Problem-solving
Toddlers walk under a pretend ribbon waterfall held at a level of their choice.
Be Prepared: Attach colorful, textured ribbons to a small hula hoop or cardboard tube, such as a tube previously used to hold wrapping paper. Fasten each ribbon or fabric strip with strong tape or a knot. Use ribbons of approximately equal length. Provide push toys, such as toddler-size shopping carts or a rolling popper.
Invite several toddlers at a time to join you in going under the ribbons. Explain the ribbons are a pretend waterfall. Encourage toddlers to push a toy under the ribbon waterfall, one at a time. Stand in an open area where you can easily see all participating toddlers.
Ask each child whether he/she would like no ribbons, a little ribbon, or lots of ribbons. Describe a toddler’s request and your corresponding actions with the ribbons. Example: “Clara wants no ribbons. I will lift the ribbon up high. Okay, Clara, now you can go under our ribbon waterfall. The ribbons will not touch you.” Generally, toddlers will enjoy the sensation of ribbons lightly touching their arms and head when they go under the pretend waterfall. But some toddlers may not want ribbons to touch them.
Emphasize the word under as you describe each child’s walk under the ribbon waterfall. Say each child’s name as he/she goes under the ribbons. Example: “Thomas is going under our ribbon waterfall.”
If there are differences in whether and how much the ribbons touch toddlers, briefly describe and demonstrate the differences at the conclusion of the activity. Emphasize how the ribbon waterfall was higher or lower in relation to our bodies.
Young children develop awareness of spatial relationships through freedom to explore spaces and move their bodies in different ways, such as climbing up, crawling over, and getting down from climbing equipment. Toddlers can also strengthen their understanding of spatial relationships through guided play. The current activity promotes the concept of under through movement under a pretend waterfall. It is helpful for toddlers to repeatedly hear the word under as part of the activity.
An important part of a toddler’s experience in the activity is making a choice about whether or how much the ribbons touch the toddler while going under the waterfall. Describe the three options described in the activity so each toddler can make a choice in advance of going under the ribbons. Anticipate that some toddlers may want a contrast of experience with the ribbons. Example: light touch the first time, lots of ribbons the second time.
It is fine if toddlers wish to reach up and touch the ribbons with their fingers. Discourage grasping or holding onto the ribbons. Explain that pulling on the ribbons will break the waterfall (or car wash; see Enrichment tip).
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
Toddlers move a toy turtle in different spatial arrangements in relation to their bodies.
Be Prepared: The activity promotes spatial awareness by inviting toddlers to move with a toy over and under a length of cloth. Secure blue fabric that is two yards long. The fabric is placed on the floor as a pretend river or stream during (not in advance of ) the activity. Vinyl beanbags are suggested; hard animal figures are not a good material for this activity.
[Invite 2–4 toddlers to join you to move a toy turtle in different ways. Sit on the floor facing the toddlers. Give each toddler a toy turtle.]
Each of us has one turtle. We are going to play a fun game by moving our toy turtles and moving our bodies.
Let’s get our turtles moving! I will show some ways we can move our turtles.
[From a seated position, describe and demonstrate ways to move the toy turtle. Possibilities include:
Now we are going to move our turtles across a pretend river (or stream). A river has moving water.
[Spread the fabric on the floor. Affix to the floor with masking tape. Invite toddlers to stand with you on one side of the fabric.]
Let’s pretend our turtles want to find out what is on the other side of our river. Our turtles want to go across the river. We can help our turtles get to the other side of the river.
Encourage toddlers to move their turtle over the river in a way each wishes. Describe each toddler’s approach. Example: “Rian is walking across the water and holding his turtle up high.”]
Now our turtles want to be in the water. They want to swim around. Let’s all get in our pretend river and help our turtles go swimming!
[Demonstrate swimming actions with your turtle. Describe each toddler’s efforts.]
I think our turtles are ready for a rest. Let’s help our turtles calm down.
[Demonstrate rocking your turtle by swaying it back and forth in your arms. Describe each toddler’s actions. Example: “Eli is rocking his turtle to sleep. Eli’s turtle is very tired. Shhhhhhh.”]
[Describe what happened during the activity. Emphasize how we went across the river and then went in the river.]
This activity option promotes awareness of spatial relationships through active movement and attention to the concepts of across and in. The first segment of the activity supports self-regulation skills, especially concentration, and motor skills. Motor skills are also central to the activity’s second segment, which uses active movement to support understandings of over and in.
Anticipate differences in how toddlers manage their movement across and in the pretend river. Some may easily manipulate their soft turtle (jump, swim) while walking, whereas other toddlers may simply walk while holding their toy steady or prefer to walk without a toy.
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
Toddlers walk around a pretend pond, carrying a toy fish in their hand that is closest to the pond, and then reverse their direction of walking.
Be Prepared: Bunch up the fabric to create a round pretend pond. Arrange carpet squares in a circle around the pretend pond. Turtle beanbags may be used as an alternative to cloth fish. Make up a simple song about fish swimming in a pond.
Invite several toddlers to join you to play at a pretend pond. Show how the carpet squares go around the pond. Explain that a pond has water and fish can live in a pond.
Give one cloth fish to each toddler. Invite toddlers to walk on the carpet squares around the pond with their fish. Encourage toddlers to hold the fish with their hand that is closest to the pond and pretend our fish is swimming in the pond. Sing your simple song about fish swimming in a pond.
Invite toddlers to briefly stop walking and then reverse the direction of walking around the pond. Demonstrate and explain how we put our fish in our other hand when we walk the other way around our pretend pond. Sing your song again.
Conclude the activity by describing what happened. Emphasize we walked around our pretend pond. Then we stopped and walked the other way around the pond. We put our fish in our other hand when we walked the other way around the pond.
The carpet squares are intended as a guide for walking around the pond. Omit the squares if they are not helpful with toddlers’ spatial connection to the pond or seem to distract attention from the pond.
Provide sufficient pause and explanation for changing the walking direction. Changing the walking direction around the pretend pond, including putting the toy fish in our other hand (which is now closest to the pond), offers important support for spatial awareness skills emphasized in this activity. You may wish to change direction a second time if it seems toddlers would benefit from more practice in changing our orientation to the pond.
If toddlers start to run or seem to have difficulty focusing on walking around the pretend pond, it may be helpful to provide some brief gross motor movements. Pause the pretend pond activity and lead toddlers in some actions, such as pretending to swim while standing in place or reaching high with our arms.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: blocks, toy animals or cars, 8’’ x 11’’ felt squares, basket, plush animals, Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins, fabric
In the block area create a small bridge for toy animals or cars as a way to foster an extension of Option 2. Place small blocks and animal figures on a low surface with 8” x 11” felt squares. Provide a basket of plush animals for toddlers to continue the game of going across the river. Describe toddlers’ actions. Example: “Look at Suni! She is helping her little dog swim across the river!” Sit with several toddlers at a time to look at pictures in the book Rosie’s Walk. On another day, hold two corners of the fabric while another adult holds the opposite side. Invite toddlers to go under the cloth river with or without toys. Raise the fabric to allow the children to walk (vs. crawl) under the cloth river. Lower the fabric if children wish to crawl or scoot under.
Materials Needed: fabric, Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
Preschool-age children will enjoy a game of Over and Under with the fabric offered in the Interest Area suggestion. Older children may enjoy holding the corners of a pillowcase-size cloth to create an arch toddlers may go under. Continue Over and Under play outdoors. Share the book Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins. Encourage children to point to pictures of Rosie going over or under.
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