Social-Emotional Development
Fingerprint Bugs
Help your child dip a finger in finger paint and then encourage them to make fingerprints and make as many marks as they like with their fingertips. With a pen or marker, encourage your child to add legs and wings to their fingerprints to make bugs. They may not look like bugs, that is ok. Focus on the fun!
Cognitive Development
Here is the Beehive
Share this fingerplay with your child:
Here is the beehive (Make a fist)
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees. (Place other hand over fist)
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive (Bend head close to fist)
One, two, three, four, five (hold up fingers one at a time)
Bzzz, all fly away! (wave fingers)
Language Development
Little Ants
Discuss the different ways that the ants move (marching, dancing, sneaking, spinning and waving). Model these actions and encourage your child to join you as you match the word to the action.
Physical Literacy
The Ants Go Marching
Sing the song or play this tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjw2A3QU8Qg Participate in the actions with your child, marching around the room or outside in your yard or on your patio. Use your fingers to demonstrate the numbers as you progress through the song.
Creative Activity
Black Marks
When your toddler paints vertically they continue to build small and large muscle skills. Tape a piece of large paper (back of wrapping paper, craft paper or a garbage bag) as a large canvas. Encourage your child to paint on this canvas. Talk about reaching the top of the canvas and reaching the bottom.
Additional resources:
https://www.freechildrenstories.com/ - This website has a selection of free original stories for children ages 3-10 and novels for middle-grade children written by Daniel Errico.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/play-learning/learning-ideas/early-numeracy - This Australian website page gives suggestions to help your infant or toddler develop numeracy skills. But, don’t stop at just this page. This website contains loads of information, both articles and videos, on parenting for all age groups. Some of the topics covered include behaviour, communication, sleep, nutrition and fitness, play and learning, safety and more.
Learning at Home Toddler Week 16
Learning at Home Pre-Kindergarten Week 6
