Nothing says fall round these parts than pumpkins! So to celebrate the season, I thought I would share a fun activity that I am doing with the toddlers and preschoolers I work with this week. We are planning a trip to the pumpkin patch, so we are starting to talk about pumpkins during our home visits, i.e., the color, size, shape, texture, etc.
Now let's face it, pumpkins are not all that exiting to most toddlers or preschoolers. So, to make it a bit more fun to learn about pumpkins, I do the following activity with them before we head to the pumpkin patch for our annual field trip. Here's what you will need:
- A medium sized pumpkin
- A child's play hammer
- Golf tees
Yup, that's it. The activity is as simple as pounding the tees into the pumpkin. For toddlers, you may have to start the tee in the pumpkin and let them do the pounding. Some preschoolers might be able to put the tees in on their own. Enhance the activity by talking about what they are doing, the color of the golf tees, putting the tees in and out, etc. They can make designs, e.g., eyes, nose, mouth, etc. There are a number of developmental activities to this activity:
- Develops eye-hand coordination
- Develops visual perceptual skills
- Develops gross motor skills
- Help develop fine motor skills. Have them pull the tees out. It helps develop hand strength!
- Expressive language development
- Receptive language development
The biggest plus to this activity is that it is fun! I haven't met a toddler or preschooler yet who didn't have fun with this activity. I hope your child enjoys it!
Stumble It!
This sounds great! I wish I'd had it in my repertoire back when I taught preschool.
Posted by: Daisy | October 11, 2007 at 05:41 PM
Thanks! Funny, my kids are 6 and 9 and even they like doing this activity :)
Posted by: The Mentor Mom | October 14, 2007 at 01:49 PM
That's a good idea. In my son's preschool they do it with a piece of styrofoam...but pumpkins would be much more fun.
Posted by: Beagoodmom | October 18, 2007 at 12:09 AM