Frog's Lunch

This game is a lot of fun! When I find green party blowers I pick up quite a few to keep on hand for years to come.

Supplies: party blowers, plastic flies, and dice

Process: Lay out the flies on the floor in front of the children at circle time. Roll the dice. Have the children blow their green party blowers (frog tongue) on the flies. Whatever number was rolled pick up that many flies and have them put it at their spot.

Roll-a-Bowl

A great game for those winter months inside!

Supplies: Plastic bowling pins and a large area to play in

Process: Have the child lay on the floor with their hands above their heads. Have them roll down toward the rolling pins. Try and have them knock the pins down only by staying down on the floor and rolling into them.

Teach Well: If the pins will not stay standing on your floor place on a flat surface like a box.

Feed the Penguin

I am sure I got this game idea from Mailbox Magazine but love the new twist I added!

Supplies: Clip art of a penguin, tub or box, clipart of fish, and dice

Process: Cut your penguin out then slit a slot where his mouth is. Attach it to the front of a box or dish tub. Cut out fish clipart (I found mine on my computer). Lay the fish on the floor (your "ocean"). Roll the dice and count how many fish you can gather from the ocean to "feed the penguin."

Teach Well: Read Without You before playing this game.

Decorate a Snowman

Find items around the house to help you play this fun and decorative game!

Supplies: craft foam snowmen, buttons, ribbon, pom poms, and dice

Process: Roll the dice and count the number you land on. Add that many pieces to your snowman and decorate him as you wish! Let your friend have a turn. When your snowman is filled clean him off and play again!

Teach Well: Snowmen are alway on clearence this time of year at your local craft store. No craft foam? Use clipart from your computer to make your "game board." Use this game with your favorite snowman book!

My Christmas List

I always try and give parents a sort of wish list for their child. You know, those games, toys, and movies that would help their development. Here's this year's.

1. Super Why ABC Letter Game

 2. Super Why movies (which you can also find on Itunes)

3. Lucky Ducks

4. Leap Frog Letter Factory Board Game and movies

                                              

5.  Textures and Colors Matching game

6. Candy Land game

Sequencing Cards

Keep your eyes out when you are shopping Goodwill or thrift stores. This game was a great find several years ago.

Teach Well: If you can't find premade sequence cards make your own.

Same Sound Stuffing

Supplies: Mailbox Magazine October/November 2009 page 55

Process: Make copy of cooked turkey from Mailbox Magazine and game cards. Lay cards face down on the table and take turns flipping two cards at a time. If the card has the same beginning sound place on the cooked turkey. If not, flip the cards over and it's your friend's turn.

Teach Well: If you are playing this game as a class enlarge the cooked turkey copy.

Ice Cream Cone Game

October we work on ball skills including kicking and balance. This game is great for both! I learned this game while watching infant soccer practice with a friend one year. I thought it was a great idea!

Supplies: a ball and a cone

Process: Create a starting and finish point. Have the children balance their ball on the bottom of the cone. Walk from the starting line to the finish line. If the drop the ball just have them pick it up and continue. Remind them to keep their hands off the ball!

Teach Well: Keep games for young children without loosers. We are always winners in Miss Jen's class!

The Squirrel Game

I love to shop thrift stores. When I go I am always keeping my eye out for vintage educational games. I found this game at Goodwill that I bring out only for this season. Can you believe it? It is so darling with the little pinecones on the board. The children love it!

When looking for games I usually know that there might be pieces missing. This game had a few pinecones and the dice missing but that didn't keep me from bringing this treasure home. I always buy larger dice to use for my preschoolers and keep a box at home to use as needed.


Teach Well: Shop thrift stores for unique board games that can go with your theme! As you start to collect them and bring them out on special occasions the children will sense how special they really are!

Pumpkin Patch Game

I found these great "pumpkins" and mice at the local dollar store years ago. Make sure to look in other departments in stores for things you can use in the classroom. Who would have thought that the health and beauty section would have the best pumpkins for this game?

Supplies: Pumpkins (of your choice - you could use plastic if you like), basket, plastic mice, and dice.

Process: Have a basket filled with the pumpkins and bury the mice underneath. Have the children roll the dice and count the number out loud. Have them put their hand in the basket and pull out that many mice. When all the mice are out of the patch have the children start again!

Teach Well: Use large dice so that the children can count the dots easily.

Gone Fishin'

Wading Pools are one of my favorite items in the classroom during the month of May. There are so many uses for them, including this game. I found these plastic fish with a magnetic fishing pole at the local dollar store a few years ago.

Supplies: Plastic fish, Sharpie pen, magnetic fishing pole, and wadding pool.

Process: Before your game write letters on the fish with a Sharpie pen. Put the fish in the pool and have the children take turns fishing out a letter. Remind the children to only use the fishing pole to collect the fish. This is great for hand/eye coordination and small motor skills. The children might have a difficult time but encourage them to "walk" the line to the fish.

Teach Well: No pool? Use a large piece of blue butcher paper for your water. No fish? Use clip art with paper clips on them. No fishing pole? Use a dowel or stick tied with yarn and attach a magnet.

Egg Soccer

Supplies: plastic egg and four cones

Process: Set up your field in a gym, large room, or hallway. Use the cones to create goals on either side of your field. Make sure there is enough room to run around. Have the children stand on one end of the field. Give each child a plastic egg and have them kick it to the goal. When they reach the other side, have them stop until everyone has kicked their egg to the goal. Remind them that they must use their feet only and have them kick their egg again to the other side of the field.

Teach Well: I love to use the plastic eggs that come in play food sets for this game. You can use plastic Easter eggs if you use clear packing tape to seal them closed. This game can easily be adjusted for older children by having multiple smaller fields and sharing eggs like a real soccer game. If you are playing this game with preschoolers, do develop their gross motor, social, and emotional skills leave it uncompetitive.

Feed the Frog

I love this center! These bug launchers and flies were found at my local dollar store. You can use any die cuts. These cute frogs were found at our local Learning Palace.

Supplies: Die cut of a frog, bug launchers, tape, and plastic bugs

Process: Set up this center in it's own corner away from traffic. Tape the frog to the wall. Have a line where the children sit to launch their bugs. Place a bug into the bug launcher and close the lid. Try and aim at the frog. Pull the trigger to launch!

Teach Well: I recommend there only be two children at this center and that the children are sitting down. This center looks like a lot of fun but it is also strengthening those small motor skills.

Alphabet Match

Supplies: plastic fruit and vegetables, 3x5 index cards, and markers

Process: Before playing the game, gather eight to ten pieces of plastic fruit or vegetables. Use markers to make letters on the 3x5 cards that match the first letter of the food you are using. For example, write a "w" on a card if you have a piece of watermelon. When it is game time, line the food on the floor facing the children. Then line the cards under the food. Have the children sound out each item match the item to the card. Place the food on top of the card. When all the cards are covered, play again!

Teach Well: When you are all done playing this game, keep it out for center time. Let the children try and match it themselves.

Where or Where Has My Little Sheep Gone?

Supplies: yarn, stuffed sheep or clip art, prize

Process: Before the lesson make a trail-like obstacle course with yarn or string. At the end of the trail have your stuffed sheep with a prize for the class sitting with it. Have it winding around the room in and around items. Read a book about sheep, or read about The Lost Sheep in the Bible. Afterwards, sing Where or Where Has My Little Sheep Gone. Then follow the trail to find the sheep.

Where or Where Has My Little Sheep Gone

Where oh where has my little sheep gone?

Oh where oh where can he be?

With his wool so soft,

And his tail so small.

Where oh where can he be?

(sung to Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone)

Teach Well: Play this game to reward a class for good behavior. Prizes don't have to be sweet; you can use farm stickers or tattoos instead. To make this game even more fun have a child be the leader with a shepherd's staff. If you are playing this game at home try to set it up during your child's nap time, then have snack at the end of the trail for fun!

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

Supplies: stuffed farm animals and jump rope

Process: Make a circle with the jump rope and call it your barn or fence. Give each child a stuffed animal. Begin singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm. When the child hears his animal in the song, have them place it in the barn. Play again when all the animals are in the barn.


Teach Well: Use music if you have this song on CD. Place animals onto a parachute and when all the animals are on the parachute move it up and down to the music. No stuffed animals? Use clip art from your computer instead!

Flower Picking

If you haven't had a chance to make the playdough in my previous post, this activity will give you another chance! Find silk Easter lilies at your local dollar or craft store. I use them for many activities and have several on hand. This makes for a fun center and great for those small motor skills.

Supplies: Silk flowers cut into single stems, brown playdough

Process: Place the playdough on the table and have flowers next to it. Have the children explore and plant their flowers how they like.


Teach Well: Have dice on the table along with this center. Have the children roll the dice and place that many flowers in thier soil. Before this activity read The Parable of the Lily.

Number Egg-travaganza

This game can be used as a center or in your dramatic play area. I kept this in our dramatic play chicken coop in the classroom. But, getting it out to have as a one to two person center is just as fun!


Supplies: plastic eggs, egg carton, Sharpie marker

Process: With your Sharpie marker write a number on the plastic egg and also in the egg carton. Place eggs in the lid of the carton and have the children find the correct spot for each egg. Have them say the numbers out loud.

Teach Well: Instead of writing numbers on the inside of the carton, draw dots to correspond with the egg that goes there. Keep extra plastic eggs on hand. If any break you can replace it quickly.

Fruit Hockey

I love games out of the ordinary! Hockey sticks are a great way to work on gross motor skills while still having a blast! Plastic hockey sticks are one of my favorite items. Although they are expensive you may find items at your local dollar store that you can use instead. I have a dollar store set of golf clubs that work the same. Just be ready with the duct tape in case any handles fall off! Cones are useful to create start and finish lines. You can also find a set of three at your local dollar store.

Supplies: plastic fruit, plastic hockey sticks, four cones

Process: Create your field with two cones on each side. Try to keep the field small and if the children are doing well at using the hockey sticks then make your field larger. Give each child a plastic piece of fruit. Have them only use their hockey stick to guide the fruit to the other side of the field.

Teach Well: This is a non-competitive game. Safety first! Remind them to always keep their hockey stick on the floor. If their stick is always touching the floor, no one will get hurt and there will be no fruit flying across the room. If you are at home a great place to play this is in a hallway.

Jumping Over the Bubbling Brook

Supplies: jump rope, music

Process: Have someone (preferably an adult) hold each end of the jump rope to the floor moving it back and forth like a snake. With music playing in the background, have the children jump over the bubbling brook one at a time with feet together. When they are done jumping over once, have them return to the end of the line to go again.

Teach Well: If a child is having a hard time jumping over the rope while it is moving keep the rope still. Jumping is a gross motor skill that needs to be developed. After the children have mastered jumping over the bubbling brook have them begin jumping over the quiet stream on one foot.