My Necklace
Your child at this stage of beginning writing may be able to grasp a crayon with her thumb and finger. To promote grasping and using the small muscles of the fingers, you and your child can make your own jewelry.
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Make a Puzzle
Activities that help your child build and create will help her to become ready to engage in skills such as drawing, writing and cutting. Playing with puzzles increases eye-hand coordination and visual discrimination, and strengthens finger muscles.
Make a Circle
Your child at this stage of beginning writing may be learning to grasp a crayon with his thumb and finger and begin to imitate scribbles, circles and vertical lines. These beginning fine motor activities lay the foundation needed for learning how to hold a pencil and write his name.
Sing the Alphabet Song
Sing the alphabet song with your child. This is an early exposure to the alphabet, and at this age you can just have fun singing this popular tune.
Nature Walk
Nature is a natural play space. Noticing the similarities and differences in shapes you find in nature will prepare your child for recognizing letter shapes in the future.
Name Book
At the beginning stages of learning the alphabet, start by concentrating on the letters in your child’s name, especially the first letter. Children enjoy learning about their names. These are their favorite letters!
Sing and Stomp
At this age, toddlers have begun to understand the value of language as a means of communicating. Although you will likely understand only about half of what your child is trying to tell you, you can still encourage her language development in a variety of ways.
Read a Rhyme
By exposing your child to rhyming words at this young age, you are helping to lay the groundwork for how language works. As your child gets a little older, she will build upon this foundation by noticing and playing with the sounds within the rhyming words.
Talk and Tap
Toddlers are keen observers and excellent mimics. They also love repetition and rhythm. By combining these skills and interests, this activity can help your child to begin to develop word and syllable awareness.
