Do you have a very active preschool boy or girl that would rather dance, play, and sing than draw and color on paper?  So do I!  Are you looking for ways to enrich your preschooler's everyday experiences.  So am I, and I hope to share some of my enrichment ideas with you!  

This guide is intended to direct parents and other preschool care providers to resources and activities that I have found useful in my day-to-day activities with my 3-year old son.  A large portion of this content will be taken from my blog or will direct readers to my blog content on the subject.  (When viewing blog content, please be sure to also view posted comments made by other eBay members for more information.)  If you have any ideas that you would like to share with readers, please send me an e-mail or add comments to my blog.

This guide is the first part to my guide series "Preschool Enrichment".  Please, also, see the guides in the rest of this series for specific activities:

• Preschool Enrichment for Active Boys and Girls
• Preschool Enrichment: Fine and Gross Motor Development.

OVERVIEW

This guide series will approach learning in three different ways.  Body activity, senses, and multiple intelligence theory.   

Body Activity

The first approach to learning features activity for the body.  Some preschoolers have a need to move their body almost constantly and there are developmental reasons for this.  At this age, they are still developing gross motor skills and are also developing fine motor skills.  They love to hop and run and wiggle (gross motor).  They also love to moosh things with their hands and cut paper (fine motor) and manipulate objects (cars, dolls, puzzles, etc.).

Their body activity and relatively short attention span allows them to get exposed to a maximum of different activities, subjects and mediums. 

Oh, and lets not forget talking.  Preschoolers love to talk and ask questions.  Preschoolers are still learning to talk and are developing vocabulary and the skills needed to pronounce letter sounds and blends correctly.

The Five Senses

The second way I approach learning is through the senses.  Many teachers believe that a student is more likely to remember a concept when that concept is explored using multiple senses.  For example, let's briefly look at the use of educational puzzles, which I highlight in more depth in my other guides.  Completing an alphabet puzzle allows the youngster to touch and feel the shape of the alphabet letter, see the letter, and hear about the letter (as long as a person is there to talk them through the puzzle activity).  This activity alone has utilized three senses.  Now, if the puzzle was also edible and aromatic in alphabetic flavors and aromas (A is for Apple and B is for Bubble Gum), we would have engaged the complete five senses.  (I feel a cooking activity coming on!)

Multiple Intelligence Theory

The third way is using aspects of the multiple intelligence theory. 

I was not aware of the multiple intelligence theory until I began teaching Sunday School 9 years ago.  In a nutshell, the theory is that many people have different learning styles and different intelligence "specialties".  Some people learn concepts musically or rhythmically, through verbal language, through logic-mathematics and many other ways.  This theory recognizes the following intelligences:

• Verbal-Linguistic: Sensitivity to words, listening or reading
• Logical-Mathematical:  Sensitivity to numbers, logical or numerical patterns, reasoning
• Musical-Rhythmic: Thinking or expressing emotion musically or rhythmically.
• Visual-Spatial:  Learning visually or through "watching".   
• Bodily-Kinesthetic:  Learning through doing.
• Naturalist:  Recognizing and comparing plants, animals and objects in nature
• Intrapersonal:  Learning through working alone and thinking things out.
• Interpersonal:  Understanding, leading, working with others and enjoying others 
• Existential:  Contemplating the meaning of life, etc.

As you might suspect, many of us operate using several intelligences.  Preschoolers are probably too young to label with a specific intelligence(s), but as long as we realize that there are multiple intelligences, we are more apt to stumble upon a method of teaching that will work for our student(s). 

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE?

A friend of mine, who is well versed in child development, commented that many preschool "programs" and educational materials are not developmentally appropriate when it comes to the 3-year old preschooler.  Free play and activities that allow children to explore and move ARE developmentally appropriate for the 3-year old.  Paper and pencil work (like tracing letters and numbers) is not necessarily developmentally appropriate for the 3-year old preschooler. 

In my opinion, pushing a style of learning on a child that is not developmentally appropriate may hinder their learning rather than speed it along.  My son flees as quickly as he can whenever he sees workbook, but he comes running as fast as he can when he sees the playdough.  I'd rather see my child excited about education rather than dread it!  Excitement about learning is probably one of the BEST lessons you can teach your child at this age.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Spending time with your preschooler alone or in a playgroup setting can be very enriching for both parent and child.  Specific activities that I have outlined in my guides shown below can stimulate ideas for your days together at this critical developmental time:

• Preschool Enrichment for Active Boys and Girls
• Preschool Enrichment: Fine and Gross Motor Development.

PRESCHOOLER PARENTING RESOURCES 

I recommend the following awesome books for additional ideas and information on raising preschoolers and young children in enriching and happy environments:

Make Your Own Preschool Games by Sally Goldberg

The Secret of Happy Children by Steve Biddulph and Allan Stomann

Rainy Day Activities by Dr. Jean Feldman

Your Three Year Old:  Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames

Your Four Year Old:  Wild and Wonderful by Louise Bates Ames

I'll be back with more content.  I have to attend to my preschooler!  Have a great day!

If you found this guide to be helpful in any way, please click "Yes" below.

Copyright 2006 Angela Vawter (hugawayfromhome)