It's that time of year, It's late summer, Labor Day is long past and the kids are back to school. For the little ones, they might be entering school for the very first time. Preschool is a big step. There were days when I wasn't sure if it was a bigger step for me or my boys.
Being a stay at home mom, I got spoiled. Sure I needed a break once in a while, but for the most part, I was good. When my kids played, I played with them, or I watched them play on their own. Teaching a child to use their imagination and play by themselves is just as important as playing with your child.
Knowing I was dropping my boys off at preschool knowing they could handle that one little task, made it a little easier, after all, they were growing up. But not being there to witness it firsthand is hard. Mom's, Dad's, stay strong. It does get easier.
When my boys entered preschool I knew my boys would learn things in school I didn't teach them yet. I could have home-schooled them but I wanted them to experience a school setting. There is something to be said about the chaos of a bunch of children running around on the school playground, eating snacks together at snack time that I couldn't give them. Sure we had a ton of playdates, but it is different in a school setting.
When I published my first Nicky picture book I wanted to expand on the educational part of how Nicky and his stories can help children learn and grow. Author visits are fun, reading to the children and seeing their faces light up when they hear a funny part of the story or see a silly picture of Nicky and his stuffed animals is a delight, but I wanted the children and the teachers to get more out of it. That was when I decided to add short simple activity pages to my Nicky stories.
Starting in preschool children will learn to trace, color, and use scissors. They will also learn their sizes, shapes, numbers, and letters. This is a perfect time to sit down with them and let them explore these new tasks and activities at their own pace.
I love this handout. It is so simple and easy to use. Children learn so many things with this one activity sheet. They are practicing their letters, sounds, and shapes, holding a pencil, and tracing all at the same time. The best thing is? They don't even realize it. I love it when a lesson happens slowly, without the kids realizing they are learning. Kids just want to have fun. Learning should be fun. Kids will retain more information if we go slow, go at their pace, and let them lead. Let them lead, at least a little, challenge a little, and make the activity fun and interesting. When activities are paired up with a child's favorite character, the learning isn't as much of a struggle.
I have so many activities to help you as parents, teachers, and educators to go along with my Nicky picture books. I hope you visit my website to see the many options available.
Until Next time- Cynthia
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