There's been too much television in our house. Like way too much. And I started thinking that it was almost August and school is going to start up again and I don't want G to fall victim to the dreaded "slide" and … actually it's all about the television. There was just way too much television. I wanted to try using everyones brain. So I got out the workbook that G's prek3 teacher so nicely sent home with us and decided he should practice writing his name and do some letters.
He was actually quite excited to do some of his "work". And of course brother has to be included and wants to be just like G.
G has some fine motor skills he needs to work on. Being lower end of the scale it's not really surprising that fine motor would be last to come up (he is a boy, too) and I can't compare him to other kids but I know he's doing much better than he was at the end of the year with grasp and strength and I know he's grown so I am sure he'll be just fine.
Cutting play dough is a favorite activity.
For my next trick we got out the scrapbook paper and old magazines and cut out shapes. I probably helped point out too many circles but after I did a few he started to get what we were looking for and did the rest himself.
Child safety scissors suck so I'm not surprised he'd get a little frustrated. You really have to hold them "just so." But he did a great job and was so very proud of himself. He made me take his picture and wants to send it to his teacher because "she will be so proud of my work!"
This was a really great idea (stupid easy). Yesterday we did count beans into egg cartons and that was fun, but this was better. Kids just love stickers. He got very excited when he got the right answers. And I helped not at all but did remind him he needed to count as he was putting stickers on, to make sure he got it right (mostly on 10).
While G was cutting out shapes and counting stickers, D was doing more vocabulary type stuff. Putting stickers and repeating the names of them as he stuck them onto his paper. Shoes, hats, boats, bugs, ants, plants, flowers, etc. He loved it too. I'll delude myself a bit and say that he worked on fine motor by pulling them off and putting them on himself. ;)
But Stacy … you don't usually post such pictures so are these the first educational activities you've done??
Hmmm … this summer? Yes. Well, more or less. We've traveled and we've had visitors and we've done playdates and parks but these days I've been feeling sick (better today) and everyone else may be burnt out of the pool too and there's only so much television a person can take. I'm normally just fine with a few hours of TV or shows with meal times. But lately there had just been so much television. So these days I'm trying to do things to still use our brains.
I am glad to say both kids are fine sitting still for these activities. And that the TV has not been on today. Whew. Glad my interactive parenting skills aren't completely gone.
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