Instructions
This activity sheet is designed for a caregiver to use with a baby. At this age, "history" is not about dates or events, but about the foundational concepts of sequence (what came first?), personal identity (who am I?), and cause and effect. Use a calm, happy voice and hold your baby comfortably in your lap. Point to the shapes and talk about them. The goal is interaction and sensory experience.
Our history starts with our family. These shapes represent you and your baby.
Point to the big circle. Say, "This is me, your caregiver! I am a big part of your life story."
Gently guide baby's hand to point to the small circle. Say, "This is you! You are the newest part of our family's history."
Our day has a past, present, and future. This is a simple story of our day.
Point to the sun. Say, "First, the sun came up. That was the beginning of our day's history. We woke up!"
Point to the music note. Say, "Then, we may have listened to a song or shaken a rattle. We made a sound! That is part of our history."
Point to the moon. Say, "Soon, the moon will be out. Our day will be over, and it will become history. Then it will be time to sleep."
Answer Key
For this activity, the "correct" answer is any form of positive engagement from the baby. You are successfully building foundational concepts for understanding history.
Excellent "answers" from your student include:
- Looking at the shapes on the page.
- Smiling, gurgling, or cooing in response to your voice.
- Reaching for the paper (please supervise to ensure they don't eat it).
- Turning their head towards you or the sheet.
- Kicking their feet or waving their arms with excitement.
Learning Outcome: The baby begins to associate spoken words with concepts (like family members and daily routines) and experiences the rhythm and sequence of storytelling, which is the heart of history.