Play with a Purpose

Need Ideas?

Is my child ready for school? How can I give them a balanced sensory diet? Have they learnt the necessary skills to make life in the classroom easier? Below are some ideas of things that you can do with your child to aid in their development.

How do I know if my child is ready for school? Here is a checklist of things that will help your child in becoming "school ready".

Developing Eye Tracking

Bean bag toss 2 hands 1 bag: Hold the bag in 2 hands. Focus the eyes on the bag and nose should be pointed at it. Toss the bag straight up – just above head height. Track the flight of the bag up and down with the eyes. Catch the bean bag with both hands. Repeat a few times. Practice until this can be done without dropping the bean bag.
Bean bag toss 2 bags 2 hands: Hold a bean bag in each hand. Follow the same procedure as above; however, catch a bean bag with each hand.
Figure 8's: Place a sticker on your thumb nail. Hold the hand out directly in front of you (straight arm). Focus on the sticker. Move the arm in a figure 8 motion (crossing from one side of the body to the other). Follow the sticker with the eyes during the motion.
Balloon Games: There are a variety of games that can be played using balloons. One idea is to use a cardboard tube as a bat and try and bat the balloon up into the air as many times as possible. For more advanced options, the child can have a designated area (such as within a hoop), that they need to try and keep the balloon in.
Swingball and other ball activities (rolling, catching, kicking, throwing)

Holding a Pencil Correctly

It is very important that a child can hold a pencil correctly. Below are a few ideas you can do to strengthen the muscles in the hands and develop the ability to control the pencil. We also sell pencil grips which help to teach the child the correct technique.

Finger Strengthening: Give each child a clothes peg. Place it between the thumb and index finger of the right hand. Press down 5 times. Now follow the same procedure but use the middle finger and thumb, followed by the ring finger and thumb and lastly the small finger and thumb. Do the same with the left hand.
Walking fingers up and down the pencil Hold a pencil in each hand. Start from the point. “Walk” the fingers to the top of the pencil and down again. Do this a few times.

Body Map and Awareness

Pointing to and naming body parts (example: arm, elbow, wrist, finger, knuckle, nail etc) on self and on others
Naming body parts when eyes are closed: child closes eyes. Parent/caregiver touches body part and child needs to name it.
Walking heel-toe along a line, pavement edge, beam etc

Balance and Coordination

Balancing on One Leg (4 year old = at least 8 seconds)
Jumping Activities
Using Playground Equipment
Playing Ball Games - catching, throwing, kicking
Riding Tricycles, Balance Bikes, Bicycles or Scooters
Walking on a Balance Beam, the Lines in the Sidewalk, on the Sand Dunes and the Beach

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Checklist

Creating a Balanced Sensory Diet

Eyes

Eye Tracking Games
Be aware of the Quality of light, especially when reading
Be aware of the Effect of colour on mood, behaviour and emotions
Crafts, learning to sew, cutting and pasting
Draw, dot-to-dot, mazes
Match, sort and classify objects
Play card games
Find hidden objects in pictures
Mentally manipulating objects in space

Touch

Make opportunities to feel a variety of textures
Cooking tasks - stirring, mixing, kneading
Rubbing lotion
Water play and splashing in water
Playing in the sandpit
Pick up small objects with tweezers

Ears

Use music as a background to another activity
Become aware of background noise
Use different tones of voice
Rhyming words
Memorising songs and singing in tune (or maintaining a tune)
Correcting sentence structure and tense
Avoid baby talk above 1 year of age

Taste / Smell

Introduce foods with a variety of textures, flavours, consistencies and spiciness
Include foods in the diet that require sucking, licking, chewing over a long period, biting and crunching
Teach your child to hum, whistle, sing and play with blow toys (eg: harmonica)
Make your child aware of scents

Advent Calendar Ideas

Click on the image below to check out our Advent Calendar ideas on Facebook. These are aimed at promoting child development, quality time together and creating memories.