One way in which children express their individuality is through their creativity. If you notice, children as young as three have been using their creativity to show their identities. As a result of this, they have their own preferences when it comes to art activities that they like. As a day care center director or owner, you need to make sure that children are free to choose which art activities they would prefer doing. It is highly important that you allow the children to have a wide selection of the things which they can do. This is why you should not just limit the activities which they can do.

The first thing you have to do is to set up a “creativity area” for the children in your day care. It is important that children are able to recognize that art is as equally important as the other day care activities you have. Have tables, chairs a couple of art materials for the children. Make this area look as fun as possible so that children will get the ambiance of fun as they stay in here. There are a couple of craft stores and even book stores which offer to sell a lot of activities suited for the children. Make sure to read and carefully select the activities which you are picking out for them.

The basic art materials which you should readily buy are papers, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, coloring books and water color. These are the things which children first learn how to use. By having these things, the children will have a head start when it comes to art activities. They will be able to draw and color which they will surely enjoy.

Besides from the basic things, you might want to add a little activities which they can engage in. There are so many do-it-your own activities and kits which you can teach the children every time you do art works. You can have fun with beads, yarn, chalk, glitter, scrap cloth and everything else. Some activities which may interest the children include sculpting from clay, making paper dolls, pinwheels and even cards. These things do not have to b e expensive, there are so many cheap art materials which you can buy, all you have to do is to look for suppliers. You will have fun in class without having to spend so much on these.

Always be ready when things get a little messy. Some activities involving water, glue, glitters na cutting paper can really be messy. You need to make sure that you keep the area as clean as possible after. You may even have a cleaning time after you so your art works with your child. This will not only teach them how to be creative but also teach them that their trash is their responsibility. They should throw their trash in the proper places afterwards.

A way that will promote creativity on the part of the child is by having an awarding after you do your artwork. Have your class vote for the top 5 best artworks for that activity and have a prize ready for the children who are chosen. This is why you need to make the activities as diverse as possible so that each children will be chosen as one of the best. This will increase their confidence level. They will have an idea on which activities they are good at. As early as now, they will be able to distinguish which activities they like and do not like as well as where their strengths and weaknesses.

Have their artworks posted or brought home so that they will have a collection of the things they have made in school. Children always love to be proud of the things which they are good especially of their achievements in school. This will be good for the children since they also need to feel that other people are proud of them of the things which they have done.

Through artworks, children can really maximize their development. They will learn all about their individuality, creativity and maximum potential. This is why it is important to make art as important as learning how to read and write. Children do not only learn through academics. Have them learn about these things which are very beneficial for the children. Make this a regular activity for them, you will see how this can be helpful for the holistic development of the child. As a day care center, it is important that you develop each and every aspect of a child’s development. So make sure that you set time for art, and you will truly maximize the potential of the children in your day care.

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Effective preschool teachers and child care providers:

Are aware when they need to give more specific instructions to their students or when they are already capable enough to learn on their own

Promote participation of their students in classroom activities and discussions

Have open ears and hearts for the ideas and opinions of their students

Help their students expand their vocabulary by widening their knowledge

Are aware when to let their children explore and discover things by themselves, and when to supervise them more closely

Provide their students with activities that are challenging and purposeful

Promote teamwork among their students and help them in reconcile their differences

Teach their students to give importance to each others’ personal things, and even the time and effort they give to the class

Encourage free speech among the children in their class, and between the children and the adults around them

Can keep peace and harmony in the classroom, and teach children how to follow rules without impeding the learning process

Run the class in a manner that strengthens the teacher-student relationship and ensures that the time spent in the classroom is maximized

Developing Listening and Speaking Skills

In the past, children are not allowed to speak their minds or share their feelings. Now, most parents and teachers know that this is one belief that should be disregarded. Studies show that the development of a child’s reading and writing proficiency is greatly influenced by their ability to express their selves as well as their listening skills. Thus, it is vital for young children to be able to:

1.Maintain their focus and listen closely, whether it may be for their enjoyment or for absorbing information
2.Utilize spoken language for different functions
3.Perform simple instructions and provide them as well
4.Make simple queries and create their own response
5.Speak with proper volume and pace
6.Take part in discussions while maintaining courtesy and respect for the teacher and other students, and being able to stick to the topic
7.Express themselves verbally and non-verbally

On the other hand, preschool teachers should be able to:

Detect opportunities to ask open-ended questions and encourage their students to expound on their answers

Impart new vocabularies to their students which can be of relevance and use to them

Effectively answer questions and allow their students to initiate conversations

Help their students develop their speech and ability to interact

Below are pointers and suggestions for enhancing the listening and communication skills of young children:

Speak to your children as much as you can within the day

During story time, encourage children to give their views about the story itself or the characters in it, get them to guess the outcome of the story, or relate it to their everyday life

Engage children in games and activities that will enhance their listening skills and speech

Take advantage of everyday routines that can teach children to follow directions or give simple instructions on their own

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Familiarity with printed letters and words, as well as the connection between print and sound.

Wide variety of words and their meaning.

Books – what they are, as well as their use and importance

The world around them and everything in it

Formal and informal language

The happiness that reading can give

When reading aloud to children, the following practices can help improve retention and comprehension:

Let children experience reading as a pleasurable activity. Make sure that you and the kids are seated in a comfortable area where they can sit near you. Make them feel warm and sheltered. As much as you can, try to express the emotions contained in the story you are reading. This will not only make the children more interested, they will also feel involved. If they enjoy the experience, they will definitely look forward to another reading session with you.

Read aloud on a regular basis. Make reading aloud an everyday activity. Create a schedule within the day, and —

Read at the beginning of the day or before going to bed.

Read after playtime as this helps children to settle down.

Read while the kids are having their snack and before taking a nap.

Make reading a learning experience. Explain words, phrases, or sentences that can be confusing or vague. Ask the views, observations, or opinion of the kids on what you are reading. If you are reading a picture book, explain what the picture(s) is all about and how it related to the story. If you are reading a story which is set in a particular place or timeframe, give the kids a backgrounder about that place or time period. Discuss the feelings and actions of the character with the children. Look for opportunities to connect the story to everyday life or school activities.

Ask questions while you are reading. Think of questions that can relate the story to the life and experience of your young audience. Make them compare the story to other stories they’ve heard. You can also ask them to guess what will happen next or what the ending will be.

Discuss the book with the children. Once you’ve finished reading, ask the children what they think of the book or the story they just heard. Ask questions that will make them express their feelins and opnions about the book. It would also be good to make them pick a part or character they like the most. Ask them as well how they understood the book/story and the lessons they’ve learned from it.

Read different types of books. Do not limit yourself with story books. Various kinds of books help children to learn different kinds of information and skills. Storybooks promote creativity and make children learn about different cultures, eras, and people. It can also make them understand how people think, act, and feel differently. On the other hand, informational books give children useful facts about the world and everyday life. It also widens their vocabulary and make them learn concepts that will assist them in school. books. Story books and informational books both contribute to the mental and emotional growth of children. Just make sure to choose materials that are appropriate to the age of the group you are reading to.

Read books that will assist you in teaching. Alphabet books will help you teach letters, their sound, and what they look like. In the same way, counting books teach number recognition and counting. When teaching about phonological awareness, use poetry books or books about nursery rhyme. Try to find oversized books, or books with big prints and pictures as this will help kids remember easily. Pick out stories that teach about socialization, and how to properly relate to other people (ex. Books on friendship, cooperation, etc.). Books that tell about how nature works to give them an idea or two about the world and their environment.

Do not hesitate to repeat favorite books. Its no surprise that kids love to hear their favourite books again and again. Reading books repeatedly actually improve the comprehension skills of children and discover new things. For instance, after hearing a story twice or trice, children may come to understand the meaning of some words they had trouble understanding when they first heard the story/book.

Books that are suitable for reading aloud

Alphabet books. These books show the upper and lower case form of the alphabet letters and feature pictures of things that begin with the letter’s sound.

Counting or number books. These books not only show the basic numerals, they also illustrate them with the use of pictures (ex. Two monkeys, five dinosaurs, etc.)

Concept books. Books like these are meant to impart basic ideas that will assit children in school. Examples of concept books are books about color, shapes, sizes, opposites, farm animals, vehicles, and more.

Nursery rhymes. These books have different rhymes and verses that can be easily remembered and recited by children.

Pattern books and repetitive stories. In this kind of book, a phrase or sentence is repeated in the story forming a thought or pattern. You will notice that after reading a page or two of this book, your audience will have already learned the repeated phrase or sentence. This experience usually gives enjoyment especially to young children.

Traditional literature. Examples of traditional literature are fairy tales, folktales, fables, myths, and legends from different countries and time periods. These type of stories help children learn different eras, cultures, people, traditions, and practices. Meanwhile, stories like Cinderella differ from one country or culture to another and is interesting to discuss.

Wordless picture books. Books like these tell stories with the use of pictures alone. These books allow children to tell the story in their own version, which in turn enhances their creativity, language, as well as their sense of event sequencing

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Convert Unused Shelves to Drawers. A lot of homes experience at one point or another, an accumulation of small items that are not used regularly. These include gifts, cords, gift wraps, bulbs, etc. Because of these items, drawers and tool boxes get overloaded and chaos arises whenever someone tries to look for something. If your closet has drawers that are not being used, you can convert them into storage \drawers and storage bins. You can opt to get the services of a handyman, but its much more easier to just stick in the largest box or bin in your unused shelf. Label the bin/box according to what kind of item they are or how they are used (ex. Toiletries, accessories, nail polish, etc.). Grouping similar items together will make it easier for you to locate them.

Childrens Paper Challenge – Most of the time, its hard for parents to let go of their children’s artworks. The same is true for small children who become extremely fond of their creations. One way of solving this dilemma is by designating an area in the house for the everyday drawings and craftworks of toddlers. You can use a letter tray to temporarily hold the artworks; tell your kids that their work will stay in the tray for a week and they would have to say goodbye to them after that time. You and your kids attachment to the artwork would probably decrease in a day or two. However, if your child still wants to keep his or her work, take a picture of the piece and have it printed in a studio or stored in your computer.

Kiddie Paper Memorabilia. Some of your children’s art creations and school work would actually be worth keeping. You can preserve these by putting them in a binder with plastic sheets. Think of categories that will appropriately group them together, and write the categories in color coded tabs (you can use mini colored post-its for this) using a pencil. Its better to use a pencil because you can easily re-categorize whenever then need arises or if you feel like it. Examples of categories I wrote in my son’s memorabilia binder are: Growth Charts, Daycare, Extracurricular Activities, Report Cards, Preschool, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, etc. As much as possible, minimize the “for keeps” items so they won’t create clutter, or worse be a fire hazard.

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Creating musical instruments is one simple and entertaining craft project kids can take pleasure in at home. Aside from being convenient, these instruments can be kept as toys that children can enjoy for the coming years. Certain projects might need adult supervision. The materials needed in making finger cymbals are: 2 jar lids, hammer, a nail and ¼ to ½ inch wide elastic. Two pieces of elastic measured in four inches should be cut. With adult supervision, the middle of every jar lid should have a hole made using the nail and hammer. Both ends of an elastic piece should be pushed through every hole. A knot should be made as the elastic’s ends are fixed. Finger cymbals are slipped on both pointer finger and thumb; one can start making music after that. A humming flute can be made using the following materials: a pencil, rubber band, wax paper and a cardboard roll from paper towels or toilet paper. Using a pencil, 3 to 4 holes are made straight into the roll of cardboard approximately an inch apart. The wax paper should be cut in a square which measures four inches. Use rubber band to fasten one wax paper above one cardboard roll end. The flute is ready to be used. A kazoo is made by using the following: scissors, crayons, paper punch, wax paper, tube of toilet paper and rubber bands. Wax crayons are used in decorating the tube. Halfway through the tube, a hole is made using paper punch. After placing the square-shaped wax paper around the tube’s end, it should be held in place using a rubber band. Placing your mouth on the kazoo’s open end, you can now start to practice humming. Different sizes of kazoos can be made using tubes of Christmas paper or aluminum foil. Sounds may vary depending on how large the tubes are.

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There are so many things which you need to consider when you go into full-time child care. You need to ensure that they receive their basic needs such as food, clothing, and proper care. You need to feed them with food that gives them maximum nutrition. Their clothes must be comfortable and hypo allergenic since their skin may be sensitive during this age.

Besides from crying, mothers should be watch their child all the time, as your children grow up, they will learn how to move around. They will know how to crawl and eventually walk. This will make them prone to accidents. When the child learns these things, the more mothers should be alarmed. Children have the tendency to pick up things that can hurt them. They will begin to reach things and play with them. They are also prone to bumping everywhere that can cause bruises and cuts.

A mother usually chooses to stay as a full-time rather than work not only because of the money that they will save but also because they will get to monitor the development of their children. The children will grow under the supervision of the parent just as how they want their child to grow up. The most effective way of raising a child is by hands-on method. When the child grows up, they will now be sent to school and before the mothers know it, they will not be the ones who will raise their child.

It is better that you will raise your child personally so that you will be able to show your child how it is to be a mother. Remember that a growing child is still dependent and they need someone to look up to. You have to be a good role model and show them that you care and you prioritize their welfare. Even if things can get a little frustrating, all you need to do is to understand that they still have to learn things as they grow up and just be patient.

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How to make modeling clay
A fun and easy way to keep children entertained for hours is to make modeling clay at home. In fact, making the clay can be just as fun as playing with it. The ingredients you’ll need are very basic baking ingredients that can be found at most any grocery store. The recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make. You’ll need a mixing bowl, a cooking pot, and several spoons. Ingredients include three-fourths of a cup of flour, one-half of a cup of salt, one and one-half teaspoons of powdered alum, one and one-half teaspoons of vegetable oil, and the food coloring of your choice. Make sure that you don’t use self-rising flour. First, combine the flour, salt, and alum in a mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and some boiling water as needed. Stir vigorously with a spoon until well blended. You’ll know the clay is ready when it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl and is cool enough to handle. Add food coloring and knead the clay until the color is well blended and the clay is the desired tint. For different colors of clay, you’ll need to make several batches and add a different color every time. Avoid mixing colors into one clay mix. You may wind up with a very uncommon or unattractive color. This recipe makes about one cup of clay. You may double the recipe for larger projects. Now, you’re ready to make creative clay projects with your own homemade modeling clay. Store the clay in a jar with a tight lid. It should keep for several months without refrigeration. If you expose the clay to air overnight, it will most likely dry to a hard finish.

Making play dough
If you’re children don’t have play dough anymore which you bought on a store or maybe they just feel like doing some fun activity, what you can do is help them create play dough of their own. You would need some common kitchen ingredients to do this. Mix together flour (1 cup), salt (1/2 cup), water (1 cup), tartar cream (2 teaspoons), salad oil (1 teaspoon), and any choice of food coloring. Cook them together for 3 minutes but just in low heat temperature. Stir well then add the food coloring. You can also make scented play dough by adding powdered drink to it. Not only will this add color to your play dough, this can also give it a scent of the drink’s flavour like cherry, grape or orange. In between uses, place the play dough inside a container. You can also help your child do play dough which is edible thus they can eat it while they cook and play with it. Mix peanut butter (2 cups), rolled oats (2 cups), dried milk (2 cups) and honey (2/3 cup). You can also add tasty extras like red hots, chocolate chips, coconut sprinkles, or rice cereal. Mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. You can cover the countertop or cover the table using wax paper so you can work there as you create your play dough. In between uses, put the play dough inside a container which is airtight.

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I. Birth to 1 year
At this stage, you might even think that it is impossible to do anything that will affect the reading skills of your child. You may want to start at this early age of development to create a learning atmosphere for your child. Do read to your child constantly at this age. It is important that you show her the pictures in the books that you use. Observe how your child responds because you will know if she is interested in story telling time.

II. 1 to 3 years

At these ages, your children will be in a crucial stage when it comes to the learning process. This is when she will learn how to talk, making room to learn more language skills, especially reading. Statr teaching your child how to read the alphabet. Knowing the alphabet can really go a long way in your child’s development. You need to make sure that you have interaction when you tech your child how to read. When reading, do make gestures and facial expressions that they can associate with certain emotions. It is also recommended to read animal stories, and accompany it with matching animal sounds. Kids really love animal stories at this age.

You should read a lot and even make it a habit to read to your child. This is when you will be able to teach them. There are picture books that show pictures of words that children might associate with. You may start teaching them how to read words or even phrases.

III. 3 to 4 years

During preschool, your child will further her reading skills since they will start going to school now. They will spend most of their time interacting with other people. Most school activities will include their teacher reading to them storybooks, mostly fairy tales. You child may even have a favourite character and imitate them. You may start teaching them how to write and how to read more difficult words as well as sentences. You need to teach your child how to handle the books properly.

There are some signs and labels that your kid must be familiar with like stop signs, female and male signs and others that will be helpful when they are left in school without you. Most importantly, teach them how to ask if they are unsure of the signs that they are reading. Teach them phrases like “I love you” or “Thank you’. These are phrases which they can use in preschool when interacting with the teacher or fellow students.

IV. 5 years
At kindergarten, you may need to ask them if they want to read the lines or words for you. This can be great training for the kid so that they will not be afraid to learn. Allow them to read to you and actually listen to them. Explain to them that reading should be done left to right going down the page. Start playing reading games, giving a prize for every correct word that they read. Also, if they know the meaning or if they can give a word that starts with that letter, she will get a special prize. They may also work with familiarity with starting sounds as well as ending sounds. Kids love to associate things and find that this is an effective method, do allow them to discover their way of learning.

Subtly correct them if they make mistakes, but do not make them feel that they have done a big mistake. This will discourage them from reading in the future. Descriptive language is recommended when asking questions. You may make learning a fun experience by engaging in rhyming games. You can now match written words with spoken ones so that they may be able to comprehend phrases as well as sentences.

V. 6 years old

This is the culminating stage of the reading process. Sure enough, beyond the first-grade, children will still continue the reading process, but more or else, your child will have an idea on how to read properly. Rereading stories are what kids this age do best, they will reread their favourite stories to anyone, including you. You may want to incorporate a game where you predict what will happen, or asking questions about the story and they must find the answers in the book. Ask them to read aloud, and be proud of what they are reading. They will be confident that what they are doing is right and allow them to enjoy that freedom when they read to you. Yes, children love the idea that they are given a change to read a story with print, picture clues and memory. They will be able to associate stories with these elements. Let them learn new words by associating phonetics with similar words and you may even help them if they are having difficulty.

Ask them to identify new words just by looking at them and figuring out how to read them. You may throw in a little vocabulary so that they will know what those words are when they start to read them in a sentence. Besides from this, you need to teach them how to write sentences and how they feel. They need to learn punctuations, capitalizations and the right way of combining words to form meaning.

The developmental stage of your child is very crucial. You need to take each stage seriously as part of their learning process. Build interest in reading because this can really be a big part of your child’s development. There are so much that they can learn from reading so do not take this skill for granted

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These suggestions are all very basic and simple. However, they can greatly contribute to the overall development of a child and also make excellent gifts.

• Free paint: What you will need is some tempera paint in different colors, paint brushes, and construction paper
• Clay sculpture: Let the preschoolers in you class play with modelling clay. You’ll be surprised with what they can make out of it.
• Basic collage: Collage simply means to paste or to glue. Give the children some paper, non-toxic glue, and safety scissors and provide them with simple instructions.
• Drawing: Prepare crayons, colored pencils, markers, or water color, and let the children use the coloring or writing material they want.

More Sophisticated Mother’s Day Art Projects

The following activities are still simple but are more specific and detail-oriented. You may modify or improvise the projects according to the age of the children in your class.

• Tissue Paper Flowers: Teach the children to bend a colored pipe cleaner around folded tissue paper. Have them make several flowers to form a bouquet.
• Stained Glass Vase: Paint some clear glue on a clean glass jar and let the children add tissue and more glue.
• Mommy collage: Print out individual pictures of the kids in your class and teach them to form the pictures and other images that remind them of their mother, into a collage.
• Decorated Hand Prints: Cover each child’s hand with tempera paint and have them press their hands on a piece of construction paper. Once the paper is dry, have them cut it into a heart and write dedications like “I love you”.

Bridging Art and Other Curricular Areas through simple Mother’s Day Art Activities

Art also has the ability to connect different areas of education. These Mother’s Day art projects incorporate art and other learning objectives.

• Mother’s Day Flowers: Plan a sunflower or pumpkin seedling in a used (but clean) milk container. Have the children paint the exterior of the container before putting soil in it. The children can also improve the look of the pot by decorating it with glitter.
• Mother’s Day Book: This activity will not only enhance a child’s pre-literacy abilities, but also make them learn basic book making. Hep the children create a 3-page book about their mom, out of construction paper tied together with yard, ribbon, or pipe cleaners.
• Family Tree: Have the children draw or paint a big tree on a piece of white paper, and paste small pictures of their family members on the branches.
Making hand-made gifts for moms can be a rewarding and fun experience for both you and the preschoolers in your class. So, encourage the creativity and inventiveness of your class. It will not just allow them to give their mom a wonderful gift, it will also give them a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Creating Mother’s Day Gifts with Very Young Children

Children aged 2-5 are just starting to have an idea of sharing and giving. These economical and simple Mother’s Day gift ideas will give young children a chance to create their own gifts.

Mothers are exceptional people who are worthy of nothing but the best. Mother’s Day is really the best moment to show mothers how much their presence is appreciated. The following are three inexpensive souvenir ideas a toddler can give his or her mom on Mother’s day.

Trouble-free and economical Gifts for the mothers from toddlers

Objects around the residence can be used by little children in creating their mother’s day gift. Although very little children need guidance and assistance, allow them to put in as much effort they possibly can.

Flower Bouquet: An older sibling or another grown up in the family could help a youngster get flowers or come with them to buy some.

Supplies needed:

• Flower vase and/or a nice-looking plastic glass
• Wildflowers and/or flowers in the garden
• Ribbon (non-compulsory)

Instructions:

1. Pick or buy some wildflowers and/or flowers available in the garden
2. Trim the stems to diverse lengths as well as cut off inferior leaves.
3. Arrange the flowers in the vase (or attractive glass) and load it halfway through with water.
4. Bind a ribbon around the vase plus create a bow.
5. Have the youngster present it as his or her mom on that day.

Mother’s Day Greeting Card: Young children love drawing and coloring.

Materials needed:

• White paper
• Pens, and/or markers, then stamp pads, as well as crayons, and/or stickers

Directions

1. Fold a portion of white paper into two or quarters.
2. Have the child adorn the greeting card through his personal approach using markers, or crayons, and pens, or stickers provided.
3. An older siblings or adult can write the dedication and lead in cleaning up a few mess.
4. Hide the card and let the child give it to mom on her day.

Gift for Ten Dollars or less

Materials and ingredients:

• handy Rice Krispie Treats – can be purchased from the cereal section of any local store or grocery
• Hershey Bars
• Confetti decorations or candy sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Take away Rice Krispie Treats from packaging. Cut into two or leave as it is. Put on microwave-safe plate.
2. Take out Hershey Bars from packaging. Break into distinct squares.
3. Microwave on high for 10 seconds at a time until chocolate is soft.
4. Let child dust the krispie with confetti or candy sprinkles while the chocolate on top is still soft.
5. Allow the krispies to cool completely and keep them in a sealed container.
6. Give the treats to Mommy.

Young kids love giving their mom gifts. So allow them to be as creative as they can when making artworks, homemade projects, or the like. Just remember to get the help of older siblings or adults in areas that may require their assistance. Creating their own gift will definitely make Mother’s Day extra special. And although these projects only cost nothing or below $10, the happiness they can give a mother is priceless.

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1) The first activity aims to help children focus their attention to sounds through words. In doing so, children realize that words consist of sounds. In the process, the children engage themselves in learning how to read as they match the sounds they hear to the words written. Remember that the benefit of doing this activity is that this can actually prevent problems in reading which may possibly occur in the future. The things you need for this activity include nursery rhyme books, a compilation of tongue twisters, a set of word games or a collection of silly songs.

The following suggested activities can be done with the children. Just make sure that they enjoy them.

• Say the name of your child and then ask him to say the words beginning with a similar sound. For example, if her name is Karelle, make her say words such as kite, key and kiss. If his name is Marcus, you can ask him to say words like mouse, man and mat.
• Every time you read your child a poem or a story, have him listen to the words and give him examples of words beginning with a similar sound. Then, let him do the same by asking him to think and give you another word beginning with the same sound.
• Read out a nursery rhyme like “Jack and Jill” to your child. Play with the words in the nursery rhyme by asking your child to make up word such as “Back and Bill” or “Pack and Pill”.
• Make up silly lines with your child using many different words all beginning with similar sounds such as, “Billy bought blue baby bottles.”
• Give two names that can be used to name an animal. Ask which of the two names starts with the sound similar to that of the name of the animal. For instance, which should be a dog’s name, Dino or Lino? Should the cat be named Candy or Dandy?

2) The second activity aims to make the child understand what a poem or a story is all about. In doing so, the child becomes a better reader as he learns how to connect his emotion with the words written. The things that you must have in this activity are stories or poems written from the viewpoint of a child and also props like puppets and clothes used in children’s play.

• Slowly read a poem to the child. Make sure to read it the words with feelings, making it seem like they seem important.
• If the child has a favourite poem, make her act out the poem while making different faces for the different emotions that the poem’s character feels. Make sure to give her praises after performing.
• Ask your child to perform a poem in front of the whole family. Allot a time when the whole family can sit down together. After the child’ performance, ask her to take her bow while everyone is cheering and clapping loudly.
• Make the child play with her imagination by asking her to create an original play based on a story she has heard or read before. Give her the help that she needs in looking for things like a stuffed toy, puppet or whatever she can use in telling the story. You can choose to write the words down, or if she already can, help her do so. Help her set up the stage for her play for friends and the rest of the family to watch.

3) The third activity makes the child aware of the people important for him. Also, it can give him an overview about how one thing can lead to some other thing in the story. The first few of the suggested activities will more likely be enjoyed by younger children. As a child gets older, the activities in the latter part might be enjoyed by him more. Just keep making him do the first activities while he still enjoys doing them.

• Tell stories about your family and about others close to your family. You might capture your child’s interest more if you put the stories in books then you can add old pictures.
• Relate to your child your own childhood stories which can includes what happened on a particular birthday party or on an out- of- town trip.
• Let your child take his turn by also telling you stories on things that happened during special occasions like birthday and holidays.
• If you take a trip somewhere, create a journal where you and your child can write down your experiences. Add up photos of these experiences. You can pass on all of these to the next family generation. These trips don’t have to be out of town as they can even be at supermarkets or parks.

4) This last activity improves your child’s ability to both read and write. Here, you will be needing art materials such as drawing pencils, coloring materials, a pair of scissors, a yarn, a writing paper, a construction paper and a cardboard.

• Write together with the child. By watching how you write, the child learns to write better too. Make her understand that writing is very useful.
• On making birthday cards or just lists, let your preschoolers sign them her own way, even when they just scribble.
• Put up a message board in the kitchen for the whole family. Offer to be the one to write down his notes there. Make sure that she gets to read the notes for her.
• Have your child tell you stories which you can write down for her. Clarify to her the things that you do not understand.
• Push your child to start writing her name while you practice with her. Remember that at first, maybe the only thing she can write is her name’s first letter.
• Help your preschooler write thank you letters or just simple notes to friends and relatives. Convince them to write back to your child.
• By the time that he is already in kindergarten, your preschooler will start writing words based on how he hears them. For instance, if he hears the word friend, she might write it as frn or haf for the word have. Make him read what he wrote. You don’t have to mind the spellings yet since he can learn them later on.
• Help her in organizing longer stories by asking her questions.
• Compile your preschooler’s writings as books. Glue her drawings and her writings on sheets of construction paper. Using cardboard, make the cover for every book and then design it. Punch a hole in the sheets so you can bind her book using a yarn. Don’t forget to write a title for every book and your child’s name as the author.

All these activities aim to build the language skills of your children. But remember that there still are a number of ways to further your kid’s learning.

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