Preschool Home Activities

November

 

Self Help Skills

 

As parents, we have the mind set to take care of our children.  You help them get dressed, climb up and down the stairs, or carry their belongings. Now your child is in preschool, you are beginning to see how s/he is becoming much more of an independent soul.  Now is the time to have your child carry out as many self care tasks as possible.  It takes more time and effort to teach these skills then just doing it for your child, but caring for one self is a skill needed every day for your child’s entire life. It is important that he or she learns these skills.  Self-help activities also help develop balance skills, trunk, arm and hand muscles and motor planning skills, all things that are needed for the foundation of writing and school performance.  This month try focusing on having your child do more for him or her self. Try these self help activities at home.

 

 Sock and Shoe- Keep a regular spot for articles of clothing so your child can get them out and put them on when you ask him/her.   Encourage your child to use two hands to pull up socks.  Encourage him/her to push down when trying to put on his/her sneaker. 

 

Getting toes in the sock helps develop motor planning skills, pulling socks up works on finger strength and putting a finger in the back of the shoe develops finger isolation and dexterity.

 

Undressing- is usually easier then dressing.  Have your child be as independent as possible and put clothes where they belong (laundry in a basket, PJ under pillow). 

 

Motor planning skills are improved with this activity.  As s/he gathers, lifts, and carries his/her laundry s/he is improving trunk muscles. S/He is also learning to sequence steps in order to complete the activity. Arm and hand strength is improved as s/he pushes against the resistance of his clothing

 

Dressing- When you have extra time or are able to make extra time, give your child the chance to dress himself.  Can your child get into his/her PJ by her/himself?  With all dressing, help your child with the start of the task, then have her/ him complete the last step.  Then help her/ him with the start of dressing and have her/ him complete the last 2 steps.  Use the same process until s/he can dress her/himself.

 

As your child pushes her/his leg into her/his pants s/he must hold her/his trunk still.  This improves her/his trunk muscles as well as her/ his hand and leg muscles.  As s/he pulls up his pants/underwear he is improving hand strength.

 

Backpack- Have your child pack and unpack her/his own belongings.  Keep her/his book bag in a place so s/he knows where to go and place her/his belongings in. 

 

This develops skills in manipulating small items, motor planning, and persistence when s/he encounters a difficult task.