Life on the farm is fascinating for
daycare children. They enjoy learning about the different animals, discovering various crops that can be planted, and learning how fields have been tended for ages. These 3 activities revolve around farm life, but they also include other important skills, including counting and sorting,
fine motor skills, and measuring.
Animal Corrals
This simple counting and sorting game is an example of the
Montessori method. For this activity, you will need construction paper, crayons or markers, and a package of molded farm animals available at most department stores. Each child draws “pens” on construction paper and then groups and counts the animals into their own corrals. For more advanced kindergartners, try practicing writing the animal names above each corral and writing the number of animals in the pen below it.
As kindergarteners learn, they can draw pens that are specifically for different types of animals, such as a pond for ducks, a coop for chickens, and a fenced field for sheep or cows.
Seed Stuff
Sunflower seeds and corn are excellent for learning to count and measure. Pouring and measuring benefits fine motor skills and introduces children to practical life experiences they can apply to daily life. Use multiple sizes of measuring cups, and demonstrate how the cups are made in incremental sizes.
Try loosening the kernels near the top of an ear of corn and start the activity by having the children pick the rest of the seeds out.
Silly Scarecrows
An old set of children’s or adult clothes, some leaves, and a cap are the basic
building blocks of a scarecrow. Cut the eyes and mouth out of construction paper, and use twigs for the nose and hands. Give your scarecrows a name, and move them into different positions or activities every day.
You can make a complete autumn display with a scarecrow at the center. Just set your scarecrow on a bale of straw or hay, sprinkle leaves and straw around its feet, and add seasonal decorations like pine cones, pumpkins, and variegated corn.
Private kindergarten children love to learn, do, and create. Still in the Absorbent Mind phase of learning, they eagerly take to new activities and concepts that give them more insight into the world around them. Spending a few days learning about farm animals will benefit them academically, physically, and emotionally.
