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Getting Your Preschooler Ready to
Learn to Read and Write
by Stephanie Foster
I recently took a class with my daughter I found very educational, and I
thought I would share some of what I learned with you. The class was
aimed at 3-5 year olds and was on helping preschoolers get ready to
learn to read and write.
Obviously, and as any parent these days knows, one important thing to do
is read regularly to your kids. However, only about half of the
activities each day had to do with reading to the kids. The rest focused
on helping the kids build the skills they will need as they learn how to
read and write.
Muscle development is very important, but you can’t just expect a
preschooler to develop their hand and finger strength out of the blue.
First they need to develop their larger muscles. The first class they
had us doing wheelbarrows (holding the kids by their legs or ankles and
having them walk on their hands) or throwing a balloon for the kids to
hit with a stick they held with both hands, one hand on each end.
Tactile play was also very important. Play dough, sand, salt, even
shaving cream were all used as example of things to use to encourage
kids to do things with their hands. The different sensations really
engaged the children’s curiosity.
Some of the activities encouraged the kids to create their own stories.
They warned all the parents to not change their children’s words as they
wrote them down. Sometimes they would have stamps or magazines to cut up
to make pictures for the stories the kids would tell and have their
parents write down, but there would also be crayons or markers so the
kids could draw their own pictures.
Making a book for your child is pretty easy. Take a couple pieces of
paper, fold them in half, then staple the folded ends together, keeping
the staples near the edge. Most of the children loved creating their own
books.
One very important thing I noticed during these classes is how
differently each child learned. Some of it was very distinctly related
to age; the younger children simply had no interest in some of the
activities, but there were always plenty of options.
These classes really emphasized that you are teaching your child skills
that will help them learn to read and write even when you are not
actually teaching them anything at all about their letters. There are
many skills that must be learned first.
Everything I learned in the class was something that could easily be
done at home. One of my daughter’s favorites, for example, was the day
they had us fill a balloon with flour, then tie it off and let the kids
squeeze it. Of course, my daughter wondered why I couldn’t make the
balloon big, and I don’t know if she really believed my explanation. But
she did have a blast squeezing it, which builds those hand and finger
muscles so necessary for learning to write.
Helping your preschooler get ready to read and write is really not
terribly difficult. Just take a little time and encourage them to play
with things that build the muscles they will need and, of course, read
to them every day.
Stephanie Foster has enjoyed being a stay at home mom since before her
children were born. You can learn more about being a stay at home parent
at
http://www.homewiththekids.com/family
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Foster
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