Showing posts with label how to improve fine motor skills for preschoolers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to improve fine motor skills for preschoolers. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Painting rocks and How it Helps Daddy
One Thursday afternoon I had a surprising realization. I hadn't seen Hubby since Monday night...that's three days. It might seem logical that he was out of town but he wasn't. He was living the glorious life of a surgical resident with crazy hours. The poor kids were begging to see him. The problem is, when he does finally walk in the door after being gone for 3 days, the kids go WILD. They run around the house screeching at the top of their lungs. They hit each other and laugh and then fall down, then screech again. Then they hit Daddy and run away, laughing. They hang on his neck and yank his ears. Really, they act just like the dogs. We know they'll be fine after a few minutes, but those first couple of minutes can be excruciating, especially for a poor tired Hubby with a headache. Don't get me wrong. It's cute, but it can be a lot to take.
With that in mind, I decided to come up with a couple of projects that we can be working on when he comes home, so that he can be involved, but their energy will be directed to something positive. I knew Hubby wouldn't be too intrigued with My Little Pony crafts, but I did find one recently that was right up his alley: Painting rocks. My kids adore collecting rocks. This is what Munchkin Girl's bike looks like all the time.
Not only do they love to collect them, they love to throw them in ponds, put them in purses, pretty much anything you can do with a rock is A-Ok with my kids. So, I pulled out the paint and we spent almost an hour one day painting those rocks.
Little Buddy has been painting since he was only an 18 month toddler. I started him off doing it much younger than Munchkin Girl because he saw Big Sis doing painting and I think that's why he's so good at holding the paintbrush. He's only two, and he holds the brush almost better than Big Sis (who is almost four).
If we want to keep these rocks and have them decorate our garden (Ha, like I have time for a garden!), we can just spray them with acrylic to make the paint last.
Now when Hubby comes home tonight, we'll be all ready to welcome him home, with a nice cheap craft, with hopefully very little high-pitched screaming.
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Keep Little Kids Busy While You Shower
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Showers: We all need them, but isn't it funny that no one tells you that after you have kids you will likely never get to shower alone again unless it's at 5:30am or 8:00 pm. I usually try to shower in the morning, before the little kids wake up, but a few weeks ago I slept in and was forced to attempt the scary scenario of "watching" the kids from the shower. On this particular day, they tricked me. They acted like they were going to behave and play quietly, but as soon as my feet hit the tile, they both hopped into the bath tub and started trying to get the water turned on. I jumped out, sopping wet, and pulled them both out of the tub. Then, as soon as I got back in the shower, they found my special jewelry stash and started pulling everything out. A few minutes later, Munchkin Girl said, "Mommy, I have to go poo poo..." Since she still can't wipe herself, I had to hop out once again, sopping wet and help her take care of her business.
Since then, I've been brainstorming ways to keep kids busy while I'm in the shower. The goal is to have something with minimal set-up and clean-up. And to be honest, I really want something I can just buy and be confident that it's safe for young kids. I love to create art projects but I need to be sure that if I give them something while I'm in the shower it isn't going to disintegrate. I am happy to report that I have found a few things that allow me the time to actually use conditioner and even apply my make-up!
1. Making necklaces. You can buy these kits at Target or Amazon and they allow your kids to make a very easy craft and it's clean too. Basically they are little beads that they push together to make necklaces. They are actually really great for fine motor skill and even patterning because they are different colors and you have to push pretty ha
rd to get them strung together. Probably best for kids ages 3.5 and up. You can just put them in a big bowl and after you show them how to do it, it can keep them busy for quite awhile.
2. Water Wow Coloring Books: I haven't been able to find these little miracles at any local store and I have no idea why. They are the best coloring book EVER. It comes with a special "pen" and you actually put water inside it, and when the page gets wet, it changes from white to a colorful pattern of My Little Ponies! My daughter was amazed the first time she saw this. You can find these on Amazon in different characters, even Spiderman and a few others for boys. When it dries, the color goes away so they can use it again and again and again. They are even great for restaurants.
3. Let's face it. Sometimes TV is the only thing that will buy you the 20 minutes you need. If you want to still be able to see what the kids are doing, you might consider investing in one of these. We also use it for plane and car rides and joke that it's the best $100 we ever spent!
4. Stringing necklaces: You can certainly do this without buying the kit (see left), but it was very handy because it stays all together and already has the strings ready.Sunday, February 26, 2012
Stickers Aren't a Waste of Money!
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The Little Mermaid is the latest obsession around our house. We even have to read the book every night and of course I can't skip even one single page. If I try, Munchkin Girl immediately stops me and says, "Mommy! You skipped the page about Ariel's Daddy!"
The good news is there are lots of projects we can do that are related to The Little Mermaid. I saw a tub of ocean stickers the other day and thought it would be a very easy craft for Munchkin Girl to create her own "ocean". I used to think stickers were a bit indulgent...really just a waste of money until my friend and child expert Susan Case helped me realize that stickers can be a really valuable way for children to work on strength and fine motor skills. We've been doing lots of stickers lately and last weekend we went out breakfast and they gave us a plastic case of crayons. Normally Munchkin Girl would have made me open hers, because it was clear plastic and pretty tricky to open, but this time, she opened the package herself without even asking for help! I really think this is from all the sticker practice she has had lately.
However, I noticed something this sticker project. Not all stickers are created equally. First, we started with a book of stickers that I bought because it had a lot of variety. I liked all the choices she would have. However, as it turned out, these were too small for her. She could get the stickers started, but then the head wouldn't come with the rest of the body and she would get frustrated and whine for me to come help her. I could tell this project didn't booster her self-confidence at all. In fact, it was the opposite because she had trouble with almost every one she tried to remove. We had much better luck with the larger, foam stickers. They didn't look like they would be as much fun because they didn't have any detail, but she didn't care. She definitely preferred the ease of the larger stickers and so did I because when she was able to take the stickers off by herself, the project took her a lot of time and she worked quietly by herself while she created her ocean.
So, if you're ever wondering how to improve fine motor skills in preschoolers, go with this cheap craft! Who knows...you might end up with smarter kids!! :-) All I needed for this project was construction paper and the stickers. It took no prep work from me and was easy to clean up!
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PS...I've been nominated for Top 25 Most Creative Blogs on Circle of Moms. If you have a second, I would love it if you voted for me. Just click the button below to get to the site and then find me (I'm about #10 currently but would like to move up!! :-))
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PS...I've been nominated for Top 25 Most Creative Blogs on Circle of Moms. If you have a second, I would love it if you voted for me. Just click the button below to get to the site and then find me (I'm about #10 currently but would like to move up!! :-))
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