Preschool Children are children that can be any age between 2 and 5 years old. Preschool is a very important pharse in children’s lives, as most children this age are very energetic, inquisitive, and have a willingness to learn. During these years in a child’s life, their skills such as reasoning, questioning as well as understanding of the world around them grows exponentially. A child’s cognitive skills also grow in a preschool class environment along with social and language. Preschool is where the foundations of learning begin and helps your child succeed by becoming school ready.
In preschool, children are able to learn how the world works around them, such as how to express themselves, follow rules, and how to communicate and socialize with other children. This learning is all done through play and communication, specifically through Cognitive, Psychosocial and Physical development-based learning activities. It is during this stage that most children move from being dependent to being independent and their play goes from egocentric play to co-operative play among their peers.
Why Expose Your Child to Preschool Class Activities?
This critical age in your child’s life needs to be supported and developed. Exposing them now to forms of play can help to equip them with skills that they will use for the rest of their life. It’s important that preschools are providing play activities in class so your child’s development can benefit. Here we have listed several examples of preschool activities that can be done both in the classroom and at home:
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Their Name
A fun activity to do with your child is to trace out their name on cardboard and cut out the letters. Then give them the letters and have them decorate – don’t be afraid to bring out some foil, glitter and paint! While your child is decorating their card board name, have them sound out the letters they are decorating, allowing them to associate a specific letter to a shape and sound. When they are done with a letter, come around and put the letters in the wrong spaces and ask them to fix them, this allows for them to learn the spelling of their name.
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Half an Animal Painting
Put a bed-sheet or piece of tarp on your floor to protect against the mess. Take a piece of newspaper and unfold it, place it on the cover. Have your child paint one side of the folded newspaper, when they are done, take the newspaper and fold it so that the paint from the one side transfers to the other side. Carefully unfold the paper to reveal the fantasy animal that your child has painted to them! Get them to name the animal and make up some things that they animal can do such as fly.
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The Shoe Store Game
Collect some empty shoe boxes for this game and place them in a room to set the scene that you are in a shoe store. Let your child pretend that they are the sales assistant in this store and are trying to sell the shoes to you, this includes having to demonstrate the shoes to you. Walk into the store and ask for a pair of shoes, such as ice skates, ballet pumps, bouncy ball shoes etc. and have your child demonstrate how to use these shoes. This encourages your child to see the world in a different way and helps to stretch their imagination.
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Imagination Word Games
A young child’s imagination is very active and vast, it will be easy for them to participate in the following game. Ask your child a silly question such as “How would you build a house out of water?” or ask them to come up with a new use for an everyday household object, such as a mop. This game can keep a child entertained for a long time!
It is important to encourage your child’s sense of creativity from an early age and it is important to remember that creativity is the best form of self-expression.