Ideas for SUmmer

Hello Preschool Families!

I sincerely apologize for my delay in this post (and in making videos). I've been busy moving into my new house! My internet will get set up tomorrow morning and hopefully I can start posting videos to YouTube after that! Look for new videos later this week! For now, I just wanted to give you some ideas of things you can work on over the summer and some fun ways to practice these skills together at home!

Skills to Practice:

• Letters (identifying by name, matching upper/lower case, producing sounds, etc.)
• Numbers (identifying by name, matching to counted objects)
• Shapes--2D & 3D (identifying by name, describing)
• Writing name
• Writing letters
• Pencil grip
• Fine Motor skills
• Vocabulary (incorporating new words into everyday conversations) 
• CVC words/sight words (for those ready, likely going onto kindergarten)

Ways to Practice:

• Shaving cream (write/draw letters, shapes, numbers, name, CVC words, sight words, etc.)
• Sidewalk chalk/chalk paint (write/draw letters, shapes, numbers, name, CVC words, sight words, etc.)
• Playdough (make letters, shapes, numbers, name, CVC words, sight words, etc.; also great fine motor practice!)
• Dry erase markers & dry erase board or laminated paper (write/draw letters, shapes, numbers, name, CVC words, sight words, etc.; also great to practice pencil grip!)
• Rainbow writing--write multiple times using different colors! Start over each time or trace over with a new color each time (write/draw letters, shapes, numbers, name, CVC words, sight words, etc.; also great to practice pencil grip!)
• Scavenger hunt--go on a scavenger hunt around your house, yard, neighborhood, grocery store, etc. to find letters, numbers, shapes, etc. For a challenge, you could also instruct your child to find the letter that makes a particular sound
• Find & Jump--write letters (or numbers, shapes, sight words, etc.) on pieces of paper or on the pavement with chalk. Call out one for your child to find and jump on! Mix it up by incorporating letter sounds or having your child spell his name or simple words he/she knows.
• Run & Find--same concept as find & jump, but this time, your child should run to the letter (or whatever else) you call out!
• Squirt guns/bottles--use water guns or squirt bottles outside to spray on top of chalk on the pavement. The chalk should be letters, numbers, shapes, or words that you have written out. Just like previous activities, call out what your child should find and spray. (Hint: this also adds in some fine motor practice and is a good way to cool off this summer!) You could also have your child try to trace the letters/words/etc. with the water gun/squirt bottle.
• Memory--make some cards to practice one of the skills above (such as letters, numbers, or shapes). Your child has to match them AND say what it is in order to keep the match! The person with the most matches at the end wins! (This could be a fun one to include siblings in, as long as the siblings can play along and give the younger one a chance to practice/win!) For letters, you can do all the same (uppercase) or have your child match upper and lower case letters together for extra practice!
• Writing tray--you can use sand, sugar, salt, or another similar material. Fill a tray and have your child practice writing/drawing in it! If you have a sandbox outside, you could also use this instead! Your child can practice letters, numbers, shapes, name, and words with this! (It is also great fine motor practice!)
• Find the missing letters (or numbers, shapes, etc.). Write each one down on a piece of paper and hide it around your house. You can make it as easy or as tricky as you like! Have your child find each one and identify what it is! You can also incorporate positional words with this activity and give your child clues (over, under, next to, behind, etc.).  There are so many fun ways you can modify this game! You can even hide them inside something, like Easter eggs!
• Letter sound scavenger hunt--find items in your house that start with a particular sound! See how many your child can find! Or, turn it into a competition and let the whole family join in!
• Beads--beads are a great way to practice fine motor skills! You can lace them on string, wire, pipe cleaners, etc. You can also try making a pattern with the beads to incorporate some math skills!
• Pasta--if you don't have beads, you can also use some types of pasta to thread onto string, wire, etc. instead!
• Opposite game--this was an activity from Seesaw! Go back and forth with your child, naming what you see and then have your child respond with an object he/she sees that is the opposite. For instance, you might say "I see a big table" and your child might respond with "I see a small book." Go back and forth as long as your child shows interest. This can be played at home, in the car, at the store, etc. The whole family can join in, too! This is a great way to practice vocabulary and language skills.
• Rhyming game--say a word and see if your child can produce a word that rhymes! This is another game the whole family can play! For older children (older siblings), you can also try talking in rhymes. For instance, say a sentence and then the next person responds with a sentence so that the last word of that sentence rhymes with the last word of the first sentence. It can get really silly!
• Vocabulary practice--try to learn a new word each week and use it as much as you can! Maybe you can turn it into a contest for your family and come up with a prize for the family member who uses the word correctly the most during the week!
• For more fine motor activities, check out my blog post on the topic (from earlier this year)!
• There was also a blog post earlier this year with ideas for practicing letters! Check it out for more ideas. Most of these can also be modified to practice other skills such as numbers, shapes, name, words, etc.

I'll certainly be on the lookout for more games/activities I can share with you guys! I hope this is a good start, though. I will get more videos posted ASAP. I appreciate your patience. Enjoy your summer and hopefully I will be able to see you all again soon!

Blessings,
Ms. Barker