Lesson Plan for Toddler - Health Habits - Pests: Control

### Lesson Plan: Pests: Control #### Age Group: Toddlers (Ages 2-3) #### Duration: 30 minutes --- **Objective:** To educate toddlers about common household pests, such as ants and flies, and introduce simple ways to prevent and control them to maintain a healthy environment. --- **Materials Needed:** - Picture cards or puppets of common pests (e.g., ants, flies, mosquitoes) - Large poster board for drawing (with markers/crayons) - Toy broom and dustpan - Toy spray bottle (filled with water for safe play) - Simple animated video on household pests (3-5 minutes) - Healthy snacks for reward --- **Introduction (5 minutes):** 1. **Welcome and Warm-Up**: Gather the toddlers in a circle and sing a simple welcome song. 2. **Introduce the Topic**: Show picture cards or puppets of common pests. Briefly talk about each one, using simple language. - Example: “This is an ant. Ants can come into our homes looking for food.” --- **Interactive Activity (10 minutes):** 1. **Role Play with Puppets:** - Use puppets to demonstrate how pests like flies and ants can come into the home. - Encourage the children to help "clean up" to keep the pests away using toy brooms and dustpans. - Show how to use the toy spray bottle to “shoo away” pests (stress that in real life, adults should handle pest control products). 2. **Drawing & Coloring:** - Provide a large poster board and markers/crayons. - Ask the children to draw or color pictures of their homes and include one or two pests. --- **Video Time (5 minutes):** - Show a simple animated video about household pests and basic cleanliness to prevent them. - Example video content: A cartoon showing a little character cleaning up food crumbs to prevent an invasion of ants. --- **Discussion (5 minutes):** - Ask simple questions to reinforce learning: - “What kind of bugs did we see?” - “What can we do to keep the bugs away?” - Praise the children for remembering the information and participating. --- **Conclusion and Snack Time (5 minutes):** - **Healthy Habits Wrap-Up:** - Recap the main points: Keep areas clean, pick up crumbs, and let adults know if they see pests. - Hand out healthy snacks as a reward for participation. - Sing a goodbye song to conclude the session. --- **Follow-up Activity:** - Send a simple handout home with pictures and tips for parents to reinforce pest control habits at home. - Encourage parents to practice cleanliness routines with their toddlers in real-life scenarios. --- **Notes:** - Ensure activities are interactive and engaging. - Be mindful of any allergies when giving out snacks. - Use repetitive language to help toddlers retain information better.