February

Get Ready for School

photo of child working on projectSkills to Practice this Month

Provide toys, games and household objects that encourage your child to explore, ask questions, and use her imagination.

Provide opportunities for your child to interact and play with other children in different settings: the park, playground, library, church. Talk to your child about taking turns, sharing, and helping others.

Activities

Encourage your child to explore. Hide small toys indoors or outdoors and let your child look for them.

Encourage your child to use string, large beads, hollow pasta noodles, or buttons to make a necklace, a bracelet or other design.

Allow your child to practice sorting small items by placing items of different sizes, shapes, colors into a box or bowl.

Play board games and other games with your child. These types of games teach children to wait for their turn and help them learn to be patient and helpful.

Create a special play area in your home with clothing items and other items from around the house that allow children to use their imagination to pretend to be all kinds of things.

Talk to your child about introducing herself to others when first meeting someone new and making new friends.

Get Ready to Read

Skills to Practice this Month

Talk to your child about the stories that you share together and ask your child to tell the stories back to you . Select books or songs that rhyme or are predictable, so it will be easy for your child to memorize and share with others.

Be Healthy

Skills to Practice this Month

See that your child has opportunities for fun physical activity everyday, outside when possible. Many children can run, jump, climb, and swing by age four.

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