It’s a Small World After All
August 4th – 8th, 2014
Infant 3 - 6 months
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayLanguage and
Music
Goal:
To experience the natural flow of language patterns / Faces, Faces!
Use photos provided by parents or others you’ve cut from magazines. Cut out & laminate for durability. With baby sitting in your lap, expand on her recognition of physical characteristics with comments like “Yes, she has brown eyes like you do!” / Baby Book
Make simple picture books for the babies. Ask parents to donate photos or use the school camera. Glue onto heavy cardstock, laminate and attach together with a metal book ring. Keep these in the infant room all month. Talk with the babies when you look at the pictures / Friends Picture Wall
Take pictures of all the babies or ask parents to provide. Laminate for durability and place at the baby’s eye level. Spend time looking at & talking with the babies about them. / Baby Signs: elephant, giraffe, mouse
Throughout the remainder of the month, utilize all of the signs with baby during the day. Show them pictures of these objects as well as pointing out stuffed objects in the classroom. / We Love Pink
Point out pink objects throughout the day to baby & sing:
Pink (tune: Jingle Bells)
Cotton candy, fat pink pigs,
Girls with socks and bows,
P-i-n-k, p-i-n-k,
That is how it goes!
Bubble gum, valentines,
These are all pink too.
Pink icing and pink balloons,
We can spell can you? yes!
Fine Motor
Goal:
Refine eye-hand coordination / Reach for the Toy
Place baby on her back on a soft blanket. Hold up a toy or rattle that she can try to reach for it.
Hold it to the left of her and then to the right to encourage her to look both directions. / Toy Grasp
With baby seated in an infant seat facing you, gently shake a rattle in front of baby. Baby will attempt to grasp the rattle but may miss it. Continue as long as baby seems interested / Stacking Rings
With baby sitting on your lap on the floor, place rings and post on the floor in front of you. Show baby how to put the rings on and take them off. / Bottle Feeding Time
With each bottle feeding, gently place baby’s hands around the bottle as you hold it. This will encourage baby to begin to
grasp it. / Tummy Time
Toy Reach
Place baby on a blanket on the floor on his tummy & place head to one side. Put a toy in baby’s line of vision. Encourage baby to reach for it.
Fun With Fitness: Gross Motor
Goal:
Strengthen upper-body muscles / Fluttering Tree
Suspend 2 or 3 interesting toys from yarn & attach to a solid tree branch outdoors or from the ceiling. Carry baby over to these toys & touch them w/your hands. “(Orion), I touched the toy w/my hand. Can you touch it?” Raise toys up so they will easily move with a swipe of the hand, then position baby farther from them. / Baby Carry
Alternate the hip you carry baby on to encourage looking, turning & balancing (to the right & left) in both directions / Crumple & Throw
Sit baby in your lap, facing out. Bring out an old newspaper and crumple it up in your hand with baby helping. Toss the paper ball: “I can throw my ball way over there.” / Shoulder Lookin’
Carry baby over your shoulder, alternating between the left & right shoulder throughout the day. You will be encouraging baby to look both ways as you do. / Snuggle Time
Lay baby against your shoulder facing you. Talk with the baby. This snuggling will encourage the baby to lift her head and look at you.
Sensory/
Art Exploration / Spoon Practice
Let baby practice with a spoon between 4-12 months. It will be messy, and they may not know what to do with it, but they need the practice. (Note: Make sure you have permission from parents!) / Oatmeal
Container Drum
In advance, collect empty oatmeal containers. Cover with bright paper. Sit with baby in your lap and tap on the top: vary the tempo as you tap. / Bubble Blow
With baby seated in a sassy seat or similar, gently blow a few bubbles to the left and right of her. “Look at the pretty bubbles, There they goes! Can you catch one, Jordan?” / Listen Softly
Play soft music while baby is playing on the floor. Classical music is the best. Baby’s brain cells are developing & research indicates that classical music helps w/its development. / Bell Play
Bring a hand bell to the classroom. Gently shake the bell throughout the room, insuring that each baby gets the opportunity to hear it. Sing a song and shake the bells.
It’s a Small World After All
August 11th – 15th, 2014
Infant 3 - 6Months
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayLanguage and
Music
Goal:
To experience the natural flow of language patterns / Language Cards & Actual Objects: fork, spoon, plate
Seated on the floor w/baby in your lap, show baby the objects noted above and the language card. Provide the word for it during conversation: “Oh Braeden look at the plates.What color is it?” / Puppet Play Bring several puppets to the floor. Talk to baby using the puppets. Have the puppet pick up an unbreakable mirror. Look into the mirror: “Mr. Puppet likes your pretty brown eyes, Jamil.” / The Color Song
Point out pink and orange objects to baby throughout the day. Make up a song.
Baby Signs: cake, ice cream, slide
All month long, utilize all the signs with baby throughout the day but especially when they are playing ball or with stuffed animals or see a bird outside. / All Shook Up
”Shake baby’s hand
Shake it fast & then shake it slow.
Shake it high & shake it low.
Shake it all around,
Everywhere you go.” / Tippie Toe
Tippy Tippy Tiptoe, off we go.
Tippy Tippy Tiptoe, to & fro.
Tippy Tippy Tiptoe through the house. Tippy Tippy Tiptoe, quiet as a mouse.” Use your fingers to “tiptoe” up baby’s arm, over head & down the other arm.
Fine Motor
Goal:
Refine eye-hand coordination / Toy TransferBeginning between 4-6 months, baby will begin to transfer toy from one hand to the other. Hand baby the rattle and encourage him to do this. / Crossing the
Mid-line
Place the baby in a comfortable seated position.
Sit or kneel in front of him and hide a favorite toy behind your back. Make a game of handing him the toy so he has to reach across his body to get it. / Orange Grasp
Rub a small orange toy or block across the palm of baby’s hand. As baby wraps her fingers around the toy or block, let her hold on to it. Say “You grabbed the orange block, Chen. Good for you!” / Reach to the Side
Beginning as young as 4 months, baby can develop accurate forward and side reaches. Develop this skill by placing toys both in front of and to the side of a baby. Continually vary where toys are placed to refine the skill. / Eye Follow-Ups
Place a brightly colored large ball in front of baby’s eyes. Slowly move it to the left, then to the right, allowing baby’s eyes to follow it. Do for only a few seconds.
Fun With Fitness: Gross Motor
Goal:
Strengthen upper-body muscles / Diaper Time
Neck Control
Alternate baby’s position on the changing table throughout the day. As you fasten the diaper tabs, gently roll her from side to side. Talk to her from different sides. / Bottle Feeding
Change the arm that you use to hold baby in for feeding throughout the day, so baby begins to look and turn equally to both sides. / Belly Burp
Place baby belly down over your lap when burping. This activity is a variation of tummy time for a young infant and helps to strengthen upper body muscles. / Feeding Fun
When feeding cereal, position baby in a seat so he begins to look both ways. Feed baby w/the spoon coming in from the left, right and middle to encourage turning of the head to both sides / Look At Me
Sit with your back supported & knees bent. Position baby against your knees, facing you. Sing a song up close, nose-to-nose with baby, keeping his head positioned in the middle.
Sensory/
Art Exploration / Where’s the Rattle?
Lay baby on his back & shake a rattle gently near one side of his head. Encourage him to turn toward the sound. Shake the rattle again on his other side so he will turn. Repeat several times / Baby Found
Place a handkerchief over baby’s head & pretend you cannot find her. Say, “Where’s Kamiko?” When you pull the handkerchief off, get excited & say, “Oh! There you are!” / Pink Toys
Locate as many pink toys as you can throughout the classroom—especially those with interesting textures and place within baby’s reach. Talk to him about the color. / Walk With Friends Weather permitting, take babies outside in the stroller. Walk around & talk to babies about what they’re seeing. This activity can also be done inside the building; remember to talk to the babies about the things they see. / Water Drops
Place baby on a soft rug or in an infant seat. Place a few drops of water into the palm of his hand. “See the water, Benjamin?” I put it on your hand.” Help baby open and close his hands as the water drops.
It’s a Small World After All
August 18th – 22nd, 2014
Infant 3 - 6 Months
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayLanguage and
Music
Goal:
To experience the natural flow of language patterns / THIS IS THE WAY THE BABY RIDES
Tune: “The Mulberry Bush”
This is the way the baby rides,
Baby rides, baby rides.
This is the way the baby rides,
Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy.
Sing this song and bounce the baby on your knee. / Cooing Game
Listen for the baby to make a cooing sound. Repeat the sound; see if the child does it again. / Language Cards & Actual Objects
With baby in your lap, show her the language cards for potato, cup, plate, and fork. Provide the word for it and point to the real object if possible. Explore the objects. / A Little Ball
A Little Ball (Clasp hands together)
A Bigger Ball (Curve hands into a ball shape.) A great big ball I see (Raise arms above head)
Now let’s count the balls. One (hold arms above head in a circle). Two (Curve hands in a ball shape). Three (Clasp hands together) / Pictures of People Baby Knows
Collect pictures of people baby knows—family, caregivers, friends, & cover w/contact paper. Hang them where baby can see & reach them. Talk with baby about what he sees.
Fine Motor
Goal:
Refine
eye-hand coordination / Ribbon Pull
Cut a long piece of ribbon & put it in a baby wipe or tissue box so that the ribbon will easily slide through the opening. Show baby how to pull it out. The ribbon will keep coming as you pull it. / Cube Pick Up
Between 4 – 8 months, baby will be able to pick up a cube or medium-size object easily. To develop this skill, sit on the floor w/baby and place a small soft toy (a block or similar) in front of him. With verbal encouragement, invite baby to pick up the toy and grasp it in his fingers. / Bang & Shake It
To help baby develop motor coordination in her arms and hands, place baby on the floor using a sit-up device if needed. Bang a block on the floor to attract her attention. Encourage her to do the same and praise her when she does. Next, shake a rattle (or similar noise-maker) and encourage her to do the same. / Pat-a-Cake
“Pat-a-cake,
Pat-a-cake,
Baker’s man.
Bake me a cake,
As fast as you can.
Roll it,
Pound it,
Mark it with a ‘B,’
And POP it in the oven For Baby and me.”
Hold baby’s hands as you clap. / Did You Know?
Hand-eye coordination begins to develop between the ages of 2-4 months, inaugurating a period of trial-and-error practice at sighting objects & grabbing at them. At 5 months, most babies can grasp an object that is within reach, looking only at the object and not at the hands. This "top-level reaching," is considered an important milestone in fine motor development.
Fun With Fitness:
Gross Motor
Goal:
Strengthen upper-body muscles / Cradle Gym
Place a cradle gym or sturdy mobile about six inches above each baby. Help baby to hit the mobile with her arms, legs and hands. “Kick the butterfly, Reina. You got it! Kick it again!” Cheer when she does. / Ball Roll
To assist baby in developing control of his arms & legs, place him on the floor, using the sit-up if needed. Sit about 3feet away facing the baby. Roll a ball against the baby’s feet. Encourage the baby to kick or batthe ball away. Roll the ball back to baby & say “Roll the ball, roll the ball. Good for you Mariska!” / Catch the Roller
Help baby develop motor control of his trunk & limbs by placing her on the floor on her tummy. Place a musical rolling toy in front of her & encourage her to reach for it. When the toy rolls away, gently roll it back to her. Repeat as long as baby wants to play. / Twinkle Toes
Place baby on the floor or on your lap with a small pillow behind his head. Lift his legs together so he can touch her toes. Hold his legs there & play “This Little Piggie” providing less support as she learns to grasp her legs on her own. / Moving to Music
Hold baby in your arms facing you. Turn on a music box or active record and begin to move your body up & down, back and forth to the music.
Say “Oh, look at us bounce. We’re dancing to the music Kiya.”
Sensory/
Art Exploration / Ice Bag Play
Place 2 – 3 ice cubes in a small zipper-closure bag. Place that bag inside another. Sit with baby & allow her to explore the bag with her hands. Talk about how the ice feels. Do NOT leave baby unattended! / Nature Walk
(weather permitting)
Take a nature walk outside with babies in the stroller. Take a blanket along so that when you find a warm spot you can spread it out. Enjoy the fresh air with babies beside you on the blanket. / Bubble Blow
With baby seated in an infant seat, gently blow a few bubbles to his left and right. “Look at the pretty bubbles Cecilia, There they go! They popped!” / Orange Toys
Locate as many orange toys as you can in the classroom, especially those with interesting textures and place within baby’s reach. Encourage baby to play with them; and talk to her about them as she does. Include toys that are partially orange and talk about the different colors. / Cuddle Me Time
Hold and sing to young babies. Even when babies are able to hold their own bottle, they should be held. Being cuddled frequently assists to build the child's self-worth, security, and tactile system.
It’s a Small World After All
August 25th – 29th, 2014
Infant 3 - 6 Months
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayLanguage and
Music
Goal:
To experience the natural flow of language patterns / Routine Time Talks
While feeding, diapering, dressing, washing or moving baby, talk, talk, talk to him. Tell him what is happening to him.
“Are you wet, Marion? Let’s go to the changing table
Baby Signs: Use all signs this week: bunny, duck, frog, turtle, bird and ball. / Coos & Hugs
Hold baby in your lap & play this cooing game. Hold a rattle in front of baby’s eyes. When baby makes a cooing sound, coo back at him & give him a gentle hug. After baby tires of that toy, switch to another. / High & Low
One of the newborns most highly developed abilities is responding to sound, including the difference between high-and low-pitched sounds.
Hold baby close to you & say his name in soft/ high-pitched voice. Next say it in a low-pitched voice. / Wiggle, Wiggle
Wiggle your index finger in the air as you recite:
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle little finger,
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle in the air.