Separate small squares of tissue paper into groups of the same color. Have the children roll up the tissue paper into small balls and then glue onto contraction paper to create shapes, pictures, or other designs.
Show toddlers and older infants how to roll a piece of clay into a ball. Then press the thumb in the middle to make a hole. Have them gently make the hole bigger and squeeze the sides to make a pot. Then, fill with a little bit of dirt and a seed and watch the plant grow.
This is a great way to teach little ones about the cycle of water. First, pass out a cotton ball to each child and tell them to imagine it is a cloud. Ask them what their cloud feels like; is it soft, hard, heavy or light. Then, have the kids place the cloud into a shallow pan that has about a half inch of water in the bottom. Tell the kids to watch as the cloud sucks up the water, just like how water evaporates into the sky and clouds. Have the children pick up the cloud and ask them how it feels now. The water will drip from the cotton ball back into the pan, just like a cloud raining.
This is an oldie but a goodie. Play some up-beat dance music and dance around. When the music stops, everyone freezes. When the music plays again, everyone starts dancing.
This is another game that has been around for a long time because kids love to play, especially infants and toddlers that are into mimicking. The teacher is "Simon" and must direct the children to do something. When the teacher starts out the instruction by saying "Simon says", all students must follow the instructions. If the teacher did not say "Simon says" then they should not follow the instructions. An example would be to say "Simon says, put your hands on your head." If the teacher feels it is appropriate, she could have those children that followed instructions correctly take a step forward, those that did not, take a step backward. The first child to reach the teacher wins.
This is great for younger infants and toddlers that may not do well with Simon Says. The teacher is the leader and can move around the classroom, with the children following behind, doing everything the teacher does. The leader should do things like jumping, running, skipping, touching classroom objects, saying letters and numbers and other similar activities.
Infants and toddlers love to be read to. Gather the children around on the floor while the teacher sits in a chair and reads a book to the kids. Use different voices for each character and don't forget to show the pictures.