During the first month with our new toddlers, we’ve noticed they are eager to sing songs and read stories about animals including Old MacDonald Had A Farm, and a wooden farm puzzle. One day, the toddlers were invited to further explore and practice their animal recognition through a stamping activity. The children were offered some stamps of different farm animals, paper, and ink pads. The children took turns experimenting with the different stamps, dipping them into the ink pads and then pressing them onto their paper to reveal the animal. They explored cause-and effect while learning about the steps involved in making imprints with the stamps. This task also required them to engage their fine motor control and strength while manipulating the stamps. Throughout this experience several children demonstrated their knowledge of animal sounds and names. One child was quick to recognize the animal they stamped saying, “horse!”. Meanwhile another child was busy pointing to the pigs they made on their page and saying, “oink!”. Many people also got a sensory experience out of this activity, as they touched the ink pads with their hands and fingers, noticing the squishy texture. One child took a unique approach by rolling a little truck in the ink pad and then driving it across the page. Here, they discovered that the car’s wheels could also create interesting marks on the page using ink! I wonder how else our group can continue growing their knowledge of animals. What might they do with some photos of familiar animals and matching 3D figurines?
