Fun Activities to Keep Your Preschooler Busy in the Early Learning Center

Even though we are on a break from our regular weekly storytimes, be sure to visit us over the holiday season. There are always plenty of fun activities to keep your preschooler occupied.  Some examples are:

• Themed "book bundles" 
• Books with activity sheets
• Literacy activity
• Science, or STEAM, activity

Also, do you ever sit at our craft counter with your child and help him complete the craft project of the week? This week's craft is an angel and involves tracing, cutting, coloring, and gluing.  In addition to the fun, quality time spent together, this involves many learning opportunities.  For example, learning to cut with scissors promotes fine motor development by exercising the muscles in the hands and honing hand-eye coordination.  

Just ask at the Help Desk in the Early Learning Center and we will be glad to give you more information.

Story Mix for Three to Six: Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is a great day to explore colors with your little one!  Red and Pink are often colors associated with Valentine's.  Colors can be both useful and expressive ways for children to not only learn new words, but also identify objects and feelings.  Using such skills, children can begin to learn about colors in books and get ready to read!

These are two great resources to use for learning more about how colors help children learn and grow:
Purdue University College of Consumer and Family Sciences
Kennesaw State University Educational Technology Center

There is also a Valentine themed rhyme in which you can pretend to make a Valentine!  Or for more fun, bring out the craft supplies and make real Valentine's for everyone your child loves!  Crafts are a great way for your little one to enhance their imagination, as well as, engage important hand and eye coordination for improving fine motor skills. 


Let's Make a Valentine Rhyme
Snip, snip, snip the paper.  (scissor motion)
Glue, glue glue the paper.   (glue stick motion)
Press, press, press the paper.  (pressing motion)
Here’s a valentine for you!  (give valentine away)

Valentine Kisses Rhyme
1 little, 2 little, 3 little kisses
4 little, 5 little, 6 little kisses
7 little, 8 little, 9 little kisses
10 little kisses on Valentine’s Day.

We read these Valentine themed books at Story Mix this week:

Clifford's First Valentine's Day by Norman Bridwell
Clifford spends his first Valentine's Day going to the post office with Emily Elizabeth to mail valentines, but he gets lost in the carts full of letters. 
Check catalog availability

My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Depicts in rhyming text how love can be many different things, such as eager as a beaver, steady as a yak, or silly as a seal. 

Check catalog availability
Hug Me by Patti Stren
More than anything in the world, Elliot the porcupine wants a friend who will hug him. 
Check catalog availability

Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis
Tiny Too-Little loves someone who's very, very tall, and Tiny wants a kiss. What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a thimble? What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a matchbox on top of a thimble?
Check catalog availability

Terrific Twos: Boats go ZOOOOOM!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are continuing with our animated theme of 'Things that GO!' and sharing rhymes and books about BOATS!  Our selection of rhymes, songs and stories encourages active play and thoughtful fun for kids who like motion and movement.  Children will use hands and feet throughout the rhymes to create activity, such as pretending to row a boat or moving their arms and hands like waves in the water.

There is also a Valentine themed rhyme in which you can pretend to make a Valentine!  Or for more fun, bring out the craft supplies and make real Valentine's for everyone your Terrific Two year old loves!  Crafts are a great way for your little one to enhance their imagination, as well as, engage important hand and eye coordination for improving fine motor skills.


Waves, Waves Rhyme
Waves, waves, back and forth, (move hands like waves)
Rock the boat all day.
We row and row so we can go (pretend to row)
Somewhere far away.  (look with “binocular hands”)   

Five Little Boats Rhyme (From our friends at King County Library System)
The first little boat went chug, chug, chug.
The second little boat went tug, tug, tug.
The third little boat went row, row, row.
The fourth little boat went ohhh sooo slowww.
Here comes the sailboat,
Watch it GO!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat (From our friends at King County Library System)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Row row row your boat
gently down the stream.
If you see a crocodile
Don't forget to scream!

To make this rhyme even more fun, turn it into a game in which you sit down holding hands, and rock back and forth like a boat as you sing the song.

Let's Make a Valentine Rhyme
Snip, snip, snip the paper.  (scissor motion)
Glue, glue glue the paper.   (glue stick motion)
Press, press, press the paper.  (pressing motion)
Here’s a valentine for you!  (give valentine away)

We read these books at Terrific Twos this week: 

My Blue Boat by Chris L. Demarest
While playing with a blue boat in the bathtub, a young girl imagines she is on an ocean voyage.
Check catalog availability

Boats by Anne Rockwell
Depicts boats and ships of varying sizes and uses.
Check catalog availability

Mouses's First Valentine by  Lauren Thompson
Mouse watches his sister making a valentine and wonders what it is. 
Check catalog availability