Our Silver Seals Young Preschool classroom spent time “saving animals”!
The children began by noticing the animals “trapped” under the tape! Children began to pull the animals out from under the tape, while others peeled the tape from the basket.
In this activity, we see children’s developing problem solving skills, fine motor development, and understanding of cause and effect (all while developing empathy!)
- Problem solving skills – The children figured out how to get the animals out of the basket using creative thinking, patience, and collaboration with one another!
- Fine motor skills – The children continued to develop this skill as they peeled at the tape, or got the animals out of the tape using dexterity, hand eye coordination, and small muscle control.
- Cause and effect – Children complete an action (like pulling on the tape), and see the consequence for the animal in their basket!
- Empathy – As the children cared for the animals, they learned skills like treating animals gently, respecting their space, and fostered the sense of care for animals.
Try something similar at home! Begin by building an animal habitat! You will need:
- Basket or box
- Outdoor nature materials
- Masking tape
- Tweezers and other tools
Begin by allowing your child to go on a nature hunt to find natural materials to create their animals habitat!
Once they’ve created their habitat, put the animals inside and let your child put tape over the top to “trap” the animals, and problem solve together how they can “save” them! Add tools like tweezers to continue working on fine – motor development!
