

Another one I like to do is "Friendship Turkeys"  I do this with 4 or 5 kids at a time.  Each child picks a different color from the pans I have set out.  (TIP: save vegetable trays and when you need to do handprint art water down some tempera, line the trays with felt and just barely soak it with the tempera.  Use like a stamp pad.  When you're done you can save them by putting them in ziplocks and freezing them.  Just throw them in the fridge the day before you need them and pull them out that morning.)  I put out one piece of paper for each kid and then they each do handprint "feathers" on all the papers.  So kid on does red on all, kid 2 does orange on all...you get the idea.  After they dry I either have them glue on a turkey body and face or I use their foot (the heel should end up as the head) to stamp a brown turkey body.  I use this as a friendship and teamwork lesson.

Check out Jack Hartman for great music and movement songs.

Answer 4

reading picture books, nursery rhymes, playing hand games, arts and crafts(that are safe..like drawing), blocks, running games, educational tv,

Answer 5

There is so much you can do with this age.  I had a 3year old class last year at the daycare i worked at.  For music and movement, there are so many music cds for toddlers you can get that encourges movement.  A couple good ones are Kids in Action and Wiggly Giggly Silly songs-you should be abel to find these at Walmart or a similar store.  You should also be able to search for these, so you know what kinds of songs are on them.  They both have songs that encourage imagination, animal movements, and body part movemets.

   For art ideas,  go to www.kinderart.com, they have tons of ideas to get you started.  3 year olds have a great imagination, so do activities that encourage them to use their imagination.