Materials
- An equal number of small, opaque plastic jars (film containers work well)
- Objects to put into the jars, such as sand, jingle bells, small stones or sticks, and paper clips
What to do
1. Put matching objects into two jars. Start with just a few items and increase the number as the children get more proficient.
2. Encourage the child to shake one container and listen to the sound. Then, the child can try to find the matching sound by shaking the remaining containers. The child can continue until she has matched all of the pairs.
3. Make this activity self-checking by putting matching symbols under each matching pair. For example, put a triangle shape under the two containers that contain sand.
More to do
- Books: Extend the activity by reading stories such as The Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown.
- Literacy: This activity teaches children to listen carefully and distinguish sounds, which will be helpful when they learn the sounds that letters of the alphabet make.
- Rest or Nap Time: At rest time, ask the children to close their eyes and listen very closely to all of the sounds they hear. Make a list of what they hear, such as a car horn, an airplane, water dripping, a person walking, and so on.
-Iris Rothstein, New Hyde Park, NJ
