Suggested Activities 23rd March-3rd April

Activities are in stages so choose the activity appropriate to your child. Each activity should not exceed 15 minutes.

Maths

• Using paper circles with 1 – 10 inside, ask your child to place small items (buttons etc) inside the circle.
• Begin at 1 and continue to the number your child is comfortable with. Each day continue to the next number until 10 has been reached.
• If the first step has been completed with confidence, place random numbers in circles in front of the child and ask them to place small items in the circles amounting to the correct number.
• If second step has been completed, encourage your child to complete the activity with no verbal prompt from you, in order to gauge their ability to complete the task unsupported.

English 

• Choose, or ask your child to choose, a picture book and read the book from start to finish with your child.
• Repeat reading the book everyday for at least a week to familiarise the child with the story.
• For visual storytime, Youtube contains the children’s favourite stories such as Owl Babies and Bear Hunt.
• All stories covered are in the children’s reports in their journals.
• Give your child the choice to choose two of these stories each day.
• With phonics, ask your child to verbally express and/or identify the sounds of the letters S,A,T,P,I. This is an important stage and only when the child correctly identifies the phonics three times consecutively should she move onto the next stage.
• Ask your child to identify by pointing the words at, sat, pat, tap, pit, sit, sip.
• Ask your child to sound out the words specified above and encourage them to say the word after sounding it out.
• Give your child all the letter cards. Give her a word card at a time and ask her to construct it. The child should see the word as she is spelling it.
• Verbally prompt your child to spell the word using the letter cards.
• When working on the words with your child, begin with ‘at’ and continue if she is confident in progressing. If your child disengages with the task, it should be cut short and revisited the following day.

Links for stories:

Owl Babies – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQRiSTYFHo

The Very Hungry Caterpillar –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY

We’re Going on a Bearhunt –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waoa3iG3bZ4

Room on the Broom –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWB0goTWZic

Music

• Allow your child to choose the order of the 6 songs they regularly engage with every day. All songs are available on Youtube. The songs are noted in the weekly reports in their journals.
• Encourage your child to perform the actions for the songs.

Links for music videos:

Itsy Bitsy Spider –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_lCi8U49mY&t=10s

Old Mac Donald –   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HzoUcx3eo

Bingo –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IvC6fZYGMM

Baby Shark –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX20kcp7j5c

If You’re Happy and You Know It –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71hqRT9U0wg

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuqvGiZi0qg

Art 

• Choose a letter a day (S,A,T,P,I) and ask your child to draw it using a pencil, crayon or paint.
• Allow your child to freepaint if she does not engage with the letter activity as all of the children in the class thoroughly enjoy painting.

Freeplay 

• Every morning, the children are used to at least 20 minutes of freeplay in order for them to settle in for the day ahead. Free play could consist of pretend play with dolls, a tea set, lego, blocks etc. Any activity that engages the child and focuses her attention.

Sensory time 
Sensory time should be allotted at least twice a day if possible because all the children in Seóda benefit from it. The lights can be dimmed or switched off and the curtains or blinds can be drawn. Relaxing music can be sourced on Youtube or Spotify and played at a low volume. Sensory timers are also available online and have soothing visuals for the children. Gather any toys that are squishy, items that are scented, fans, torches or furry/fluffy items and place them in a box for your child to explore during her sensory time. If she prefers to relax rather than play with given items, that’s fine too.

Links for sensory time –

Sensory Timer –  https://www.online-stopwatch.com/sensory-timers/

Music Playlist –  https://open.spotify.com/album/0vsh4YCOspZwtU8cI58Wx8?highlight=spotify:track:5IB9GOShcNCZ8fhfoj3NXF or  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RvXsdtPv_4

Yoga 
Yoga is part of the daily routine in the classroom. Although the video below is not what is used in class, your child is familiar with the majority of the poses in it.

Link for yoga video –

Tactile Actvity 
The children should participate in two tactile activities daily. Activities can be playdough, puzzle, blocks, lego, sand, water or rice. Bath toys can be used in conjunction with all of these activities or items can be hidden for the children to discover to maintain engagement.

Movement Break 
The children should receive two movement breaks a day. Their movement breaks can take place in a garden, a quick walk down the road and back carrying a backpack with a book or two in it for proprioceptive needs. If the outdoors is not possible, rolling or tumbling on the carpet or following a movement video can be fun and beneficial to your child. GoNoodle is a great resource to get your child active. After each movement break your child should receive sensory time in order for her to find a good level for focusing on her next activity.

Link for GoNoodle –

Home

Other

A possible routine for your child could consist of:

Freeplay.
Sensory time.
Task.
Tactile activity.
Art.
Movement break.
Sensory time/yoga.
Task.
Music.
Movement break.
Visual storytime.

This is merely a suggestion but it is in keeping with the general routine of our school day in Seóda.

If you like, please keep a little diary of all your activity – we would be delighted to see this diary when we return to school.