Mirror Play Having the children look at themselves in mirror and encourage them to recognize themselves.
Materials:
Mounted/Hanging Mirror
Hand Mirror
Blanket
Floor mat
Beginning: Read “The Feelings Book” by Todd Park
Middle: Students can stand in any mounted mirrors in the classroom or hold a handheld mirror, to look at themselves, identify their reflection, and recognize themselves.
Earlier: Non-mobile students will be laid either on the tummy with a mirror in front of them or on the back under a hanging toy with a mirror Later: Use the mirror to express a variety of emotions, what it means to be happy or sad.
End: The activity comes to an end when the children no longer express interest and crawl or walk away.
Follow-Up Ideas: Have the children use the mirrors to finger paint a self-portrait, and talk about how they are different or how they are the same. (i.e. features) Use the emotion puppets to show facial emotions and ask the children to identify that emotion and then express it.
KDI: Distinguishing Self and Others
Rainbow Blocks To encourage the children to identify colors.
Materials:
Variety of colored soft blocks
Beginning: Read “Mouse Paint” by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Middle: Each student gets a block of a certain color, taking turns saying the color of the block they have as the stack it.
Earlier: Non-verbal students will take turns stacking the blocks and knocking them down, encouraging one another to build it back up again. Later: Use the different colors to create and talk about patterns.
End: The activity comes to an end when the children no longer express interest to build the blocks back up again.
Follow-Up Ideas: Have the children use the mirrors to finger paint a self-portrait, and talk about how they are different or how they are the same. (i.e. features) Use the emotion puppets to show facial emotions and ask the children to identify that emotion and then express it.
KDI: Group Participation
Sensory Bags To encourage sensory and develop fine motor skills.
Materials:
Plastic (Ziploc) Bags
Paint
Sand
Cereal
Beginning: Read “Touch and Feel Farm” by DK Publishing
Middle: Each bag will either possess two different colors of paint or paint with sand, the children will then feel and squish the bags until the colors (or paint and sand) mix together.
Earlier: Have the sensory bags taped to the floor for tummy time. Later: Have the bags taped at various heights around the room encouraging the children to pull up.
End: The activity comes to an end when the children no longer express interest and crawl or walk away.
Follow-Up Ideas: Using lactose free whipped cream on the table and having the children draw and write in it, feeling the whipped creams texture. Use different color jello in small bins for the children to feel and squish.