Holiday Preschool Curriculum Activities
Language Arts: Reading and Writing
Make a holiday wish book with your child. Here's how:
You'll need: Construction paper, holiday toy catalogs/shopping ads, scissors, markers, glue, hole punch, and yarn
Directions: Make a book out of colored construction paper by cutting each page into 4 equal parts, ask your child to put the pages together and then punch 2 or 3 holes on one side and tie each hole with yarn. Give your child the catalogs and ads and ask him/her to cut out the things they like the most, ask them to glue one picture to each side of the page and an adult can write the name of that picture underneath. Make short books for family members or just make a bunch of pages, divide them up, and tie them off as needed.
The holidays are a wonderful time for traditions! Whether you are making new ones or handing them down to the next generation, traditions make families closer. Every culture has something to share and food ties it all together.
Cook with your children through the holiday season, not only will they learn wonderful math (measurement) and science skills (cooking experiments), but they will also learn who they are and where their family is from (social studies).
Discuss your family history with your children. Tell them about their ethnic origin and cultural heritage. Discuss family traditions and how they got started. Point out on a globe where their great-grandmother is from. All of these discussions help kids understand their place in the family, the extended family, the neighborhood, the community, their country, and the world. At the holiday dinner table ask the following questions of older relatives that will lead to a discussion of history:
Their answers can lead to a wealth of knowledge and deeper appreciation for historical events. Use the video camera to record these memories and preserve them for generations to come. They also make wonderful gifts for other family members.