22. Week
Last week, I promised to delve deeper into what a child should be proficient in regarding auditory perception before commencing school. Here's a rundown of what preschoolers ought to have a grip on:
Reciting a poem or singing a song from memory and repeating a basic rhythm.
Distinguishing the first syllable in a word, or at the very least, the initial syllable.
Breaking down a word into syllables, which is what we will concentrate on this week.
Retaining instructions or small tasks in sequence ("Get the toy box, take out the box the red car, and place it on the table.")
Recalling several unrelated words (3-4 words). We will practice this in Week 24, with an activity called "Repeat!"
Reproducing a sentence we tell them with precision.
This week, I have new poems for you. The first poem will involve finger-stretching, while the second will teach us how to sketch a hedgehog. As promised, we will work on improving our postural reflexes, concentrate on spatial orientation, and carry out an auditory memory task. So, let's get to it with enthusiasm, as we are already halfway through the program!
Video, download and description of exercises
Files:
10 fingers
One little finger, up in the air,
Point it up, like you just don't care.
Two little fingers, wiggling with glee,
Wiggle them fast, come on, follow me.
Three little fingers, tapping on your knee,
Tap, tap, tap, it's as easy as can be.
Four little fingers, now make them all wave,
Up and down, like ocean waves they behave.
Five little fingers, time to clap your hands,
Clap, clap, clap, let's form a happy band.
Now let's do it all over again,
One finger at a time, let's count to ten! (Do the same with the other hand)
Goal:
Become aware of the individual fingers
Improve fine motor skills
Improve memory and sense of rhythm
Improve pronunciation.
Pendulum
The child sits on the floor with legs bent, feet on the ground, torso erect.
The child then spreads his arms slightly to the sides, then rolls his torso over to the right side and rests on the palm of his right hand.
Then he rolls his torso over to the other side and rests it on the palm of his left hand. The head must remain vertically straight! This means that when you put the pillow on the childs head, it must not fall off.
This movement is repeated several times.
Goal:
Strengthen the postural reflexes of the head, which are crucial for smooth eye movements (important for reading) and to avoid overloading the upper scapular fixators (trapezius).
The apple tree
Together with your child, cut out the apples you find in the attachment. After that, take the tree drawing you made previously (or create a new one), and then let the child put the apple shapes around and, on the tree, according to the instructions given. For instance, take a big red apple that has a leaf on its right side and put it on the top of the tree, or place a small yellow apple to the right of the tree trunk. The purpose of this activity is to enhance fine motor abilities when cutting and spatial orientation, which is one of the pre-math concepts.
Goal:
Enhance fine motor skills
Draw a hedgehog
Let's draw a hedgehog according to the poem:
In the forest, among the trees,
Lives a little creature, oh so sweet!
He's got a big bump on his back,
A half a globe, just like that! (Draw the top arc - a half circle)
His nose is peeking out so cute, (Draw the tip in front)
With a bug on it, oh how astute! (Draw a ball on the tip - the nose)
An eye like a thorn, sharp and bright, (draws an eye)
And ears like cups, oh what a sight! (Draw an ear)
His paws are ready for a walk, (Draw 2 feet)
And a little tail, like a gentle knock! (Draw a little tail)
Needles and pins, all around, (Draw lines)
Our hedgehog friend, oh so profound!
And when the day is almost done,
He'll run back home, just for fun!
So let's draw a hedgehog, cute and small,
A friend in nature, for one and all!
Goal:
Improve graphomotor skills
Improve focus
Improve memory
Improve pronunciation.
What was twice?
We tell the child 4-6 words, but one word we repeat. Which one was it?
E.g., apple, orange, kiwi, orange, banana, pear.
Or: carpet, car, subway, lamp, dog, lamp, cat, car (the words don't have to be related).
Goal:
Improve auditory memory
Improve focus.
So how did it go? Next week, we'll be doing some soldier crawls! Soldier crawling, where you crawl on your belly, is great for enhancing cooperation between the brain hemispheres, body awareness, and improving postural reflexes. So, you have something to look forward to 😊.