**Lesson Plan: Health Habits - Understanding Pests for Toddlers**
**Lesson Title:** Pests: Types and Prevention
**Grade Level:** Toddlers
**Subject:** Health Habits
**Duration:** 30-45 minutes
**Objective:**
By the end of this lesson, toddlers will be able to:
1. Identify common household pests.
2. Understand basic prevention methods to keep pests away.
3. Recognize the importance of cleanliness in pest prevention.
**Materials Needed:**
- Flashcards with pictures of common pests (ants, flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, mice)
- Storybook about cleanliness and pest prevention
- Puppet or stuffed animal to demonstrate pest behavior
- Hand soap and hand sanitizer
- Visual posters on handwashing and cleaning
- Coloring pages of pests and cleaning activities
- Non-toxic play "pesticide" spray bottles (filled with water)
- Toy broom and dustpan
**Introduction (5-10 minutes):**
1. **Greeting and Circle Time:**
- Gather the children in a circle.
- Sing a welcome song.
- Briefly talk about today's topic: Pests and how to keep them away.
2. **Show and Tell:**
- Show flashcards with pictures of common pests.
- Ask children to name each pest if they know them.
- Briefly describe what each pest is and one or two characteristics (e.g., "This is an ant. They like to eat crumbs that we leave behind.").
**Main Activity (15-20 minutes):**
1. **Story Time:**
- Read aloud a storybook that discusses cleanliness and pest prevention in simple, toddler-friendly language.
- Use a puppet to act out scenes from the book to engage the toddlers.
2. **Demonstration:**
- Use a puppet or stuffed animal to demonstrate how pests behave.
- Show how pests can be kept away by cleaning up crumbs, washing hands, and keeping food sealed.
3. **Interactive Play:**
- Distribute toy spray bottles and toy brooms to the children.
- Encourage them to practice "cleaning" around the room to keep the "pests" away.
- Emphasize that keeping our spaces clean helps us stay healthy.
**Hands-On Activity (10 minutes):**
1. **Coloring Time:**
- Provide coloring pages with pictures of common pests and cleaning activities.
- As they color, talk about why we need to keep our spaces clean to avoid pests.
2. **Handwashing Practice:**
- Demonstrate proper handwashing techniques using hand soap.
- Have children practice washing their hands with your guidance.
- Use visual posters as a guide to show each step of handwashing.
**Conclusion (5 minutes):**
1. **Recap and Discussion:**
- Briefly go over what was learned in the lesson.
- Ask a few simple questions to reinforce key points (e.g., "What do we do to keep ants away?").
2. **Goodbye Song:**
- Sing a song about cleanliness and saying goodbye to pests.
- Praise the children for their participation and effort.
**Assessment:**
- Observe children during the interactive play and hands-on activities to ensure they understand the basic concepts.
- Ask simple questions to gauge their understanding.
- Provide positive reinforcement and gentle guidance as needed.
**Extension Activities:**
- Plan a follow-up activity where children can look for "pests" in a safe, controlled environment (e.g., toy bugs hidden around the room) and practice cleaning up.
- Invite a guest speaker, such as a pest control professional or a health worker, to talk to the children about pest prevention in very simple terms.
**Notes:**
- Ensure safety and hygiene at all times, especially during handwashing demonstrations.
- Be sensitive to any children who may have fears about bugs or pests and handle their concerns gently.