Tag Archive for: fine motor skills

“Can Do” Attitude

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One of the developmentally typical things that happens when your child is about 2 years old is the “No, me do it!” phase.

They REALLY want to do things for themselves. But they get frustrated when it doesn’t go as smoothly as they thought. Their little hands haven’t got the fine motor control that many tasks require.

As they get older, they find more success doing little things.

  • They can put on their own socks.
  • They can open and close doors and drawers.
  • They can pick up their toys. (Notice I said “can” not “will”.)
  • They can feed themselves with spoons and forks.
  • They can even dress themselves.

But… it takes more time for them to do it independently. A task that would take an adult 3 minutes, can take three or four times that. And, their adult will need to be right there as they try their best, as they often get distracted or find they don’t know how to do the task properly, and have an epic meltdown in total frustration.

In our “hurry up” world, it’s much easier and more efficient to do all the tasks ourselves rather than slow down and wait for our preschooler to figure it out by themselves. But one of the most important things we can do is foster independence in our children (at home and at school.)

  • Encourage all their earnest attempts to try new things.
  • Be prepared to offer assistance only when they have already given it their best effort.
  • Build in extra time to allow the task to be completed without everyone losing their minds watching the clock.

I once heard a quote that has stuck with me as I’ve watched all the children in my care grow over the last 46 years. “Competence builds Confidence!” I don’t know who said it. (I’m sorry, if you know who the author is, I’ll be happy to credit them.) And I must say, I’ve found that to be true. With each completed task or activity, each new concept understood or academic achievement accomplished… self-confidence grows. Along with the belief that a child can do even more if they try.

At St. Paul’s Day School we make time… to let children try. To let them practice till they learn a new skill. To give them the encouragement to attempt new and challenging work all in the guise of play. And when they leave us, we cheer their “can do!” attitude and know we’ve given them a foundation of competence that shines with confidence!

 

Pro Tip from Mrs. Ryan

When you know you have to be out of the house quickly… prep ahead of time. Find all the items that need to be worn, transported or made (like snacks or lunches) and put them where they are easily grabbed when the time comes. Set an alarm for 25 minutes before departure and let your child have a 5 minute “heads up”. “We’re going to get ready to go to school in 5 minutes!” Then turn it into fun. Use funny voices, make funny faces, tell them the first one all ready gets to beep the car’s horn or unlock the car with the key fob or sing their favorite song in the car. Having a goal will help them focus!

Oh No! It’s raining… AGAIN!

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You look out the window and realize that noise you heard was rain… again! And it doesn’t want to stop any time soon. But you have a three or four-year-old who doesn’t understand why they can’t go outside and run and play. Now just imagine you have a room full of four-year-olds all getting agitated because they can’t go outside! That’s what’s been happening at St. Paul’s Day School.

Luckily, we have some talented teachers who have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. Here are some of the things they do and suggestions for things you can do at home with your preschooler.

First things first, some physical movement is a must! I walked into our preK-3 classroom and there was a dance party going on! Little ones doing their best impressions of dancing skeletons with arms swinging back and forth. You can find lots of appropriate pre-k dance songs on YouTube or Spotify. Another alternative is Yoga… try Cosmic Kids Yoga! The kids get a story to go along with the poses!

Then when they’ve got the wiggles out, we love to play with playdough. Don’t have any at home? Your child will love making some with you! Here’s my favorite recipe for NO FAIL PLAYDOUGH that lasts 6 months:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of  tartar
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup of boiling water
food coloring (optional but fun)

Mix the dry ingredients. (Little ones love pouring the dry ingredients into the big mixing bowl.) Then an ADULT does this part – Boil the water and pour it into a measuring cup. Add the oil to it and as much food coloring as you would like. Pour the water mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir with a sturdy spoon.

Once it’s not too hot for a child to touch, they can do some stirring. When it starts to clump together and it’s not drippy, dump it on the table and an adult starts to knead. When it’s just the right temperature, your child can knead it too. It feels so good when it’s warm and the kids love to smell and squeeze it. (If it is too dry, add a few drops of boiled water, too wet, add a little flour.)

The cream of tartar (found in the spice section of the grocery store) is the secret. You’ll get smooth playdough that just begs for kids to come play! (Hint: If you have a stand mixer, this is even easier! Dry ingredients first, wet added gradually using a dough hook. It’s a cinch!) Store in an air-tight container!

Playdough is great for strengthening little hands for writing. And measuring is a great math skill. Creating shapes and “snakes” leads to all sorts of possibilities including making letters and numbers, and encouraging a child’s imagination and vocabulary.

And when your child is done playing with that, they can build. Use blocks or magna tiles or boxes. Anything that has flat sides is fair game! Your child will learn about balance and gravity and physics like we do at St. Paul’s Day School!

Story books are always a great way to not only pass the time, but to share special snuggle time and build literacy. Use funny voices, ask your child what they think will happen next and enjoy learning more about how your child sees the world.

Cook together! You’ll find that children will try new foods if they help cook them! And along the way you can talk about how many items you are cooking along with colors, shapes, smells, and textures. Practice positional words like: beside, behind, under, over, and on top.

Coloring and watercolors are fun on a rainy day! And dry erase markers work great on mirrors and windows (with some adult supervision.)

Games are good too… Candyland, Bingo, Jenga, Uno. Go for it!

Make each other laugh. It makes the day that much better!

Pro Tip from Mrs. Ryan:

Don’t hesitate to be silly around your child.  It builds strong bonds, relieves stress and teaches them emotional resilience!

Why is Preschool so Important?

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I am often told, “it must be nice to have a job where you can just play with little ones all day!” My response is always a smile. And, a gentle explanation of why it’s so important for a child to have a solid early childhood education.

During the time a child is in preschool, from 3  to 5 years old, their body and brain are developing quickly. Synapses and bones and muscles rapidly becoming stronger, more efficient, preparing for the tasks of learning to come.

These children are developing language skills, reasoning, problem solving and a complex cognitive understanding of the world around them. They go from a toddler who tumbles over the “roses in the rug” and who puts everything in their mouth to figure it out, to an explorer who ponders the why’s and how’s of everything they experience.

Things we take for granted are important ways the early childhood educator provides the foundation for a child’s lifelong learning.

We read books. We read to teach our small charges that letters have names and sounds and that they are different than numbers. That if you put the letters together, they make words and that when you put the words together, they make sentences that tell us a story. And that all of those letters and words go left to right! We expand their minds with vocabulary they haven’t heard before and ideas that are new and interesting. They learn to hold books, to turn pages and to appreciate humor and mystery and the thrill of a surprise ending!

We build with blocks. And that teaches a child about math, spatial properties, physics and social interactions. They begin to understand counting, sorting, size comparison, patterning, and geometry! They start recognizing concepts like balance, symmetry, weight, and dimensions. They use scientific reasoning when they experience cause and effect and the force of gravity.

We color with crayons. Strengthening little hands and improving fine motor skills is essential to the ability to write. When they choose colors and make decisions about how their art will look, they learn to plan. These little scholars learn to deal with challenging feelings when their picture doesn’t look the same on the paper as it does in their mind. They are focusing for longer periods of time, improving hand eye coordination and attention span.

We use our imaginations. When the children enter the dress up area, they become a parent, a pilot, a chef, a princess, a doctor, and all sorts of other exciting characters. Each different role includes the ability to use their memory of the behaviors of each character. To use vocabulary that is particular for that play scenario. They learn to work with friends and play cooperatively. They practice their conversational skills and social emotional regulation.

Phew! That’s a lot in a simple day of play! Without it, without the stimulation of their amazing and incredible brains and exercising their growing muscles and bones, they fall far behind their peers. Their love of learning doesn’t develop. And there is no solid foundation to build on for the future.

That’s why preschool is so important. Why St. Paul’s Day School is so important. As Mr. Fred Rogers so famously said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

 

Pro Tip from Mrs. Ryan:

Want to help your child remember your phone number or address? It’s really important information if they need help. Sing it! Children learn the words to songs much more rapidly than they do spoken words.  So use a “piggyback” tune (Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, London Bridge is Falling Down etc.) and sing the words!