| Social-Emotional Development: Note: This list includes skills necessary to attend school. If you intend to homeschool, then some of these items would not be necessary. Homeschooled children can develop these skills in a much more natural and less stressful way.
In order to find activities that you can do at home to help your children learn these concepts, the assistance of Fran Wisniewski was engaged (who conducts research and writes regularly for the UniversalPreschool.com website). She was asked to try to find hands-on activities that use materials parents can easily find at home. What she came up with will astound you. In fact, what she developed was so massive that it had to be broken it down into manageable categories... Home Preschool Curriculum Guide Here, you'll find ideas and activities to help you help your child understand the concepts needed to succeed whether they attend school or homeschool. The first section of our guide addresses the concepts of size, colours, shapes, numbers, and learning to count. |
| Learning The Concepts Of Size, Colours, Shapes, Numbers, And Counting ~~ Understanding Size ~~ Big and Little When you teach your children about big and little you're teaching them to observe and compare the world around them. Here are some simple activities that provide lots of comparison opportunities. What's Bigger? A Lion or a Mouse? Take a trip to the zoo and compare big animals like elephants and tigers to smaller animals such as lemurs and impalas. Or visit your local humane society or pet store and compare the size of dogs to cats to rabbits and to guinea pigs. Compare the size of animals of the same species, but different breeds - such as a German Shepherd with a Chihuahua, or a Lionfish to a goldfish. Further the learning by reading the story "The Lion and the Mouse." Is it possible that a great big lion would need the help of a little mouse? This fun web site has an illustrated story about "The Lion and the Mouse" adapted by Tom Lynch Pancakes Come in All Sizes! Start your morning off right by making a delicious batch of pancakes! Make big pancakes and small pancakes and compare the sizes. Here is a delicious pancake recipe to get you started. Long and Short Play the game, "The Long and Short Of It" What you'll need: Yarn or string cut into two lengths, one long and one short Directions: Pinch a length of yarn between the thumb and pointer finger of each hand so that the yarn hangs down. Ask your child which hand has the longest or shortest string. If your child is correct let him/her have a turn asking you. If your child is not correct, let him/her try again. Have your child compare the lengths after each incorrect play and ask him/her to show or tell you about the differences. Switch the lengths of yarn often. When you first begin playing this game, make the lengths of yarn noticeably different. As your child gets better, cut the lengths so that it gets more challenging for your child to notice the difference. Here are some more ideas for long and short comparisons: Compare long and short objects such as toothpicks and craft sticks. Using play dough, make long and short lengths and compare the two. Read a short story and then read a longer story and compare the two. Compare things like shoe sizes, arms, legs, and hair. Make long and short necklaces or bracelets from beads, pasta, or O-shaped cereal. Matching Objects Based on Size Roll out play dough and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Match the cookie cutters to the cut out shapes in the dough. Make a sorting box with a shoe box. Use cookie cutters as guides and as playing pieces. Cover a shoe box with white or brown paper. Next, trace the larger side of a cookie-cutter onto the paper and cut out with a cutting tool. Use cookie-cutters as playing pieces. Trace household items onto paper and let your child match the objects to the tracings. Try to use different objects such as keys, lids, pencils, crayons and other creative things. Variation: Use a clay recipe that can be baked to create a game board for cut out cookie shapes. Variation: Use a strong piece of cardboard and cut out objects and have your child match them. Identify Colours and Shapes In order to help your child recognise primary colours and learn the names such as red, yellow, blue, green, white, and black -- talk about colours everyday. For example: Talk about the colours you are wearing. "I really like that blue shirt you're wearing." Also, use colours to describe everyday things for example, "Our car is green," "Look at that beautiful yellow flower!" Ask your child to do the same. Play Candyland Colour with your child. Set the crayon box near them, away from you. Ask your child to hand you a certain colour crayon from the box . Play I Spy Colour Game This can be played in the car, while out for a walk or in the house. Just say, "I spy, with my little eye, something that is red!" See if your child can guess what it is. Back to: Cognitive Development Next to: Recognise Shapes CREDITS TO UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL - WITH THANKS |
| ST AIDEN'S FREE PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM Cognitive Development & A Typical Course of Study for Preschool Social Emotional Development |
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