Preschoolers will solve the riddles about services they can find in a city. They will search for objects following the teacher’s instructions and practice using scissors during an artistic activity.

Educational aids:

‘Make a circle’ song, photos showing professions, a comb, a make-up brush, thread, toy cash register/money, templates (of a head and a hand), scissors, crayons, ‘Les Toreadors’ song, banknotes, coins, pictures money, a tambourine, a table, toy vegetables and fruits, toys, ‘When I grow up’ song.

Description of activities:

1. ‘Make a circle’ – greeting children – children stand in a circle with their teacher, sing the song and move according to the lyrics of the song.

Make a circle

Make a circle, big big big. (stand in a circle, hold hands and enlarge the circle)
Small small small. (stand in a circle, hold hands and decrease the circle)
Big big big. (stand in a circle, hold hands and enlarge the circle)
Make a circle, small small small. (stand in a circle, hold hands and decrease the circle)
Hello hello hello. (wave to each other)
Make a circle, round and round. (stand in a circle, hold hands and go right)
Round and round.
Round and round.
Make a circle, round and round. (stand in a circle, hold hands and go left)
Hello hello hello. (wave to each other)
Make a circle, up up up. (stand in a circle, hold hands and climb on your toes)
Down down down. (stand in a circle, hold hands and squat)
Up up up. (stand in a circle, hold hands and climb on our toes)
Make a circle, down down down. (stand in a circle, hold hands and squat)
Now sit down. (sit down)

2. ‘Guess the job’ – didactic activity – teacher puts photos on the carpet and reads the riddles. Children try to guess what job is described and show the photos. Then, they think about what these jobs have in common. Teacher explains that all these jobs are services that we can find in a city.

I could be a man,
I could be a lady
I shave everyday
But my hairs remain the same
I don’t look for you
But you find me
Who am I? (a hairdresser)

I check the prescription
And give medicines.
Who am I? (a pharmiacist)

I serve food and drinks
At the tables in the restaurant.
Who am I? (a waiter)

I work outside.
I take people around town.
I drive a big vehicle. (a bus driver)

I make clothes after taking the exact measures.
Who am I? (a tailor)

3. ‘Jobs in the city’ – movement activity – children stand in a circle and teacher in the middle of it, and using gestures, they present one of the ‘city’ jobs, e.g. a hairdresser. Children repeat the gestures and try to guess the job. Then, one by one, the volunteers present other jobs that we can meet in the city, in the middle of the circle. The activity lasts as long as all the volunteers have taken part in it.

4. ‘Following the instructions’ – mathematical activity – teacher divides children into 4 groups. Each group gathers in a marked place and is named by one of the jobs, e.g. hairdressers, beauticians, tailors, shop assistants. Teacher hides some objects typical of these jobs in the classroom, e.g. a comb, a make-up brush, thread, toy cash register/money. Then, the groups search for the objects suitable for their group jobs according to the teacher’s instructions, e.g. ‘Make three steps forward, turn right, make four steps forward, turn left,’ etc. When every group finds their objects, they sit in the circle, show their objects and tell what they have found and why it is connected with their jobs.

5. ‘City trip’ – movement activity – teacher invites children for a trip to a city and asks them to stand in a line to make a train and then make gestures suitable for places that they are going to visit, e.g.:

• We are going by train to a city (march and hold the arms of the proceeding person)
• We stop at hairdresser’s to cut our hair (stop and pretend to cut hair with a hand)
• Next to the hairdresser’s, there is a beauty salon, where we have a manicure (make a few steps, stop and mime painting nails)
• Then, we are paying for both services (pretend to pay)
• We are taking a cab (pretend to hold a car wheel and march)
• We go shopping and pay (stop, mime shopping and paying)
• We are strolling even though our shopping bags are heavy (march slowly)
• We get on a train again and come back home (stand in a line and march, then sit in a circle)

6. ‘In the beauty salon’ – manual activity – teacher presents a template of a hand with long nails and a head with long hair and asks children what specialist the hand and the hair need (a hairdresser and a beautician). Then, teacher explains the task to children – they paint the templates and cut hair and/or nails, and asks them to go to the tables where they can find necessary materials. Teacher monitors children’s work and helps them if they need it. When they finish their work, they sit in a circle and present their works.

1. Paint the templates.
2. Cut the nails and/or hair as you wish.

7. ‘A toy shop’ – movement activity – teacher says that in the city they can also visit a toy shop and asks children to use gestures and mime toys they want, e.g. cars, robots, trains, dolls, teddy bears, etc. to the sound of the classical music, e.g. ‘Les Toreadors’. The activity lasts as long as the music is played.

8. ‘In the shop’ – mathematical activity – everyone sits in a circle and teacher invites children to a role-play. Two children sit in the middle of the circle and play the roles of a shop assistant and a customer. Teacher gives some artificial paper money to the customer and goods, such as toy vegetables and fruits or any other toys to the shop assistant to put on the table. Teacher reminds them about politeness. The activity is repeated as long as all the volunteers take part in it. The customers can buy a couple of products and pay using different banknotes.

9. ‘Shopping’ – movement activity – teacher invites all children to go shopping and asks them to stand up and march to the sound of ‘When I grow up’ song. When the music stops, the children’s task is to mime activities mentioned by a teacher:

• Take a heavy product off a low shelf.
• Take a light product off a low shelf.
• Take a light product off a high shelf.
• Take a heavy product off a high shelf, etc.

Each activity should appear twice. The activity lasts as long as the song.

Attachments:

Photos for the ‘Guess the job’ activity

Templates for the ‘In the beauty salon’ activity

Pictures for the ‘Show me…’, and ‘In the shop’ activities

Pages:

1. https://supersimple.com/song/make-a-circle/ – ‘Make A Circle’ song
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DNGMoMNLRY&ab – ‘Les Toreadors’ song for the ‘A toy shop’ activity
3. https://supersimple.com/song/when-i-grow-up/ – ‘When I grow up’ song