Activities for Infants
Dear parents,
During these unusual times, it is important to try to maintain a routine in your children’s lives. To help keep your children stimulated, here are a few ideas to nurture and engage their interest.
Maths
- Learn some action and number rhymes such as
-Five Currant buns,
-10 green bottles,
-10 in the bed.
- Using chalk mark out a game of hopscotch outside.
- Again using chalk draw pictures, write letters and numbers outside.
- Sort different objects in the house according to size, colour, texture
- Play games such as ‘The odd one out’ Name three items to you child and ask them to identify the odd one out e.g. table, chair, jumper
- Play snakes and ladders.
- Make number cards 1 – 5 and ask your children to sort them in order starting with the biggest and then again starting with the smallest.
- Match the correct number of items to a number card e.g. lay two lego bricks beside the number 2 etc.
- Go on a shape walk around your house, looking for circles, triangles, rectangles and squares.
- Shape pictures – Cut out some rectangles, squares, circles and triangles and ask your child to make a picture using the shapes.
- Counting with your child.
- Asking questions such as, what number comes after 4, what number comes before 3 etc..
- - Adding numbers - e,g If I had 2 bananas and I bought 1 more, how many would I have altogether.
- Subtracting numbers- If I had 5 sweets and gave 2 to my friend, how many would I have left.
- Making towers with lego, and then asking your child to make one that is taller or shorter.
English
- Read to your child.
- Listen to your child read.
- Read a story together taking turns in reading the pages.
- After reading the story ask the children questions about the story.
- Children could make their own book.
- Junior Infants could make a picture book and then tell you the story.
- Action songs and rhymes such as
-Head shoulders knees and toes,
-Old Mc Donald had a farm
-The Wheels on the bus.
- Senior Infants - Write their daily news.
- Write a letter to a friend, grandparents or another family member.
- - Junior Infants - Draw a picture of the weather
- Draw a picture for a family member or friend.
- Jigsaw building.
- Using play doh ask the children to make the letters of their name.
- Make home made play doh – (I cup of floor, half a cup of salt and gradually add a half a cup of water).
- Play I spy….
- Name me 5 items beginning with the letter p….etc
- Make letter cards a – z and ask the children to make words with the cards.
- Role Play – set up a shop, clothes shop or toy shop
Helpful Educational Websites:
- edcolearning.ie/login [Username: primaryedcobooks Password: edco2020]
- cjfallon [ they are allowing parents free access]
- folens.ie [Use code Prim20 for free access]
- twinkl.ie [free membership for this month]
- scoilnet.ie [free membership for a month]
- IXL.com [free trials]
- purposegames.com
- https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
- https://pages.sumdog.com/ [Need to create free account]
- https://www.starfall.com
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects
- https://scratch.mit.edu/
- spelling bee apps available for downloading
Other Online Resources:
- Brain pop
- Curiosity Stream
- Tynker
- Outschool
- Udemy
- Iready
- Beast Academy
- Khan Academy
- Creative Bug
- Discovery Education
Educational You Tube Channels:
- Crash Course Kids
- Science Channel
- SciShow Kids
- National Geographic Kids
- Free School
- Brain Scoop
- SciShow
- Kids phonics
- Kids Learning Tube
- Geek Gurl Diaries
- Mike Likes Science
- Science Max
- Soul Pancake
PE & Keeping Active:
- Click the following link and follow the instructions on some PE and Active exercises you can do at home:
- https://activeschoolflag.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20191108-ASF-Active-Homework-Chart-C.pdf
- see Irish heart foundation- get kids on the go
- getirelandactive.ie
- gonoodle.com
- see simple stretches for kids
MUSIC
- Listen to and learn a song of your choice
- Listen to some pieces from a famous composer
- Have fun with ‘Sing King Karaoke’ on you tube
- Make your own instrument using a jar and beans or lentils. Decorate with paper & ribbons
- Create your own tune using body percussion
ART [see www.pintrest.com for ideas]
- Please use your imagination and range of skills to draw, paint, construct the following using your chosen materials.
People
- A picture of yourself
- Depict yourself as a superhero.
- A picture of your family
- Making hand and feet prints with paint.
Landscape/Perspective
- A view out of a window.
- The clouds.
Imagination
- Choose an object and give it a face.
- Create an alternate cover to your favourite book or album.
- Create a scene from your favourite song.
- Create a scene or character from your favourite book.
- Illustrate your favourite fairy-tale.
- Invent your own insects.
Tha
