For anyone who has or works with kids?

Question

Im a preschool teacher and I'm running out of ideas of stuff to do with them in the afternoon. I'm not the lead teacher but I will be soon.I'm trying to get more creative.Does anyone have some ideas such as games,songs,art projects n such? Or know any good websites to go to?Thanks sure could use some ideas!

Answer 1

You know whats awesome about pre-schools? The kids arent there all day long. They aren't too young to go nuts after an hour, but they're old enough to work on a project. One thing also, is that because they are young, you can do a project or activity and then 4 weeks later, you can do it again. its awesome!

Answer 2

a good website  is

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/crafts....

you can also google crafts for preschoolers or ideas for preschoolers

Answer 3

Preschoolexpress.com

Perpetualpreschool.com

Subscribe to mailbox magazine

Kiddles.com --- Good song website-----

Kidsoup.com

Crayola.com

Answer 4

check out the Mailbox magazine at your library -they have wonderful themes and ideas - full of songs, projects,everything you are asking for.  Afternoon snack and outside time and your afternoon will be done!

Answer 5

:-)  Afternoons are the hardest, aren't they :-).  Most preschoolers are tired and ready to go home!

A typical afternoon schedule that has worked for me in the past...

3:00-3:10PM Wake up---books at the "carpet"

3:10-3:30PM Group- fingerplays, story/book, guessing can, transition to snack

3:30-3:50PM snack

3:50-4:30PM Free play (centers-blocks, writing/fine motor, games/manipultives, art, blocks, dramatic play, library, science, etc.)

4:30-5:15/5:30- Outdoors (Large motor if you can't get outside)

5:30 PM-6:00- 1:1 activities, easy clean up activities until children are gone.

May I suggest you get with the morning teacher and go the theme route.  Definately helps with planning.

Open ended art works best with preschoolers...that's why having an art center is so wonderful.  :-)  Change the materials frequently.

Playdough is a wonderful sensory and hand strengthening activity.  There are so many recipes that provide a variation.  I have some variation of playdough out daily.  

Color mixing: ice cube tray, red, yellow blue water in 3 of the compartments, eye droppers.  They can mix to their heart's content.  It's interesting to provide coffee filters (cone shaped ones work nice to make butterfly, circle ones make nice umbrellas :-)).  Even when they make all brown water...the colors will separate on the coffee filters.

We did a mural today.  It turned out awesome.  www.learningpage.com -free membership...I used their zoo cutouts.  I was going to use their mural background and decided against it.  I put up a strip of paper and let them rub green crayon over it.  Then I provided the zoo cutouts pages, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks.  They made an awesome mural...even added trees, rocks, water, fences and a zoo sign!  Isn't that exciting.  I'm going to encourage them to write the animals name on the mural.  This can be done with pretty much any theme.

Balloon painting:  balloons inflated in different sizes so that different size ovals/circles are formed.  You can turn them into pigs, monkeys, ladybugs, anything really :-)

Collages are an awesome experience for this age.  Simple to start with with bright scrap paper and scissors and a black paper background and gluestick.  Everything looks good with black background :-)  I had one 4 year old make a really neat collage...one small square of green paper in the center and bright pink rectangles that she had cut out all the way around the paper.  Another child created "whiskers" and glued strips of paper around his background.  Another made a bridge.  Incorporate some "literacy" by having them dictate a bit about it.  Another collage we did was we used cardboard and glued a long piece of yarn in any design we wanted and then glued collage materials (beads, lentils, crumpled paper, beans, etc) in each of the sections.

Make your own musical instruments and bring them out once a week.  I'm not saying don't have musical instruments out during the week...but make these "special" by only using them once a week and in the afternoon only.  Have the kids help you decorate a "music box" to keep them in.  Rhythms on Parade by Hap Palmer is an awesome rhythm instrument CD.

Imagination Paper:  this works best with an easel but it's not necessary.  I provide paper with simple shapes cut out in various spots..some big some small.  Some pages I have complementary colored theme related sheets.  Sometimes I use shades of one color.  Sometimes I draw a big shape on it sometimes little ones.  It's amazing what they do with them!  I also use different "writing utensils"...from painting to marker.  

Have the children make their own snacks.  The Mailbox Preschool magazine would be a great magazine for you to subscribe to.  Talk to your director...it's tax deductible if they purchase it for the program.  In the magazine they have visual directions for snacks (as well as science experiments!)  All the activities are easy to create...and usually don't require expensive materials.  Check your local library...they sometimes carry it.

Flashlights:  pull the shades, but black paper over the windows and provide flashlights.  You can dance with them...you can incorporate some basic concept review activities by finding things in the classroom.  You can put colored cellophane over the ends to make different colors.

Put on a puppet show or a talent show.

Consider incorporating art techniques that the illustrator of your "focus" book is. You can even show the children art work from common artists and allow them to try their hand at these techniques.

Bubble wrap.  Tape some down on the floor.  They can jump on them, hammer them with toy hammer.  Tape some to a table and you can use lotion or soap fingerpaint (which is really cool).  On the same note...soapy paint on paper plates and paper cups.  I use black paint and bright paper for a great contrast.  If you have enough soap it will leave a bubble for a few moments and then pop into a neat circle. If you don't use a lot of soap you can have nice clear circles and then when dry they can color the sections in.

Focus on a nursery rhyme each week in the afternoon.  There are so many art and lesson ideas with nursery rhymes...and oh... the literacy components of it!!!

Teach a "language" in the afternoon.  Sign language is a great language for preschoolers.  They pick it up...it can be used for nonverbal communication for behavior modification.  There are a set of DVD's that teach it great...Signing Time.

Here's a website with free printables and activity ideas.  I'm not fond of the daily "art" but it can be a jumping board for you.  www.childcareland.com

Good luck.  If you have a specific theme in mind I could be a little more specific.

Answer 6

Maybe u should try this web site:

http://kid-games-to-play.blogspot.com/

Answer 7

do you have a play ground? If you do its a great way to just let the kids be kids and play. Can you pleese feed them a snack. I am a little tired of picking up my child from day care or school and having them revashing hungry.I would really suggest something to help kids minds unwind and something fun at the end of the day. Because for some reason when my kids get home from school they want to eat and watch T.V. and not do thier home work or chores. Can they make thier own snack?  A little home eche lesson is not only educational, but feeds them, and gives them something fun to do.

Answer 8

For the summer months you can do a cowboy theme.  My son's school made a big horse out of paint and paper.  Make paper cowboy hats...ect.  Make catci out of a potatoe and paint it green, stick toothpicks in it.  They also had a circus theme and one of the projects was a big paper bowtie that they made out of paper and paint and could wear.

Answer 9

I have a child and have worked with kids before and I wuold say try anything more hands on. musical chairs and stuff like that. try using candy as rewards for games. anything pertaining to music helps if u wanna be creative n all. i would do stuff like show n tell, movie day, even red light green light if their young enough. makes lots of contests they like to be active

Answer 10

Outside play in the afternoon is great, can you do water play?  You can get some giant boxes donated and have the children make houses out of them.  Simon says is a great game to teach listening skills.  Books on tape are fun.  I like to get large sheets of paper, and let the kids be creative.  Shaving cream play is fun.  Play dough is an awesome activity.  You can even make the play dough with the kids.  Games such as Chutes and Ladders, number bingo, twister... are fun and have a learning element to them.  Hope some of these ideas are useful.

Answer 11

I"m a sparks leader who also has to keep young kids busy.  So here are a few ideas.

Have the kids color an "All About Me" book.  They can draw pictures of themselves, family, best friend, pets, what they want to be when they grow up, favorite food and thing to do.

Make necklaces with string and beads.  You can make up a story and represent each colour to a certain character or object in the story.

Make homemade playdough and have them shape their favorite animal.

Call your local fire dept and have them come for an hour and show a video and talk about fire safety and tour the trucks.

Call your local police dept and have them come and show the cars and talk about strangers and being safe.

Have a teddy bear's picnic. Each child brings a healthy snack and tells the story behind their special bear.  Learn the teddy bear's picnic song and talk about what is a healthy snack and what is not.

relay races of all sorts are fun.  Use balls, skipping ropes, pails, water, sand, almost anything.

Have a grow your own seed day.  Get styrofoam cups, decorate them and add soil and some seeds and have the kids take care of them until they grow.  Lots of sunlight and water and love.

I hope that's a few ideas for you.  I have a whole binder full of activities if you need more ideas.  Good Luck!!

Answer 12

Ask the kids what they want to do.  Give them supplies and see what they can create.  Maybe they will want to act out a favorite book and put on a play.  Let them make costumes out of whatever they can find and create a set.  You will be laughing yourself to sleep with some of their imaginative ideas.  They are so imaginative so let them find ways to be individuals and work together in a group.  If given the opportunity children will entertain themselves.