Download Printable: HumanBrain
Recommended Age: 4 and ½ to 5 years
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the parent must facilitate the exercise, showing the child what to do, once the child has been shown, the activity may be completed by the child independently
Prerequisites
- The child must have good pencil control and the ability to write, either independently or by copying an example (the control sheet)
Materials
- The ‘Human Brain’ PDF sheets, one blank for the child to write the labels, one control and one information sheet to read with the child prior to them completing the activity
- A writing pencil
- An eraser
Preparation
- Print the ‘Human Brain’ PDF
- Cut out the information sheet into its 4 parts (laminate if possible) and put in order
- If possible laminate the control sheet (the labelled ‘human brain’)
- Place the materials on a tray with the writing pencil
Steps
- Invite the child, showing them the tray with the materials, the child may bring the tray to the table
- Sit to the right of the child, have a conversation with the child about their brain, begin by asking them if they know ‘what is inside their head?’
- Explain to the child that, “inside our heads we have a brain and that our brains control our bodies”
- Read the information cards in order to the child, pausing after each page for the child to ask questions
- When you reach the 3rd card “the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body” spend some time with the child making movements with their left and right sides of their body respectively, for example; say to the child “let’s put our left thumb on our left knee”, then say to the child “the right side of our brains controlled those actions”
- Repeat for the right side, for example “place your right hand on your right big toe”, then say to the child “the left side of our brains controlled those actions”
- Repeat a few times
- When you have read the last card with the child, introduce the control sheet (the picture of the brain with the labels) saying to the child, ‘this is what our brain looks like”
- Point out and read the labels with the child, letting them know “these are the parts of the brain”
- Show the child the picture of the brain with the blank labels
- Invite the child to use the control sheet to copy the labels of the brain onto their paper
- Leave the child to work independently
- Come back when the child has finished writing, read the labels again with the chid
- The child may write their name on their work and pack away the activity, show the child where more blank copies of the brain picture are kept for further independent work
Variations
- A younger child or around 3 and ½ years may complete this activity in the same way but rather than writing the labels, you may help them cut the labels from the control sheet and paste onto their piece of paper
- Together with the child you may wish to research more diagrams of the brain and add more labels
