Social-Emotional Development
Calming Strategy – Wave Breathing
Think about the ocean waves as you try out this Wave Breathing strategy with your child. You might even want to play some ocean music.
Inhale deeply as you raise your arms up over your head and then exhale slowly as you bring your arms back down to your sides. Repeat a few times.
Cognitive Development
Shark Tooth Numeral Puzzle
Using a recycled cereal box, cut out one of the large sides. On the inside write out the numerals in order from 1-6. Space your numerals far enough apart so that you can cut the cardboard into a puzzle. Cut the piece of cereal box into simple puzzle pieces using wavy lines, each numeral on one piece. Invite your child to put the puzzle together, naming the numbers when complete. Challenge your child to draw or glue cut out triangles to represent the appropriate number of shark teeth onto each puzzle piece.
Language Development
Shark Talk
Make a list with your child of what they know about sharks and a list of what they would like to know about sharks. You could offer suggestions like where do they live, what do they eat, how big are they, how many teeth do they have. A couple of facts to get you started. Sharks are fish. Shark skin is rough like sandpaper. If a shark loses a tooth, a new one will grow. Sharks have good eyesight. Sharks do not have bones, they have cartilage, like we have in our ears.
Measure out the length of a nurse shark (4.3 m) using a piece of string, to give your child an idea of the size of a large shark.
Physical Literacy
Island Hopping
Place 5 small towels or pillowcases on the floor with space in between to be islands. Explain to your child that the towels are the islands and there are sharks in the water around the islands. Call out a movement pattern (march, hop on one foot, jump, walk like a duck, etc.). Your child then moves around the islands using the called movement pattern until you call out “Shark”. Your child then needs to get to safety on one of the islands. To play outside you could draw circles with chalk for the islands.
Creative Activity
Ocean Suncatcher
Using markers, have your child colour on a coffee filter. When finished spray the coffee filter with water. Allow to dry. Encourage your child to draw and colour a picture of a shark. When complete, have your child cut out the shark shape (help as needed) and glue it onto the dried coffee filter.
Additional Resources
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