Your pre-schooler needs to learn about their body. They have arms and legs that stick out and a head that moves.

Set up your yard with the following to help them develop motor skills and body awareness:

a ladder - learn to walk over and between the rungs a large cardboard box - go to your local refrigerator shop and ask for a large box. Seal up one end and open the other. Cut a shape (square) on one side and another shape (triangle) on the other side. Ensure that the bottom of the shape is a few centimetres up from the edge.

You want your child to crawl through and learn to lift his legs as he goes through the shape hole.

Children will drag their feet until they realize that they need to think about their head, arms, legs, knees going through the holes.

Use other things around the home (for when it's raining) and back yard as well:

chairs...

Does your child like to play and build with blocks?

When you join in, you are actually investing in your child's future. As you listen to their ideas, follow their instructions, build on their knowledge and creativity you are helping to develop:

leadership skills the ability to work in a team sharing skills fine motor skills as they stack and balance a vast knowledge of vocabulary eg turrets, roads, doors, curves, shapes oral language skills relationships of acceptance and importance logical thinking Wow, what a great message you are giving your child when you are able to play in their world and show them you really enjoy it.

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Books are full of information. Oral language in front of a childs eyes and pictures, which tell a story to your child.

Explore books together. Look at the cover..........what is this story about?

Explore the pictures inside.

Read the story, talking about what is happening as you go, and relate similar experiences to their own life.

This is how children learn to sit and make up their own story. They will then use the pictures and become their own storyteller.

A child who has been read to lots, has explored the world from their own home. Their vocabulary develops while their curiosity and ability to look for more knowledge increases.

When you take your child to the park, keep them company and talk to them about what they are doing. Use the words up, down, in, out, over, on, under, top, bottom, middle, beside, next to, etc

The more words your children understand, the faster they will develop good literacy and numeracy skills.

The words above help in:

Numeracy:
eg counting up, counting down.

Literacy:
eg for instance when children look at a picture of a plane up in the sky and then the first letter in a word ‘up’ they can put the two together to help work out the word.

Cuddle, talk and sing to your baby.

Massage your baby's hands and feet so they are feeling the different parts of their body.

Why -

Because your baby has just spent 9 months secure in your womb and has now been plunged into the big wide world.

Talk to your baby's face.

Hang a mobile above your child and encourage them to look at it. A mobile made of black and white shapes attracts their eye.

Did you know -

Babies are born with millions of brain cells which reduce as they grow because we do not have the ability to use them all BUT we can stimula babies from very early in their life which will mean we are maximising as many brain...