From 2.5 to 3.5 - 4 years old
From 2.5 to 3.5 – 4 year old
The children, who turn 2,5-3 by the 1st of September, are admitted to the kindergarten group (up to 10 children). Children of different nationalities attend the group, for this reason, much attention is paid to the development of children's communication skills and understanding of cultural diversity. Communication, teaching and learning process take place in a bilingual Lithuanian-English environment. We develop social, cognitive, communication, artistic and self-dependence competence. We pay special attention to the development of fine motor skills.
Why do I need to develop the child's fine motor skills?
Underdeveloped small muscles, the sensory system, the perception of space and direction, can be an obstacle to successful learning to read and write. Therefore, the development of children’s gross and fine motor skills is one of the most important parts for academic maturity.
The development of fine motor skills affects academic maturity:
- helps to develop attention span, reasoning skills, improve memory, has a positive impact on the child's language, stimulates its development;
- promotes the development of hand movements, it becomes more agile and flexible, thus, improving writing skills;
- determines the occurrence of syllabic articulation, which is associated with the development of small muscle movements performed by the fingers;
- simple hand movements help to relax hands, reduce mental fatigue.
How do you develop fine motor skills in kindergarten?
Fine motor skills activities for kids:
- sticking (play-doh, plasticine),
- finger games,
- manipulating powdery substances and liquids (pouring, shoveling, carrying, transferring),
- twisting (plasticine, modelling clay, paper, wool),
- drawing,
- constructing from different materials: sticks, straws, natural materials (pebbles, sand, acorns, chestnuts), household waste (plastic items, corks), paper (origami folding, paper cutting, squashing, ripping),
- playing with puzzles and mosaics,
- practical activities: tying shoe laces, sticking stickers, beading, button fastening / opening,
- making pictures using grain, pasta, coffee beans, etc.,
- playing with Lego blocks, dismantling, sorting.