SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
News for Black Hills Early Learners
We are here to bring you fun activities for any child ages 0-5 years. We hope you find this useful and helpful during this very unusual time. Happy learning!

At the end of each activity you will find the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines
domain and goals for the activities.
For a copy of the Early Learning Guidelines click on the photo.
Infant Corner
Activities for children under 1
Development

The link to video below offers practical advice for parents and caregivers on how to help their baby reach important speech and language milestones during the first year, from crying to cooing, babbling, and talking.
Communicating and Oral Language Development Goal CLL-1
Link to Video Here

‌
Play
With a laundry basket and some yarn make a Spider Web Discovery Basket.
Motor Development Goal HPD-5
Children learn so much from using their senses. Offer your baby a sensory bag, which acts like a big blob of water, as great way for them to learn how to track movement with their eyes and develop a greater understanding of texture. 
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-1
Busy Toddlers
Activities for children 1-3
Physical/Outdoor

The following link gives tips for making some traditional games non-competitive.
Physical Health and Growth Goal HPD-2
The link below offers a variety of ideas for building fine muscles to prepare for learning cutting skills.
Motor Development HPD-5
Science/Sensory

Color rice in Fall colors for a Fall themed sensory bins.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-1

Fall is an excellent time of the year to put a twist on the classic oobleck science experiment with this applesauce oobleck recipe.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8
Literacy/Math

Get toddlers moving with Fall leaves while learning new words, talking about alphabet letters, sounds, and matching letters.
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-7

Take learning outdoors and use nature to learn how to measure.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-6
Social Emotional Development
Biting is a typical behavior often seen in infants, toddlers, and 2-year olds. As children mature, gain self-control, and develop problem-solving skills, they usually outgrow this behavior.
Self-Regualtion and Pro-Social Behaviors Goal SED-5

Toddlers need to learn to share so they can make and keep friends, and play cooperatively. Here are 6 activities to teach the skill of sharing.
Developing Relationships Goal
SED-2
Hands-On Preschoolers
Activities for children 4-5
Physical/Outdoor
This apple snack is a fun, interactive activity that allows children to participate in the preparation to make their own apple “pizza”! In addition to helping children gain experience in food preparation, this snack provides a wonderful fine motor activity.
Motor Development Goal HPD-5

Make the spinner from the link below and now you’re ready to dance! Turn on the music and get the kids dancing. Spin the spinner and call out the body part that the paper clip lands on. Children should dance by only moving that body
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
Science/Sensory
With Fall fast approaching, it's a great time to try out some apple science! Observe how different liquids affect apples.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8

How about pine branches? How do different liquids affect them.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8
Literacy/Math
There’s research to show that if children can connect an action or movement while learning something new it is easier for them to retain that information. Play this Noisy Letter Jump Phonics Game as fun way to learn about the alphabet.
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-7

Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr Zuess is a great book to teach early math skills. Creating a number line teaches preschoolers number sequencing and one-to-one correspondence as well as demonstrates written numerals are representative of groups of objects. 
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4
‌
Creative Arts
This Fall hand print art explores negative space while painting.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Vibrant colors make these Leaf Sun Catchers great for decorating windows.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12