Early Childhood Books and Music - from Jackie Silberg...
"Miss Jackie!"

This section features articles by Jackie Silberg discussing various child development issues. If you would like to copy any of these articles to pass out to parents, in a newsletter or a class, or if you would like to obtain other similar articles, please email Jackie for the details at jsilberg@interserv.com Thanks!

Previous Articles by Jackie Silberg

Ten Laughing and Having Fun Games for Toddlers and Twos
Five Minute Games that Develop Imagination
Tofa Tafa Song
Music About Animals and Insects
Eight, Great Movement Activities
Three Bears with a Beat
Child-Building: Brain Games for Babies
Ten Ways to Teach a Song

Creative Dramatics Help Children Communicate

Article by Scott Weissman

When I was four I spent every night fighting aliens and sea monsters from my supersonic submarine-spaceship. I employed my magical powers to defeat these creatures and, after each success, was rewarded by the president of the universe. Although I’m now an "adult," my life is still full of fantasy and pretending: I am a teacher of creative dramatics and an actor. I have not found a more powerful tool than creative dramatics to further the social, intellectual and personal growth of the young child.

The young child is especially spontaneous and creative, already an actor, constantly pretending and inventing and imagining. To use creative dramatics is simply to encourage what is natural to the child. A supportive environment in which children feel free to explore their genuine feelings should be provided. Here are some specific exercises that can be used with three- to five-year-old children.

Shake It Up
Have the children isolate different parts of their bodies and shake them. They shake their heads, hands, feet, toes, etc. This warmup helps develop motor skills and, for younger children, cognitive skills as well (they identify and move each body part).

Human Mirror
Have each child find a partner and ask the partners to face one another. One person is designated as "leader" and the other as the "mirror." You can have them switch roles any time during the exercise. The leader starts the motion and the partner mirrors the leader’s every movement. Encourage each pair to really stay and work together. This exercise teaches cooperation and heightens a child’s concentration abilities. I like using "Human Mirror" before asking children to do more academic work.

You Bring out the Animal in Me
Take a trip to the zoo or look in animal picture books. Have each child pick out a favorite animal. In the classroom, they then imitate the movements and sound of the animal they have chosen. Encourage them to really move and sound like their particular animal. At a later point, suggest that their animals have learned to speak English. The children can then share with the class what life is like as a cat or a dog or a giraffe. Use your own creativity with this exercise—the possibilities are limitless!

Living Story
Read the children a story and have them act it out. It is helpful to provide props for this game and to assign the children parts for which they seem unsuited. For example, a shy, reticent child might play the Big Bad Wolf while a more aggressive child might play Little Red Riding Hood. In this way the children explore sides of themselves that they are not used to showing. This exercise is important to the development of a positive self-concept. Children learn they have many sides to themselves in an environment which encourages and supports them exploring these many sides. They then become more accepting of their own variety; they become more fully themselves.

These exercises are but a small sampling and demonstrate the versatility of a "creative dramatics" approach to educating the young child. You can use this approach to communicate cognitive, motor, social and interpersonal skills. and the learning will become dynamic, fun, immediate and experiential.

Ten Laughing and Having Fun Games for Toddlers and Twos

The Popcorn Game
Develops - Trust

1. Sit your toddler in your lap.
2. Say the following rhyme.

I'm a piece of popcorn sitting in a pan
Shake me, shake me as fast as you can
(gently wiggle your toddler)
Get ready, Get ready......
Pop!
(as you say the word "pop" hold your child up high in the air)

3. Your toddler will anticipate the word "pop" and start laughing before you say it.
4. This is a wonderful game to play in a swimming pool where the "pop" is combined with splashing.

Tubes and More
Develops - Imagination

1, Take a paper towel tube and show your child the different things that you can do with it.
2. Pretend it's a microphone.
3. Take a small ball and encourage your child to roll it through the tube.
4. Pretend that it's a baton and lead the band.
5. Hold it to your eye and pretend it's a telescope.

A Bouncing Game
Develops - Rhythm

1. Sit your child on your lap facing you.
2. Say the following rhyme as you bounce your knees up and down while holding your child at the waist.
3. When you come to the words "fell in the gutter," separate your legs and drop your child to the ground while holding her tightly.

I went down town,
To get some butter
And when I got there
I fell in the gutter...(drop down child)

Where is Lucy?
Develops - language

1. Sing to the tune of "Frere Jacques."

Where is Lucy (fill in with child's name)
Where is Lucy
Here I am, here I am (hold your child's arms high over her head)
Clap your hands together, clap your hands together (clap your child's hands together)
Hip Hooray! Hip Hooray!

2. Repeat the song and change the action. Instead of "clap your hands," you could say "touch your little nose" or wave your little fingers."
3. Think of the kinds of actions that your child can do and incorporate them in the song.

Jack in the Box
Develops motor skills

1. Say the following rhyme.

Jack in the box, Jack in the box
(Make a fist with your right hand and hide your thumb inside)
Wake up, wake up
(knock on your fist with your other hand)
Someone is knocking, one, two, three, four
(keep knocking)
Out Jack pops from his little round door.
(pop your thumb out from inside your fist.)

Find the Coin
Develops Observation Skills

1. Take three plastic cups and turn them upside down.
2. Hide a coin or a small object under one of the cups.
3. Say the following rhyme with your child.
Clap your hands just like me]
Find the coin
One, two three!!
4. Show your child how to pick up each cup and look for the coin.
5. After you have played this a few times, see if your toddler can find where the coin is hidden without picking up each cup.
6. Let your child hide the coin and you look for it.

Rubby Dubby - by Jackie Silberg
Teaches body parts and fun

This is a great bathtub game.
Say the following rhyme as you bathe your baby with a washcloth.

Rubby dubby, rubby dubby
Splash, splash, splash - (splash lightly with the wash cloth)
Rubby, dubby, rubby, dubby
Splash, splash, splash - (splash lightly with the cloth)
Where's your toe rubby dubby?
There it is rubby dubby!
Rubby, dubby, rubby, dubby - (wash your child's toe)
Splash, splash, splash - splash again

Tiggoty Toggoty
Teaches fun

Say the following rhyme with your child and have fun together!

Tiggoty, toggoty, gutter
Call the hogs to supper
This one's fat - (tickle your child's left leg)
This one's lean - (tickle your child's right leg)
And this little hog is in between. (tickle your child's tummy)

Winding Up The Clock
Develops motor skills

1. Show your toddler a wind up clock.
2. Show her how you can wind it up on the back. You could also used a stuffed animal that has a wind up part.
3. Let your toddler listen to the "tick tock" of the clock.
4. Imitate the sound and say the words "tick tock."
5. Play the following game.

Winding up the clock - (Hold your child's hand and move her arm in a circle)
Winding up the clock - (Keep winding)
Tick, tock, tick, tock - (move your head back and forth)
Winding up the clock - (start winding again)

I Love Coffee
Teaches fun

1. Play this game with a stuffed toy.
2. Put the toy on your toddler's knee and say:
I love coffee
I love tea
I love sitting on your knee
3. Now put the toy on your child's head.
I love coffee
I love bread
I love sitting on your head.
4. Keep playing the game and name different body parts. The words do not have to rhyme.
5. Try playing the game with your toddler. Let him sit on your knee, head, etc.