8 Fun, Educational Ideas for Daycare Workers
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, ‘long’ daycare is currently the main source of formal early childhood education to children under school age. That’s a lot of kids to look after! So if you’re one of those selfless individuals who face this daily challenge, you might appreciate a few fun, educational ideas that focus on cognitive and physical development to ensure those little minds and bodies continue to grow and flourish.
Ages 0 – 1
Physical – “The Name Game”
Hold baby in your lap facing you, touch different features on their face and say, “This is (child’s name) (feature)”. Repeat several times then guide their hand to touch that feature on you, as you say, “This is (carer’s …show more content…
Rattle it so that baby starts to follows it around. This game can develop further at crawling stage, when they chase it and start shaking it themselves.
Ages 1-2
Physical – “Motor Skill Blocks”
Place two blocks in front of baby and if they don’t pick them up, hand them to him or her. Now hand them a third block. Baby will eventually drop one block in order to grab another.
Cognitive – “Rolling Ball”
Sit on the floor facing baby and roll a soft ball towards them. Then, holding their hands, show them how to roll it back to you. With a little encouragement, he or she will learn very quickly how to return it.
Ages 2-3
Physical – “Rope Jump”
Enhance their co-ordination skills by tying a sock to the end of a jump rope and with the children around you in a circle, swing the rope low and encourage the children to jump as it comes past.
Cognitive – “Ordering Toys”
Improve ordinal language skills by selecting toys of different sizes and weights and ask the children to order them smallest to largest and lightest to heaviest. After a few turns, lay them out again and ask them to guess the property you’ve used to order them.
Ages
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, ‘long’ daycare is currently the main source of formal early childhood education to children under school age. That’s a lot of kids to look after! So if you’re one of those selfless individuals who face this daily challenge, you might appreciate a few fun, educational ideas that focus on cognitive and physical development to ensure those little minds and bodies continue to grow and flourish.
Ages 0 – 1
Physical – “The Name Game”
Hold baby in your lap facing you, touch different features on their face and say, “This is (child’s name) (feature)”. Repeat several times then guide their hand to touch that feature on you, as you say, “This is (carer’s …show more content…
Rattle it so that baby starts to follows it around. This game can develop further at crawling stage, when they chase it and start shaking it themselves.
Ages 1-2
Physical – “Motor Skill Blocks”
Place two blocks in front of baby and if they don’t pick them up, hand them to him or her. Now hand them a third block. Baby will eventually drop one block in order to grab another.
Cognitive – “Rolling Ball”
Sit on the floor facing baby and roll a soft ball towards them. Then, holding their hands, show them how to roll it back to you. With a little encouragement, he or she will learn very quickly how to return it.
Ages 2-3
Physical – “Rope Jump”
Enhance their co-ordination skills by tying a sock to the end of a jump rope and with the children around you in a circle, swing the rope low and encourage the children to jump as it comes past.
Cognitive – “Ordering Toys”
Improve ordinal language skills by selecting toys of different sizes and weights and ask the children to order them smallest to largest and lightest to heaviest. After a few turns, lay them out again and ask them to guess the property you’ve used to order them.
Ages