Parent Corner

 

 

ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPING FINE MOTOR COORDINATION

These are some activities to strengthen small hand muscles. Please try to keep these activities fun and integrate them into your daily routine.


1. Pick up small objects such as coins, beans, marbles, seeds, buttons, nuts and bolts. Sort them into containers of varying sizes.

2. Pick up objects (blocks, cotton balls, pom-poms, crumpled balls of paper, counters, etc.) using various sized tongs, tweezers or clothesline hooks

3. Stack objects (i.e. coins, cards, checkers, blocks, etc.)

4. Screw and unscrew objects such as nuts and bolts, caps from jars, etc.

5. String beads onto a shoelace

6. Play with Lite Brite toy

7. Cut straight and curved lines/shapes drawn on paper, cloth, etc., with scissors.

8. Play the piano

9. Type

10. Crumple paper in a small ball and then flick it with the finger (play"soccer" with the paper ball)

11. Shuffle cards, deal cards one by one, turn cards over

12. Roll a pencil between thumb and fingers without dropping it

13. Stick small objects into play dough or Silly Putty for him/her to pull out

14. Wind thread on a spool evenly

15. Put rubber bands around various size containers and objects

16. Move spoonfuls of small objects from one bowl to another

17. Do up buttons, zippers, hooks, etc.

18. Tie shoelaces

19. Manually sharpen pencils

20. Put keys into locks to open door

21. Put paper clips onto paper

22. Place clothespins on the edge of a box or container or on a line

23. Use Wikki Stix to form shapes, letters, numbers, and other designs

24. Color using the flat side of a crayon. Put paper over leaves, stencils,and other objects so that the child gets sensory feedback as he colors.

25. Use sprayer bottles filled with water and sponges to have the child "clean" a desk or table, then squeeze the excess water into a dishpan. This is a great pre-scissor skill activity.

26. Lace various sized beads. Using both handsdevelops bilateral integration.

27. Play with dough using words like poke, squeeze,pound, press, and knead

 

 

10 Reasons to Read Aloud to Children

Children will:
 

1. Hear new words;
2. Develop sentence sense and an ear for rhythm;
3. Enjoy and compare diverse writing styles;
4. Create common connections to ideas (as a class);
5. Use reading as a springboard to discussion and writing;
6. Gain new knowledge and understanding;
7. Hear standard forms of English;
8. Learn about a variety of writing genres;
9. Feel things they've never felt before;
10. Share a wonderful time with you and your favorite read-aloud books!

 

 

Games For Kids and Parents!
Sometimes kids and parents have a hard time thinking of something to do. Here are some traditional games for those rainy day blues.
Games to Play

GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD

First you gather up at least 3 or more people. Then you find a base. Next you choose 1 person to be the ghost. That person will stand on the base and call out 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and keeps doing that until they get to 12:00. All other players hide while the ghost counts.  On 12:00 the ghost yells out "Midnight". Then all the hiders try to run to the base before the person that is the ghost catches them. If a person gets caught they become the ghost.

 

DOGGIE, DOGGIE, WHERE'S YOUR BONE
This is an inside game. Someone pretends to be the dog. He or she sits in a chair with their back to everyone else. An object is put under the chair. That is the bone. While the dog is turned around with his or her eyes closed, someone sneaks up and steals the bone and hides it somewhere on his person (sometimes the object might be left under the dog's chair). Then everyone chants: "Doggie, Doggie, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home. Guess who? It might be you". Then the dog has three chances to guess who took it. If the dog guesses right then he gets to do it again. If he guesses wrong then the person who had the bone gets a turn as the dog.

 

JACK BE NIMBLE
You can use a candle (do not light it) or a picture of a candle, or a small boot. Put the candle on the floor or outside in the grass.

Taking turns, each person will jump over the candle while everyone recites:

"Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candlestick".

For a variation you can have the players recite the person's name during each turn for example, "Max be nimble. Max be quick. Max jump over the candlestick."

 

DRAW - A - PICTURE RELAY
You need a list of things for the participants to draw, large sheets of paper, washable crayons or washable markers, and tape.

Tape the paper to the wall.

Line up in teams. Give the first players the instructions of what they are to draw. The next person in line on each team gets the next set of instructions, and this continues until the first team has completed the drawing.

 

LIMBO
You need:

A pole, broomstick, or very long stick from a tree and some music. You can use a radio and turn it on and off or use a tape player. You can even use a blanket or sheet instead of a pole and keep stretching it tight.

Prop up broomstick or pole upon two chairs or two people can hold up the pole if there are enough people to take turns. Try propping the pole on the top of the chair first and then on the part you sit on if that is how you have to play.

The players line up. Start the music. To do the limbo you must walk under the pole without touching it. After each person has had a turn lower the pole.

Start all over again continuing until the pole gets very low. You may even have to bend or crawl or even shimmy to get under the pole. If any person touches the pole they can either sit out or have a turn holding the pole.

 

BURNING AND FREEZING GAME
Choose an item that can be hid, for example, a small stuffed animal. One person will be "It". That person leaves the room while the other players choose a place to hide the item somewhere in the room or in the backyard.

The person who is "It" is called back into the room after the object has been hidden, and has to search for it. As the "It" person moves closer to the hidden item the other players say "burning". If the person looking for the hidden item is far away from the hidden object the other players say, "You're freezing". Take turns to be "It".

 

HOT POTATO
You will need one clean uncooked potato and some music. You can use a radio (turn it on and off)or tape player.

All the players sit in a circle. One person must be in charge of turning the music on and off. The players can take turns being the music master. The music master starts the music and the players pass the potato around to each other until the music stops. The player who is left holding the potato when the music stops leaves the circle. Continue the game until there is only one player left.

A variation might be that instead of having to leave the circle, the person holding the potato when the music stops has to make a silly face, or sing a song, etc. This way everyone is a winner.

 

FOLLOW THE LEADER
You will need a kitchen timer.

Choose a leader . Set the time for three minutes. Everyone lines up behind the leader. The players copy the actions of the leader. The leader can hop, jump, take a step back, dance, raise arms, etc. When the timer rings the next player in line becomes the leader. This game is fun outside, and when the leader uses props like putting coat on and off.