When my kids were in that preschool age group, a lot of our activities were focused on colors, numbers, and letters. I currently have a 3-year-old and we are often talking about the alphabet by doing this favorite activity, or playing with letters in this silly way. But did you know that there are some other important skills that you should focus on with your Preschooler?
When I was teaching Kindergarten, it was very common for a large portion of my class to come in not knowing how to write their name. It seems like one of the first skills you would teach a child, but it often gets overlooked. And don’t even get me started on cutting. I had so many kiddos who had never even held a pair of scissors before! And while your Kindergarten teacher will definitely appreciate the focus on letters and numbers, introducing your child to scissors is a great way to get them ready for Kindergarten. Because, trust me, there will be a lot of cutting in the classroom! And guess what, it’s actually a simple skill to introduce at home! Let me show you how:
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Materials
- Paper (using colored paper can make it more fun!)
- Markers
- Kid Scissors
How To
This should take you no more than 60 seconds to set up, assuming you know where your supplies are!
- Grab your paper and a marker. Write your child’s name with each letter spaced out
- Draw a line in between each letter (these are the cutting lines for your child)
- Because the lines are for your child to cut on you can modify them based on what your kiddo is working on.
- First time cutting – use straight lines for easy-to-follow tracks
- Mastered straight cutting – draw zigzag lines with sharp angles for your child to work on turning the paper
- Can easily cut straight and zigzag lines – draw curved squiggly lines for an added challenge
- You can even change the type of line up after each letter!
- Grab the scissors and your kiddo. Explain that they need to cut along each line.
- Once they have cut all of the letters out, mix up the pieces and ask your cutie to put the puzzle back together.
Enjoy!
While your kiddo is piecing the puzzle back together, ask some questions to challenge them. What letters do you see? What does this word say? Can you spell your name? What letter does it begin with?
The sky is the limit here! And once your kiddo gets the hang of their name, you can use other words to challenge them!
Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend! You can find us on Pinterest and see what we are up to on Instagram. Is your little getting ready for Kindergarten? I’ve got you covered!
