HS Families

Interest Area Changes to Environment

Photos of the Children’s Families

Photos of Families Around the World

Family Figures

Family Puppets

Photo Albums

Multicultural Paint, Paper, Crayons

Books about families

Family file folder game 

Laptop

Cell phone

Small Vehicles

Grandma and/or Grandpa Hat

Fake Eye Glasses

Apron

Picnic Basket        

People Stamps

Purse

Wallet

Plastic keys

Newspaper

Teaching Concepts for Large Group

1. What / Who makes a family? 

2. What makes my family different from your family? 

3. How do some families live? (Ex. house, apartment, teepee, igloos) Concept to learn: families can live in different dwellings. Read the Three Little Pigs. 

4. What do you do to help your family? Talk about the importance of helping one’s family. 

5. What is the role in my family? 

6. What do I do to show my family how I feel? 

7. What are some things families do together?

Teaching Concepts for Small Group

1. Mommy and baby animals file folder. Have a matching game of the baby and mommy animals. 

2. Discuss family sizes. Use counting bears to represent family members. Work on counting and adding family members and taking family members away. Example- Start with 4 bears. Count. 1 bear went to school, take this bear away. Now how many are there? 

3. Classifying – Have children cut out pictures from magazines and glue them on paper divided into two sections. “Children” and “Parents”.

4. Make a Family Tree

5. Look at pictures of our families and talk about our families and how each one is unique

6. Paint or draw a family portrait

7. Look at pictures and talk about what activities you do with your family.

Teaching Concepts for Music Movement Wellness IMIL 

1. I love Mommy( can add daddy, brother, sister, etc.) (tune: Frere Jacques) I love Mommy, I love Mommy. Yes I do, yes I do. And mommy loves me, Yes, my mommy loves me, Loves me too; loves me too. 

2. Family Picnic (tune: Teddy Bear Picnic) Let’s all go to the woods today, We’re sure of a big surprise. Let’s all go to the woods today, We’ll walk there side by side. We know that we’ll have lots of fun, We’ll eat and play and dance and run. Today’s the day we have our family picnic! 

3. With My Family (tune: Muffin Man) Tell me what you like to do Like to do, like to do Tell me what you like to do With your family. ______likes to _______ _______,______ ______ likes to _____. With his/her family. (insert children’s names and what they like to do with their family in the blanks) 

4. My puppy My puppy has a doghouse, just outside my door. He licks me when I pet him and he wags his tail for more. He’s always there beside me, no matter what I do. My puppy is my special friend, and a family member too! 

5. You Are My Sunshine! 6. I Love You (Barney song) 

6. Over the River and Through the Woods

Over the river and through the woods

To Grandma's house we go.

The car knows the way

To go today

To Grandma's house. Hoo-ray ay!

Over the river and through the woods

To Grandma's house we go.

To play with the toys

And make lots of noise

And give Grandma a hug! 

Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays 

1. My Family 

Here is Daddy (thumb) 

Here is Mommy (index) 

Here I am for three (pinky) 

Together we’re a family, As happy as can be! (clap) 

2. My House 

Here are the windows, Here is the door. 

Come on in, I’ll show you more. 

Here is the kitchen, the living room too. 

A bathroom, three bedrooms, and room for you! 

An attic, a chimney, and a roof above. 

My house is a home, ‘Cause it’s filled with lots of love! 

3. A Family Fingerplay 

This is a family (hold up one hand, fingers spread) 

Let’s count them and see How many there are And who they can be (count 1,2,3,4,5) 

This is the mother (touch pointer finger) Who loves everyone 

And this is the father (touch big finger) Who is lots of fun. 

This is my sister (touch ring finger) She helps and she plays 

And this is the baby (touch little finger) He’s growing each day. 

But who is this one? He’s out there all alone, Why it’s Jackie the dog, And he’s chewing on a bone. (wiggle thumb) 

4. Family Items 

These are Mother’s knifes and forks (interlocking as in praying fingers and lift them slightly) 

And this is our dining table (lower fingers keeping them interlocked, straighten wrist to form a flat surface) 

This is Sister’s looking glass (form a circle by touching thumbs and index finger) 

And this is the Baby’s cradle (cup hands together to form a cradle) 

5. Grandmother’s Glasses 

These are Grandmother’s glasses (make circles around each eye with fingers) 

This is Grandmother’s cap ( hold fingers interlocked over head) 

This is the way she folds her hands (fold hands) 

And lays them in her lap (lay hands in lap)

6. Finger Family 

7. 5 In the Bed 

There were 5 in the bed

 And the little one said, "Roll over, roll over." 

 So they all rolled over and one fell out

 There were 4 in the bed

 And the little one said, "Roll over, roll over."

 Count down to 1.

There was one in the bed,

 And the little one said:  "I've got the who-le bed to myself,

I've got the who-le bed to myself,

I've got the who-le bed to myself - 

I've got the  whole bed to myself! 

Teaching Concepts for Outdoor Experiences

1. Parachute play – Before and after the activity discuss how the class worked together just like families working together.

CLASS Concepts

Encourage families to decorate a poster with pictures of themselves and display them throughout the room. Ask the children to tell you about the pictures. Use the pictures to compare and contrast. “What can you tell about Jose’s family by looking at the pictures? How is his family like yours? How is it different? Remember to do a poster for your family, too.

Teaching Concepts for Distance Learning

1. Follow the Leader

Play follow the leader in your house. Take turns moving to a different room and then do a fun movement in each room.

2. Go for a family walk and take turns saying something you are really happy about or thankful for.

3. Do some outdoor chores as a family. Reach, pull, push, and bend.

4. Work on classification skills with your child by talking about characteristics of your family. Ask, “How many members of your family are boys/girls? How many have long/short hair?”  

5. Have your child collect his favorite toys (up to 10) then help him practice counting and touching each toy as he counts it.  

6. Prepare pre-cut shapes from colored paper in a variety of sizes (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles). Have your child use these shapes to create members of your family. Talk with her about the different shapes she used. 

7. Go on a nature hunt outside. Collect the same number of rocks and leaves (10 of each). Take the rocks and leaves inside and challenge your child to make a pattern (rock/leaf/rock/leaf). 

8. Have your child practice using her five senses around your home. Challenge her to draw one item for each sense (something she can smell, touch, taste, hear, see).  

9. Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!

10. Family Picnic! At snack time, put out some blankets and have a preschool family picnic style snack or lunch!