Programming For Young Children

Your day should include time for some of the following:

Free Play 

~ table toys: puzzles, felt boards, lego, tinker toys, games
~ floor toys: building blocks, large trucks, doll house, matchbox cars, playhouse, farm set, etc.

Story Time

~ Read stories with lots of illustrations (length depending on age group).
~ Can also include poems, nursery rhymes, felt board stories, finger plays, songs, and games. 

Cooking Experiences

~ Helping to prepare lunch or supper, children can assist in making simple dishes (baking, making pancakes, etc. )   Let the child wear his own apron and help scrub potatoes, set the table, grate vegetables, pour juice into glasses, peel hard-boiled eggs, etc.  Children should also take some of the responsibility in cleaning up after a cooking experience.

Dramatic Play

~ Set aside a special corner in a child's bedroom, the playroom or rumpus room for dressup and housekeeping and imaginative play.  Play area can include such items as:
~ a trunk, large box or suitcase for dressup clothes (shoes, handbags, old wigs, jewelry, scarves, gloves, old hats, ties, belts and vests, party dresses, bathing suits, shawls and veils, suits, etc.).
~ Housekeeping equipment:  child's size table and chairs, play stove, fridge and sink set, child size pots and pans, dishes, kitchen utensils, empty food boxes, egg and milk cartons, soup cans.  Other accessories:  doctor or nurse's kit, cash register, puppets, dolls, stuffed animals, doll crib, cot or mat with blankets large enough for a child, hand mirror or full length mirror, large packing boxes for making hideaways, puppet theaters, etc.

Outside Play

~ Outside play is a very important part of any daily schedule.  If possible, children should have an "outside time" at least twice a day (once in the morning before lunch and then again in the afternoon after nap time).  A good balanced day includes quiet and active activities.  An outside program can include:
~ nature walks or walks to explore your neighborhood
~ field trips to go to the park, the hospital, pet stores, a farm, etc.
~ regular planned outings such as joining a swim program, ice or roller skating
~ in your own yard - sand and water play, riding toys, swing set, climbing equipment, building equipment such as old tires, boards (free of nails), blankets and old boxes to use in imaginative play
~ outside games such as ball and frisbee throwing
~ action games (tag, London Bridge, "Simon Says", "Red Light, Green Light"
~ setting up an obstacle course for children to jump over, crawl through, run around, etc.
~ giving children lots of opportunities to develop large muscle coordination (walking, running, jumping, etc.)

Creative Experiences

Parents and caregivers who want their children to be creative need not "teach" it, but sustain and nourish the creative spirit that is already there.  Do you have the basic art supplies?
~ Crayons - buy fat crayons for children.  Eight colors are sufficient
~ Paint - dry powder paint is the least expensive and is easy to mix
~ brushes - three or four brushes about 1 inch wide.  Short handles are best.
~ paint clothes - old, large shirts, smocks, plastic aprons, overalls
~ paper - try newspaper, paper bags, shelf paper, old wallpaper
~ blunt scissors - with rounded tips, they are safer for young children
~ collage - lots of material to encourage freedom of expression (bits of ribbon, styrofoam, spools, wool, string, colored macaroni, beans of all sizes, shapes and colors, rice, egg shells can be colored with food coloring, bits of scrap cloth and felt, tile chips, paper toilet rolls, magazines, greeting cards to cut up, etc.)
~ space - a place for your child to paint and model clay, in the kitchen, playroom, bedroom or outside.
~ storage - use a large cardboard box decorated with your child's artwork.  Keep in an easily accessible place.  Include a roll of paper towels.
~ display - hang paintings on the refrigerator with magnets, on a special bulletin board, on a clothesline with clothespins or in picture frames that are changed frequently.
~ praise - probably the single most crucial element in a creative home - you can never get enough of it!

Music and Dance

~ Activity Ideas:  Set aside a special time each day for finger plays, action songs and sing along songs.  Children's' favorites include:  Are you Sleeping (Frere Jacques); Baa Baa Black Sheep; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Three Blind Mice; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; If You're Happy and You Know It; Do You Know the Muffin Man?  Sing with the children anytime, while you are cooking, getting them dressed for the morning, when they wake up from a nap, at cleanup time, etc.
~ Spontaneous Dancing:  Give the children plenty of opportunity for dancing, the most expressive way to develop coordination and rhythm.  Put on a tape, cd or the radio and dance away.  Try varied tempos.
~ Music Appreciation:  Give the children the opportunity to listen to different types of music during a quiet time activity.  Introduce them to jazz, classical, country rock, disco music, .etc.  Also try story tapes, a great way of settling children down before nap or lunch time.
~ Rhythm Band Marches:  Improvise instruments from the kitchen such as:  bang a large pot with a spoon (drum); jingle measuring spoons together (castanets); crash two pot lids together (cymbals); staple two paper plates filled with loose bottle caps together (tambourine).  Put on some marching music and have the children accompany the music or just do their "own thing".  Instruments can be also used to accompany a song.
Also see:  Music Theme

Rest Period or Quiet Time

Most young children need a napping period of one to two hours.  If your child has outgrown his need for a sleep, a rest or quiet time should still be scheduled into your active child's busy day.  During that time a child can rest quietly on his bed for a short period of time to wind down.  then give them "quiet toys" such as puzzles, lego, story books, etc. to keep him occupied while other children are having their rest.

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