Big and Small

Preschoolers often hear from their teachers and parents how ‘’big’’ they are getting and then when they want to reach out to their toy lying on a high self they are told’’you are too small’’. The idea of size can be confusing for the little ones and it really does make them wonder if they are big or small. Since size is relative, the best way to teach the children about big and small is by making comparisons and describing the things they see around them.

This week in class we worked on understanding this concept by gathering leaves from our playground. The children were first given time for unstructured play and were then gradually led towards sorting the crisp autumn leaves according to their sizes. Our preschoolers worked very cooperatively during the group activity and could confidently identify the big and small leaves.To enhance their learning they also engaged in a leaf printing activity using paint and dabbing the leaves on paper. One of the little learners told us that she could see big and small plants outside in the garden.

We also looked round for different objects in the classroom and sorted the different utensils,fruits and veggies in the kitchen corner according to size followed by a fun physical activity in the playground where the children completed a simple obstacle course by taking big and small steps.

We would be happy if you could help your little one by engaging in different hands on activities at home such a sorting the clothes in the laundry basket or arranging the shoes as these activities will consolidate their understanding of the concept more. You could also use simple props such as different sized bowls and spoons and enact the story of Goldilocks and the 3 bears!

Happy Learning!