Jellyfish Puppet

Lesson Plan:

Activity:

Jellyfish Puppet

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:

participate in a song by moving their bodies.
develop their musical abilities.
practice proper hand washing techniques.

CDA Competency Standard:

Jellyfish Puppet

II.7.2a

Activities and materials encourage children to dance, move and develop their musical abilities
- a) Music and dance/movement materials and activities are available for children daily

I.2.3a

Candidate encourages children to practice healthy habits
- a) Ensures that children wash hands properly, with assistance when needed

Materials:

pink paint
white paper
popsicle stick
glue
googley eyes

Procedure:

Begin the activity by creating the jellyfish puppet with the children.
Paint their palm and middle three fingers and print on the paper.
Repeat this process so the jellyfish has 6 tentacles.
Practice proper hand washing with the children when finished.
Allow the puppet to dry.
Cut around the edge of the print, glue on googley eyes, and glue onto a stick to complete your puppet.
Find a comfortable spot to sing with the children.
Sing the following song to the children while moving the puppet:

If I was going to be a fish,
I’d be a fish named jelly.
Instead of swimming, I would float,
And so everyone could see me.
I’d have no fins, no eyes, no tail,
Just a soft and see through body.
And long tentacles floating down,
To catch the things that feed me.

Assessment:

Observe the children during the activity. How did they react to the music? Did they move their arms and legs? Did they clap?

Online Early Childhood Education

Click on the course icon for enrollment information.

Gross Motor Play with Infants and Toddlers

Gross motor skills include the way a person uses his arms, legs, or whole body to make movements. As a baby grows into a child, it’s the development of these muscles that will enable it to hold its head up, sit, crawl and eventually walk, run, jump and skip.

Kick! Kick! Kick!
Lay the infant on a rug or blanket. Place several toys near the baby’s feet such as large soft blocks or large soft balls. One by one place each item against the child’s feet. When they kick a toy away congratulate them with soft positive sounds such as “Whee!” or “Wooo!” This activity will help develop your infants large muscles in their legs by kicking and lifting them.

Crawling Obstacle Course

Turtle crawl—crawl on hands and knees with a small blanket on top of the child (the blanket looks like a shell), talk to children about turtles and the purpose of the shell.
Texture crawl—crawl on a path of different textures (carpet squares, welcome mats, bubble packing, etc.) and talk about how the different textures feel.
Snake crawl—slither with stomach on floor, using only arms to pull.
Obstacle course—crawl through a course made of boxes, chairs, barrels, boards, and so on.
Tape trail—crawl or creep around the room following a tape trail.

At the beginning, make the distance short and accept any kind of on-the-floor movement. As children become more skillful, encourage them to think about the different crawling experiences and what each feels like. Discuss with children when crawling might be a useful way to move.