Building Independence and Self-Help Skills
Practice Self-Care:
Encourage your child to do things independently.
- Using the toilet and washing hands without assistance
- Putting on and taking off their jacket, coat, or sweater, and hanging it up.(including manipulating buttons or zippers).
- Putting on their shoes (Velcro is helpful if they don't know how to tie laces).
- Opening and closing their lunchbox, drink bottle, and snack packages (practice with items you'll actually pack).
Following Instructions:
Play games like "Simon Says" to practice listening and following one- or two-step directions (e.g., "Pick up the block and put it on the shelf")
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Fostering Social-Emotional Growth
Talk About Emotions:
Help your child name and understand their feelings and the feelings of others. You can use books, show pictures, or talk through how characters in a story feel.
Arrange Playdates:
Provide opportunities for supervised, yet minimally intervened, play with peers to practice sharing, taking turns, and resolving small conflicts (with your coaching).
Play School:
Use dramatic play to act out the school routine: saying goodbye, having circle time, sitting "criss-cross applesauce," and playing outside.
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Promoting Early Literacy and Cognitive Skills
Read Together Daily:
Read for at least 15 minutes a day. Talk about the story, ask open-ended questions (e.g., "What do you think happens next?"), and point out the pictures. This fosters a love for books and language.
Develop Fine Motor Skills:
These are the small muscles needed for writing and drawing. Coloring, drawing, and painting. Playing with Play-Doh, puzzles, building blocks, and lacing cards.
Recognize Print:
Point out letters, words, and numbers in the environment (on signs, labels, books). Help them recognize their own name in writing.
Count and Identify:
Practice counting objects (with one-to-one correspondence, touching each item as they count), and identifying basic shapes and colors.
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