News for Black Hills Early Learners
April 2022

At the end of each activity South Dakota Early Learning domain and goals for the activities are provided. For a copy of the Early Learning Guidelines click on the photo.

Infant Corner
Activities for children under 1
Caring for Infants
Auditory Peek-a-Boo is a fun twist on peekaboo. Move out of your baby’s visual range such as behind your baby. Call out, “Where’s Mommy” or “Where’s (whoever you are)” and wait for your baby to turn and find you. Acknowledge she found you and move to a different location and play again.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-2

When babies coo and babble, adults should pause (waiting until the baby is "done" in the same manner you would wait for someone to finish a sentence) and then respond with a comment or sentence of your own. This helps babies understand the pattern of a conversation.
Communication and Oral Language Development Goal CLL-1

Creating DIY books for babies is a simple way to introduce babies and toddlers to reading and books while creating an infant activity they can play with for months and years.
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-4
Busy Toddlers
Activities for children 1-3
Physical/Outdoor
Stomp the Bug: Create a fun movement game by drawing with chalk a variety of shapes (circle, heart, triangle, etc), add legs, antennae, and faces. Call out a shape for your child to "stomp". How far can they jump? Can they make it to the next bug with just one jump?
Motor Development Goal HPD-4

Create this is a simple toy that will engage toddlers. Great for eye hand coordination.
Motor Development Goal HPD-5

A Scavenger hunt and Obstacle in one activity. Easy to put together Listening obstacle course with stuffed animals you have at home or in your classroom
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
Science/Sensory
Toddlers love to explore with sticky tape. Use pipe cleaners and a lint roller and let them try to pick up and peel off "worms".
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal-1

Setting up this activity requires some plastic Easter eggs and a few supplies that you are likely to already have in your kitchen. It's a good idea to have some spare baking soda and vinegar because once the kids start this Easter science experiment they won't want to stop!
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-1

Ooblek is a fun and frugal science activity that is easy to set up at home or in a classroom. Learn all about non-newtonian fluids and engage in some very cool sensory play too. Link below to a Earth Day themed ooblek activity perfect for young kids.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal-1
Literacy
Make a set of letter eggs out of plastic Easter eggs. Write the upper case letters on one half, the lower case letters on the other half. Hide them in a sensory tub or around the house and see if you can find them and match them together.
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-8

This may go down as one of the best alphabet activity, best Easter activity, best indoor activity we have ever done.
Foundations For Reading Goal GLL-8

As early as your toddler is interested in pencils and crayons, allow her to experiment – to doodle, color, create their own ‘artwork’. Letting them scribble helps them to learn to write. Later on, they will learn that certain letters create words when put together, and that writing words together carries a message. 
Foundations For Reading Goal GLL-9
Math
Practice counting and strengthen fine motor skills using a hole punch and construction paper.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4

Recycle those plastic Easter eggs into simple math practice with counting or shapes.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4 &5

Toddlers explore measuring volume while playing in the sensory bin.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-6
Social/Emotional
Read "The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle and use it as an opportunity to talk about kindness and feelings.
Self-Regulation and Pro-Social Behaviors Goal SED-4

This blog shares five great ideas for promoting Social Emotional learning in your classroom, program, school, or home.
Developing Relationships Goal SED-3

You can't always get what you want. Disappointment is a normal, though difficult, part of growing up. When you allow your child to feel, experience and learn from little disappointments at an early age, you help them to create the skills they will need to successfully handle the bigger disappointments they will experience later in childhood and as an adult.
Self-Regulation and Pro-Social Behaviors Goal SED-4
Hands-On Preschoolers
Activities for children 4-5
Physical/Outdoor

Get the children moving with spring animal walks- Do the bunny hop, frog jump, and lamb crawl from one side of the room to the other. Think: wheelbarrow walks, crab walks, donkey kicks, and bear walks with a Spring theme!
Motor Development Goal HPD-4

This one isn't for everyone but if you don't mind getting messy try mud target practice. Or pass on the mess and use bean bags instead.
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
A sidewalk and some sidewalk chalk is all you need to create an outdoor motor activity for preschoolers.
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
Science/Sensory

Earth-friendly and kid-friendly science, make milk plastic! This is the perfect simple science experiment  for any time of the year including Earth Day! Earth Day is April, 2022. Kids will be amazed by the transformation of a couple of household ingredients into a moldable, durable piece of a plastic-like substance.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-3

These tie dye coffee filters represent the planet Earth with blues and greens. Pair this with the Dr. Suess book "The Lorax", since the Lorax loves his environment and we do too! 
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8

Here is an activity to explore what happens to jellybeans when added to different types of liquids. Ask child(ren) questions to help them predict what will happen. Some children may enjoy finding ways to document what they discover.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-9
Literacy

Save the caps off your gallon milk jugs to create a simple alphabet matching activity.
Foundations of Reading Goal CLL-8

The road to reading doesn’t start with words. It starts with sounds. Hearing sounds in words is a crucial step as kids learn to read. This activity can be created to assist children in hearing sounds.
Foundations for Writing Goal CLL-7

Making blank books easily accessible to young kids is a great way to get them excited about writing. Here are directions to make 3 different versions of blank books for your kids.
Foundations for Reading Goal CLL-4
Math

You only need two players but this dice game is great for groups and large families because any number of players can join in. Since it is a game of chance, no strategic skills are necessary, but children have the opportunity to practice their addition skills, and learn about probability.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4
The weather is getting warmer and time to get outside. Take your math experiences outside with these fun and simple activities.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4

A fun math activity that can be done anywhere is sending children on a shape hunt. Great for polishing observation skills as well!
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-5
Creative Arts

GIANT wall art is a perfect preschool process art project. This butterfly collage art for kids will strengthen your preschooler’s gross motor muscles by holding their arm up to a vertical surface. It will also help hand-eye coordination as they balance holding two objects (the paper and brush) at once.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Spring is a great time to discuss flowers and plants. Painting with flowers is a way to engage preschoolers in process art while giving them a chance to experience some natural elements. And, as a bonus, it’s simple and the results are beautiful!
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Give balloon printing a little Earth Day twist and created our own Earth Day Prints. Or make balloon printed chicks for Easter.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12
imagination BOOK STOP
For lesson plan ideas around books that families receive from the Imagination Library go to Black Hills Reads Resources. Each Book Stop features information about the book, discussion ideas and activities.