One thing we can all work on with our own children is...
Coloring!
Why, you ask?
Well, I'll tell you.
Coloring works a child's small motor skills, and if that doesn't sound boring enough for you, then it is also good for their brains by helping their focus and attention span.
There are just a few things to watch out for before you break out the Crayola:
1. Monkey Grip
A lot of little ones want to grasp their writing implement with their whole fist, while this may seem a benign habit, Please don't let them do it. Why? Because we are trying to foster good habits now instead of trying to break bad habits later. Have them hold their crayon/marker/paint brush with their thumb and first/second fingers.
2. Have them watch what they are doing. It seems like something simple, but this is where focus and attention span comes into play. Plus, they will be much more pleased with their outcome when what they have done looks recognizable.
3. Have them try to make small movements. I try not to tell little ones to "stay in the lines", something that is almost impossible for them, but to make smaller movements. They find that when they make smaller movements, they are able to color only where they want and it actually gets done faster!
So break out the crayons
and
Color Your World!
Painting is such and individual activity and the thing I love about it is:
What skills are we working
Well, don't tell them...
Rotations are something pretty difficult for little ones to handle.
What skills are we helping to build?
Puzzles are an awesome way to enter into reading and math. They teach pattern recognition and congruency. At Little Sprouts Preschool we start them out small with just a two piece puzzle, but some of our preschoolers have been able to put together a 24 piece puzzle all by theirselves!
Marcel Danesi Ph.D., the leading researcher in puzzles and what they do for your brain has said, "puzzles are beneficial to brain activity", and "solving puzzles can thus be characterized as a blend of imaginative association and memory." He goes on to explain how doing puzzles makes it easier for children to learn how to read, remember what certain words look like, and decode misspelled words. 
is something all adults can get behind.
"Play is the work of children" developmental psychologist, J. Piaget said. 
1. Listening to classical music makes you smarter.
It is one activity I really look forward to every year, and not just because we all pig out!
1. Monkey Grip
3. Have them try to make small movements. I try not to tell little ones to "stay in the lines", something that is almost impossible for them, but to make smaller movements. They find that when they make smaller movements, they are able to color only where they want and it actually gets done faster!
