Number 1: PLAY!
If you do nothing else this week, please let it be play! Of course, almost everything I suggest is about playful learning because it is essential for children, and pretty darned important for grown-ups too.
Number 2: Pizza
See, learning about the letter P is fun AND delicious! You already know I love to cook with children, and what's better for this week than making and eating pizza?!
Depending upon how much time I want to spend on this, and on the age and skill level of my kiddos, I've had them help me make pizza dough (I cheat and use the bread machine), or I've used something as a pre-made crust. Both work beautifully, are fun and fairly easy, and you end up with something delicious that your children will want to eat. Today let's talk about letting children make their very own mini pizzas by using half an English muffin as a crust.
I like to put out pizza toppings for the children to choose, and invite them a couple at a time to come and assemble their pizzas. If you want to really talk about the sound of Pp, consider offering pepperoni, peppers, and pineapple along with any other toppings you want.
It does take a few minutes for a preschooler to scoop up the ingredients they want, and to spread them on their pizza. They're making decisions, estimating how much they want of each ingredient, and working their finger muscles as they arrange the toppings. This is a fine motor, sensory, life-skill, healthy eating experience, and that's definitely worth the time it takes!
Make sure you know who's pizza is where on the baking sheet, because they WILL want THEIR OWN pizza! Bake it until everything is hot and the cheese is starting to turn golden, and then.... well, your child will help you figure out what comes next!
Number 3: Pigs in a blanket
This is another fun cooking activity for your little ones, and you'll just need a can of biscuit dough and some mini sausages.
Let the children cut the pieces of biscuit dough in half, and squish each half. Lay a sausage on the dough, then roll it up.
Lay them on a baking sheet and bake according to the directions for the dough. YUM!
Again, if you're not sure what comes next, ask your children, they'll know it's time to eat!
Number 4: Picnic
You might be thinking a picnic takes a lot of planning and preparation, but when you're dealing with children, simply taking your meal outside to eat equals a picnic! I like to keep a picnic blanket handy so we can make a picnic in just moments. Have a large box from a delivery? Instant picnic table!
There's something magical about getting outside to eat - and of course, once they're done eating, it's time to PLAY!
Number 5: Puddle Stomping!
This is one of my all time favorite preschool activities, and one I think most of my former students remember well, even many years later. I have a couple of pro-tips to help make this activity go smoothly, even with a group of children.
- Plan ahead. Before you ever head out the door, make sure you have towels and dry clothes handy for afterwards. Is your child wearing something that is okay to get wet, or do they need to change into play clothes first? Is the puddle in a place that's safe for bare feet?
- Set limits. Is splashing okay? Are you getting full body wet, or just feet? What space do you expect the children to stay in? By thinking this through ahead of time you save yourself having lots of tired, wet children making a mess in your house afterwards!
I like to have the children take off their shoes and socks inside, and then head out. We run, we stomp, we splash... then we look for earthworms that have been washed out, and gently rescue them from the puddles. We run around some more, and we notice how different everything looks when it's wet. Take off your shoes and stomp right along with your child - I promise, it's fun!
Number 6: Penguins
Read about them (
here's a post about penguin books), craft them, act like them, there are so many awesome ways to
include penguins in your learning! Did you know Emperor penguin daddies keep their unhatched eggs warm on their feet?
Penguins DO waddle, but they also like to slide on their bellies, which is called tobogganing.
They live in colonies or rookeries, and their chicks are fluffy and gray - NOT black and white.
These are pictures of our penguin rookery - the patterns and instructions are available in my TeachersPayTeachers store
here if you're interested, or for a penguin craft and games for learning letter P, check out
this resource:
Number 7: Pirates
I've blogged about our pirate activities several times - check those posts out here, here and here!
Number 8: Hand prints and foot prints, of course!
As always, you can find the original inspiration for each of these, and many more ideas for similar crafts on this Pinterest board.
Number 9: Puzzles
Do you and your littles do puzzles together? Puzzles require children to look for similarities and differences in shape and color, to rotate pieces, to work their finger muscles, to think about what the picture is supposed to look like, and much more. Start with puzzles with 4 or 5 pieces, and work up to more complex ones. You can usually find puzzles at resale stores or garage sales for very little money, and your local library may also have some in the play area that you can use while you're looking for books!
Number 10: Letter crafts
Make the letter-sound connection by creating letters that go along with some of the letter Pp activities you're doing this week. We added penguins to pink or purple lower case letter p, and turned the upper case P into a pepperoni and peppers pizza pie.
Have a great week friends - peace!
