EYFS. Playtime - Button

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Information and guidance

Before using the content

Introduce today’s theme of buttons to the children.

• Ask them if they know anyone with a button box.
• Why do people have button boxes?
• Make an interest table of buttons incorporating the various sizes, shapes, colours and the different materials they are made from.
• Ensure that the size of the buttons is appropriate and that they are presented as things not to be put in the mouth or up the nose!

Movement language

Make the children aware of how they dress themselves/are dressed and the sequence of doing up buttons and undoing them.

Movement

The actions will be based on standing up and putting on coats, then a sequence of buttoning from top to bottom. When Max the Friendly Giant arrives, the children help him with his buttons stretching up as tall as they can and pushing his enormous buttons into their holes.

Poem: ‘Five little buttons’

Five little buttons on the coat that I wore
Dad buttoned the red one, then there were four
Four little buttons, two by two you see
Mum buttoned the orange one then there were three
Three little buttons and before I knew
My brother buttoned a yellow one then there were two
Two little buttons, oh what fun
My sister buttoned a green one then there was one
One little button, blue and undone
I buttoned it myself and then there were none.

Children can count along with the poem and do the button actions. Dad, Mum, Brother and Sister could be substituted by the names of children in your group, letting them remove the button of the appropriate colour.

Story

When Poppy loses the button from her coat, her Mum shows her a special drawer where buttons are kept. Each one has a story.

See the Teacher's Notes for more information and guidance on using the content.

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