Animal Moves
Update 27.4.21
In line with current COVID-19 Scottish Government guidance, it is recognised that although singing should not happen indoors as an organised, large group activity in early years settings, it is still a natural and engaging part of children's learning and play for children at home.
Sing and Move to the Penguin Song
Have you ever seen a penguin come to tea? When you look at me, a penguin you will see !PENGUINS ATTENTION! PENGUINS BEGIN! Right Flipper! (Flap right arm)
Repeat the song and add a new command to the end. Each time you call out a new command, add the new move to the existing actions.
Left Flipper ! (Flap left arm)
Right Foot! (Kick right foot)
Left Foot! (Kick left foot)
Bob your head! (bob your head…)
Stick out tongue! (can you do that and sing the song?)
Turn in a circle ! (turn in a circle)
Last verse: PENGUINS ATTENTION! PENGUINS DISMISSED!
Read this story together or watch it here on Youtube .
After the story...
Ask your child if they can recall some of the other animals who were in the jungle with Gerald
To support mark-making skills, encourage your child to draw one of the animals that were dancing in the moonlight.
Get your child to tell you about their drawing:
Who is the character they have drawn?
Can they dance?
Is there something the animal thinks that they can't do?
Click here for ideas from
Funky Fingers
There are lots of everyday experiences that support the development of fine motor skills including using play dough, pegs, threading, using tweezers and lego but for more fun ideas follow these links.
Get Creative
Make playdough with your child and create some of the animals that have been in our story and song this week.
Recipe
2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Cook mixture in pan over medium heat, stirring all the time to prevent sticking. Remove from heat when mixture comes away from sides of pan. Knead and store in airtight container. Keeps very well. To add to the experience, try adding some food colouring or essential oils.
Practise counting with this link:
How Many?
Ask your child to…
Hop on one leg - how many hops can they do?
Count the stairs when you’re going upstairs or steps when you're out and about.
Play catch with a ball. How many catches can they make?
Jump two feet together across the room - how many jumps did it take?
Skills that Support Fine Motor and Gross Motor Development
Gross motor skills are movements related to large muscles such as legs, arms, and trunk. Fine motor skills are movements involving smaller muscle groups such as those in the hand and wrist. Mastering both are important for your child’s growth and independence and they will rely on these skills to do key tasks in school and in everyday life. You can support this development by encouraging your child to:
put on their jacket
put on shoes on and take them off
fasten their jacket
run, skip, hop, balance
manoeuvre themselves easily round objects
draw a line, a circle
use scissors to cut in a straight line
build a tower of 10 or more blocks
open wrappers and packaging
open and fasten buttons and use a zip
know when their clothes are the right way and when they are inside out
put on and take off my shoes
know which shoe goes on which foot. You can help your child to learn this by drawing arrows in their shoes which point towards each other when on the correct feet
mark-make with a variety of objects, for example sticks, chalk or paint and holding pencil
Click here for activities: Animal Moves pdf
