GLOBAL HEARTH PROJECT - Teacher Resources

Using Activity Boxes to Stimulate Language

 

Activity boxes help you bring variety into your curriculum and into children's language.

What are activity boxes? When you put everything you need for one kind of activity into a box, you have made an activity box.

• Activity boxes help you set up new activities quickly.

• You can store activity boxes in a closet or on a shelf.

• Label each box with a picture and a word so that both you and the children know what's inside.

• Activity boxes are useful for materials children can use alone as well as for activities that need teacher supervision.

As you and the children put things back into activity box, make sure that all the pieces are there and that they are clean. If you are careful to do that, you can count on the materials being in good shape the next time you need them.

Here are some activity boxes you can make for your classroom:

Playhouse Activity boxes

Party box has dishes, place mats, a small vase, and dry flowers.

Cleaning box has small brooms, mops, dust pans, brushes, and a toy carpet sweeper. Make sure you have at least two of each so that everyone who wants to clean house together may do so.

Grocery box has empty food boxes, play money, grocery bags, and toy cash register.

Grown-up play box has old clothes, shoes, costumes for community helpers (e.g. fire-fighters hat).

Construction play box has sand, in a container such as an empty box, a variety of toy cars and trucks, and small building materials such as blocks.

Filling station/garage box has cars, truck, a length of hose, empty spray bottle, rag, and a tire pressure gauge.

Hospital and doctor box has hats, uniforms (shortened), stethoscope, band-aids, and dolls to put bandages on.

Dress-up Activity Boxes

Shoe box has things to play shoe store, including sandals, high heels, men's shoes, sneakers, and baby shoes. Make sure all of the shoes are clean and sprayed inside with disinfectant.

Jewelry and sunglasses box has child-sized necklaces, clip on earrings, rings, and sunglasses. Make sure the beads are secure on the strings.

Block Center Activity Boxes

Airplane box has different types and sizes of airplanes, airline schedules, gas truck, food truck, and baggage carts.

Animal box has familiar animals, including pets, farm animals, animals found in zoos, and materials to make cages.

Small cars and trucks box toys to use when building garages and roads.

Street signs box has familiar signs like stop-and-go, railroad crossing, go slow, and right or left turn.

People box has a variety of toy people, including different races and ages.

Trains box has a small hook-together train ser, with or without tracks and railroad crossing signs/gates.

Book center activity boxes

Flannel board boxes have a different story or set of pictures, each in its own small labeled box. Include a box with a boy and a girl and different clothes to put on them, a face with different eyes, noses, mouths, and ears to make funny faces, as well as boxes with pieces for favorite stories.

Puppets boxes have finger puppets and hand puppets, each type in a different box.

Picture games boxes have lotto, sequence cards, matching cards, and other picture games.

Puzzle and Small Muscle Toy Boxes

Easy puzzles are stored on a labeled puzzle rack or in a labeled box, to be taken out a few at a time and put in the center. Put the name of the puzzle on the back of each piece.

Harder puzzles are stored on a labeled puzzle rack or in a labeled box, to be taken out a few at a time as children are ready. Put the name of the puzzle on the back of each piece.

Beads and strings box has beads of different kinds and strings with a knot on the end and a firm tip for stringing. Anything with a hole in it can be considered a bead for stringing, if it is a suitable size.

Put-together toys such as Legos and Bristle Blocks are each in their own labeled boxes. In order to cut down on fighting, have several smaller boxes of the same toys and put them out in the center at the same time.

Art Center Boxes

Story-picture box has crayons or felt pens in several small containers and paper of different sizes and shapes to draw on. When the child finishes a picture, the teacher prints the story the child dictates for the picture.

Play dough mixing box has a recipe, containers of salt, flour and color, measuring cups, and bowls to use with the children to mix play dough.

Art activity boxes each have the materials needed to do a variety of art activities such as making collages, stringing things, stamping things, or making cards for friends and family.

Music Activities Boxes

Sound container box has different types of sound containers to match.

Instrument box has tambourines, wrist and ankle bells, rhythm sticks, and other musical instruments.

Dance props box has scarves, pretty fabrics, dance skirts, and capes.

Outdoor Play Boxes

Sand toys box has dump trucks, shovels and scoops of different sizes, pots, pans, dishes, and cans.

Water toys box has unbreakable pitchers, cups, cans; baby dolls to bathe, cars to wash.

Painter box has pails or cans to carry water and medium-thick house painter brushes.

Actions hats box has washable hats for construction workers, firefighters, bus drivers, pilots, mail carriers, and police. Make sure both girls and boys are allowed to play with the hats.

Ball box has balls of various size, and maybe a target with holes to toss balls into or and old wastepaper basket to use as a basketball hoop.