1. Do Young Children and Well-Ordered Days Mix?

2. My Preschool Graduates

3. My current and upcoming preschoolers

5. Absorb Chaos

6. 1. Was the chaos caused by lack of sleep. 2
1. Was the chaos caused by lack of sleep? 2. Was the chaos caused by what was eaten? (i.e. too much sugar, allergic reaction) 3. Was the chaos a cry for attention? Was the chaos just their way of trying to be independent?

7. I neglected to do what was needed to be done that
5. Was the chaos deliberate – an act of disobedience? 6. Was the chaos a way to
cope with feelings of being overwhelmed or afraid? 7. Was the chaos because
I neglected to do what was
needed to be done that
day? (i.e. stick to the schedule, get off the
computer, play with my child etc.)

8. Create Calm

9. Pretend Play:
- Active play: running, jumping, climbing, riding, and other use of large muscles.
- Quiet play: reading, stringing, coloring, etc.
- Cooperative or social play: games and activities that involve more than one.
- Solitary play: drawing, dreaming, or any activity that involves only one.

10. Pretend Play (con't):
- Manipulative play: putting together puzzles, building with blocks, cutting and pasting, or any activity that involves eye-hand coordination or fine motor skills.
- Creative play: painting, molding, solving problems, making music, telling stories, or any activity that involves a child’s imagination.
- Dramatic play: dress-up, make-believe, or any play that involves pretending.

11. Tongs: Spoons: - sort mini-erasers
- transfer pom poms from one container to another
- create patterns with objects
Spoons:
- transfer objects
- create patterns
- fill containers

12. Sorting: - sort beads - mini-erasers - rocks - gems - nuts and bolts
- buttons
- foam shapes
- plastic lids
- plastic animals
- Legos
- math manipulatives
- Happy Meal toys
- coins
- puzzle pieces
- stuffed animals

13. Sorting (con't): - big/small - hard/soft - float/sink - fly/crawl/run
- tall/short
- round/oval (shapes)
- red/blue (colors)
- living/non-living
- plants/animals
- begins with the ___ letter sound
- ends with the ____ sound
- four sides/three sides

14. Fine Motor: Use a medicine dropper to create patterns in the tray.
Use a Parmesan cheese container for fine-motor practice. Younger children can place coffee stirrers or dry spaghetti in the holes. Make it more challenging by sorting buttons by color onto a pipe cleaner.

15. Sensory Tubs: - colored pasta - colored rice - shaving cream - sand
- aquarium gravel
- beans
- candy corn
- water
Tubs Can Be:
- Thematic (i.e robots)
- any size

16. Sensory Tubs: (Continued)
Tools Needed:
- spoons
- small dishes
- funnels
- measuring cups
etc.
Skills Practiced:
- transferring objects
- spooning objects
- pouring
- tactile learning
- problem solving

17. Nature Fun: - observe the seasons
- go on a ____ hunt (bugs, leaves, birds, colors, shapes, smells etc)
- play I Spy
- throw rocks in a pond
- go star-gazing
- pick and press flowers
- garden

18. Printables: - Early Education Printables - Children Books Activities
- Early Education Printables
- Children Books Activities
- Early Childhood Activity Ideas & Resources

19. Provide Hope