Goal Card Examples for Early
Childhood Classroom Activities
EC START Materials 16-17
CLAMS Card
Activity: Play-Doh
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
o Requests- “I want a ____ please.” (have some
items out of reach to create opportunities)
o Asks for help
o Adult shows child a play-doh toy or color-“Do you
want this?” Adult waits for yes/no response and
prompts as necessary.
o Makes letters out of play-doh, names letters and
makes letter sounds
o Makes child’s name or peer names with play-doh
o Follows visual sequence of play-doh activity (e.g.,
roll, cut, line up snakes)
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Social
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EC START Materials 16-17
Identifies colors, shapes, objects (cookie cutters)
Counts objects or small things made with play-doh
Identifies play-doh numbers
Measures play-doh snakes (longer, shorter, etc.)
Problem solving with materials (needs blue play
doh to make water, and doesn’t have it)
Recall-“What did you make with play-doh?”
Hide small objects in play-doh for child to find
using fine motor skills
Child uses play-doh scissors, roller, cutters and
other play-doh toys that promote fine motor skills
Makes snakes and balls with play-doh through
rolling
Squishes and squeezes play-doh with hands
Greets those who enter and leave area
Shows a peer/adult a completed play-doh
masterpiece
Imitates a peer/adult while manipulating play-doh
and play-doh toys
Shares and/or trades play-doh and toys
Comments on peers work
CLAMS Card
Activity: Puzzles
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests- “I want a ____ please.” (have some things
out of reach to create opportunities)
o Asks for help
o Adult provides two options for puzzles, child makes
choice by pointing or verbalizing
o Adult shows child a puzzle or piece-“Do you want
this?” Adult waits for yes/no response and prompts, if
needed
o Child follows visual sequence of completing a puzzle
o Identifies letters and letter sounds (if on puzzle)
o Identifies first sounds of objects on puzzle
o Rhymes with objects on puzzle
o Child finds namecard and places next to completed
puzzle
o Counts pieces and puzzles
o Sorts or matches pieces
o Identifies objects, colors, shapes on pieces. “I have a
_____. What do you have?”
o Problem solving with materials (e.g., adult provides an
“extra” puzzle piece that doesn’t belong)
o Recall-“What puzzle did you make?”
o Picks up, manipulates and inserts pieces into puzzle
board
o Uses pointer finger to point to completed pictures
within the puzzle
o Shows a peer/adult a completed puzzle or unique
piece
o Imitates a peer/adult
o Adult says “Look what _____’s making” and points to
another peer’s puzzle to prompt joint attention
o Waits and takes turns while building a community
puzzle. Provides high fives to peers. Comments to
peers
o Shares and/or trades pieces or puzzles
CLAMS Card
Activity: Snack
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests- “I want a ____ please.”, or “can I have
_____” (have some food out of reach to create
opportunities)
o Asks for help to open containers
o Adult shows child a food choice-“Do you want
this?” Adult waits for yes/no response and
prompts as necessary.
o Adult holds up two food items, and child makes a
choice by pointing or verbalizing
o Identifies name and peers name or letters on
place mats
o Follows visual schedule for snack sequence
o Reads (with support) environmental print on snack
packages
o Identifies colors and shape of food
o Counts, e.g., food pieces, people at table
o Problem solving with materials (adult may need to
create opportunity for this, e.g., water spills, what
do we do?)
o Identifies, matches and sorts snack foods
o Recall-“What did you eat at snack?”
o Uses fine motor skills to open, tear, pick up small
pieces of food, point, etc.
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Greets those who enter and leave area
Shows a peer/adult snack items
Imitates a peer/adult while manipulating materials
Shares and/or trades items
Comments on what peers have to eat
CLAMS Card
Activity: Sensory Table
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests items for a turn - “Can I have a turn?”)
o Asks for help
o Adult shows child two objects from the table-“Do
you want to find this, or this?” Child chooses items to
find
o Adults says “did you find a _____?” Child is prompted
to say yes or no
o Child follows visual sequence of sensory table activity
o Identifies letters (if in table) and sounds or first
sounds of objects in the table
o Sorts materials by first sounds or matches items to
words (animal toys matched to word “animal”, cars
matched to “car”)
o Identifies colors and shape of materials
o Counts or graphs objects found in the sensory table,
counts number of children playing at sensory table
o Problem solving with materials (e.g., “we lost our
tongs, what else could we use to pull out the cars?” )
o Identifies and matches objects in the table
o Sorts materials in the table by color or characteristic
o Recall-“What or who did you play with at the sensory
table?”
o Uses fine motor skills and pincer grasp to manipulate
small objects in table
o Pours, shovels and uses tools in the table
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Greets those who enter and leave area
Shows a peer/adult items found in table
Imitates a peer/adult while manipulating materials
Shares and/or trades items
Comments on what peers found
CLAMS Card
Activity: Dramatic Play
Communication
o Asks for help
o Child chooses role or dramatic play activity when
presented with a choice
o Child repeats simple scripts that accompany
dramatic play activity
Literacy
o Child follows a visual sequence of dramatic play
activity
o Child uses emergent reading skills to follow play
script, with support
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Academic skills are built into the dramatic play
activity (e.g., counting coins, labeling
characteristics)
o Problem solving with materials (e.g., the picnic
basket is missing, what should we do?)
o Recall-“What did you pretend?”
o Puts on dress up materials; manipulates pretend
play objects
o Writes (dependent on activity)
o Performs gross motor movements (dependent on
activity)
o Greets those who enter and leave area
o Follows a conversational script with peers/adults
o Shows a peer/adult an outfit, action, etc.
o Imitates a peer/adult while in area
o Shares materials (e.g., shares a baked muffin,
holds an umbrella for a peer)
o Comments on peers actions
CLAMS Card
Activity: Art
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests- “I want a ____ please.” (have some
items out of reach to create opportunities)
o Asks for help
o Makes choices for paint/crayon/marker colors
o Adult shows child scissors, glue, etc. -“Do you
need this?” Adult waits for yes/no response and
prompts as necessary.
o Follows a visual schedule of the art activity
o Identifies letters and letter sounds (dependent on
art activity)
o Writes name on paper (with help, as needed)
o Identifies colors and shapes of materials used
o Counts out materials, people at table, dots made
on paper
o Problem solving with materials (e.g., missing
scissors and needs to cut, not enough
paintbrushes)
o Recall-“What did you make?”
o Uses fingers and hands to manipulate art
materials like brushes, markers, scissors
o Writes name
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Greets those who enter and leave area
Shows a peer/adult a completed masterpiece
Imitates a peer/adult while manipulating materials
Shares or trades art materials
Comments on peers work
CLAMS Card
Activity: Blocks
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests- “I want a ____ please.” (have some things
out of reach to create opportunities)
o Asks for help
o Adult shows child a block-“Do you want this?” Adult
waits for yes/no response
o Child makes choices between types or colors of blocks
o Follows visual sequence of block building, matching
steps to sequence cards
o Adult provides blocks with letters written on them,
providing opportunities to name letters and sounds
o Child finds namecard and places in front of completed
block tower
o Counts blocks while building or after building a
structure
o Sorts blocks
o Matches a block structure to an actual example or
photo example
o Identifies colors and shapes of blocks while building.
“I have an orange block. What do you have?”
o Problem solving with materials (adult “accidentally”
knocks down child’s tower, “what should we do?”)
o Recall-“What did you build?”
o Stacks smaller blocks or connecting cubes with finger
isolation
o Uses tongues /tweezers to build with smaller blocks
o Uses pointer finger to point
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Greets those who enter and leave area
Shows a peer/adult a completed structure
Imitates a peer/adult while in block area
Waits and takes turns while building a community
structure (may use a “wait card”).
o High fives to peers, positive comments on peers work
o Sharing and/or trading blocks
CLAMS Card
Activity: Games
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17
o Requests- “I want a turn please.” Or “My turn?” (using
visuals as necessary)
o Asks for help
o Child makes a choice about game pieces by pointing or
verbalizing
o Adult uses fill-in strategy, “1, 2, ___” or “ready, set,
___” to begin the game
o Identifies letter names and sounds if a part of the
game
o Follows a visual sequence for the steps in the game
o Identifies numbers, colors, shapes, objects, animals
(dependent on game)
o Counts players in game
o Matches (dependent on game)
o Problem solving with materials (e.g., what to do when
a piece is missing?)
o Recalls the game played and some details
o Answers Wh questions- “Whose turn is it?” “What are
we playing?” “What happened?”
o Finger isolation (picking up small parts or cards,
moving parts, spinning, pointing)
o Large motor movements (dependent on game)
o Takes turns and waits (uses visuals as needed)
o Shows peers/adult (“I got a match!”)
o Adult says “Look what (peer) got” and points to peer’s
card to prompt joint attention
o Tells peers/adult, “Your turn.” Responding when told
same by peer
o Comments/praises peers (high fives, clapping
“awesome”, “you got a match”, etc.)
CLAMS Card
Activity:
Communication
Literacy
Academic
Motor
Social
EC START Materials 16-17