BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Three things three-year-olds love!

TAPE!
*introduce them with a solid dispenser and good quality tape.  The cheaper stuff is difficult to tear.
*teach them to take a piece about the length of their thumb.
*show them to pull out then down to cut, and to be careful of the cutting edge.
*Initially I just let my little tapers tear and place tape on construction paper, then move up to taping two items together.  
*show them how to tape small pieces of paper onto a bigger piece--the tape has to touch both pieces--a difficult concept for them to learn.  
*I have a rule that tape only goes on paper.  I don't want tape on my walls, furniture, etc.  We keep a blue roll of painter's tape for taking pictures and signs up on walls.  That way our walls remain undamaged.  
***Taping is great fine motor practice and also a practical life and art skill!***
 CHALK!
*supply small pieces of colored chalk--the small pieces encourage a pincer grasp and not a fist grasp.
*a small eraser or piece of fabric
*get a small chalkboard---often craft stores have these in the unfinished wood items section
*threes love covering the whole board with chalk, erasing, and then using a moist rag to clean the board at the end of the session!
***fine motor, art, preliteracy***
PENCIL SHARPENING!
*I put out a tray with the sharpener and a jar of pencils.  My kiddos know all shreds of pencil need to land on the tray.
*remember to teach safety because the sharpener can cut you
***fine motor, practical life***

We have a designated art table in the living room where I keep all of these activities/materials out for free use at any time and often in the mornings my kids naturally gravitate there to use them.

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