Ice Cream Sensory Bin

Lesson Plan:

Activity:

Ice Cream Sensory Bin

Lesson plan developed by Ms. Erika Geelhoed, BA Ed

Age Group:

Mobile Infants

* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with toddlers or preschoolers.

Objectives:

Children will:

increase sensory motor skills.
practice the fine motor skills of grasping and scooping.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.4.4b

Candidate’s facilitation promotes children’s physical development
- b) Guides the development of children’s fine and gross motor skills

Ice Cream Sensory Bin

Materials:

different sized/colored pom poms
ice cream scooper
spoons
empty ice cream containers
ice cream bowls
large bin

Procedure:

Prepare for activity by creating the ice cream sensory bin.
Fill the bin with pom poms, ice cream scooper, spoons, bowls, and clean ice cream containers.
Place the bin in an appropriate area for the children to explore.
Invite them to join you in play.
This is the perfect time to introduce new vocabulary to the children, as the information is relevant to them.

Assessment:

Observe and record the children’s fine motor skills. Were they able to grasp the spoons and scoop the pom poms? You may want to take pictures of the children during the activity to document the progression of these skills.

Note: Please provide appropriate supervision to the children in your care when completing all activities. You will need to decide what types of activities are safe for the children in your care. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when providing art and sensory experiences for children. Infants require special caution, only use non-toxic materials, and do not allow infants to put things in their mouths that are a choking hazard.

Online Early Childhood Education

Click on the course icon for enrollment information.

Encouraging Intellectual Development in Infants and Toddlers

Research has confirmed that there is an astounding amount of development in children's brains during the infant and toddler years. This development sets the stage for later capabilities. Early childhood teachers create learning experiences that allow children to reach their maximum potential. As infants and toddlers gradually explore their environments, they are observing and learning cause and effect. “If I do this … then this … happens.” This learning can be observed when infants discover their toes, learn to roll over, crawl, balance and walk.

We observe children’s intellectual development as they learn that shaking a rattle produces noise; something is not gone when out of sight (peek-a-boo); items can change shape (doors open and close, lids come off and go back on); or that items must be smaller than the hole in order to go inside (such as shape sorters or stacking blocks).

Children must have repeated and varied experiences with these concepts in order to build understanding. Intentional planning by the teacher ensures materials and experiences are offered to children to enhance intellectual development.