Welcome to lesson three of the free 8-week Homeschool Level 1 Program. For this week, we are going to be playing with playdough, using our puzzles to do some learning and playing a matching game to work on our critical thinking skills.
Areas of development for this week:
- Gross Motor Skills
- Fine Motor Skills
- Matching
LESSON PLAN WEEK 3
Activity 1: Kick kick kick
Supplies for this activity: Water, a plastic bin or bathtub
How to Play:
Kicking might seem natural to us because we do it without putting much thought into it, but it is a developmental skill we have been working on. We played with a soccer ball the first week and this week we are doing it more loosely with water.
Children can find water play both calming or invigorating depending on the activity being presented. Vigorous splashing and kicking and running around in the water can be an excellent outlet for pent up energy. A great way for kids to have fun and let off steam! This activity taps into language and motor skills. Babies are born naturally loving water so when you both need to de-stress this week make a mini-pool with your large bin and practice some kicking.
Place your baby in the water and when they kick repeat the word “kick, kick kick” . If you have done any type of swim lessons then they might already be familiar with this word.
Try this week to get them to “kick when you tell them to – to practice following directions and practice having them repeat the word “kick”
See more: water activities to do with your toddler
Playdough Fun
Objective: Practice fine motor skills
Supplies for this activity: Playdough or homemade playdough in red, blue, yellow and (optional) green.
How to Play: Have you tried introducing playdough play? Did you know that this is not just fun but a material used to work on fine motor skills at preschools and homeschools? It promotes eye-hand coordination, it worked with the senses and my favorite: it works on pre-writing skills!
When your tabby plays with playdough, his pincer grip (the squeezing of pointer finger and thumb to grasp an object) improves. An improved pincer grip enhances your child’s pre-writing skills. Work on that ponders grasp to work on the muscles that later on will be used to learn to hold a pencil.
No matter if you choose to make your own playdough, or take out the store-bought playdough get ready for some pre-writing skills to be practiced.
Take out some playdough, some plastic cookie cutters (optional) and play.
First time using playdough? see how we play +best playdough homemade recipe
1, 2, 3, Puzzles
Objective: Learning the concept of matching
Supplies for this activity: simple puzzles or a DIY puzzle (cardboard, printer, or construction paper )
How to Play: Your tabby needs to be challenged and a great way to help develop how problem-solving skills is with age-appropriate puzzles. You can grab a simple objects puzzle or if you want something more challenging you can use a DIY Puzzle for toddlers.
In my experience, the DIY puzzle are a little too advance for my one-year-old but I have heard others that catch on quicker. I made Many a ball puzzle (as that is his favorite toy) and every time I took it apart he said “oh oh” meaning I broke it. He didn’t get the concept of putting it together, It might be a skill for him to be developed later on. He is better with our store-bought simple puzzles for now.
Practice critical thinking as you teach him and work on putting a puzzle together.
Have fun this week!
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