Children are born explorers, adventurers, climbers and builders. Because sitting still doesn’t come naturally, award-winning Gryphon House authors developed innovative music and movement activities for all ages. Children learn math through counting rhythms, art through pleasant melodies, and science through investigative play with percussion instruments. Explore the activities below to get started on building music lesson plans for toddlers, infants or preschoolers.
This nature prints activity, featured in Everyday Play: Fun Games to Develop the Fine Motor Skills Your Child Needs for School, will help your child develop fine motor skills while interacting with nature. Get the book for more fun and easy activities to get your child ready for kindergarten!
Summer Learning Outdoor Learning Art Seasonal Learning: Fall ScienceFeatured in The Path to Early Math: What Preschool Teachers Need to Know by Ingrid Crowther, EdD, this Tree Math Stories activity allows children to manipulate the leaves on the tree as they draw cards with various number stories on them. In her book, Ingrid explains that in order for children to understand addition and subtraction, they need a lot of practice forming visual computations in fun and realistic ways, as well as working with concrete materials that they can manipulate. Find tons of stimulating early math activities like this one in The Path to Early Math.
MathGrandparents' Day is this Sunday! Remembering to make time for family can be a challenge, especially when everyone has such busy schedules. But taking your child to spend some quality time with relatives will not only foster family engagement and learning, but will also make their grandparents' day! Stephanie Mueller and Ann Wheeler, authors of 101 Great Gifts Kids Can Make, share that "When young children make something unique to give as a special gift for a loved one, they feel proud and successful about what they can do and share. Often these child-made gifts are treasured for years to come." Below you will find instructions for a fun craft kids can easily make and give to their grandparents to show them how special they truly are!
ArtFeatured in Let's Take It Outside! by Kathy Charner, Mary B. Rein, and Brittany Roberts, this Mud Dough Letters activity for children ages 3 to 6 connects alphabet learning with hands-on experiences in the outdoors to engage children's excitement about literacy. In this activity children will learn to follow directions, form three-dimensional letters and identify them by sight, and use uppercase and lowercase letters when they are ready. Children are able to do all of this while enjoying the many benefits of being outside!
Literacy Outdoor LearningErin Buhr, MEd, author of Little Walks, Big Adventures: 50+ Ideas for Exploring with Toddlers, shares: "One of my favorite (and only) memories of my preschool experience was when we had a beach party inside our classroom. When I became a teacher, I knew this was something I wanted to attempt to duplicate. This is good, silly pretend play." Learn how to create this memorable indoor beach day with your little ones with the instructions below, and find more ideas for adventures with toddlers in Little Walks, Big Adventures!
Movement and Play Summer Learning Infant & Toddler SensoryFeatured in The Path to Early Math: What Preschool Teachers Need to Know by Ingrid Crowther, EdD, this Lily Pad Comparison activity helps children develop their understanding of forming sets. A set is a collection that contains a specific number of objects. Children are able to begin understanding sets before they even know how to count. This also leads to exploring concepts of one more or one fewer. "Oops, I guess that was one too many. The lily pad is sinking."
MathFeatured in The Possibilities of Play: Imaginative Learning Centers for Children Ages 3-6, by Dr. Jean Feldman and Carolyn Kisloski, this learning center activity is a perfect opportunity to practice observation, predicting, and vocabulary. Facilitating exploration and observation through play in young children allows them to develop concepts about science and nature, all while having fun!
Movement and Play Science SensoryMany children feel an uncontrollable urge to fidget and move around. This need for movement is often a distraction to both the child and to those around the child. To meet this need, William DeMeo, PhD, author of When Nothing Else Works: What Early Childhood Professionals Can Do to Reduce Challenging Behaviors, recommends fidgets. Below, you will find instructions to construct your own fidget gel bag. The child can assist you in making this fidget toy, giving them a sense of pride and ownership over the toy.
SensoryTwo common forms of professional learning are professional learning communities (PLCs) and communities of practices (CoPs). Both PLCs and CoPs are groups of professionals who regularly come together to discuss ideas, gain knowledge, and improve their practices. Groups that interact respectfully also develop understanding and trust. Try this exercise from Lose the Lecture: Engaging Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Learning to start your group's process of building respect and trust.
Mentoring and CoachingUse open-ended music and movement activities for preschoolers to encourage a long standing appreciation of music and the arts. Our movement activities are designed to focus childrens’ natural energy and curiosity in fun, educational ways. Twisting, bending, wiggling, and jumping to rhythms teaches children how their bodies move as they enjoy creating music from percussion instruments.
Our music activities for preschoolers are innovative and thoughtfully crafted for educators looking for creative ways to teach social skills while enhancing rhythmic awareness. When preschoolers are given the chance to use their voices for singing, or hands for shaking tambourines, they’re making vital connections between themselves and the outside world.
Parents can easily adapt music and movement activities created for preschoolers and toddlers for their younger children. Music activities for infants can be as simple as singing silly rhyming songs. Not only does singing to infants boost language development, singing enhances other areas of infant development like improvisation and creative thinking.
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