Ready for Kindergarten?

This part two of a series.  In part one we focused on developing social skills while playing games. This time we will focus on Fine Motor Skills.

Fine motor skills are the small muscle movements of the finger that help your child do activities such as:

• Painting with a paintbrush
• Cutting with scissors
• Drawing and writing with a pencil or crayon correctly.
• Holding and manipulating small objects
• Making crafts

Here are some fun activities you can do with your child to help them develop these muscles in their hands and fingers:

• Make cookies with real or play dough, allowing your child to roll the dough into balls using the palms of his/her hands.

• Make little tiny bird eggs by rolling playdough into pea-size balls using only his or her fingertips.

• Use pegs or toothpicks to make designs in the dough.

• Scrunch up a sheet of newspaper with only one hand.  

• Use a squirt bottle to squirt plants.  

• Use large tweezers to pick up objects.

• Play games using dice.  Just shaking the dice and picking them up encourages fine motor development.

• Do some lacing and sewing activities.  These can be made easily by printing out a picture on cardstock, laminate for durability if you desire, and punch holes all around the edge.  Or you could try just gluing a picture on piece of cardboard from a cereal or cracker box and punch holes around the hedges with a single hole-punch.

• Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons without sliding them to the edge of a table.  Play a game of memory on the carpet!

As you do these type of activities with your child, they will be developing important fine motor muscles in a way that can be more fun and exciting then completing a bunch of writing worksheets.  Try some of the above and make some fun memories with your child!

Ready for Kindergarten?

For preschoolers, kindergarten is just around the corner.  What kind of skills are important to make a successful transition into kindergarten?  This is the first in a regular series of posts that addresses practical ideas of things you can do at home or in your classroom to prepare your children for kindergarten.  

This post will focus on Social Skills.

In kindergarten, games are often used to reinforce academic skills. Being able to take turns and being a good sport are skills that will help your child succeed both academically and socially. Here are some ideas on how you can use games at home to help your child develop the important social skills needed for kindergarten:

• Play a board game weekly with your child, as a family or help him do so with his friends.

• Watch and encourage your child while playing games to make sure all the kids understand the rules and are treating each other fairly.

• Some great, classic board games for preschoolers are Candy Land, Checkers, Memory, Hi-Ho Cheerio, and Chutes and Ladders. All of these are easy to understand and age-appropriate and kids can eventually play on their own.  My family loves to play Uno Attack together with mom and dad each making a team with one of our children. Also, you can check out www.toolsforeducators.com for some games you can make or print at home. 

• Praise works miracles! Remember to praise your child when he or she is waiting patiently and give him/her reminders that his or her turn is coming soon.

• You can be a great example as you congratulate other players when they gain a point or win the game.  At our house, we have emphasized that the fun part about playing a game is the playing part . . . not the end!  

Not only does playing games teach your child Social Skills, but gives them exposure to numbers, letters, and colors, improve spatial and communication skills and give them a chance to receive extra positive attention from you! 

Who knew you could learn so much while having this much fun?!