Day Care activities?

Question

I have a daycare and we are wondering of things to do I am runing out of ideas! Anything theme would be great or projects.

Answer 1

singing

teaching fingerplay rhymes

games; duck duck goose

free play/explore

role play

have a routine

cooking

Answer 2

What you do depends on the age and whether you have a mixed group, like I do (ages 5,4,3, 2.5, 2, and 1) or one age group.  I find that “free play” only is successful with this group for about 40-45 minutes and then it’s time to do something else.  :-)  So our schedule is

7:30-8:00 AM breakfast

8:00-8:45 AM Free play (toys are switched out every 2 weeks and displays are changed at least monthly)

8:45-9:00 AM clean up/bathrooms

9:00-9:30 AM basic concept review songs, book and related activity

9:30-10:30 AM Centers-

   Playdough-every time…scissors with it…I use   different recipes for variation.

   Sensory- at least one tub…usually 2 (the second being a variation of water play) this week we are doing a bird

theme so we are using birdseed. (beans, rice, corn meal, oatmeal, sand, moon sand, etc.)  Various tools/dramatic play toys are added and changed frequently.

   Art- usually theme related

   Ms. Amber Time- one to one with me… depends on the development for what I do…my five year old tends to

work on his reading, telling time, counting money, writing stories and my 2 year old tends to do more with basic concepts such as colors and shapes.

   I also use this time to introduce “new toys” or materials…so they each get a chance to play with it by

themselves…such as magnets, barn and animals, wedgits, etc.

www.childcareland.com free printables and dailies that you can get.  I don’t take to the art projects much because I’m more for open ended art but I do use them as jumping board.

We do musical instruments most days… especially on Fridays or on rainy days… I like the CD, Rhythms on Parade by Hap Palmer.

Misc. ideas :-)

Bubblewrap:  

• tape a length down to run and stomp on barefoot.

• Tape to a pan or table and add fingerpaint and soap…makes bubbles

• Provide a hammer to “pop” the bubbles.

• Lotion on bubblewrap

• Use large bubbles and small bubbles…the small bubbles work better to pop for the younger children.

Contact Paper:

•use for collage materials…we made a cute apple by cutting a red, yellow, or green outline and placing it on contact paper and adding the corresponding color of tissue paper squares.  Then we placed another piece of contact paper over top, added a leaf, and trimmed.

•I made a tree trunk and taped it to our wall and then taped a large piece of contact paper, sticky side out, above the trunk.  I provided basket of leaf foamies and they enjoyed putting them on and taking them off.

•Tape a large piece of contact, sticky side up, to your floor… it’s very interesting to see what the children do with it.  Especially the young ones.

Washable markers work very well on a sliding glass door.  Just provide a damp sponge and they will be very happy!

Imagination Paper:  Instead of using play rectangle paper for markers, paint and other media… add a theme related shape of a contrasting color, add triangles, squares, etc. with marker, glue on the first letter of their name in a contrasting color.  Very interesting what they do with it.  Of course a 5 year old will explore differently than a 2 year old will.

Another organization strategy I use… I have theme related files and in them is a Word document organized by art, blocks, bulletin board, Computers, Discovery/Sensory, Dramatic Play, Fieldtrips/Special Visitors, Fine Motor, Fingerplays/Songs, Group Activities, Large Motor, Library, Literacy/Writing, Play Dough, Small Group, Snacks, Table Activities, Transitions, Misc.  I find this such a time saver… Whenever I’m online and come across an activity I just have to copy and paste it into the correct file and section…when I want a specific activity I know just where to look.  

Choose a theme...if you have older children...let them choose a theme and they can brainstorm what to do...this is an awesome opportunity for them.  Also, search that theme online...Preschool & (theme topic) and you will be amazed!

I subscribe to the Mailbox Preschool Magazine and recommend it completely!

Answer 3

Anything theme related is wonderful.  Maybe focus on Spring for awhile- repetition is great for children.  Check out this website!  It's great for getting ideas and craft projects.  Hope this helps!

Ace

Answer 4

Scratch 'n Sniff Watercolor Homemade Paint:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2260779_scratch-...

Peanut Butter Playdough:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2256921_peanut-b...

Kool-Aid Playdough:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2256913_make-koo...

Chocolate Scented Playdough:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2262093_playdoug...

Jello http://www.ehow.com/how_2256915_make-jel...

Homemade Finger Paint:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261702_make-hom...

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Themes:

Nursery Rhymes: pick one each week to focus on.

Weather

Zoo

Farm

People Who Help Us (Vets, doctors, Teachers etc)

A well loved story eg: my group did "I want to be a dragon" and we looked at one page each week-the book was about colours so each week was a differnet colour andb ased on page: EG: yell dragon at the beach-sand play with yellow toys, a beach role play/travel agents.

Look online at places like:

Crayola.com

Underfive.com

and type in differnet search engines

A good website is teachers.tv as they have great ideas!

Also, maybe do special weeks like "healthy eating week", "recylcing week" where you focus on something which you cna extend into the home!

Answer 6

Pick a theme and do it for the whole week. Its good for children to repeat and get it down.  I went to Lowes and got flowers and from there, bag of dirt, little pots, seeds, water cans (which I have) color a picture of the flowers. Where else does flowers grow. What is your states flower, color, smell. And on and on. Take one thing and put a circle around it then just write down all the ideas that come to you from that idea by writing that down on an arm from the circle. If the arm idea gives you something then draw an arm on that and so on.

Answer 7

games like ring-a-ring a roses.

singing

story time with warm milk and cookies just before naptime.

drawing

painting

bake something really simple with them

make play doh and then they can play with it

dress up games

hop scotch

television

maybe a trip out to the zoo???