Old MacDonald Had a Farm

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.
MUSIC
A favorite song with young children is “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
They love to make the animal sounds.
Read the book Old MacDonald in the City to introduce the idea of different kinds of jobs Old MacDonald could have and the different sounds they would make.
Try singing the song using other ideas.

Old MacDonald had a cold, e,i,e,i,o
And with his cold he had a cough

Think of sounds you have with a cold.
Old MacDonald could also have a yard, a house, a candy store, etc.
Changing the words will develop vocabulary.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Let’s sing Old MacDonald together
For developing the idea: “If Old MacDonald had a candy store, what kind of candy would he have in the store?” Let’s sing about it.
For moving forward: Let’s sing "Old MacDonald Had a Car" and make up car sounds.”

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"Carnival of the Animals": By Camille Saint-Saens
This music tells the story about how the animals are having a carnival, and the guests are arriving. There's the majestic lion, the braying mules, the dancing elephant, and the graceful swan. There are also many other animals.

You probably will need to explain to the children what a carnival is.
I’ve selected two videos that you can show the children and then let them pretend they are the elephants and the swans as they listen to the music.
For your own personal interest, there are many, many videos of this delightful piece of music with poetry by Ogden Nash.
I urge you to expose your children and yourself to this lovely experience.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Show me how you walk like an elephant. Can you swim like a swan?
For developing the idea: What other animals do you think came to the Carnival? Let’s find out
For moving forward: If you had a carnival, who would you invite?

Products from Discount School Supply® that I recommend:
Naptime Classics - 4 CDs (LULLABIES)
Infant Poster Set - Set of 12 (BABYPIC)
Snuggle Me Tot Supporter (SNUGME)

What Shall I Wear?

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.

FOR TODDLERS
Stories Come to Life 
Creating and acting out a story makes it come to life and helps children internalizes the concepts in the story.

Read The Three Little Pigs or another familiar story to the children.
Read the story out loud and as you read, find one word such as huff, and say it in a loud voice.
Ask the children to act out the "loud" word when they hear it (by huffing).
You can also use words that show emotion such as “happy” and “sad.”

Ideas to do to that will take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: “Who do you think has a loud voice in this story?”
For developing the idea: “Can you pretend you are one of the pigs? Can you pretend that you are the wolf?”
For moving forward: Could you tell me this story? What would come first in the story?”

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What Shall I Wear You will need a raincoat, heavy wool hat, bathing suit, and a lightweight jacket or dress.
Talk with the children about the kind of clothes you need for different kinds of weather and seasons.
Look at the articles of clothing and discuss when you would wear them. 

Say the following rhyme:

What shall I wear on a rainy day, rainy day, rainy day?
What shall I wear on a rainy day?
This is what I’ll wear.
(on the last line, choose a child to go to the clothing and hold up the correct item.
Continue with a new rhyme.
What shall I wear on a sunny day?
What shall I wear on a snowy day?
Download my song "Whatever the Weather" at Early Childhood News or at my website.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: What do you wear when it is cold outside?
For developing the idea: Clothes protect us from changes in the weather. What did you wear to school today? Why did you pick these clothes?
For moving forward: Let’s make up a story about a hot summer day at the swimming pool. What clothes shall we talk about?

Two Nice Fathers and Roll Olympics

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.

FOR INFANTS
Two Nice Fathers

Say this finger play with your little one as you do the actions.

Two nice fathers met in the lane
(hold thumbs up)
Bowed most politely and bowed again.
(bend thumbs toward each other)
How do you do, how do you do
And how do you do again
(move thumbs as if they were talking to one another)
Repeat this verse while holding babies thumbs as you say the words.
Continue on with the finger play. You say it first and then move the babies fingers to repeat it.
Index finger - two nice mothers met in the lane....etc
Middle finger - two nice teachers....etc
Ring finger - two nice children....etc
Little fingers - two little babies....etc
On the "babies" it's fun to talk "baby talk." Try to make the sounds that the baby makes.

Ideas that you can to do to take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Let’s say the poem again as we move our fingers.

For developing the idea: I’ll say the words and you move your fingers. (depending on the age of your baby, you may need to help him with moving the fingers.)

For moving forward: Let’s pretend our fingers are kitties. What would they say to one another?

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Roll OlympicsHelping your baby roll over from tummy to back will develop the chest and arm muscles. Brain research says that using these muscles repeatedly gives babies’ the strength and elasticity for rolling over.

Here is a fun game to play while encouraging your baby to roll over.

Put your baby on her tummy on a soft and flat surface. Carpeted floors and the middle of beds are good for this game.

Hold up a teddy bear in front of your baby’s face and do antics with the bear. You might say the following poem as you make the teddy bear move around:

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn a round. (turn teddy bear around)
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground. (make teddy fall down)

When you are sure that your baby is watching the teddy, move it to the side so that your baby’s eyes and hopefully her body will follow.

Repeat the poem, moving the teddy bear each time.

Ideas to do to that will take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: As you play the game, if your baby doesn’t roll over the first few times, move her physically to help her understand.

For developing the idea: Lay on the floor on your back. Put the baby on your tummy facing you. Rock from side to side and say the “teddy bear” poem.

For moving forward: Each time you baby is successful in rolling over, give her lots of praise and clap your hands.

Make an Opera

MUSIC
Making an Opera

You will need plastic letters for each child.
The word “opera” printed on a chalk board or poster.

The more you use language with your children the better their brains will grow.

Singing is another way to use language that will help your children focus on words and what they mean.

Play a recording of any opera in English. One song is enough.

“The Telephone” by Menotti is a suggestion. This gives the children an opportunity to hear how words are sung instead of spoken.

Tell the children that you are going to have an opera at lunch. You will sing everything

Instead of speaking words like “here is a potato, or “would you like some milk,”, etc....sing the words.

Practice with the children sing the names of foods they will have at lunch.

Ask the children to take their plastic letters and copy the word “opera.”

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence : You have a nice singing voice.
For developing the idea: What songs do you like to sing?
For moving forward: Instead of saying “I like peanut butter and jelly” can you sing those words to me?

Now you are singing opera!

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Waggle Dancing  Music by Rimsky Korsakoff – Flight of the Bumblebee

You will need pictures of bees and their hives, and honey for tasting.

Honey is a very healthy and nutritious food.             

Bees make honey and this dance is about the bees.

Bees do the Waggle Dance to communicate with each other.

Select an area of the room for the hive.
The direction they fly when they return to the hive lets the other bees know where pollen has been located.

Bees also will circle around an area where food has been located. They wiggle their bottoms and circle the area. This is the Waggle Dance.

Place a flower or a replica of a flower on the floor.

Play the music.

Invite the children to spread their wings (arms) and circle the flower while wiggling their bottoms to the music.

After a few minutes change the location of the flower and invite the “bees” (children) to follow.

After changing the flower three times, fly back to the hive.

Music adds to the fun.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: "I like the way that you do the Waggle Dance."
For developing the idea: "Have you ever eaten honey? Honey is very sticky. What did you have it with?"
For moving forward: "Let’s make up a story about a bee flying from flower to flower. What would be a good name for the bee in our story?"

Suggested Products from Discount School Supply®:
Multicultural Velour Soft Babies (ALLFOUR)
Fuzzy Bee Book (NBBK18)
Easy-Grip Puzzles (PEGAP)

Let's Play Dress Up!

TODDLERS
Playing dress up gives children an opportunity to express their feelings, use language, and imagination.

You will need a basket filled with shoes, hats, scarves, gloves, jewelry and belts.
A full length mirror makes this game even more fun..

Pick out a hat and put it on your head. Then give another hat to a child.

Stand in front of the mirror and say or do something different with the hat on. For example, pretend to be another person and use a different voice.

Encourage the children to do something different in front of the mirror.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Say to the child “When I have on a cowboy hat, I say “howdy partner. Can you say that?”
For developing the idea: What would you say to me if you are wearing gloves?
For moving forward: Can you make your voice sound different when you put on the different clothes? Let’s put on some scarves and change our voices

Recommended book - We Love Dressing Up by Caroline Uff

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Winter ClothesTell the children that you are going to pretend that it is cold outside with lots of snow and that there will be a pretend snowman in the room.

You will need mittens, scarves, hats, boots, and other winter clothes.
Choose one child to be the "snowman."
Tell the children that you are going to dress the snowman.

Ask the class, “What shall we put on first?”

Proceed putting on a hat, scarf, mittens, etc. on the snowman. 

Ask the children to look very closely at the clothes the pretend snowman is wearing. 

Now ask the children to close their eyes. While their eyes are closed, change one clothing item ( e.g.. put a different hat on) or take a piece of clothing item away.

Ask the children to uncover their eyes and guess what is different about the snowman. 

Encourage them to use complete sentences. Example: “The snowman’s hat is dfferent.”

Say the following snowman poem.

A Chubby Snowman - Author unknownA chubby little snowman
Had a carrot for a nose.
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose?
That funny little bunny
Was looking for his lunch.
So he ate the snowman’s nose,
Nibble, nibble crunch!
Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Say to the child “Changing our clothes is something that we do often. When do you change your clothes?
For developing the idea: “When you dress yourself in the morning, what clothes do you put on and what clothes do you take off?”
For moving forward: “Can you tell me three things that you wear every day?”

Exploring Texture with Infants

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.

FOR INFANTS
Babies need a variety of tactile experiences to become familiar with their world. An infant spends the majority of his first year of life learning through these tactile experiences.

Babies need touching experiences to “grow” the brain and “grow” the body. It is as critical as nutrients and vitamins.

Exploring texture is something that babies love to do. You can uses silky cloth, materials that are fuzzy, smooth, and furry.

Another lovely tactile experience is to take a hair dryer and blow gentle air on different parts of the baby’s body.

Here is a wonderful tactile game that you can play with your baby.

Using your index and middle fingers, gently tap on different parts of your infant’s body. As you tap, name the part of the body.

Use the following poem as a guide:

Tap, tap, tap
On my baby’s (or use baby’s name) cheek.
Tap, tap, tap
On my baby’s cheek. (take his hand and put it on his cheek)

Repeat this little poem, tapping on different parts of the body.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Each time you tap a body part, clap your hands and shout “Hooray!”
For developing the idea: Reverse the game. Take your baby’s fingers and tap them on your body.
For moving forward: Play the game with a stuffed animal or doll.

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Through songs and fingerplays, many important skills can be taught which are vital in the development of the brain.

The following rhyme develops sensory perception and fine motor skills. Say the rhyme as you touch your baby’s fingers one by one. On the final verse, wave your baby’s hand.

Tommy ThumbTommy thumb, Tommy thumb,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am.
How do you do! (wave baby’s hand)
Peter pointer, Peter pointer,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am.
How do you do! (wave baby’s hand)

Continue on with Toby tall, Ruby ring, Sally small, and fingers all.

Your baby will respond to your touch and your voice.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Each time you touch your baby, kiss the finger you are touching.
For developing the idea: Reverse the process. Put the baby’s hand on your fingers.
For moving forward: After you play the game, add the song “Where is Thumbkin” to play with the fingers.

Beginning Rhythm Ideas

Learning Objective – Beginning rhythm ideas
Rhythm experiences for young children are vital for their development. It puts them in sync with the world.

Play some recordings for your children that use drums.

If you can bring a drummer to your room or take the children somewhere to see a drum set, that would be wonderful.

As you listen to the music, pretend you are playing air drums.

Here are some ways to make drumbeats to the music.
Hit your fists on different surfaces.

Use wooden spoons or rhythm sticks to play on different surfaces.

Shake your entire body to the rhythm of the music.

Some children will naturally feel the rhythm of the music. Others will need more time to develop a sense of rhythm.

Hit a steady beat with a drum or your hands and ask the children to hop on the beat, stamp on the beat and march on the beat.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence – Awareness of drums and their different sounds.

For developing the idea – Listen to instrumental music and identify the drums. If the drum beat is simple, clap your hands with the drums.

For moving forward – “How could we use drumbeats in the classroom? Could the teacher hit the drum to tell you it’s time to sit on the circle?’

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Learning Objective – Encourages musical learning
The newest brain research says: The earlier music is introduced, the more potential a child has for learning and enjoying it in the future.

If You're Happy and You Know ItSit on the floor with your child facing you.

Sing the song "If You're Happy and You Know It."
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
(take your child’s hands and clap them together two times.)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
(repeat clapping)
If you're happy and you know it
Then your smile will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
(repeat clapping)
Keep repeating the song and changing the action.
Move your child’s hands for clapping, waving, wiggling, snapping, etc.

Do the action first and then let your child do it.

Ideas that take this activity to the next level:
For building confidence – Repeat the song and clap softly and loudly.
For developing the idea – Do other movements with the song. Hop, jump, tap your foot, turn in a circle are a few to try.

For moving forward – Play the game with a stuffed animal. Let your child move the animals hand, feet, or paws to the words of the song.


Recommended Products from Discount School Supply®:
The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays, and Chants (RHYMES)
Familiar Objects Language Cards (CARDSET) 
Match It Up! Animal Matching Game (MATCHUP)