Forward/Backward Ideas and Resources

          • Wear your clothes backward today. Invite the children to do the same. Discuss the front and back of clothing. How are they different? Do you ever accidentally put your clothes on backward? How can you tell the difference between the front and back of clothing? (check the labels, doesn't fit right.
          • Ask the children to stand. Have every other child turn around to create a pattern of facing front, facing back. Tell the children that back and front are description words. They are also both direction and position words. Backward and forward are direction words. They tell us which direction something is moving or facing.
          • Tell the children that today's activities will be about front and back and backward and forward.
  • Read:
    • Annos Counting House by Mitsumasa Anno
    • The Backward Day by Ruth Krauss
    • Backwards Day by Joan Holub
    • Becca Backward, Becca Frontward by Bruce McMillan
    • Front Frog Fred and Back Frog Jack by Mr. Sunshine
    • The Little Engine That Could by Wally Piper
    • Push, Pull, Empty, Full: A Book of Opposites by Tana Hoban
    • Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch
  • Invite the children to draw a picture on the front of their paper and then turn their paper over to draw a picture on the back of their paper.
  • Dramatic Play (Intrapersonal, Interpersonal)
  • Provide dress-up clothes and invite children to try them on backward.
  • Gross Motor (Bodily-Kinesthestic)
  • Provide a Bowling Game (Appendix p. 383). Invite the children to bowl facing forward and then facing backward (bending and rolling the ball through their legs). Which is easiest? Which is the mostfun?
  • Language (Linguistic)
  • Provide a book that can be read front to back and then turned over and read back to front such as Wake Up and Good Night by Charlotte Zolotow. Encourage the children to explore the book.
  • Math (Logical-Mathematical)
  • Encourage the children to make patterns with puzzles pieces that are facing forward and backward.
  • Music (Musical, Naturalist)
  • Provide Two-Sided Frog Puppets (Appendix p. 475). Make up a story about Front Frog Fred and Back Frog Jack using the puppets. Create a frog song for the frogs to sing. Will they sing the same song ora different song? Who is Fred and who is Jack?

Gross motor activities related to forward and backward.