Most, if not all the readings that I have done so far state the importance of forming activities that are built on the children's prior knowledge as well as their interests. Hence, I have started to pay further attention to the toddler I'm working with, (let's name him Josh), and the activities he constantly shows interest in or how he reacts to certain activities. The warm days lately mean that we get to go outside a fair bit and the first thing Jo always reaches for is the watering can which we place on an accessible table. He runs to the tap and usually fills the can up until it is way too heavy for him to lift and spills approximately three quarters of the water while he is walking to the plants we have. Josh gets really excited and happy when he sees the soil getting flooded with the water and usually walks away with a really pleased expression on his face when he is commended on his 'gardening' skills.
I decided to look up some activities as to further build on Josh's interest in using the watering can. I then came across this website with heaps of toddler activities and I especially liked this activity that involves using a watering can:
http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2012/06/watering-alphabet-garden.html
So this activity is a simple activity that involves using chalk to draw/write lines of alphabets on the floor and having the child 'water' the correct alphabets that you call out.
I thought this was an absolutely brilliant idea as it would really help with Josh's alphabetic awareness/alphabetic recognition, plus it involved him using his favourite 'toy', the watering can! As mentioned in the website, it also said that this activity can help children to actually hold the watering can properly and manage the flow of water better. I thought this would be useful for Josh since he usually spills most of his water while walking around. I find that this activity can also be used with numbers, or drawings of fruit, shapes, and so many more!
The best part really is that this activity is something that Josh is positively inclined to. Josh doesn't exactly enjoy 'sit down' lessons and tends to walk away even when we sit down in a group to sing our ABC's. Josh can also learn spatial awareness where to walk when he wants to 'water' a specific alphabet. Josh also learns the ration the amount of water for each alphabet and learns if he needs 'more' or 'less' water to wash out an alphabet.
Ultimately, it really has been such a joy to see that Josh actually responds to this activity very well and learns from it. You know you must have done a tiny bit of something right when the child has learned something new and has actually enjoyed it and insists on doing it again.
I decided to look up some activities as to further build on Josh's interest in using the watering can. I then came across this website with heaps of toddler activities and I especially liked this activity that involves using a watering can:
http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2012/06/watering-alphabet-garden.html
So this activity is a simple activity that involves using chalk to draw/write lines of alphabets on the floor and having the child 'water' the correct alphabets that you call out.
I thought this was an absolutely brilliant idea as it would really help with Josh's alphabetic awareness/alphabetic recognition, plus it involved him using his favourite 'toy', the watering can! As mentioned in the website, it also said that this activity can help children to actually hold the watering can properly and manage the flow of water better. I thought this would be useful for Josh since he usually spills most of his water while walking around. I find that this activity can also be used with numbers, or drawings of fruit, shapes, and so many more!
The best part really is that this activity is something that Josh is positively inclined to. Josh doesn't exactly enjoy 'sit down' lessons and tends to walk away even when we sit down in a group to sing our ABC's. Josh can also learn spatial awareness where to walk when he wants to 'water' a specific alphabet. Josh also learns the ration the amount of water for each alphabet and learns if he needs 'more' or 'less' water to wash out an alphabet.
Ultimately, it really has been such a joy to see that Josh actually responds to this activity very well and learns from it. You know you must have done a tiny bit of something right when the child has learned something new and has actually enjoyed it and insists on doing it again.
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