Fine Motor Activities

• Cut
• Lace
  
• Trace
• Color using 1 1/2 inch piece of crayon inside the lines.
  
• Finger paint
• Model with clay
• Turn nuts and bolts
• Tear around magazine pictures
• Paste
  
• String beads
• Write on a chalkboard
• Snap
  
• Zip
  
• Fold
• Squeeze water from a sponge
• Spoon rice from one container to another
• Put things in a pocket chart
• Put things pennies in a slot
• Screw lids on a jar
• Spoon water into a bowl
• Use a flour sifter
• Use tongs to pick up objects
  
• Punch holes in paper.
• Pin safety pins on material
• Scrub pots
• Sand Wood
• Pick up un-popped popcorn with tweezers

Comprehension Strategies

It is key to ask your child questions before, during and after reading with them. No matter what questions you ask, lookout for questions that increase your talking about the book. Here are few examples of questions that you could ask.

• Factual questions ask for details about the text: "When does this story take place?" or "What kind of bird is this?"
• Inferential questions encourage children to read between the lines of the text: "Why do hockey players wear skates?"
• Opinion questions invite children to tell you what they think: "What do you think about that?" or "What did you think of the book?"
• Text-to-self questions bridge the text to the child's own experience: "How did you feel when that happened to you?"
• Text-to-text questions bridge the text to another text the child has read: "Is this like another book that we've read?"
• Prediction questions ask children to tell you what might happen next: "What do you think the bird is going to do with the twig?" or "What do you think the author will teach us about next?"
• Authorship questions ask children to think like the author: "What would you have David do if you wrote the story?"
• Vocabulary questions ask children what they know about a word: "What do you think the word glare means?"

The words that are used may seem too complicated for a kindergartener. The truth is that when they start doing guided reading their teachers will be using these words all the time. Why not start now. Well I hope these ideas have given you a starting point. Go have a great time reading to your kindergartener.

Begining Sounds

These games will help your child with beginning and ending sounds. There are some other fun games too.
http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/Kindergarten/la.htm

Sorting

Sorting can be a fun and easy thing to do while at your home. Have them sort things like tupperware, socks, silverware, etc. There are many ways that you can do sorting at your own home. If you want to do sorting with your child with out making a mess here is a website that has a shape sorting game and a fish sorting game. Have FUN.

http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/interactive/kindergarten.htm#Math%20Links

Numeral Recognition and Writing

There are many easy ways to count with your child. The thing that we find hard is finding the right way to teach them how to write the numbers. Here is a helpful song that we use in school to remind them how to write their numbers. (Sung to the tune of Skip to my Lou)

1. Start at the top and come straight down(repeat two times). To make a numeral 1.
2. Half way around and slide to the right(repeat two times). To make a numeral 2.
   
3. Circle around and around again (repeat two times.) To make a numeral 3.
4. Down, slide, cut in half, thats the way(repeat two times) To make a numeral 4.
5. Down and around and put on his hat(repeat two times) To make a numeral 5.
6. Come right down and give it a curl (repeat two times) To make a numeral 6.
7. Slide to th right and then slant down(repeat two times) To make a numeral 7.
8. Make an "S" and go straight home(repeat two times) To make a numeral 8.
9. Circle around and then straight down(repeat two times) To make a numeral 9.
10. Make a one and then add a zero(repeat two times) To make a numeral 10.

This song may seem a little dorky but you wouldn't believe how helpful it is when they are trying to remember how to write the numbers.

Patterns, Shapes and Colors

This seems like a lot to cover doesn't it. I think that it can be as simple as you want to make it. Patterns, shapes, and colors are found all around us. As you are driving down the road on the way to the grocery store, you can point out all different shapes and colors you see. If this doesn't strike your fancy then here is a website that your child can learn patterning, shapes, and colors all at the same time. Have FUN!

http://kids.aol.com/homework-help/junior/math/shapes

Counting by Tens, Fives, and Twos.

There is a man who makes Kindergarten teachers lives so much easier and his name is Jack Hartman. He writes amazing songs that help our students learn to do math, read, and many other things. If you are looking for the best way to teach your child to count by 10's, 5's, and 2's, then buy his CD's "Math in Motion" and "Math All Around Me". Here is a link to his website where you can buy his CDs for just $15.00.

http://www.jackhartmann.com/order.php

Sounds of the Letters

This one is simple whenever you talk about the alphabet with your child be sure to mention that each one of them has a name and a sound. Here is a link to a fun song on Starfall.com that does the names of the letters and their sounds.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/song-abcs/load.htm?f

Rhyiming Words

Syllables

Correct Pencil Grip

Cutting and Glueing

Counting to Ten (one to one correspondance)

Here are some websites that have games that you can play with your child. They can help them practice counting different objects. Thanks and HAVE FUN.

• http://funschool.kaboose.com/preschool/games/game_counting_on_a_cloud.html
• http://www.abcya.com/connect_the_dots_butterfly.htm
• http://www.abcya.com/connect_the_dots_bear.htm
• http://www.abcya.com/connect_the_dots_donkey.htm
• http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/countthewheels.asp?themeid=19
• http://juliasrainbowcorner.com/html/ants.html
• http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/games/game_farm_addition.html?g=add1_chick_ds3
  

Book Handling/ Knowledge

I know that it is difficult to know what you should talk about while reading to your child. This is the idea behind this blog. Here are a few ideas of some skills that they should be practicing.


Handling

• Holding a book in the upright position
• Understand that sentences go from left to right and then from top to bottom.
  
• Turns the pages lefts to right.
  
• Reads left page before right page.

Surface Feature Knowledge

• Uses the words: cover, page, story, title, spine, author and illustrator.
  
• Uses book title and cover illustration to make a prediction of what will happen in the story.
• Understand that the book is written by an author and the pictures are made by an illustrator.

Print and Punctuation Knowledge

• Knows what a letter is.(can point to it when asked)
• Knows what a word is. (can point to it when asked)
• Participates in reading when it is predictable.
• Understands what punctuation is and can point to a comma, period, question mark, and exclamation point.
  

Name Writing

This is a simple thing to do with your child. The best way is just to let your child have as many experiences writing their name as possible. You can make this very fun. When there is steam on the window let them write their name in it. Use finger paints, markers, magnetic letters on the fridge, pens, crayons, and anything else that you could think of. Don't push them though this should be a fun thing to do with their parents.