*Practice cutting with scissors. make sure your child's thumb is facing the ceiling (on top) when cutting. Our rhyme at school is, "My thumb on top, and I chop, chop, chop!"
* Practice fine motor activities such as using tweezers at home to pick up pieces of popcorn kernels, cotton balls, dry beans, etc. and place them in a container. This will help to improve isolation of fingers for handwriting.
* Point out letters and the sounds they make on street signs, in magazines, on cereal boxes, etc. Expose your child to both upper and lower case! Write a letter, or make the sound the letter makes, and let your child go for a "hunt" to search for it in thier favorite book or even on a piece of paper with the alphabet already written on it.
* Encourage your child go for a "hunt" to search for it in their favorite book or even on a piece of paper with the alphabet already written on it.
* Remember to keep your child a chance to "try thier best" first before helping or doing the task for them. This helps encourage independence as well as self-confidence that it's okay to need help as long as they make attempts first. ESPECIALLY coats, zippers, gloves! :)
*Play a board game together to practice taking turns.
* Let your child count amounts. Be sure to have them count 1 to 1 correspondence!
* Have your child retell a favorite story to you!
* Draw pictures together! Ask you child to tell you about their picture-- write it down on the paper! This give them an early connection between spoken and written language.
* Play with play dough or clay! Let your child really work their fingers, cut the clay with scissors, count pieces, etc.
* Let your child practice pouring…milk, water, etc. This can be either to help with getting meals ready or just for play in the bathtub!
* Take a "picture walk" of a new book. Look at the pictures together of an unfamiliar book and let your child PREDICT/ tell what they think the story will be about.
Great Internet Resources:
www.starfall.com
TumbleBooks (Go through Public Library Link)
