Butterfly Concepts:High and Low

By playing with cardboard butterflies, children will learn the concepts of High and Low. This lesson plan also incorporates music, gym, listening skills, and art.

Children will understand the concepts of high and low.

Children will learn to move to music in a way that emulates butterflies

Children will learn to appreciate the beauty of butterflies.

A book about butterflies to read to the children.

Butterflies printed on cardstock in coloring book style, one for each child. The teacher’s butterfly should be larger and brightly colored.

Crayons

Music suitable for butterflies to fly to

1. Read the children a book about butterflies. At the end, review some of the pictures, pointing out the beautiful colors of the butterflies. Also notice that they fly close to the ground sometimes, and high in the air other times.

2. Hold your butterfly up and show the children how it “flies.” As you move the butterfly say, “My butterfly can fly very high. It can fly very low.” Demonstrate.

3. Give each child a butterfly to color.

4. Have the children return to the lesson area by helping their butterflies fly to the lesson area.

5. Help the children practice high and low by following your example with their own butterflies. Say, “Make your butterfly go high. Now make him go low. High. Low.” Continue for a few minutes until the children understand.

6. Explain to the children that you are going to play butterfly music. They may help their butterflies dance to the music, but they must stop as soon as the music stops.

7. After the children have danced for a few minutes, stop the music. Tell them you are going to play the music more softly, and they must listen to both you and the music. You’ll call out high or low, and they must fly their butterflies high or low, whichever you call out. Practice without the music for a minute. Then turn on the music softly and play the game.

8. When the children are ready to stop, you can help them turn their butterflies into necklaces if you like, by punching a hole in the top and putting yarn through it.

No grades in preschool. Observe children to be certain they understand the concepts.