Fingerpainting

Today the infants sat in the high chair one at a time. I taped a piece of fingerpainting paper (smoother paper and harder to make a hole in) on the tray. I put two different colors of glitter paint on the paper. They all smeared the paint on the paper. The younger infants smeared it in the same spot while the older children smeared it back and forth. Some of the children banged their hand up and down. They all smiled and seemed to enjoy it :)

"Row, Row, Row the Boat"

    The children listened as I sang this song to them. I gently rocked them back and forth on my lap as well as in a little boat. Even the 3 month old infant looked at me and smiled. The older infants moved their body back and forth trying to get me to continue rocking after I stopped. They used their early logic, language and large motor skills. They all smiled at me too!

Musical Instruments

     The children watched as we shook and banged the various musical instruments in the classroom. We have some maraccas, a xylophone, a little piano and various other noise makers. The infants smiled and reached for the instruments too. Some of the older infants clapped when we sang and played with them while they were making music. During the day, as music played in the class, we watched them shake and bang some more. We also encouraged them to bounce and dance along!

Reading- What Do You Say?

    The children sat on my lap as I read What Do You Say?  I read the words as they looked at the pages. I encouraged them to touch the pages and help turn them. I also pointed to the different animals on the pages and made the animal sound. I let them explore the book and let them look at me as I made the different animal sounds again. The older infants repeated some of the animal sounds.

Puzzle Play

I showed the infants a simple 3 piece puzzle with handles on the pieces. They watched me as I showed them how to pick up the puzzle piece and put it back in the puzzle. They used their small motor and early logic skills as they picked up the puzzle piece with their hand. They all explored the pieces and most tried to put it into their mouth to explore. Some older children also banged the pieces together and onto the puzzle too.

I am a teacher!

  I am often asked "What do you Teach an Infant?". I believe that I do teach my infants by the way that I respond to them and by what I do with them. I would love to share my ideas and thoughts with anyone who is interested. Every month, I will describe and write about an activity that I actually do with the infants in my class....so Enjoy:)