I will not be able to post next week as I will be in Girl's Camp so I am posting this ahead of time.
Forgive me!
For that week, my attention getter will be:
Paper tube Pom Pom Drop
Whatcha need:
Paper tubes (at least 2 per child)
Pom Poms
Tweezers/tongs (optional depending on the age of your kids)
Bowls to put at the bottom of the tubes
I'm going to tape the paper tubes (toilet paper/paper towel tubes) to the table turned on it's side pushed next to the wall. The kids will have to kneel down to do it but I think it'll work great:)
I have a boy in my Nursery class who is struggling as he just moved to the area. His Dad said he usually LOVES Nursery but he is having a hard time letting go during 2nd & 3rd hour.
I have learned today that he loves cars. SOOOOO, this week I'm going to put an activity that has to do with cars to see if I can nab 'im:)
I may be using a compressible black pipe (like the ones you attach to your water spout) cut in half, so that I can collapse it after I'm done for easy storage.
I'm just going to prop the top on the table and have the end rest at the wall so that it will stop the cars at the bottom.
Here are the pattern pieces if you would like to make your own.
You will need 4 pieces of nude colored felt (main pieces/bodies), 2 grey pieces (hair), 1 Noah's jacket colored felt (your choice), 1 white felt piece, & 1 felt piece Noah's wife dress (your choice of color).
I'm not good at doing step-by-step tutorials. So, basic idea, you'll need to sew on the appliques on each body BEFORE sewing the two main pieces together (sew everything on the top layer first before sewing around the edges of the two pieces to combine). Remember, don't sew the bottom or else your hand won't go through!
Lesson
Prior to the lesson, scatter building blocks on the other side of the accordion wall divider and close it so that they cannot see them.
ANYWHO, I am going to start out the lesson by bringing Noah out from behind my back and have him wave to all of the kids, blow kisses, hug them, etc.
GRAB their attention!
Proceed to have him start crying. MAKE HIM WAIL!!!!! Ask him what is the matter.
N: " Well, the other people are not being nice and there's going to be a lot of rain.... (start singing) the rain comes down and the floods come up..."
You:" Who told you there would be a lot of rain?"
N: "Jesus did. He said that there would be so much rain that the whole world would be like a HUGE swimming pool!And...and....you know what else he told me to do?"
You: "WHAT!?!?"
N: "Here I'll whisper it to you.......Shhhhhhhh, (let the kids have fun with the shhh-ing)......A BIG BOAT!!!!"
Have him hold his hands to his face in surprise.
N: "I need some help making my boat, can you help me get the wood together and make a boat??"
Help the kids go look for a block to bring to NOAH (not you, let his hands do it) and he starts to build. Once done, close the wall again.
N: "Whew! That was a lot of work! Thank you all so much!"
Have him high five the kids while your other nursery instructor goes and spreads animals on the floor (toys OR print outs) of the other room (where the blocks were).
N: "OH NO!!!!"
You: "What's the matter now?!"
N: "Jesus told me that I have to get a Mommy and a Daddy of every animal to put on the boat! That's a lot of animals! Can you help me again?"
You: "YES!!!!!" (Bob your head....the little ones will mimic you)
Open the wall and let them gather the animals like before to give to Noah in the "boat".
N: "Oh thank you so much!"
Let him hug the kids, wave bye, etc.
You: "We should always listen to prophets!"
Put Noah down and start to sing "Follow the Prophet" ONLY CHORUS, while banging your hands on your lap. On "Don't go astray" shake your finger adamantly. "He knows the way" nod your head with your arms up in the air.
For closing the lesson, I downloaded an app on my phone that let's us hear the different animal noises. I'm going to play a few and let the kids listen, try to identify them and we all try making the noise.
Let's face it, when we are trying to call kids' attention to ourselves, we have to act like complete fools/clowns/ psychos/obnoxiously energetic people!
AND IT'S SO WORTH IT!:)
Here are a few things to remember about Music Time while in Nursery:
*For the most part, they are more about watching and observing than participating. You may have some willing to copy you the first time, but most of them may take months of uncomfortable stare-downs before they'll actually show they've been watching and know exactly what to do. Don't get discouraged if this happens! Just be prepared to do a lot of solos;)
*Make a place for them to gather.
If you just sit down and tell them to come by you, some of them may not get it. GIVE THEM A VISUAL! Lay out a blanket and have them sit with you.
1) Place a hoola hoop on the floor, sit on the outside and put your toes inside of the hoop. Call them to you to do the same. "Tickle tickle, I got your toes!" This will call their attention and soon EVERYONE will want their toes touched.
2) Carpet squares. Place them on the floor in a circle and begin jumping from square to square. They will scurry over to you to join in SO fast! After a few rounds, pick a square and sit.
3) Blanket. Just like a picnic. Everybody come have a picnic. You can even pretend to eat food to get their attention to you. (Make the movements SO over-played! The more enthusiastic you are about play, the more they will want to participate.)
*Do not introduce every song.
Just hop from one to the other. Have all of your props for each song within reach so you can hand them out quickly. The kids are too young for explanations. Begin singing the new song directly after the one you just finished and they'll jump in.
*If there are multiple adults in the room, make EVERYONE get down with you!
The kids WILL come around if they see it's what EVERYONE is doing. Peer pressure at it's finest;P
I'm going to walk you through some of my favorite nursery music time selections. I typically pick 3-4 songs per Sunday.
Song #1: The Wheels on the Bus
Just in case some of you don't know the tune OR the actions, here you go. Take note of her facial expression.....you will be doing this subconsciously in a few weeks! BA HA!
Print off a steering wheel for each of the kids.Color (color the middle of it RED for it to look like a horn)& laminate them ( OR glue them onto cardboard or cereal box cardboard) and cut them out (including the inside portions so that they can actually hold onto it like a real steering wheel).
Song #2: Do as I'm doing
CLICK HERE to take you to the music for this song.
You don't need any props for this one. Just a whole lot of energy.
Some actions that are good for the little ones are:
- Hopping
- Sway side to side
- Flap your arms
- March
- Ballerina Dance (going around in circle with hands above your head)
- Clapping (they LOVE this one!)
- Pat your tummy
-Shake your head
- Wiggle your fingers with arms extended (tickle fingers)
Keep them simple! These guys are too little for over-complication!
In Primary, you are able to go around asking children what they'd like to do. In nursery, don't do it! They're better with just following than coming up with ideas AND they don't understand the whole "taking turns", "raise your hand" bid. Just lead them. From action to action, verse to verse, make it flow. They'll copy.
Also, don't make this one too long. 3-4 actions should be plenty. Then move onto another song.
You can just squat and when they say "BEAM" you jump while singing this song or make some props for, remember, each of the kids. They're too little to understand taking turns without meltdowns.
Some of the options for props are:
- Colored suns on Popsicle sticks
- Mirrors
Song #4: Twinkle Twinkle little Star
- Bring some flashlights to shine on the ceiling as you are singing this song. If you're feeling REALLY adventurous, bring a few glow sticks.
Song #5: Rain is falling all around
This is a favorite of mine! CLICK HERE for the music & lyrics.
I LOVE what this woman has done in her own ward for this song. She uses a spray bottle and sprays the air above the kids while she sings this song. I'm sure they mostly squeal rather than sing, but don't worry! Pretty soon, they'll know these words by heart just from listening to you.
Song #5: Roll your hands
Instead of just doing "Roll your Hands", mix up the words a bit to make it fun yet still end with the reverent folded arms.
"Roll your Hands, Roll your Hands
So tiny, so tiny, so tiny like me, (pointer fingers circling each other)
Then fold your arms like me like me,
Then fold your arms like me."
"Roll your Hands, Roll your Hands
Do the Hula, do the Hula, do the Hula like me.
Then fold your arms like me like me,
Then fold your arms like me."
"Roll your Hands, Roll your Hands
Up high in the sky(stretch hands up), down low by the snow(bend down and touch toes).
Then fold your arms like me like me,
Then fold your arms like me."
"Roll your Hands, Roll your Hands
Clap 2 times, (Clap Clap), Clap 1 time (Clap), Clap 2 times like me (Clap clap)
Then fold your arms like me like me,
Then fold your arms like me."
"Roll your Hands, Roll your Hands
to your left, to your right, to your knees like me.
Then fold your arms like me like me,
Then fold your arms like me."
These are just some of the songs that I love to use in Nursery. Stay posted as I will be adding some as I use them!!!
As I have said in the past posts, these snacks should be SMALL, quick, and just enough to occupy their mouths so they don't scream (hopefully) when their parents leave.
If you can get them involved with the Attention Getter activity FIRST, do that! This should be your last resort!
Anytime you involve food, it opens the possibility for more complications. Also, remember if you give ONE child a snack, you'll most likely have to give one to all of the other kids too. Only use this option if you're ready to give one to each child.
Make sure every child only gets one/small amount. You may have one child who wants to eat all of them otherwise;)
These should be snacks that they would be okay to stand with. Snacks that will not crumble or get their hands sticky. Also PLEASE make sure that you know about ANY food allergies in your nursery! If someone has a food allergy be EXTRA careful!
I was just in a ward where the Nursery leader wiped each child's hands with a sanitary wipe as they came in the door because on of her nursery children had a peanut allergy. You can never be too careful!
Such snacks could include:
- Cheese cubes (just cheese sticks cut into cubes)
- Carrots
- Fruit snacks (3 per child)
- Marshmallows (Mini's??)
- M & M's (Hey...don't judge! Candy is a wonderful briber for this age!)
My first week in the nursery room needs to be "out of the norm". If I'm going to get those kids' attention, it's gotta be something fun that they can just hop in and use without any directions.
My first week's Attention Getter will be:...........
BALLOONS!
What kid doesn't love these big balls of floating fun!!!?!?!?!?! They can't resist 'em! I can't resist them!
Just blow up (a LOT!) of fun colored balloons and toss them on the floor, ready to be kicked, grabbed and thrown as they come in. Remember, only 1 per child will not be enough incentive for them to leave their parents and fall into your arms. You have to make the nursery look SUPER fun! Just make sure to watch the little ones in case of one popping, to grab the rubber balloon remnants right away. You don't want any accidents! (This has never been a problem for me).
You could bring a hoola hoop to have them throw the balloons through for a little fun. Don't be boring! Hit them back and forth with them. Kick them into the air. Gather a whole bunch in your arms and throw them at the same time so they're "raining" over the kids. Have fun with this:)
Bring trash bags to gather them back into when you are ready to move onto different activities. If they are left out, you will not regain their attention easily. Maybe bring them out at the end of class as their parents come to get them.
At SOME point in our lives, most of us will spend at least SOME portion of time in the Nursery Rom of our meetinghouses.
There are many who will avoid this room at all costs. If you come prepared to help these kids enjoy their time away from mom and dad, you will find this a much simpler, happier 2 hours each Sunday. Here are a few things that I have found help a new nursery leader (not to mention children) have a good experience.
Help #1: Establish trust/Reach out in love
Greet each child BY NAME (talking more to the child than the parent), perhaps with a hug OR an item that they can go and use RIGHT then in the attention getter activity (see Attention Getter label). Assure the parents that they'll be notified if they are needed and literally, GET THEM OUT of there! The faster it is, the easier it will be.
Like a bandaid.....
If a child WILL not let go of their parents, invite the parent to hold back until the rest of the children are in the classroom and engaged. Then (if you feel comfortable doing this) ask the parent if they will allow you to take the child as they leave as quickly as possible. Not lingering to reassure the child. Take the child, as gently as possible (even if they are fighting you) and hug them to you as the parent leaves. If they continue to scream, take them a bit away from the group and just start talking to them. Soft. Not babbling, just enough to get them to hear your voice. When they are ready, take them back to the group and engage them as quickly as possible into the activity. If they continue to scream, tell them that they are scaring the other children. They may ask you to go get mom and dad. Tell them that you WILL NOT (if they know it's an option, they will manipulate and scream until that happens) but that you will take good care of them and help them be happy.
My own way of handling if the screaming continues; I usually hold them and tell them I can only put them down when they stop screaming, or ask them if they need a snack/drink/potty, or put them in a chair by themselves until they're done. You might have to tell them "It's time to be done crying. Mom and Dad can't come back until you're done."
Help #2: Attention snack
For those children who struggle with separation anxiety, a snack is a WONDERFUL distraction! Have something right away that they can grab and stuff in their mouths while their parents make a fast get-away! Something SMALL, not meant to fill them, just enough to help the separation be a little quicker.
See ATTENTION SNACKS label on this blog.
Help #3: Always come prepared with an "attention getter" activity!
Most of the time, if you can pique the child's curiosity right from the start the transition can just flow. Of course there are special cases that you will just have to work through.
I will be posting these activities weekly as I do them myself in the ATTENTION GETTER label of this blog.
Help #4: Play SOFT, happy music as they come in.
A lot of children just need to hear a happy sound to feel comfortable. Remember to keep it VERY soft as some children may feel overwhelmed. If there is a specific child who seems to be struggling, turn down the music or turn it off. Some children have sensory issues where a lot of noise bothers them. Just watch.
I have a pair of hunting earphones that I keep nearby. Some children like to wear these during playtime. I just ask them if it's too loud and if they'd like to wear them. Sometimes they want them, sometimes they don't. But the option is always there. See WELCOME MUSIC label of this blog for examples. Help #5: Follow a consistent schedule
Post pictures on the wall if you are willing. The kids LOVE knowing what's coming next. Use a fun song to run through the schedule if you want. Look for my own schedule on the ROUTINE label of this blog. Help #6: Invite someone to come do music
(Primary chorister, animated grandma of the ward, NOT one of their parents if possible!)
A little change during your time together is good:) Seeing another face might help them stay out of mischief.
This does not mean break time for you. Get down on the floor and do the singing, actions and everything else that you want the children to do. Remember, children this young love to mime!
If you do not have someone available, you can do music yourself.
See MUSIC TIME label of this blog.
Help #7: Let the children see you're happy to be with them
We've all had a teacher in school that you just KNEW hated their job. This makes us hate their class, yes?
If you want the children to be happy, then you need to be happy.
As I said before, make your time with them count. Focus on them, not their parents. They will feel how you love them:)
