Start 2020 By Giving Your Preschooler New Experiences -
Was Christmas of 2019 a spectacular one for you and your family? If so, maybe there is a bit of a sad feeling now that the festivities are a thing of the past. Maybe your young child has said something like, I'm very sad because I have to wait a whole year for Santa to come back! Maybe your own blue mood and your child's disappointment have inspired you to arrange for new experiences that you can share together.
Think of making a list of things that would be fun to try now and later. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Find out if you and your child can watch cake and cookie decorating at your favorite grocery store.
- Go to your local nursery to find out which plants are still being sold. Let your child select one potted plant to take care of at home.
- Go to grown-up museums and art galleries. Find out ahead of time if you and your child can try to copy some of the artwork with colored pencils and sketch pads.
- Is there a planetarium in your city? If so, visit it during the day. That night, try to find some of the stars in the sky that you saw at the planetarium.
- Let your child use your cell phone to take pictures you see while you go on a winter nature walk. Frame at least one picture to put in your family room.
One great idea is to enroll your child in a preschool facility, such as one of the Learning Tree Schools. January might be the perfect time to arrange for that enrollment, as there might be other new children starting out at the same time. Think of starting your child in his or her new preschool only two days a week, and only in the morning or afternoon hours. Later you might want to extend the days and time of your child's attendance at his or her new preschool.
You'll probably be very surprised at how much your child will learn in preschool. For example, when he or she brings home artwork that he or she has created himself or herself, he or she might show you that certain colors that were used are called primary colors. Your preschooler might even start reading early. Learning the sounds that different letters of the alphabet make will show your child how to put those letters together to make words.
Another benefit of giving your child the new experience of attending preschool is that he or she will be more ready to attend kindergarten in the fall.
