Grab Bag: Size Comparison
It's sometimes
surprising how hard this activity can be initially. However, the kids do catch
on fast and become quite proficient.
Objectives
Children ages 4-5 can see differences in objects Lang. IB
and children 3-4 can uses sizes (big/little, short/long, and thin/thick) to
discriminate differences in objects Cog. IIIB
Children ages 2-2 ½ can discriminate between big and little Cog. IIIB
and children ages 1-1 ½ ages can identify objects Lang. IB
Materials
2 large paper bags,
each filled with objects which are the same, but different sizes (big/little,
long/short, thick, thin), e.g., pencils, blocks, books, lumps of play dough,
cups, plates, hats, spaghettis, etc.
Procedures
l. Children should be settled in a group facing front. Two
teachers, each with a bag of paired objects, stand in front of the group about
6 feet apart. Children will have to look from one object to the other rather
than seeing them side by side.
2. One teacher pulls an object from the bag and asks children to identify it.
The other teacher pulls out the same, but different sized, object, and says,
"I have a _____ too, but mine is ____?____." Encourage children to
supply the descriptor. The first teacher reinforces the comparison by saying,
"Jim's ball is __(bigger)__ and mine is ____?____." (Children should
say "smaller" or "littler").
3. Review the comparisons: "We both have things that are alike because
they are both _____. The _____ are different because mine is smaller and Jim's
is bigger."
4. As the children catch on to the game, let them take turns** naming the objects
and responding to the questions, "How are they alike? How are they
different?" When the group responses are fairly consistent and correct,
teachers might start squabbling about who has the biggest (smallest, longest,
etc.). Let the group or an individual child decide which teacher is right
(Children love this).
5. After doing this activity a few times with the class, let children take the
roles of the teachers. Prompt them in using appropriate language.
**NOTE: As always, when choosing children in group activities, be sure to match the task to the ability of the child. Err in the direction of underestimating a child's skill -- sucess before an audience is very rewarding while failure can be devastating.
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