Pattern Matching File Folder Game

We made this to match our pumpkin theme, but any shape cookie cutter would be work to match your own theme.  A great extension would be to talk about why the patterns are different.   (This one has dots, the stripes on this one go up and down, etc).

Pattern Matching File Folder Game

Theme: Preschool Skills

Materials:  Cookie cutter, pieces of patterned paper, file folder, glue or tape, plastic baggie & paperclip to contain extra set of shapes when not in use

How to:  Trace a shape using a cookie cutter on various pieces of patterned and solid paper, making 2 per pattern.  Glue one set inside a file folder and have your child match using the other set.

Source: Little Family Fun

Basic Chopstick Transfer

This is a simple activity that really helps work those fine motor skills.  M has a little bit of trouble using just one hand so she started off using both hands to maneuver the chopsticks.  This is an activity that will take a bit of practice, so mix up the colors and trays to make it fresh for your little one!

Basic Chopstick Transfer

Theme: Practical Life/Motor Skills

Materials: ice tray or muffin tin, poms, child friendly chopsticks or tongs

How to: Have your child transfer the poms into and then back out of each compartment in the tray.

Pumpkin Drop

I thought M would love this game, but she didn't quite understand why she couldn't just sit next to the bucket and drop things in.  I thought I'd post it anyway in case your child is more inclined towards following directions. :)

Pumpkin Drop

Theme: Boredom Buster, Games

Materials: Pumpkin bucket, things to drop in (we used food from our play kitchen)

How to:  Have your child sit facing backwards on a chair or over the edge of the couch arm.  Have them lean over and try to drop their objects into the bucket.  If using a chair, please try to secure it so that it won't tip over!

Source:  No Time For Flashcards

Pumpkin Preschool Skills Pack

I've never really done themes before, but decided to start them up now during the holidays.  I'll still be posting our Art/Music, Sensory/Messy Play, and Practical Life/Motor Skills activities, but now I'll also be posting a weekly "pack" of various preschool skills activities that match our theme that week.  First up?  Pumpkins! If you want to use them yourself, simply print, cut, and color (I don't have a color printer).  Included are:

• Jack O' Lantern File Folder Game
• Pumpkin & Jack O' Lantern Uppercase/Lowercase Letter Match
• Pumpkin Grid Game (text got messed up somehow, sorry!) - roll a dice and use some sort of manipulative to fill up grid
• Pumpkin Lacing Cards - cut out, poke holes, and attach string
• Pumpkin Size Order
• Pumpkin Counting Cards
• Uppercase/Lowercase P Sort
• Jack O' Lantern Pattern Cards

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

Pumpkin Preschool Skills Pack

Tot School - Week 8

M is 31 months old

Official Tot School
Domino Parking Lot
Count and Clip
Hide and Count Pasta

Extra Learning
We sort of took this week off.  We had a lot going on, and my husband (who is a teacher) had fall break on Thursday and Friday so we decided to just forget about school for the week.  We did get to go on a really great tour of the Nestle Cafe and M got to decorate her own cookie!

Teacher Lessons
Learn and Adapt.  I've been realizing that our schedule just isn't working for us.  I find that I am often scrambling in the morning to get us ready for the day, and Tot School is put on the back burner.  R is also starting to give up his morning nap, so I have to figure out how to change things around so that I still can have some quality time with M alone.  I'll be doing a lot of planning this week, trying to get our new schedule set.  Stay tuned for changes!

That's all for this week!  To see what other toddlers are learning this week, check out the official Tot School Website!

Hide and Count Pasta

Theme: Preschool Skills

Materials: bowl of rice, things to count, chart to count them on

How to: Hide your materials in the bowl of rice.  I used different types of mini pasta because I already had them in my pantry.  The blog I got the idea from used various colored counting bears, so anything would work!

Source: Hart 2 Hart

Count and Clip

This activity was pretty challenging for Michaela.  She understood the counting concept, but was having a hard time actually placing the clothespins.  I don't think she has that level of manual dexterity yet so I  ended up placing them where she pointed.  I think using glass pebbles or some other type of marker that she could place on top of the correct number would be better for other tots around this age.

Count and Clip

Theme: Preschool Skills

Materials: dot painters, index cards, pen, clothespins or counting markers

How to:  Mark your index cards with dot painters and write 3 numbers on the side.  Have your child clip the correct number that corresponds to the dots, or use a marker to place on top of the correct number.

Source: The Activity Mom

Domino Parking Lot

I've seen this all around the blogosphere lately but we haven't done it because M was still working on number recognition.  Now that she's starting to count, I thought this was the perfect time to introduce this game.  We've never used 0, 11, or 12, so she had some problems with those, but overall she did pretty well.

Domino Parking Lot

Theme: Preschool Skills

Materials: Domino Parking Lot Printable, dominos

How to:  Have your child count the numbers on the dominos and "park" it in the correct spot.  I used the dominos with one side blank but you can use whichever as long as they add up to that number.

Source: Math Wire

Tot School - Week 7

M is 31 months old

Official Tot School
Playdough Size Classification
Listening to Directions
Basic Water Transfer
Car Wash
Extra Learning
M enjoyed looking at her Beginning Letter Sound Flashcards.

She read several books to her babydoll.

She worked with this letter printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

She played with her color with water books.

We also went on two great field trips this week.  The first was to the Balloon Fiesta, a huge ballooning event they have here for a week each October.  Around 800 hot air balloons take to the morning skies each morning, and on several of the evenings, they remain on the ground buy stay lit up for what is called a Balloon Glow.  The morning that we went was a special day for all the special shapes balloons.  Unfortunately it was a tiny bit windy so only the first wave of about 100 or so balloons went up.  That's ok though, after the special shapes went up, several hundred of the normal balloons played an interesting game of balloon golf, so we stuck around to watch that.  M loooooooves balloons and had so much fun!

Our second field trip was to a pumpkin patch.  M picked her very own pumpkin that was just the right size for her!

Teacher Lessons

Organization helps.  I spent part of this week cleaning out the laundry room so that I could put some of our most often used Tot School supplies in there.  The laundry room is right across from the kitchen, where we do most of our activities.  It has made things so much easier!  I was able to pull together a couple of her activities in less than 5 minutes, which is a huge help!

That's all for this week!  To see what other toddlers are learning this week, check out the official Tot School Website!

Car Wash

I needed to keep M busy yesterday while I was cleaning the kitchen, so I remembered this little activity and pulled it together quickly for her.  (Don't laugh at my cars, I was in a hurry and just started cutting freehand!)

Car Wash

Theme: Sensory/Messy Play

Materials: Craft foam cut into car shapes, washable markers, container of water, small sponge, towel to clean up afterwards!

How to:  Have your child color the foam with marker (I did this myself since I was in a hurry) and then wash all the "dirt" off in the water with the sponge.  You can add suds if that will make it more appealing to your child, but M has a strange fascination with drinking soapy water so I didn't bother.

Source: Frugal Family Fun