Our PreSchool Blog

The Studio Toddler class has really gotten into a rhythm in our classroom. Our toddlers are anticipating our daily schedule and following routines well. They’ve also been practicing sitting and doing crafts at our tables. This usually involves following directions, which is a skill we practice all year long in the toddler class! Check out some of the crafts we’ve been making so far below.

C is for Cat:

My 5 Senses Craft:

D is for Donut:

An objective in the toddler class is starting to recognize the different colors and shapes. We love implementing different methods of learning these objectives through play! Being able to incorporate gross motor and fine motor into our learning also makes the activities more fun and interactive. Check out some of the activities below!

In the toddler class, we’ve also been working on our crafts, which entails sitting at the tables, following directions, and taking turns. This is something we have to practice from the start of school, and our little learners have been doing great! Last week we made a “donut” out of the letter “D”!

Cutting with scissors requires the skill of hand separation, which is the ability to use the thumb, index, and middle fingers separately from the pinkie and ring fingers. Providing children with frequent opportunities to develop their scissor skills allows them to practice using the tripod fingers (thumb, forefinger and middle finger). The tripod fingers are what work together in controlling a pencil. Developing the proper pencil grasp attributes to good handwriting. Strong scissor skills also leads to strong hand muscles and improved fine motor skills.

We’ve been focusing on the sight word you, this week, during our guided reading groups.  We built the sight word on each page to complete the sentences, read the text to identify any unknown words using the basic reading strategies we’ve been learning this year, and reread the text to practice fluency.

Strengthening fine motor muscles in the hands is essential for successful writing.  Coloring small pictures with a focus on moving your hands/fingers slowly to stay inside the lines helps improve hand strength and dexterity of children.  An easy way to encourage fine motor development at home or just about anywhere!