From the category archives:

motor skills

We made our family apple tree in kindergarten

by Deborah J. Stewart September 2, 2010 Apples

This was the first week in Kindergarten so I wanted to drop in and welcome the new group. Of course, most of the children I already know but it was fun to see how much they have grown and quite amazing to see that they will be the new big kids on the block. During [...]

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Folding paper in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart August 28, 2010 Language Arts

Folding paper is a great way to help young children work on those fine motor skills as well as a way to give children guides for processes like writing, sorting, and counting. This little one spent time coloring a picture this morning and when she was finished, she decided she wanted to fold it up [...]

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Helping young children solve puzzles in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart August 28, 2010 Cognitive Development

I can’t remember who taught me this little technique for teaching preschoolers how to manage a puzzle but it is a technique I have used for many years with much success. When a very young child takes a puzzle and dumps all the pieces out, chances are he or she will have a little trouble [...]

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A simple bean bag game your preschoolers will love!

by Deborah J. Stewart August 24, 2010 Games

I happened by this classroom as the children were playing this simple little bean bag toss game. As each child walked up to the line, he or she would choose a bean bag out of the basket, then the teacher would ask the child to announce the color of the bag or name the letter [...]

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Tools to promote fine motor skills in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart August 18, 2010 Developmentally Appropriate Practices

This may just look like an empty blue ice tray but if you stop and think about how it can be used to promote fine motor skills or sorting skills, the ideas are limitless. By adding a basket of small, plastic objects – this ice tray becomes a tool for both play and developing new [...]

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Using lids to play with a purpose in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart August 3, 2010 Developmentally Appropriate Practices

I have been collecting small lids from milk jugs and juice jugs. I don’t really have a lot but I keep the ones I have saved in a small plastic pickle jar that I saved as well. To the untrained eye, these lids look like… well they just look like lids. But what I see [...]

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Kick box painting with toddlers

by Deborah J. Stewart July 23, 2010 Boxes

My nephew Wy loves to kick balls, push cars, and color with markers but there is one thing that he really doesn’t seem to like…. Wy doesn’t like to paint. When Wy gets a little paint on his hands, he stops in his tracks and just stares like it is a disease. But unfortunately for [...]

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Preschoolers can make their own lines in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart July 18, 2010 Physical Development

Let your preschoolers make their own lines to color inside! Start by giving a child a piece of paper and some crayons…. Then invite the child to draw some lines…. And some shapes….. And then invite the child to color inside the shapes! How important are those lines anyway? The process of creating their own [...]

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Turn a box into toddler fun

by Deborah J. Stewart July 11, 2010 Boxes

My plan was to decorate this box and make it really cool like this one here. But as much as I liked the idea of making a cool oven Wy  had other plans. Wy was all about the play! In and Out went Wy And Open and Shut went the “doors” Since the doors were [...]

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Time to create in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart July 10, 2010 Creative Art

My teacher set the colored tape, black construction paper, scissors, and chalk on the table. All I needed was a little time and the chance to do something all by myself. I concentrated on my work. The tape was sticky and I had to use my hands and my mind to figure out how to [...]

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Parachute play in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart May 23, 2010 Physical Development

Parachute play is a great way to promote teamwork and to get those large muscles moving. The children gather around the parachute and hold on to one of the parachute handles.  There are more children then there are handles on the parachute so the children who are not holding a handle become the ball fetchers. [...]

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Fine motor development in preschool with play dough and straws

by Deborah J. Stewart April 27, 2010 Physical Development

Play dough is such a wonderful resource for building fine motor skills. Wy and I sat down to play with some play dough recently. I cut the straws down so they were a little shorter then showed Wy how to make a ball of play dough and then stick the straws into the play dough. [...]

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Large motor skills in the preschool classroom

by Deborah J. Stewart February 4, 2010 Physical Development

Getting large motor skills moving in the classroom is a very important aspect of developmental growth. Especially in the winter time, when children spend less time outdoors, you need to make sure you are investing time in planning activities that promote various types of large motor skills. What kind of large motor activities are there? [...]

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Preschoolers need opportunties to develop their cutting skills

by Deborah J. Stewart November 19, 2009 Physical Development

Give your preschoolers opportunities to develop their cutting skills but before you do so consider a few of the following suggestions: Make sure scissors will actually cut. If you can’t cut a piece of paper with the child-sized scissors you select then chances are, your preschoolers wont be able to either. Have left and right [...]

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Threading yarn with preschoolers

by Deborah J. Stewart November 11, 2009 Quick Tips for Preschool Teachers

This is just a short tip for you to tuck away the next time your preschoolers are threading yarn. Start by taping the end of your string or yarn to the table so it doesn’t slide around. This will keep the items you are threading from sliding off the end! Put a long, thin strip [...]

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