Here are some ways to get your child practicing his handwriting skills before he finishes preschool. With most of these, you’re aiming to strengthen his fine motor skills – the ones that are responsible for holding and guiding a pencil along a straight line.

1. Give your child strips of paper and let her cut up into confetti. The strips shouldn’t be too thin or floppy. Make a smiley face on the upper hole where the thumb should go, to teach her how to hold the scissor properly. Start with shorter pieces of paper that she can cut with just one snip. Progress to longer pieces which need two snips of the scissor, and so on. Use blunt ended scissors. After a while, move on to snipping along a line on the paper. Draw squiggly lines, straight lines, circles. Let her cut around a picture. All these scissor cutting activities for preschoolers help control the movement of the scissors as it moves ahead to the next snip, and as it moves ahead to its goal, which is great practice for writing.
2. Rip newspapers. This may seem like a boring task, but you’d be surprised at how much they enjoy it. Terrific for fine muscular development. Start with random ripping into small bits, then move to ripping on a line that you’ve drawn for her on the paper. For advanced practice, let her rip around a picture. Draw squiggly lines, and let her rip though them.
3. Part of the problem with writing for most preschoolers comes with holding the pencil correctly. Place a piece of sponge in her palm, and let her close her ring finger and little finger around it. Now, let her use only the thumb, forefinger and middle finger to hold the pencil. Having to hold the piece of sponge with the last two fingers will make her hold the pencil tightly with the first three. Here’s how to do this.
4. Cut out three holes in a sock, and let her insert her thumb, forefinger and middle finger in each hole before she attempts to practice writing. Again, this helps to reinforce the right way to hold a pencil.
5. Give her beads, or cheerios, or pasta shapes, and some string to thread.
6. Use lacing cards, or make some of your own by punching holes in cards – use old greeting cards. Lace a thick string through.
7. Use thin crayons or chalk pieces for practice for beginners – they are easier to hold.
8. Let her connect dots on paper. Use lined handwriting paper, and make two dots that will help her make vertical, horizontal and slanting lines. Have many such lines of dots for her to connect. This helps her draw straight lines for alphabet writing.
9. Practice writing semi circles (like the letter “C” facing both ends). Use dots again to help her get the shape right. This gives practice for making perfect circles and semi circles for alphabets later.
10. Let her trace the outlines of figures and drawings with crayons.
11. Work on developing those minute finger muscles. Give her some play dough, and let her make small balls or sausage shapes out of them, using her thumb and forefinger only .
12. Use tweezers for sorting activities. Let her pick up a bean or a pea with a pair of tweezers, and transfer into another bowl.
13. Do spooning activities. Allow her to spoon dried beans from one bowl to another using her thumb, forefinger and middle finger to grasp the spoon and transfer the beans.
14. Practice inserting keys into locks or keyholes.
15. Take an old shoe box with the lid on, and make a slit on the lid. Practice inserting playing cards into the slit with her writing hand.
16. Practice writing with her fingers in shaving foam, or in a tub of sand.
17. Let her draw a picture, and sprinkle glitter inside the figure carefully, taking care to stay inside the lines as much as possible.
18. Play with rubber bands. Let her wrap rubber bands around plastic bottles or glasses – it strengthens those very important little muscles.

Do you have more tricks to get your preschooler writing confidently?

                                          Image by Flickr - Clairity

Okay, a confession. Science was the yuckiest subject at school for me. I couldn’t wait till I finished high school, and didn’t have to suffer through science anymore.

Part of the problem, I think was the way science was made so intimidating in class. Teachers (and parents) were clueless about breaking things down, and making them simple for ordinary mortals.

Having said that, science is also one of the most important subjects your child can grasp, aside from math. By now, we are all aware that geeks will inherit the earth, so here are a few activities to help your preschooler connect to her geeky side.

Kids love to play with mirrors – these throw up incredible opportunities for play and learning. Here are some fun activities using mirrors:

1. Write her name on a piece of paper, and hold it up in front of the mirror. Why are the letters all wonky? Discuss.
2. Put a marble or other small object on a mirror, and roll it around. Watch what happens to the reflection.
3. Experiment with the many possibilities - Let her look at the back of her head by using two mirrors – hold one mirror behind her to face the back of her head, while she holds out the other in front of her.
4. Let her put a spoon inside a cup by look at the reflection in the mirror.
5. Move on to bigger challenges. Let her insert a toothpick or matchstick inside the mouth of a bottle. This also helps her co ordinate her eye hand movements, great practice for other useful skills later on, like writing.
6. Let her find other surfaces to see her reflection in – kitchen appliances like the toaster, or the screen of a TV that’s switched off.
7. Let her look at her reflection in the waters of a pool. Or fill a large tub with water and let her look at her reflection in it. What’s the difference between this reflection and that in her mirror? What happens when she drops a pebble onto the water?
8. Experiment with the steam in the mirror, or on the shower doors after a warm shower. Let her write her name on it. Introduce the origin of steam, and how it clouds up glass surfaces.
9. Let her use a mirror to see the things she cannot see – for instance, she can hold out a mirror in the garden to see the things behind her. Or, let her hold a mirror out the window to see yard or street scenes that she can’t see from inside the house.

More mirror ideas, anyone? Please share.

Your preschooler is already pitching in when you dress her up – she puts out her leg to wear a trouser, and tries to find the armhole, when you’re slipping a T-shirt over her head.

When to comes to dressing up, it will be a while before your child can actually pick out her clothes, and dress up on her own. Patience is key. Don’t be discouraged if she can’t dress without help. And never force her. You can pick out her clothes, and lay them out on the bed for her in the morning, but it will take time till she’s independent enough to actually dress herself up. Some kids just pick up faster – it’s no big deal if she doesn’t. My son himself only picked up these skills when he turned 6. No long term damage there.

Ready? Let’s start with the coat, then.

Place the coat on the floor with the open end facing up, and sleeves spread out. Let your child squat down near the neck of the coat, and slip her arms inside the arm holes. Then she can lift her arms up and over her head, and the coat will slide very naturally down her arms, and around her. Practice makes perfect.

For pants, demonstration works best. Sit her down beside you on the bed or floor, and let her copy your movements. Teach her to pull zippers away from her body.

For underpants, teach her to look for the little label at the back. If there are no labels, make a little mark with a permanent nontoxic marker to indicate the back.

I love this tip from Parent Hacks to teach your child to slip on her mittens. Hold the mitten on your palm with the opening facing her, and let her slide her palm inside. It’s easier for her than to struggle with the mitten with her own two hands.

Teach her to loop the belt into the loops before she puts her pants on. Mark the exact belt hole she needs, with a small piece of adhesive, or circle it with a marker from the inside.

Use the marker to make putting socks on easier – make a sign at the heel. This is where most kids fumble.

To help her tell between left and right shoes, take a marker, and make complementary signs on the inside of each shoe, so when she places them together, the marks face each other. For instance, try a “ >” sign for the left shoe, and a ” <” sign for the right shoe. Tell her, “When these two arrows face other, then your shoes are ready to wear.” Try other variations – have two half circles facing each other. Or just peg them together in the correct order with clothespins.

More Dressing Up Tips

• Always stuff one sock or mitten inside the other, so you can always find a perfectly matched pair. Or clip together with clothespins.
• Use a diaper pin to attach a pair of socks or mittens, and let them stay attached through laundry, drying and back in the drawer. You’ll never have to look for a missing pair again.
• Keep clothes in your child’s closet in complete sets, so she always has a full set that’s ready to wear. It encourages her to try dressing up on her own.
• Teach your child to make a fist when she puts her hand inside a sleeve.
• If possible, get clothing with prints or appliqués in the front, so she can differentiate the front and back on her own. For plain colored t-shirts, teach her that the label end comes at the back.
• To slip on a T-shirt, let her first place the T-shirt front down on the bed. She can then slip it over her head, and down, easily.
• If dressing up in the morning rush seems hard, try getting your preschooler to wear her clothes at night before she goes to bed. Choose only non wrinkly fabrics, and use a plastic bib to protect her clothes during her brushing and face washing routine, and you should be fine. This doesn’t work with a bed wetter, of course.
• As far as possible, use shoes with Velcro for preschoolers. They’re just easier and hassle free. Or till she gets to the point where she can tie shoelaces on her own, substitute the laces with a piece of elastic tied at the ends – she can slip and out of the shoes with ease. Some parents are of the opinion that getting shoes with Velcro fasteners or slip ons makes it harder to teach them to tie shoelaces. I think, it’s important not to overwhelm your child. They have plenty of time to learn these skills, and the chances that you’ll still be tying her shoe laces when she’s in college, are pretty slim.
• Use the wooden handles of a chair to practice tying laces into a knot. Use ribbons for practice. Be patient – tying shoelaces tends to be one of the harder skills, since it requires such fine motor skills.
• Nail a smaller coat rack for your child near the entrance, so she can hang up her coat on her own. Nail a wicker basket to hold her mittens, and small scarves. Keep a small stool handy, so she can sit down and put her socks and shoes on with ease.
• Teach her to button shirts from the bottom up – it makes it easier to get them all even.
• Build self confidence in her dressing skills by letting her overcome the smaller challenges first. Buy pants and skirts with elastic waistbands or Velcro fasteners, so she can handle them easily. The same goes for shoes.
• Velcro is a smart Mommy’s best friend – sew on a patch instead of a button on your child’s overalls, and place them on shoes.

So, how did you teach your preschooler to dress up on her own?

Challenge your preschooler’s mind with these problem solving activities. Placing a new challenge or problem before your preschooler helps her brainstorm new ways to solve it. These are necessary life skills your child has to learn, not only in the classroom environment, but also as an adult.

Try these simple activities:

• Push her toy under the couch, and ask her to retrieve it. Watch what she does. If she needs help, give her a rod or stick to try pushing the car towards her.
• Ask her to fetch you something that’s on a higher shelf she can’t reach. Observe how she solves the problem. Make suggestions if necessary – she can drag a chair or stool over…
• Mix a cup each of beans, salt and rice in a large bowl, and give your child three smaller bowls, a strainer and a colander. Ask her to separate the beans, rice and salt. talk about the different ways you could do this.
• Spill some water on the ground (you could do this when she actually does spill something on the floor!) and give her a variety of materials to wipe the mess with – paper napkins, a wash cloth, sponge, a synthetic piece of fabric etc. Discuss what material is best for mopping up the water.
• Draw two parallel lines in the yard with a piece of chalk, about four feet apart. Place a piece of crumpled paper just inside one line. Ask her to get the paper to the other line without touching it. Brainstorm different ways she can so this – the obvious one would be to blow on it. See if there are other ways to move the paper forward – fan it with a plastic plate or magazine, perhaps.

Memorizing things alone won’t prepare your child for serious learning. The brain is exercised when you throw these little challenges at it.

Have fun!

The sense of smell is the only one that sends signals to the brain, unfiltered.

Certain fragrances increase the brain’s ability to think. Mental alertness and creativity can be strengthened by smells like those of cinnamon, peppermint and lemon. Rose and lavender, on the other hand, help your child relax. Certain herbs and spices are also known to have calming effects, and can be used in appropriate situations. Use the sensory powers of these flowers and herbs to boost creativity and brainpower in your preschooler.

Encourage your child to participate in preschool activities that include the sense of smell , to stimulate these areas of her brain. It doesn’t have to be a formal activity with scented bottles – just introduce scents into everyday activities, and play around with them. Experiment!

• Give your child scented markers for artwork, or use scented dyes and paints.
• Create your own scented paint by mixing tempera paint with food essences.
• Create a fun and yummy scented paint mix of your own. Mix gelatin with just about half the amount of water that’s actually needed, and let your child paint with it. When the gelatin dries, she can have fun scratching at the painting, and sniffing the smell.
• Participate in activities together with your preschooler - make potpourri together. Put some cloves and cinnamon sticks inside a net bag, and draw it tight shut
• Make colorful new scented crayons out of old ones. Place crayons in muffin tins lined with paper, add a touch of food essence to each, and heat in the oven. You have colorful wax discs that smell heavenly. Here are specific instructions.
  
• Help her identify the smells of different food essences and extracts in your kitchen, and herbs and flowers from your garden.
• Encourage her to take an interest in your flower garden or herb garden.
• Fill your home with appropriate herbs that stimulate certain processes in the brain – keep rose, orange and chamomile in the bedroom to induce calmness and help her go to sleep. Lavender, vanilla and nutmeg are particularly good for those nasty irritable spells just before bed time. Place lemon, cinnamon, basil the room where she does most of her learning or art work.
  
• Participate in cooking activities together that make use of brainpower boosting extracts and essences - cinnamon buns, for instance.

Enjoy!

There are opportunities to learn in the most popular games preschoolers play. All little girls love a tea party, and because all kids love role playing so much, your little boy will be ready to host one too! Give your preschooler some practice at entertaining on her own, by helping her host a tea party for her dolls and teddy bears.

First up, let her take the initiative in planning for the party. Let her decide the number of “guests” she’s going to have.

Help her make some little sandwiches or cheese and crackers for her guests. Here are some cooking ideas for preschoolers, as well as a mini pizza recipe if you want to throw a party your guests will rave about!

Let her set place mats for each guest with matching fork, spoon, saucers, cups and plates. Help her make her own placements out of cardboard or thick construction paper which she can decorate with markers, and little place cards out of tags with the name of the guest on each.

Get creative – use her bracelets as napkin rings.

Let her set the table with the cutlery, place cards, and place mats.

What this teaches her: This game is ideal for teaching her to set a table on her own, and gives her good practice using sorting skills to sort out forks, spoons, cup and saucers for each guest. It also helps her learn the importance of organization and the value of planning ahead.

Bon Appetit!

Maybe because their memories of anything in white coats aren’t necessarily pleasant, kids love to play at being a doctor. It gives them a chance to torture some one else with a shot! Encourage this, and use it to introduce measuring activities and language skills.

Set up a clinic for her.  Give her a chair, and a table, with an empty writing pad to make her notes in, and a sheet of paper to record data.  If she has a doctor’s play kit, all the better.  Use her teddy bears and dolls as prop patients.

Act as the patient’s Mommy with four of your “kids” coming in to see her.   First up, let her measure the weight of each “child” by placing the doll on your kitchen weighing machine.  Let her note down the weight of the doll herself.

Next, let her use a measuring tape to measure the height of the child. D on’t worry about specifics – just the figure closest to the actual reading will do.

Tell her what’s wrong with the baby – she’ been sniffing and hasn’t been eating too well etc. etc. If she has a play doctor’s kit, she could use her stethoscope to listen to their heartbeat, give them shots etc.

Let her arrange all her patients by height, and weight.

There are plenty of opportunities to learn in everyday games.  If you play games with your preschooler that encourage learning, I’d love to hear about them.

The preschool years are the perfect time to introduce your child to the wonders of science though small and easy activities and games. Since everything at this age seems wondrous and breathtaking, you won’t have trouble getting your child to sit still, and take part in science activities that teach her about actions and reactions.

• Let her use a block of margarine to scribble on a sheet of paper. Splash some water on the paper. The part with the margarine on it won’t get wet – the water will slip right off. Explain to her why this happens, that oil and water never mix. Show her more examples of this – mix cooking oil and water together, and show her the result. Point out gasoline layers on puddles of water.
• Let her hold a candle like a crayon, and draw on a piece of paper. To reveal what she has drawn, let her paint the page. She can also use potato juice or lemon juice for the same effect. Explain the concept of invisible ink.
• Use gardening and plants to explain the concept of photosynthesis. Place two pots of plants in two separate locations – one in a dark closet, and one in the sunlight. Water both equally, and observe the difference in the two plants after a few days.
• Drop a few seeds in a cup full of soil, and cover with plastic. Keep in a sunny area. Monitor the progress of the seeds as they begin to sprout.
• Play with your shadows. Switch off the lights, light a candle and make animal shadows on the wall. Compare your own shadows on the walls. Point out your shadows in the daytime and at different times of the day.

Science is actually more interesting to many preschoolers than learning counting or the alphabet. The results are always so astounding, and magical to little eyes.

Have fun with these!

Role playing boosts creativity, and strengthens imagination.  Because you are the primary care giver and because her family plays such an overwhelming role in her life right now, your preschooler will love playing you.  Who among us hasn’t loved playing “mommy,” tottering in her high heels and her pearls dangling (we think) stylishly?

This kind of role playing has more benefits than the mere cuteness of it all.  You might not realize it but if you observe carefully, you’ll see your child mirroring your actions and gestures, even your style of talking, and the phrases and facial expressions you use .

Role playing activities are not just fun for preschoolers, but can also be a learning experience.  Make it an educative process by giving her props, helping her come up with imaginary situations and enacting real life ones with her. Here are some ideas:

Let her act out the beginning of your day.  Give her props to do so.  If you work outside the home, she’ll need car keys, your cell phone and handbag.  Discuss the process with her. Where’s mommy going?  What time will she be back?

Discuss what happens at your workplace with her.  Let her act out your day as she gets back home too.  She might need more props again.

If you’re a SAHM, let her enact out your day as she sees it.

Play at reversing roles.  Let her be the one giving you milk and cookies at the table.  Ask for more milk, and let her pour out a glass from the jug.  Prepare for some splashing, or keep a tray under the glass to catch spills.  Learning to pour without splashing helps develop motor skills.

Ask her to read you a bed time story at night.  Keep a picture book ready, so she can make up stories.

Playing at being you helps her understand how things work, and why people do the things they do.  She is able to form a pattern to your behavior, and understand routine in your life.  Above all, acting out requires her to concentrate and use her memory to remember what exactly she has seen you doing - always an intelligence booster.

Enjoy!

To establish color recognition in your preschooler , always begin from the basics - primary colors - and work your up.  The trick is to move up one step at a time, rather than having her understand and recognize many different colors in a single session.

If your preschooler is familiar with the three primary colors, use this activity to establish these colors before moving on to the other colors.  Cut out pairs of colored paper in red, blue and yellow, and ask her to match these.  Ask her to name each color.

If she can do this easily, introduce her to secondary colors with these color recognition activities for preschoolers.  Next, cut up pairs of colored paper again, but this time include green, purple, orange, pink, black, white, brown and gray, besides the primary colors.  Ask her to match the pairs.  Tell her the names of each color.

Once all these colors have been firmly established, and she can name colors without much prompting, place all the colored papers in random order, and tell her to arrange from the lightest to the darkest shade.  An older preschooler might find this last activity easier to do than a three year old.

Tip: Introduce color recognition activities into every day life - while in the kitchen, during dinnertime, at the supermarket, at the traffic signal, while dressing up etc, during story time etc.

Have fun!