Preschool Learning Archives - Meagan Gets Real

Pattern Blocks – A Distraction that Teaches Something

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If you have been reading for a while you know that I am a huge fan of Pattern Blocks. In fact I wrote a post with 11 Preschool Pattern Block Lessons. However, I am finding that pattern blocks also make a great educational distraction. You see, I have 2 children homeschooling this year. For all the super moms with more, I salute you! Having 2 has been a huge adjustment. I am working on more difficult things with R this year which means sometimes I need to focus on her completely. This was leaving C annoyed and bored.

This week I decided to pull out the dry erase boards we made and let C have a little educational fun. This is going to be a very simple project but if you are like me it will be an aha moment!

What to do:

Lay out your dry erase board.
Draw multiple shapes and the letter of the week if you are focusing on one.
Draw a Large square or rectangle.

We dumped all of the pattern blocks on the floor.

C was allowed to fill up the shapes with any shapes he chose but the goal was to completely cover the shape. He had to undo it and redo it multiple times to find a way to cover the shape correctly.

This is great for logical reasoning and spacial awareness.

With your giant square challenge your little one to build a house or a race track. Then send them for the cars or dolls and let them have a blast. The imaginative play is good for them and it will give you a chance to finish a project with an older child.

Creating a Valentine While Working on Fine Motor Skills

Jan 30 by Meagan 5 Comments

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R has been struggling a bit with her hand writing. Her occupational therapist suggested this and I thought I would pass it on to you. You can have a ton of fun without your child realizing they are working on a key skill.

What you will need:

Tissue Paper – I bought the 97 cent pack at Wal mart. You can get whichever kind is easiest for you.
Glue – You will laugh but we ran out. Did you know if you combine flour and a small amount of water you can make glue? We didn’t until I needed to.
Paper or my Free Printable Card Template (< Click the title to print.) – I know it is simple to draw. However, if you are unhappy with your drawing skills please enjoy the free printable.

What to do:

Rip tissue paper into small pieces.
Have your child roll the paper into balls using only the tips of their thumb and first two fingers. – This is to strengthen those fingers for better handwriting.
Dip in glue and glue on to the template. – Make sure whatever you draw or use doesn’t use lots of elaborate shapes. Keep it simple. This is also great for fine motor skills as they have to focus on keeping the pieces on the lines.
Let it dry and fill out the inside. – If you are using the template you will need to fold it. Otherwise, enjoy.

This is the project R did. I changed the template to leave out the word love as it is harder to keep lots of letters looking like the word.

What do you do to work on fine motor skills?

Free Heart Preschool Printable Pack

Jan 23 by Meagan 2 Comments

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I thought it would be fun to put together a little Heart Preschool Printable Pack. Even better, I want to share it with you. Simply Click the name of the Printable Pack below and enjoy. If you are worried about using all your color ink you can switch them to black and white before printing.

Get your Preschool Heart Printable Pack