Monkeying around!

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?

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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.