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Activities for Child Day Care Center

Your choice of activities will be influenced by the developmental levels of the children in your child care center. The idea behind the concept that children learn and play in different ways depends on their experience and interest, ages and special needs. For example, one two-year-old child might climb better than another four-year-old child, or a younger child who has played with a material frequently will use it in more complex ways than an older child who has not had any experience with that material.

Provide many chances for children to make real choices and explore ideas or objects on their own. Young children learn by handling real-life materials. Allow enough time for each activity, so children don't feel pressured, but have time to see each activity to completion.

Help children do what they are interested in, and offer materials and assistance in a way that helps them learn to help themselves, others and the world, and to feel good about what they can do and who they are in this world. Curious, confident children will continue to be eager learners and cooperative children.

Present learning activities and toys in a way that stimulates the children's interest and play. Children need structured and unstructured time for learning and experimenting activities. How you present an activity will vary by the children's development levels and the mood of the moment. Suppose you want to set up an art activity with discarded magazines, scissors, paste and paper. Older children may be able to select the pictures they want to use, cut them out and paste them on their paper without any help. You may be needed only to set up the materials. A younger child may need a lot of help learning how to use scissors and, in fact, the cutting may turn out to be the whole activity. An example of both structured and unstructured activities for preschool-age children is shown below:

Educational Skills
Activities
Pre-reading
  • Learn names of objects and how to categorize them (e.g. food, animals, clothing, toys, furniture)
  • Learn parts of objects (e.g. a pencil has a point lead shaft eraser)
  • Learn opposites (big-little, fat-skinny, hard-soft, hot-cold)
Reading
  • Learn to recognize labels on objects
  • Recognize community signs (e.g. stop signs, McDonald's, Safeway)
  • Use language experience stories dictated stories and teacher-made materials.
Handwriting
  • Learn to write name date and numerals
  • Learn to write upper and lower case manuscript letters
  • Write dictation of words and simple sentences
Math
  • Learn sequences (forward and backward)
  • Explore with unit blocks
  • Count using familiar objects
  • Use blocks to learn sets likeness differences and intersection of sets
  • Learn to make things equal
  • Learn calendar and clock skills.
Science
  • Learn about precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
  • Learn about lightning and thunder
  • Learn about water (solids, liquids, gases)
  • Learn about air (evaporation, movement)
  • Learn to name and identify the seasons
Social Studies
  • Learn one's own name names of other children, teachers and staff
  • Learn members of immediate family
  • Learn members of extended family
Art
  • Use different media - clay, easel paint, finger paint, crayon
  • Visit museums
  • Converse and work with artists in the community
Music
  • Learn and sing different songs
  • Learn to play and listen to records
  • Name and identify instrument classes
  • Participate in rhythm and body movements
  • Listen to and identify musical styles (classical jazz pop rhythm and blues)
Other
  • Perception motor skills
  • Dramatic play
  • Self-help skills
  • Health and safety procedures services for the handicapped social services and eligibility determination

Related Articles:

Curriculum for Child Day Care

Scheduling for a Child Day Care Center
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