Home Work

Noah is struggling to show progress at school with any activity involving fine motor skills - coloring, copying letters and shapes, cutting, ripping, etc.  So I started researching preschool development and appropriate learning activities to suit those needs.  What I found was a great book full of great activities targeted to improve a preschooler's fine motor skills.  I am in love with it.  And it's not just because it will help my boy practice fine motor skills, build his confidence, and improve his work at school.  I am in love with this book because it taps into my former self - Mrs. Brown, the classroom teacher. I may not be in the classroom, but I have a student I adore, time to pour into him, and fun hands-on activities and centers and experiences to prepare and organize and implement.  What fun!  School is in session!  The book is called Mighty Fine Motor Fun and they aren't kidding;  I'm having a blast and we're only one activity in!

The first activity I chose for Noah (and Anna) was a sorting activity using the following materials. I had already gotten the beans for another fine motor skills idea I saw in a magazine.  When the cashier rang up all my lentils he asked if I was making some 8 bean soup I can't remember the name of.  No, I said.  A mosaic to practice fine motor skills with my son.  Ha!  You should have seen the look on the guy's face.  Not the answer he was expecting and we both got a good laugh out of it.

Noah couldn't get his hot little hands on the beans fast enough.  He was so into it before he even knew what we were doing.

He worked and worked. And then he tried a shortcut that missed the point altogether and had to start over again.  I jumped in and helped him along reminding him he didn't have to do it all in one sitting.  But he did.  You couldn't pull him away from his beans and muffin tin task.  He did relocate to the porch for a change of scenery though.

Look at those pincers go!  Great grasping form, Noah!

Mission accomplished.  Is anyone else melting at his satisfied and proud expression?

His reward for a job well done was a packet of Pop Rocks.  That was pretty fun, too.