Exploring Changes

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	Advanced
	Age: 4-7
	This is a whole year project.
	Children become aware of changes as a part of life. They feel better connected to their surroundings, use explorative skills, and experience daily changes as something interesting they don’t have to fear.
	Flexibility Collaboration Communication Critical thinking
	Cognitive task Conversation Outdoors
	Scissors Glue Markers Flipchart Picture magazines Camera Computer Printer

Preparation

Prepare magnifiers and cameras for studying nature on a walk, prepare color journals, scissors and glue, and a poster for journaling.

Implementation

Begin by explaining that sometimes things change, and it’s essential to learn how to adapt to these changes. Children will explore and learn how to recognize and adapt to changes in their environment.

Change Detectives

Ask children to close their eyes and listen carefully to the sounds around them. While their eyes are closed, make a small change in the classroom (e.g., move a chair, close a door, or turn off a light). Ask children to open their eyes and identify the change that has occurred. Discuss how the change made them feel and how they were able to adapt to it.

Repeat this activity several times, making different changes each time. This will help children practice adapting to changes and become more comfortable with the idea that changes are a natural part of life.

Change of seasons

The best way to explore the changing seasons is to take learning outside. Spend time outdoors with the children, encouraging them to observe the world around them.

Encourage children to use their senses:

What do they see?
What do they hear?
How does the air feel?

By asking open-ended questions, you’re encouraging children to look more closely at the natural world and make discoveries on their own. Use the camera and photograph details of the season.

Seasonal Observation Journal

Help children document the changes they notice. Use a poster to show the observations. Divide the poster into four parts, for each season. Take a few moments each week to ask them to draw what they see outside, like trees with their leaves falling. Children can add stickers, photos, or small natural objects (like leaves or petals) to their journal to show what’s going on outside.

Ask open-ended questions about nature:

Why do the leaves change color in the fall?
Why is it colder in the winter?
How do plants grow in the spring?

By observing these changes firsthand, children begin to develop an understanding of natural cycles, ecosystems, and weather patterns.

Adaptation of People to the Seasons

Ask open-ended questions about how we adapt to the seasons:

What do we wear in autumn and winter, and what do we wear in spring and summer?
What do we do outside in autumn and winter, and what in spring and summer?
What do we eat in a particular season?
Which holidays do we celebrate in a particular season?

Find magazine pictures and cut out people’s activities related to certain seasons. Add them to the poster of the seasons.

Reflection

Use the following questions to stimulate further discussions about changes and how to handle them:

How do you feel about changes? Do you feel comfortable or does it make you nervous?
Why do you think some people might feel nervous when things change?
What are some strategies you can use to help you feel more comfortable with changes?
How does nature adapt to changes?
Can you think of a time when a change turned out to be a good thing?
How can we support ourselves when we feel nervous about changes?
Why is it essential to learn how to adapt to changes in our lives?

Variations and Additional Ideas

Changes in the family
Changes in kindergarten
Changes during the games
Changes in a familiar story or event