Here's a few extra activities to help your child prepare for Kindergarten! Search these activities on Pinterest for more creative ideas!
#1. Handwriting
Follow the Guide on the right to help your child form letters using the "Always do your best" Kindergarten paper (contact me if you need paper). Also, you can try a more kinesthetic approach by practicing shaping the letters with different materials. Shaping letters with dough, tracing them on textured paper cutouts, and writing in the sand or salt trays all help children internalize the shape of the letter, while developing their fine motor skills!Have an iPad? Need more practice? Download the app Handwriting Without Tears: Wet-Dry-Try Suite for Capitals, Numbers & Lowercase.
#2 Count to 20
"How many?" is one of my favorite classroom questions. We love to count! And there are so many things to count: monkeys, apples, balls, ladybugs...Find counting books, songs, games and hands-on activities for kids. On the right is a number matching wheel using clothes pins and stickers! Check my YouTube page for interactive counting videos!
#3 Identify Letters
Visit -> http://www.prekinders.com/alphabet-letter-identification-activities/this website include fun, active hands-on ways to practice letter identification! Incorporate books, bath letters, driveway chalk, alphabet soup/cereal, magnet letters, letter fishing and letter puzzles into your preschoolers day to encourage letter recognition. Visit www.starfall.com for interactive songs/games and more to teach letter recognition and sounds!
#4 Identify Shapes
Preschool shape activities help your child develop early math skills. . Lets get our children excited about the shapes that surround him everyday. Before Kindergarten children should recognize and identify circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. Match objects based on shape and copy a shape on paper. Work with your child on sorting and stacking blocks by shape.. You can also trace shapes and even make cookies using shape cookie cutters! The image on the right is of an easy to make shape sorting game!
- #5 Using Scissors & developing fine motor skills
- Little hands can develop fine motor skills by learning the proper way to cut paper (let me know if you need cutting worksheets!). Work on fine motor skills first. Before teaching your child to use scissors, have him participate in some fun activities that will strengthen his hand and finger muscles and improve bilateral coordination. Tong activities are an entertaining option. have you child use kitchen tongs to stack small blocks or to move cotton balls from one container to another. Or jump-start his fine motor skills with these activities. Tear paper into small pieces to improve the ability to use both hands in a coordinated manner. Spin a top to exercise the muscles in the thumb, index, and middle finger. Punch holes on index cards with a handheld puncher to strengthen the hand muscles and improve bilateral skills. Squeeze water out of squirt-toys in the bathtub so hand muscles get a workout. Use an eye dropper filled with watercolor paints to challenge fine motor skill. Finger puppet play is entertaining and addresses finger isolation and dexterity. Place clothespins or kitchen clips on the edge of a paper plate to strengthen small hand and finger muscles and encourage bilateral skills.
