With my 3y/o we used this activity to help practice fine motor skills, letter recognition and creativity.
As children work toward developing those early literacy skills and start to move towards writing letters and words, working with some order and within some confines can be very helpful in developing the fine motor skills that they will require in order to be able to write.
This is such an easy activity that will take you a minute to set up and you can use any design you like. Abstract patterns, hidden letters/numbers, objects, etc.
Draw a simple design on a piece of paper with thick black texta and divide into lots of different segments. Provide whichever art material you'd like. I gave textas this time and the instructions, "try to use a different colour inside each segment."
I loved how she attacked each segment differently. Taking time to ensure something different in each one.
She chose to follow the shape of the "M" instead of colouring it. Great practice for letter formation
She spent quite some time on this simple little activity. A great one to pull out while you're cooking dinner or need a few quiet moments. The focus and concentration used in this task was fantastic to see.
Handy tips:
- Use any design that you or your child come up with
- Extend this activity by letting your child draw the design first and then paint/draw within it's confines. Hide letters/numbers to help with learning recognition and formation
- Simplify this activity by drawing larger spaces for your child to work within. Try dividing a simple shape into 4 parts etc.
- Repeat this activity with different designs etc and using different sizes art materials. Paints, inks, crayons, make a collage etc
- Stay near your child while they do this so you can give them gentle reminders about trying to work within each segment
- Talk with your child about what they are doing and use new words (eg. Segments) to increase their vocabulary and understanding.
Happy playing,
Debs :)
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