Happy summer learnin’: Preschool edition
LAST week, I shared summer learning activities for toddlers. This week, I will focus on our preschoolers. Preschool is the age between 3 to 5 years old. This is a time when I observed my children were very enthusiastic about anything I introduced to them. It was also the time, and I am sure a lot of you can relate, that our children just want to be with us all the time. That’s why I was most excited to play with my preschooler with educational tools. I wanted them to have happy learning memories that build deep foundations for their lifelong love for learning.
At this stage also, it is fascinating to observe how our child continuously develops skills that allow them to be more “big school ready.” According to renowned developmental pediatrician Dr. Francis Xavier Dimalanta, in his Dr. D’s Happy Learning World Learning Boxes with Ogalala, we need to “provide activities that allow them to enjoy learning literacy and numeracy through games, puzzles and art-infused learning. We also build their confidence through developing critical thinking and motor skills through games and active play.”
At age three, let’s enjoy puzzles and games that expose our preschoolers to school concepts; drawing together so they would enjoy holding a pen; giving simple instructions to follow while leaving lots of room for creative time. At ages four to five, I call this the “deposit” year. I loved introducing subject learning through art-infused learning so I tried to find STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, Math) toys for as early as four years old. Crayola Marker Maker has been a staple for us. The brand Science4you, all made in Europe, are my latest finds for STEAM that are safe for preschoolers. By introducing subjects early and play-based, our children will naturally find it fun and familiar when they encounter these subjects in school. I also introduced activities that promote critical thinking and logic to build confidence. I found Montessori toys from Headu Italy that specifically focuses on teaching logic. Logic is the foundation for subjects like Math, Science and Reading comprehension.
I remember how I was so worried that my firstborn was late in learning her alphabet. Like I shared last week, I initially felt the pressure, but I was lucky to have realized early on that I needed to have a growth and even playful mindset with my children. Each learning concept at this stage became a fun puzzle that my child tried to crack, with me as her parent providing effective play tools and all the loving guidance and encouragement my child needed. I saw my daughter blossom from having difficulty in Math in her early school years, to loving the whole process of “cracking the code.” Today, she got accepted in top US universities including Columbia, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Notre Dame.
Below are my suggested baskets of Happy Learning Summer Activities for Preschool:
1. Summer building. Summer is a time that involves a lot of car and plane rides. It is also a time when our child might ask for the screen far more than usual. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommends 1 hour per weekday, and three hours for weekend days for ages two to five. This is the best time to have ready on-the-go play tools ready in places where your child usually asks for the screen. So, I would have separate plastic crates ready filled with play tools in the car, dining and living room.
The key is to find toys that can be played longer because it offers many functions or can be done over and over again. That’s why I love The Learning
Journey ABC Melody Maker. It has five interactive activities, piano keys and a songbook to teach music, sounds, letters and numbers. In game modes, they have a find-me game and before-and-after like “What number comes before nine?” I also had several kinds of Melissa-and-doug alphabet, number and Water-wow in my crates because I observed that my children truly loved the hand feel of the alphabet and number pieces. The magnetic board was something I had both in the car and in the mealtime area, because my child could write on it, play with the letters, and we could spell or count the food they were eating. It was such an effective way to distract them from asking for the tablet.
2. Summer exploration. Active play is very important to start or develop as a routine for our preschoolers. Motor development promotes brain development. That’s why I really like the Dancing Dino toy. The fun music, funny responses and sound effects invites your child to sing and dance, as well as ask them questions about letters and colors. I also loved taking my preschoolers to the zoo, science museums, and new places. Then always having coloring materials available, for when we found time to draw what we saw together, which doubled up as a memorabilia. This is a fun way to develop a preschooler’s handgrip in writing that is great preparation for the school year.