Learning in the Morning

Getting Dressed

• Help kids figure out the steps in getting dressed (“Which go on first—your socks or your shoes?”).
• Kids can also practice zipping, buttoning, and telling left from right.
• Investigate the concepts of “same” and “different” as kids get dressed. “Would my foot fit in your shoe? Why not?”; “What color are your socks? Can you see other clothes in the drawer which are that color, too?”

Breakfast Time

• Kids can learn the relationship between a whole and its parts as you cut a piece of fruit in half and then in quarters.
• Enjoy a five-senses breakfast. For instance, encourage kids to see, smell, touch, and taste their toast.
• As kids eat, help them learn where foods come from. “Who grows our food?”; “What drink comes from a cow? Where do apples grow?”; “What food do chickens lay?”
• Talk about the day’s plans: “What will we do today? What will happen, first, next?”; “What shoes would be good for playing in the park later?”

Going to School

• Help kids recognize and name letters and numbers by having them find some on the way to school.
• Use kids’ arrival at child-care or a friend’s or relative’s home to practice social skills, such as greeting others. Encourage kids to look around the room and talk about activities that would be fun to do with a friend.