This month our kids showed an interest in cars by playing with cars in the classroom and racing them with each other. We did various activities to expand their interest such as providing them with tape roads, the car ramp and exploring the various cars we have in our classroom car bucket. We added new cars to the bucket for the children to explore and road signs. We were fascinated by the world of cars and showed this by talking about car names we knew about and looking at the car types we had in the bucket, to see if they were created after cars in real life that we have seen before. We talked about how we get from one place to another in our cars and other vehicles. The children were talking to each other about how cars move and what makes them go fast or slow, where cars come from and why cars have special parts like tires, steering wheels and brakes. We discussed ways we could answer these questions. We talked about doing research in books or on the iPad. We decided to have a car themed day where we created roads and ramps for the children to use. We set up a colouring station with car pictures for the children to colour, and learn the different shapes of various cars. The children pushed and drove the cars around the tracks, experimenting with how fast the cars went down the ramps and roads that were set at different angles. The children were focused and engaged in learning about cars and playing with them. The children participated with hands-on activities and exploration. It was fun to introduce basic concepts to the children about cars and how they work. The children are learning early math concepts through this activity.
Myhappyhelpers.com states that “Playtime with cars, trucks, planes, and other vehicles provides the perfect opportunity for practising social interactions with others. Your child can embrace their imagination and creativity - while also learning how to express themselves through language and build their vocabulary”. The children enjoyed this day, learning with their friends and teachers. Perhaps we can do more activities about cars and answer more of the children’s questions through research.
