This amazingly, clever idea was given to me by a remarkable colleague while working in an Early Intervention program in Rhode Island. All you need are a dozen plastic eggs and objects small enough to fit in each! There is just something about finding mini treasures that delights youngsters between the ages of two and five years old. I recently pulled out this bag of tricks in time for Easter and used it several weeks later with great success! It especially came in handy with my mixed group of preschoolers who have distinctly different communication needs. A couple are working on making requests, while another needs practice with answering questions. I also need to address some articulation errors, so I made sure to stuff some eggs with certain sound targets;). Below are a list of more suggestions if you would like to try this activity out: you'd be surprised at how many objects you may already have to get you started. If not, local dollar and party stores are a great place to find items and Walmart and Target typically have some treasures too! I guarantee it will be a hit!
- Buy eggs in various sizes and colors to work on concepts while offering choices
- Wind up toys force a child to ask for help to make the magic happen
- Famous characters like Elmo, Sponge Bob, and Dora
- Sticky, slimy, gooey, messy things
- Matchbox cars and other small vehicles
- Those mini jars of bubbles you got at that last wedding you went to
- Mr Potatoe Head pieces for those working on naming and identifying body parts
- Objects that go with a song you know, like the Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Mini toys with springs that you can push down onto a suction, then count as you wait for it to pop
For more information about this activity, see my published article in Advance Magazine for Speech-Language Pathologists at the link below!
http://speech-language-pathology-audiology.advanceweb.com/Article/Treasures-in-Plastic-Eggs.aspx
