Enrichment Activities for Kindergartners
Education doesn't begin and end at school. In fact, the first and best teachers of children are their parents! Take advantage of your kindergartner's natural curiosity and eagerness to explore by suggesting the enrichment activities listed below. These environmental education activities are divided into time periods with a theme and an essential question for each section to guide you and your child in your exploration of the natural world.
September/October
Theme: Harvesting
What is a farm?
- Have your child brainstorm all the foods he or she eats that come from plants.
- Have your child think of all the plants that are used to make pizza.
- Have your child come up with a plant for every letter in the alphabet.
- Have your child pick a food that comes from a tree, learn about it, and make a poster about it.
- Help your child throw a "tree treat" party, where every guest must bring a food to share that comes from a tree.
- Have your child draw a picture of a tree from memory. Then have him or her go outside and closely observe a tree. After he/she observes the tree, have him/her draw a second picture as accurately as possible.
- Take your child for a walk and have him or her collect 2-3 leaves from the ground. Then have him/her try to find the tree that goes with each leaf.
November/December
Theme: Change
How am I changing?
- Have your child act out the life cycle of a tree. Then have him or her draw a tree's life cycle on paper.
- Have your child go outside and look for signs of fall. Challenge him or her to find the brightest yellow leaf and the darkest red leaf.
- Help your child explore the changes in him or herself. Ask how he or she is different now than when he/she was a newborn, two years old, four years old. Ask how he or she is different now than when he/she started school. Ask how he or she is different now than when he/she woke up this morning.
- Have your child use a paper plate to represent a cross-section of a tree, then mark off the important events that have happened in his/her life.
- Have your child pretend he or she is a tree trying to get what it needs to live (sunlight, water, nutrients).
- Read a picture book from the library that focuses on the environment. Help your child come up with guidelines for exploring and enjoying nature.
January/February/March
Theme: Restoration
What animals live in the forest?
- Take your child on a “wildlife safari” in a nearby park or wooded area to look for animals. Once home again, have him or her list all the animals he/she saw or heard and draw a picture including all those animals in their natural habitat.
- Help your child brainstorm animals that live in the forest for each letter of the alphabet. Then have him or her draw a picture of one animal for each letter, label it, and staple the pages together to make an ABC book.
- Have your child choose a forest animal and think of clues that could help another family member guess what the animal is. Focus on the senses: what does the animal look like, feel like, sound like?
- Extend #3 above by having your child choose 4-6 animals and think of clues for each. Help him or her write the clues on cards to use as a game with friends and family members. This deck of cards can be expanded on a regular basis as your child thinks of more animals to add.
April/May/June
Theme: Diversity
What is “living”? What is “non-living”?
- Find a book of legends from the library that tells a legend about the sun. Explain to your child the vital importance of the sun in all world cultures.
- Have your child cut out pictures of living organisms. Talk about the differences and similarities between the organisms. Have your child place the pictures in categories according to their similarities.
- Take your child on a mini-safari to a vacant lot or the Children's Forest to discover the living and non-living components of the area. Have your child draw pictures of the different components he/she observed (plants, animals, elements, etc.). Lay the pictures out on a table and have your child use a ball of string to connect the pictures, showing interactions between the organisms.
- Take your child for a walk in a park and find objects that begin with all the letters of the alphabet.
- Help your child brainstorm words or phrases for each letter of the alphabet that describe a place they like to visit.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 07, 2009