November Preschool Learning Games
Learning Activities for Teaching Children About Gratitude
Oct 28, 2008
Teaching preschoolers can be a challenge when the weather gets chilly. Rain and icy winds demand that energetic children engage in indoor activities, instead of running around outside. Implementing learning activities that use large motor skills and allow for a little bit of running around can help children expel some of that excess energy without bouncing off of the walls.
November Preschool Learning
In the United States, Veteran's Day is in November. Schools and families all over the country pay tribute to the men and women who have in the armed forces. Many communities have parades. Preschoolers often enjoy parades. Have children host their own parade, dressing up in red, white and blue clothing, decorating homemade signs and banners with colorful ribbons, and even dressing up in army, navy, air force or marine dress up clothes would be great costumes to wear in a homemade Veteran's Day parade.
Veteran's Day for Preschoolers
Another way to celebrate Veteran's Day with children would be to have them make homemade thank-you cards or posters or a large banner to be delivered to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (V.F.W.) hall or to a local Veteran's hospital. Spending time with older veterans and hearing stories of their lives, even without the details of war, can be a great history lesson. For indoor play, a makeshift war zone with beanbags and table-top forts is a great way to use pent-up energy.
Thanksgiving Activities
One fun November indoor activity for kids in preschool is to re-enact the voyage of the mayflower. Have children sit in a circle and row, row, row across the sea. They might have to battle storms (row hard) or deal with famine (by clenching their stomach and passing out to the ground) deal with mice (scurry on the ground like a mouse) and finally they land on Plymouth rock (victory dance) They work hard digging gardens (pretend to dig) and chopping wood for houses (pretend to use an ax to chop down a tree) when all the hard work is done, they sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner (pretend to eat) In case anyone has a hard time remembering, you might want to do it again (a little bit faster!)
Teaching Children About Gratitude
Another preschool learning game for Thanksgiving is the “Thank-You Stomp.” A parent or teacher can begin by stomping in time with the syllables for “thank you” every time they use the phrase. This should be done often throughout the day and once the child catches on, it's fun to see them stomping and saying thank you more often.
Make homemade thank-you cards in massive quantities. Visit Quotations for Teaching Thankfulness to learn about helpful ways to learn about teaching gratefulness. Having a large quantity of thank-you cards available will be a great way to prepare for the upcoming winter holidays.
Finding indoor activities for kids in November is a worthwhile pursuit. Having organized and creative learning games that help spend energy and teach important concepts can help homeschool parents and educators avoid a chaotic and frustrating winter.
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