For the most important people in the world Kids have a lot of work to do – like developing who they are, discovering the world and then starting their journey to independence. So having the right things at home can make it a little easier. From the day you bring them home until they’re almost all grown up, our children’s furniture will help you turn your home into the best possible playground. Changing tables & nursing, Children's desks & chairs 8-12Send us an email or give us a call at 312-944-6363 Six Kids' Games to Play with Bean BagsWhat is a Preschool Library Interest Center Of course this area has books, however most preschoolers can not read the words! A library area can help preschoolers’ language and literacy skills in many ways! Where should you place the Library Interest Center? It should not be surrounded by noisier areas such as dramatic play or the block center. For suggestions on how to set up your interest learning centers, click the Classroom Design link below.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CLASSROOM DESIGN PAGE What do children learn at the Preschoool Library Interest Center Activities in the library help children: Letter and word recognition, pattern recognition, using their memory to recall familiar stories, learn proper handling of books. How should the teacher prepare the Library Interest Center? Teachers can offer many items based on themes using items such as themed books, puppets or flannel board stories. The materials to have on-hand are anything that will encourage language and literacy. Here are some ideas: Themed books—fiction and non fiction books that correspond with your current classroom theme. Basic Concept books about the alphabet, numbers and colors. Nursery rhyme and other favorite books. A flannel board with one or two choices of flannel board stories (change these flannel stories every 2 weeks. And they do not need to be based on a theme. Listening Center—add a CD player with books on CD and headphones for the children to listen to stories.
Puppets to act out stories. Bean bag chairs, pillows, carpet squares or comfy, foam furniture to sit on. A magnet board with magnetic letters or numbers. Paper and pencils or crayons for children to create their own books. You could also include a writing table here, but it will need supervision until the children can use writing materials without writing in books. Rules about how to treat our books should be a regular conversation with the children! One resource I simply could not do with out is The Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge. I believe every classroom should have one! If your program does not have a copy, check your local library or bookstore. It is a wealth of information on interest centers and could not be more developmentally appropriate! You can purchase a copy through Amazon. Click link below to go to their website. Click Here to Go to the Main INTEREST CENTER Page from this preschool library page Click Here to Go to Preschool Plan-It's Home Page
With all the electronic entertainment bombarding our children, it's sometimes difficult to find fun activities that can compete for their attention, especially without spending a fortune to do so. But there are a few traditional toys that are tried-and-true and still pack a punch today.One of my favorites is the bean bag.The materials themselves don't get much simpler or less expensive. A little fabric and a handful of beans or rice is all you need. If you don't sew, you can make them with socks and close off the end with a rubber band. If you have a bit more crafty talent, you can make them out of themed fabric, or apply numbers or letters to the bean bags for additional gaming rules. A few added props such as laundry baskets or bowls and the options are almost endless.The games you can play are as uncomplicated as the bean bags themselves. They're safe, simple, and versatile. Here are just a few ideas:Simple game of catch using bean bags. This is a great game for younger players to build hand-eye coordination without requiring the dexterity needed to handle a round ball.
Pick a short distance and gently toss the bean bag back and forth. If the bean bags have numbers (or letters) on them, have the players say the numbers as they toss them.Give each player a bean bag. Both players toss their bean bag at the same time and try to catch the bean bag thrown by the other player.Scatter a few baskets or bowls on the floor and assign a point value to each one. Toss the bean bags into the baskets and add up the points. Alternatively, use masking tape to draw lines on the floor, or to tape down paper targets.Line up a series of empty aluminum cans and plastic bottles along a flat surface. Label the empty containers with a number for a point value. Toss the bean bags at the targets and knock them down to accumulate points.One player hides the bean bags, the other searches for them. For more interaction, the player who hid the bean bags can say "hotter" or "colder" to indicate to the other player if they're getting close.Tie a blindfold onto both players. Give one player the bean bags, and the other player a basket.
The player with the bean bags says, "Marco," and the player with the basket responds with "Polo." The player with the bean bags tries to toss them into the basket, based upon the sounds made by the other player.Use chalk to draw a hopscotch court on the driveway. Toss a bean bag to mark a skip. If you're trapped indoors, masking tape works great for outlining the court.If you have hardwood or smooth tile floors, these make great surfaces for an adhoc shuffleboard court. Use masking tape or cans to mark the borders of the court. Give each player 3 bean bags which they slide down the court to score points.A player places a bean bag on a their nose and balance it while walking a short distance and dropping the bean bag into a basket, without ever touching it with their hands. If they drop the bean bag or touch it with their hands, they have to go back to the starting position and try again.Sit the players on the floor in a circle. Give each player a bean bag, with one of the bean bags being red.
Start a musical tune and have the players toss their bean bag to the player next to them as quickly as they can. Stop the music randomly. When the music stops, the player with the red bean bag steps out of the circle. As a consolation, that player could be put in charge of the music for a turn.Place a bean bag on top of the player's head. Have them do a series of actions while keeping the bean bag balanced on their head. Suggested actions are: turn in a circle, touch their toes, hop on one foot, crawl, deep-knee bend, animal imitations, sit and scoot on a skateboard, etc. The added bonus of this activity is the hidden exercise.Place a few players inside a ring of other players. Have the players on the outside toss bean bags at the players on the inside while the players on the inside try to dodge the bean bags.One player is "it." That player chases the other players and tags another player "it" by tossing and tagging them with a bean bag.These are just a few of the many great activities you can do with a couple of simple bean bags.