Ball Sorting Box​

STEM Lesson Plans

Sensory Lesson Plans

Toddler Lesson Plans

Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed

Activity:  

Ball Sorting Box​

Age Group:

• Mobile Infant

Objectives:  

Children will:

• explore spatial relationships in a ​hands-on way.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.5.1a

• Activities encourage curiosity, exploration and discovery.

a) Activities involve developmentally appropriate, hands-on experiences

Ball Sorting Box

Materials: 

• empty cereal box
• plastic balls of various sizes
• box cutter
• optional: paint, tape or other material to cover the box

Procedure: 

To prepare materials:

• Prepare materials away from children.
  
• Cut several holes in the face of the cereal box (see photo) for the balls to fit in easily.
  
• At this point, cover the box with tape or paint if you would like to.

For the activity:

• Invite children to place the balls in the box to develop spatial relationships. 

Assessment: 

Was the children able to get the correct balls in the correct holes? If not, was the children interested in trying to find the correct hole for each ball?

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Math for Infants

Five Little Ducks Finger Play found at http://www.lessons4learners.com/five-little-ducks-finger-play-yi.html

Infants spend a lot of time observing and exploring their environment while their development soars. From noticing changes in feeding habits to experiencing classifying and sorting activities, they are learning about math concepts all around them. Toddlers are mastering the art of discovery and testing the boundaries of nearly everything they come into contact with. They have a keen sense of the familiar and are able to identify concepts and test new theories. All of these traits are rooted in mathematical concepts!

If a new caregiver is working with an infant for the first time, the infant may not be comfortable with them and may show their feelings by fussing or crying. This is a very common way that young infants express classifying and sorting skills. They identify that this new caregiver is different than the person they are familiar with and will communicate that. This is an important math concept that infants learn at a very young age.