http://ifnotyouwho.org/activities/printer-friendly/activity_14_target_words11

Login

Helping adults prepare children for kindergarten and life.

Long, Little, Short, Small

Creating long and short cereal trains

Month 9 · Activity 14 ·   Target Words  

Instructions

  • You will need small round cereal (Cheerios, Fruit Loops, etc.) and 3 pipe cleaners
  • Make a short “train” using 3 or 4 cereal pieces on the pipe cleaner 
  • Explain that this is a short train.  Ask the child to make it into a long train. Give them time to think about how they can make the train long
  • With a second pipe cleaner make a long train with 8 or 9 cereal pieces on the pipe cleaner
  • Explain that this is a long train.  Ask the child to make it into a short train.
  • Give the third pipe cleaner to the child and ask them to make a train longer than the other two pipe cleaner trains
  • Take turns making long and short cereal trains

Simplify

Just putting the cereal pieces on the pipe cleaner can be a challenge for a child.  Have an adult make a short and long train and ask a child which is short and which is long.  Ask the child to remove all the cereal from each of the trains as this is easier than making the cereal train.

Extend

Ask the child to make a train using three cereal pieces and another train using eight cereal pieces.  Ask the child which is longer and which is shorter.  Ask the child to make the three-piece train longer than the eight-piece train.  Have fun creating different length trains and chat about which train is longer or shorter.

QUESTIONS FOR CHILD

Tell me about a time when you had to wait a long time.

Would you rather have a short storytime or a short bath and share why?

Materials

Activity Resources

  • Language Skills
  • Motor Skills
  • Problem Solving Skills