Toddler Activity Lesson Plan: Lets Go Digging!

Emerging skills and interests: Using hands, fingers, and plastic buckets and tools to dig small objects (plastic animals, building blocks, balls, etc.) out of the sand. Materials used: Sand, plastic buckets, plastic spoons or gardening tools (spade, rake, etc.), variety of small objects Objective: Children will learn to use their hands and tools to dig up objects. Their fine motor skills will be strengthened as well as hand and eye coordination. A variety of materials will be used and children will be tactilely and visually stimulated. They will also learn what happens when an object is covered by sand and uncovered with use of their hands and tools (cause and effect). Adaptations: Instead of sand, moon dough may be used. It is much less abrasive and has a light, soft texture. This may be made ahead of time and kept for up to a week in a tightly-closed container.