Dressing: Big/Little

Lesson for:

Infants

Content Area:

Algebra
Geometry
Numbers and Operations

Routine:

Dressing

Dressing: Big/Little

Lesson plan for infants 0 to 6 months

Step 1: Review developmental stage: 0 to 6 months.

Play: Infants begin by using their eyes to explore toys and then begin to use their hands and mouths to explore. Their play is primarily shaking, banging and mouthing. At the end of this stage, they begin to look for dropped toys and may find a partially hidden object.

Communication: Young infants recognize their parents and familiar caregivers. They smile and laugh during playful interactions such as peek-a-boo. They make early cooing and babbling sounds.

Motor: When placed on their tummies, infants learn to hold up their heads and reach for toys. They begin to reach and grasp for objects, beginning with the caregivers’ clothes and hair and then moving on to toys and objects. At the end of this stage, many infants may help hold their own bottles and help bring the bottles to their mouths. They may also begin to take pureed food from a spoon.

Step 2: Gather materials.

  • Infant socks
  • Adult socks
  • Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Step 3: Engage infant in lesson activities.

Place the infant on a blanket on the floor. Sit down with the infant and talk with the infant about getting dressed to go outside. Touch the infant’s feet and say: “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then show the infant’s sock and say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his/her LITTLE feet.” After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.

Dressing: Big/Little

Lesson plan for infants 6 to 12 months

Step 1: Review developmental stage: 6 to 12 months.

Play: At the beginning of this stage, play is mostly shaking, banging and mouthing toys. By the end of this stage, infants begin to combine objects that go together in play. They reach for and hold two objects and may begin to reach for a third. Many infants will look for dropped toys and find partially and completely hidden toys. Many infants enjoy taking objects out of containers and putting them back in.

Communication: At this age, infants respond when their names are called. They may turn their heads, make eye contact and sometimes smile and vocalize. They may look for family members and pets when called by name. They may respond to simple requests made with gestures, such as: “Come here.” They may understand “No” or “Stop.” They may lift their arms to be picked up, clap hands and wave bye-bye. They love to shout and squeal and may be babbling with many different sounds. They may be participating in and sometimes initiating peek-a-boo.

Motor: During this stage, many infants begin to sit by themselves and play. They begin to move by rolling, crawling and cruising. They pick up toys by using a raking motion with their whole hand and, by the end of this stage, they are using their fingers and thumbs to pick up small objects. They may feed themselves small bits of food.

Step 2: Gather materials.

  • Infant’s socks and shoes (if the infant wears them)
  • Adult’s socks and shoes
  • Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Step 3: Engage infant in lesson activities.

Place the infant on a blanket on the floor. Sit down facing the infant and talk with the infant about getting dressed to go outside. Touch the infant’s  feet and say: “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” Put your own foot next to the infant’s foot and say: “LITTLE” as you touch the infant’s foot and “BIG” as you touch your own foot. You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then hold up the infant’s socks and your socks. Say: “LITTLE socks” as you show the infant’s socks and “BIG socks” as you show your socks. Next, say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his/her LITTLE feet.” Give the child one sock while you put the other sock on his/her foot. The infant at this age may touch his/her own foot with the sock he/she is holding. Ask the infant for the sock and put it on the other foot, again repeating LITTLE socks for LITTLE feet. After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with shoes and other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.

Dressing: Big/Little

Lesson plan for infants 12 to 18 months

Step 1: Review developmental stage: 12 to 18 months.

Play: At the beginning of this stage, many infants are imitating the use of everyday objects such as cups and spoons. This moves into early pretend play, when the infant may feed you or pretend to drink from a cup or eat off of an empty spoon. They also are great imitators and may enjoy imitating daily activities. They may enjoy putting multiple objects into containers and systematically searching for hidden toys and objects. Many infants will pat pictures in books and sometimes vocalize while looking at books.

Communication: At the beginning of this stage, many infants begin to respond to one-step directions such as: “Give me the ball.” They may need gestures to help them understand the direction. At the end of this stage, many infants follow a related two-step direction without the help of gestures, such as: “Get the ball and give it to Daddy.” They may be pointing to ask for wants and needs and to ask you to name objects. At around 12 months of age, many infants say one to three words on their own and, by the end of this stage, may say up to 15 words or more. Many infants play turn-taking games at this stage.

Motor: At the beginning of this stage, many infants are crawling and cruising to get around and, by the end of this stage, infants are walking with good balance. They may also enjoy walking while carrying large objects and pulling toys. When given a crayon for the first time, they may mouth the crayon or mark the paper. By the end of this stage, many infants are scribbling on paper. They may be starting to scoop food with a spoon and actually get some to their mouths. Infants may also be using a straw or an open cup to drink.

Step 2: Gather materials.

  • Infant’s socks and shoes (if he/she wears them)
  • Adult’s socks and shoes
  • Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Step 3: Engage infant in lesson activities.

Tell the infant that it’s time to go outside. Gather outdoor clothing and sit down together to get ready. Touch the infant’s little feet and say, “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” Put your own foot next to the infant’s foot and say: “LITTLE” as you touch the infant’s foot and “BIG” as you touch your own foot. You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then hold up the infant’s socks in one hand and your socks in the other. Say: “LITTLE socks” as you show the infant’s socks and “BIG socks” as you show your socks. Next, say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his LITTLE feet.” Still holding up the little socks and big socks, ask the infant to find the LITTLE socks for his LITTLE feet. Touch the LITTLE socks to his/her hand and allow the infant to take the socks. The infant at this age may try to put his/her own sock on, but may not be able to do it without help from you. As you help, repeat: “LITTLE socks for LITTLE feet.” After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with shoes and other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.

Reflections on this lesson

How might you teach the math lesson LITTLE and BIG during other daily activities and routines?

What books do you have in your child care setting that reinforce the math concept of LITTLE and BIG?

What songs or finger plays do you typically use in your child care setting that reinforce the math concept of LITTLE and BIG?

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