Course 5

Course 5

Activity 1

Play dough activity 

Duration: 5 – 10 minutes

What do you need?

  • Play dough
  • Potato masher

What to do:

  1. Caregiver is to hand a ball of play dough to child and then introduce the masher to him/her by explaining what it is usually used for. You may demonstrate how it is used, but it is more likely that your child would want to figure it out form himself. how to smash with a potato masher
  2. Encourage your child to use two hand when handling the masher. 
  3. Allow your child to use his/her hands as well to pull the play dough apart and put it back together again.
  4. Talk about the patterns it makes as well as how the masher is pushing the play dough flat. Pretend that he/she is making some food. 
  5. Allow for free creative and fantasy play to emerge from this simple activity.

**Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to re-enact a story or organize play. This process helps your child to make the connection between spoken and written language — a skill that will later help him learn to read.**

Activity 2

Stamping shapes with toys

Duration: 10-15 minutes

What do we need?

  • An assortment of plastic toys with distinct shapes that can be used as printing stamps
  • At least 2 more different colour paints *(prepared beforehand)
  • A sheet of paper or newspaper

What to do:

  1. Have your child be part of the process to collect shaped toy items from the toy box
  2. Next explain that he/she will be printing the shapes onto the paper by first dipping it in the paint, and then stamping it onto the page.
  3. Allow your child to freely select the colours and shapes to print as the activity progresses. 
  4. Ask what colour has been chosen as well as what shape has been stamped as it happens. 
  5. He/she will probably stamp shapes over each other, allowing for the concepts of over and under and first and second to arise. 

**During the preschool years, children’s intuitive knowledge of geometry frequently exceeds their numerical skills. By building on strengths and interests that are already present, we can foster an ongoing enthusiasm for mathematics and provide a logical context to develop number ideas**

Activity 3

Build a square 

Duration: 7-10 minutes

What do you need?

  • Cotton buds, ice cream sticks, straws 
  • square drawn on a cardboard as guidance or visual reference

What to do:

  1. Caregiver to explain to your child that he/she will be building a square using the materials provided.
  2. Allow your child to build freely and only support if absolutely necessary.
  3. At the end, ask him how many sides it has; if all the sides are the same sizes or not; how many corners they see (and to place fingertips into the corners)
  4. Have your child walk about the house trying to spot as many items that are shaped like a square as possible.
  5. Remind your child of the song: 

A square is like a box (sung to tune of: The farmer’s in the dell)

(A square is like a box (x2) 

It has 4 corners and 4 sides

           A square is like a box.

Use the link below to assist with the melody