Learning Objectives & Goals
To help develop children’s:
– Fine motor Skills: Palmar Grasp, Pincer Grasp and Coordination
– Sensory Skills: Visual, Touch and Auditory
– Language Skills: Receptive and Expressive
– Cognitive Skills: Object Permanence and Problem Solving
Materials
– Plastic Bin
– Shredded Paper
– Farm Animal Figures
Procedure & Implementations
1. Place the farm animals into the bin and place the shredded paper on top.
2. Allow the children to explore the activity by touching the shredded paper and discovering the animals that are hidden.
3. Teachers will engage in the activity through the use of descriptive and expressive language as well as demonstrations.
Observations & Findings
We see the children exploring the shredded paper by holding handfuls with their palms and manipulating the shredded paper using their fingers. Children are also exploring the shredded paper by transferring the small pieces of paper to and from various containers. This activity enables their development of coordination.
This activity assists children in the development of their senses. They develop their sense of touch by feeling the texture of the paper. They enhance their auditory senses through the sound the paper makes once grasped in their palms. Visual senses are fostered through viewing different colours, shapes and forms.
Children’s language is developed through the engagement with their teachers and peers. Teachers communicate with phrases and open-ended questions such as: “You found a horse! What sound does a horse make?” or “What colours do you see?” Thus reinforcing the development of receptive and expressive language skills in children.
This activity helps support the development of cognitive skills in problem solving and object permanence. Children discover that even though the animals cannot be seen, they are hidden underneath the shredded paper. In order to find those animals, they must move the shredded paper to get to them.
