Join us for a farm adventure as I read aloud Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton. This book is perfect for young learners ages 2-6 since it incorporates movement, sounds, and vocabulary. Plus, it’s a great story to use when learning about farm animals, sounds that animals make, and action verbs!
The Ants Go Marching On Action Song and Finger Play
The Ants Go Marching is a fun action song and finger play that assists with numeracy skills (counting to 10), learning action verbs, and even recognizing rhyming words (for more advanced learners).
Spring Baby Chicks Craft
Have a fun by making your own baby chicks hatching out of their eggs. This craft is really simple and allows for plenty of personalization. I have found it to be a great craft for groups of children varying in age.
Using Popular Songs
Use popular songs with fun choreographies to get kids of all ages moving while associating vocabulary to actions. Teachers can use them to introduce or close units related to the human body, action verbs, popular culture, and hobbies. They are also fun to learn and perform in summer camps. Finally kids can also learn them on their own (or with 1:1 teacher support) by watching videos and learning the steps. Then, they can even record a video of themselves doing the dance and challenge a friend to do the same!
Scented Play Dough
Allow your imagination to go wild with scented play dough. This play dough “recipe” is my own little creation which you can modify and make your own.
What the Ladybird Heard
Listen as I read aloud What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson. This is a versatile story that can interest children 4-6 years old when listening to it, and can also be good reading / listening practice for children 7-9 years old. It is a great story to practice any of the following: farm animals and the sounds they make, how to give directions in English (prepositions), and advanced adjectives practice. Some suggested supplementary activities for each age group can be found below.
Hand-washing Finger Play and Sing Along
Hand-washing has always been important! But right now, teaching kids how to properly wash their hands is even more important with the pandemic we are experiencing. This song and finger play is designed to practice hand-washing in a fun way and help kids remember all of the steps!
Fun Meteor Counting Game
Our first Wacky Wild Card Wednesday activity works on counting skills using your imagination! This game is easy to play and even easier to make.
Space Yoga
The combination of yoga and storytelling aids in vocabulary acquisition and retention. Words become associated to specific movements throughout the story. Young learners find movement based activities to be fun and motivating since they closely resemble natural play.
Gravity Gulp Challenge
What happens when you drink a glass of water while doing a handstand? Find out how to defy gravity in this challenge!