How soon should you begin thinking about your child's first years of school? Some parents begin planning and applying at different preschools very early, while others wait until the year their child will start. How many preschools are in your area? Do the classes fill up quickly? Does your child have special needs? What age will you start your child in preschool? What do you hope for your child to get out of preschool? All of these things will come into play as you make the decisions about your child's first year in school. Visit my website to learn how to get the answers to these questions.
A key part of preschool learning is establishing and enhancing handwriting skills. While a child learns a lot in the classroom, there are skills that can be further learned at home. By mixing both home lessons and school strategies, your child can advance their handwriting skills and word processing. Not only can the following five activities help with handwriting, but they can also help create improved fine motor skills. It's a good idea to try out each of the ideas and then move forward with the ones that your child responds best to.
Giant Paper Rolls
When a child is limited to a sheet of paper, it can become frustrating to stay in the lines and form the proper letters. Give them plenty of space to write by purchasing a giant paper roll. These rolls are easy to spread over over a table or on a hard floor surface. With the open space, a child can write freely and do not have to worry about the letter size. This allows them to form the proper shapes and patterns before learning intricate details.
Taping the paper down to a table can also help add stability while a child writes. Donating a roll of a paper to your child's preschool classroom can also create more writing opportunities for your child and other children. It's a great way to make large collages and focus on everyone signing their name. Every child develops at a specific pace. During these younger years, it is very common to want to write bigger so the lines can form easier. Communicate with a preschool to see various goals and achievements that your child should be reaching.
Food Fun
Turn your next snack into a great lesson in letter forming. By serving pudding or yogurt on a large plastic tray, your child can learn to form letters and numbers using their fingers in the food. The silly and messy activity is great way to engage your child and continue concepts that are learned at home. The added treat is just an extra bonus for your child.
When performing this activity, it's a good idea to stick with current letters that are being taught in the classroom. This will help reinforce letters and establish a nice handwriting pattern. Additional foods that you can use includes mashed potatoes, applesauce, and nacho cheese.
Bathtub Fun
Similar to food fun is bath tub fun. Bubbles and bath toys create great ways to craft letters while getting clean. For the best effectiveness, turn the handwriting into a fun gaming activity. For example, you can challenge your child to write the letter "A" using bath crayons. Then you can line up a selection of bath toys like rubber duckies on the edge of the tub. If the letter is written correctly, then the duck is "saved" and returned to the child. If the letter is wrong, then the duck is flicked into the tub to create a fun splash.
Adjust and create a variety of game rules according to your child's interests. This is a great way to implement extra preschool learning for each bath session that you have with the child.
Chalkboard Paint
Turn any surface in your own into a great writing area with the use of chalkboard paint. Chalk writing is a great way for children to learn proper grips and establish different letter patterns. One of the best areas to use chalkboard paint on is a wall in a playroom or bedroom. The child can have easy access for both standing and sitting while writing. Along with a wall, the paint can be applied to desktops, bed frames, or basement floors.
If chalkboards are used in the preschool classroom, then this can help expand the use at home. If the classroom primarily uses whiteboards, then consider whiteboard paint that works with dry erase markers. This will help maintain the same skills and accessories that are featured in the school setting.
For additional info on these or other tips, contact local preschools or child development resources.
Share8 January 2016
