Imaginative: Monkey See Monkey Do
Ideas: One person does the action while other imitates.
Take turns being the monkey. Below are some ideas
to get you started.
Extend: Play follow the leader, walking around the room.
Pay attention to the leader and do what they do.
Imaginative: Monkey puppet (use Velcro or tape on a glove
with pictures of monkeys), make a bed with
something you have around your house-an
old tissue box, made out of blocks etc)
Ideas: Can you act out the song of 5 Little Monkeys?
Extend: I wonder if you can make up a new song or game
with the monkeys and the bed
5 Little monkeys jumping on the bed
1 fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “no more monkeys
Jumping on the bed”.
4 Little monkeys jumping on the bed…
Sensory: Magnets and a variety of items
Ideas: Explore with what magnets stick to. What can you
create with the items?
Extend: What do you notice about the magnets? I wonder
how the magnets stick to the metal.
What else do you know about magnets?What else can you discover about magnets?
Awareness of Self: Mystery Bag – items start with the
letter “M”
Ideas: Reach into bag, feel and describe items
Say name of item, emphasize the initial sound
Extend: What else starts with M in the room? What
other kind of Mystery Bag could you make?
Set items on a tray-your child hides their eyes
while you remove one item-see if they can
remember which one was removed.
Does your child have a particular interest in an animal? If so, do some research and learn something new about this animal.
Gross Motor: Tight Rope Walking
Ideas: Walk on, beside in various ways. Can you walk on
the tight rope while balancing something on
your head.
Extend: How else could you move on the tightrope?
Use some tape to make a tightrope or a hopscotch
Imaginative: Kitchen Play-use some empty snack food
boxes, empty water bottles, small plastic
dishes, scraps of material, felt or foam shapes
to make pretend pizza, cookies, salad etc
Ideas: Follow your child’s lead. Observe how they play.
What else could you do at home to make a pretend
kitchen, store, pet shop, garage etc.
Extend: How else would you like to play with these items?
Art: Marble Tray Painting—use a cake pan or a shoe box
Ideas: Place a glob or two of paint in the tray on the paper.
Tilt the tray back and forth so the marble rolls
thru the paint. Did you make new colors?
Extend: Does the marble sometimes miss the paint?
What happens when the marble goes thru the
paint? Discuss what you notice about the colors?
This is about process not the product
Sensory: Goop-(Cornstarch and water), jungle animals,
Buttons, trees, letters, cars
Ideas: Talk about how the goop feels.
Experiment with different items in the goop
Extend: What happens when you…squish it, hold it, try to
make a ball?
Have you tried to ….?
Awareness of Self: Animal Sort-gather up all the animals
that have sunk to the bottom of the
toy box, help your child sort them
Ideas: Talk about the animals that live in the Sea
or on land. Sort by: where they live, if they have
stripes, spots, feathers, two legs, if they hop, run
or waddle. How else could you sort the animals?
Extend:Pretend play with animals. Tell a story.Draw a home for the animals. Build a house out of clay
or blocks.
