403 activities to challenge and stimulate learning and a love of learning birth to th

[fireball]

Just trying to find activities for challenging and stimulating learning and love of learning for birth to three have written a little
also exposure to different and varied concepts 403 is such a long unit.
and help would be fantastic
Motivation for activities

[Ruthierhyme]

Hiya, I'm not sure this is the correct approach needed for this knowledge, and have posted way too much, please just pick out what's useful xx

Activities to have an awareness of:
Eye contact, facial expressions, noise, colour, sound, vocal tones - pitch, movement, claping, focus, touch, crawling, clapping, leg and arm movement, standing, steps, reaching, stretching, watching, rolling over, kicking, lifting, lowering, push, pull, sitting, rising, kissing, tickling .. Challenge activities for pain distraction - teething - soothers, patting, touch, holding, poignant engagement with the world around & use of vocabulary - look, what, can, see, surprise, enjoyment, pleasure, curiosity ..

• Reading stories
• Smiling and talking to Baby
• Holding and patting baby - alternating positions and environmental surroundings.
• Moving noise making toys gently and rattling in the path of sight and hearing.
• Tummy time - suggestions and article from the BBC in 2006 tummy time, manufacturers provision of this stage - 3 in 1 tummy time arch from ELC
• Toys for mouthing and passing from hand to hand - challenge by providing variety of colours, textures, sizes ..
• Building and stacking toys
• Musical toys and household music - cds. Enjoying and share listening, vibration and awareness. Explore genres and artists.
• Rhymes - nursery, action, finger plays - round and round the garden - with tickling under the chin rather than arm - challenge / invite participation by holding out your hand to have the rhyme returned. Extend/encourage learning by asking where next - round and round the garden on the sole of a foot, around a knee, under the chin, back of hand ..
• Age related hand /table top discovery toys are excellent - pop ups google image search. But can limit extended challenge, a great resource to access through a toy library or swap scheme.
• Button and trigger activated toys.
• Hide and find activities - peek a boo, crawling tunnels and boxes - for 2+ possibly - progessively complex memory games: kims game
• Toys to 'drive - small world and larger: cars, horses, dolls, figures, bikes, trikes, barrows
• Food - fruit and other finger food experiences.
• Wellies - a resouce that always challenges big puddle, little puddle and how not to splash innocent bystanders. Mud, leaves and grass .. promote a love of learning at a later stage by role playing and use storytelling type language - giant's wellies & stomping. feet and springy ..
• Balls - bouncy, sponge, foam ...
• Sensory water play activity - splashing. To provide the ability for challenge - pouring, tipping, stirring utensils - water mat
• Squirty cream / shaving foam - smearing and tasting - challenges in activity, provide brushes, cutters, shallow cups, spoons, scooping, filling, moving , introduction to mark making ...
• Sand - eating :yuck: lol, spades, buckets for digging & moving ...
• Painting: challenge by alternating where it's done, on what and different mediums - paint & sawdust, paint and sound, paint on leaves, paint on hands ..
• Bubble blowing - challenge by providing different blowers, tools, weather conditions and place.
• Combination activity for older, possibly 3+ - soapy bubble paint prints

A really nice pdf from Scotland.gov.uk nhs - plagiocephaly and an OWL approach

These are possibly overlap activites for 2 - 3yrs and more so for above, but some may have a place for Children with a higher level of access & awareness ..

walking - walking backwards, forwards, big steps, small steps, tiptoeing, marching. Jumping, skipping, hopping, running, climbing, carrying, catching, throwing, aiming, passing, rolling objects, bouncing objects, hitting, threading, weaving ...

• Obstacle courses - sit and ride, on foot, pushing/pulling a wheeled object ..
• Ball and hoop games - challenge may be size of hoop, height and position and any guidance - throw through, bounce in if the hoop is placed on the ground ..
• Treasure trails, challenge can be in expectation until the activity is familiar, good for directive & guided play.
• Group large & small circle interactions - games for passing too & fro, forwards and backwards - sitting and standing.
• Propulsion - scooters/skateboards, sit and rides.
• Jigsaws, loto type games, sheets/paper for matching, marking and noticing differences.
• Construction toys - large interlocking bricks / items, magnetic toys, cogs..
• Natural & man made events that challenge - thunder & lightning, pathway ice, wind (& umbrellas), fireworks
• Dressing up and role play scenarios / props and toys
• Puppets can challenge in use, adaption and throughout play for adults as well as Children.
• Bean bags - deportment and balancing, aiming and passing games

Activities that use smaller fm skills - stapling, rolling, twist and curls, pinching, pushing, pulling, folding, mark making
Activities for health and hygiene - hand washing, flushing, drying, tooth brushing, hair brushing - challenge by introducing clip in bobbles & mirrors, dressing - buttons, zips, socks, laces / velcro, poppers

A personal opinion is that motivation for activities should be in the form of the activity itself and the way it may or may not engage the interest of the Child/children and adults - hopefully promoting self motivation, interaction and the ability to recognise what learning is enjoyed.

eek, hope this helps

Please fill any gaps I've missed xx

[janeb]

I don't think I can add to that extensive list - well done Ruthierhyme!

[fireball]

Wow many thanks, So impressed with the reply. Your fantastic