Materials
None needed
Instructions
1. Hide a small item (such as a toy dinosaur, egg, or colored block) in the classroom,
making sure it is partially visible and accessible to the children. Hide it
so that it will take some time for children to find it.
2. Tell the children that you have hidden an item somewhere in the classroom.
Explain that you will help them find the hidden item by saying "hot" when
they are close to it and "cold" when they are far away. As they get closer to
the item, you will say, "Warmer" and as they move farther away, you will say,
"Colder."
3. Encourage the children to look for the item as you use the "hot and cold"
method.
4. When they find the item, choose one child to be the Hider and one to be
Looker.
5. Send the Looker out of the classroom with another teacher or adult. Ask the
Hider to hide the item.
6. Bring in the Looker and help her find the item. Encourage the remaining children
and the Hider to use the "hot and cold" method.
7. Give each child a chance to be a Hider and a Looker.
More to do
Hide theme-related items. Use the "hot and cold" method to talk about hot and
cold places. Instead of using the hot and cold method, try the "close" and "far"
method. Use the "red" and "green" method to introduce safety. As the child
move towards the item, say, "Green." As she moves away, say, "Red." Invite a
police officer to come in and talk about block parents and what to do if you get
lost. This activity works well as an Easter Egg Hunt and/or as a special take home
game. Assign one child to be the Hider and the rest to be lookers. Instead of
using the "hot and cold" method, ask the children to find the item by themselves.
Whenever a child finds the item, she will leave it where it is, come back
to the circle, and whisper to you where the item is hidden. Encourage them not
to point. This is great for practicing spatial concepts such as on, under, behind,
and so on.
