Book Resources Begin by searching our Online Catalog of published materials. Keywords to consider: activity or activities + child or children, child development, games + children, infants + games + activities, play + children, preschool + Go to the Education database subject guide. You may also find the Psychology databases subject guide useful in your research. Web Resources: Infants and Toddlers About, Parenting: Babies & Toddlers – Information on activities and play for infants and toddlers. Of special interest in the bottom half of the “Articles & Resources” section where there are recipes for making instruments to play dough to bubbles. Fatherwork – Choose from Infants (0-18 months), Toddlers (18-36 months), all the way up to Late Adolescents (15-18 years); Provides great subject-divided lists with activities and communication exercises, etc. There is lots of useful information for both parents. Infants Ages & Stages (From B.E.E., Alabama Cooperative Extension System) – A great set of links to the ages and stages infants through 5-year olds. Infants and Toddlers (From Michelle Hubbard) – Links from a mom and educator on stories, play, and information for those tending to the care of infants. Partnership for Learning – “’Play It Smart!’ is an age-specific guide to activities for young children. Each article contains skill-building suggestions and games for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.” This site also contains a number of great articles, including choosing toys to improving imagination. Pathways Home (From the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory) – a very nice list of activities and games. Planning Play Activities (University of Illinois Extension) – a concise list of play activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Play Activities For Children Birth To Nine Years (From the National Network for Child Care) – A good list of short activities for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, etc. Toys for Older Infants (From KeepKidsHealthy.com) – a wonderful article on older infants and the interests and activities to keep them developing. There is information and activities on physical, mental and social development along with toy activity recommendations, not specific toys. Information is also given concerning all types of play: active, manipulative, make-believe, creative, and learning. Village, Pregnancy and Parenting: Baby Activities – a list of links to baby play and activities. Coverage is from the general to creativity to eateries. Zero to Three Home, Parents (From the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families) – The “power of play” is discussed in great detail, divided into different age categories. Additional information is given on choosing toys. First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts – “First-School features free fun preschool lesson plans, educational early childhood activities, printable crafts, worksheets, calendar of events and other resources for children of preschool age. The preschool crafts, lesson plans and activities are appropriate and adaptable for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten level (ages 2 to 6).” Fun-Attic Preschool Activities – Fun activities and games to use with preschool children. Sign up for a free newsletter to keep updated and also contribute to the site with suggestions for new games and activities. Gayle’s Preschool Rainbow – Activity Central – “Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices. Ideas for pre-k and kindergarten teachers that enrich classroom curriculum are arranged by theme. Plus easy at home fun learning games.” Click on “Home Activities” for gain some great guidelines for reading at home. Kids.Net.Au (Preschool) – “Search engine for kids, children, educators and teachers - Searching sites designed for kids that are child safe and clean.” This site is invaluable for the work they have put in to find links. The Perpetual Preschool (From Miss Daylene) – This is a combined free/cost site but holds a lot of invaluable activity instructions and comments. It is organized by holiday themes, seasonal themes, theme resources, learning center ideas, teaching tips, playtime, etc. Users can get instructions for activities, comments from other users on the activities, and add to the collection. An very extensive site. Pre-School Activities (From The Internet Advisor and Sharilee Javadi) – Lots of instructions for manipulative activities, online activities, and some great links to additional information for parents, teachers, students, technology, cyberlibrary, etc. This site is a great find. Preschool Activities (From Network for Instructional TV, Inc.) – “You can find interactive, at-home activities, worksheets, coloring pages, and book listings for each of the themes [listed]. The selection varies with each theme. Click on a theme to begin.” There are a number of free activities and instructions. You can become a member, for additional activities and information, by subscribing for $19.95. Preschool Education.com – A very nice site for information and instructions for activities and games to use with preschoolers in the classroom. It includes a free newsletter and links to additional sister sites such as Preschool Coloring, Preschool Printables, and several other sites. Bobinogs – This site is from the BBC but has some great online activities and computer-animated stories to share with your preschooler, including a potty training feature. The graphics are big and the vocal is simple. The main BBC site covers lots more ground, including nursery rhymes, and is worth looking at. funschool – The Kaboose Network – A cool site for online games, activities, art, etc. from preschool through 6th grade. Google Directory – Kids and Teens > Preschool > Games – A long list of linksto preschooler sites, primarily for online activities. Online Games and Activities (From Fisher-Price) FOR both infants and preschoolers – “Invite your child to sit on your lap, or pull your chair up next to your child's and enjoy these online games and learning activities together.” Each level requires some keyboarding skills that a parent or other adult can do with the child. Preschool Games – by Lego – A nice choice of online preschool games along with an in-depth parent information document on childrens’ play. UpToTen.com – “Children’s music, preschool activities and children’s stories.” This site contains a large amount of free information and links to all kinds of activities to listen to or interact with online. Activities (Maryland Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Disabilities) – Short concise activities based on language and development stage. Animals A to Zoo (From the Animal Planet) The Gateway to Educational Materials (Taken from Refdesk.com) - The Gateway to Educational Materials is a consortium effort to provide educators with quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites. Use the "Browse" function for finding information by level. Tufts University Child & Family WebGuide, education/learning > preschool curriculum – Links three sites for teacher curriculum for preschoolers. “Issues covered: Preschool lesson plans, preschool activities, preschool games.” Understanding Children’s Toys [.pdf] (By Lesia Oesterreich) – a good, basic article, with charts, on the types of toys to buy children from infants to 12-year olds. Requires Adobe for a .pdf document. Use the Researching, Evaluating, Citing(APA), Writing, and Check Form links located under the Subject Guides link on the left. There you will find:
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