Activities you can do with your child at home to help develop their skills include:
- Singing songs and nursery rhymes daily (days of the week, alphabet, months in the year, weather, numbers to 10)
- Clapping out or stepping out words in a simple sentence (e.g – “I like cats” = 3 claps)
- Rhyming words (“rhymes with ‘at‘, starts with p – pat …, rhymes with ‘at’, starts with ‘c’ -cat)
- Syllables: using a drum or body parts to break up syllables in words
- Oral Blending cvc words (e.g. “c…a…t = cat, d..o..g = dog)
- Play other listening games such as “Simon Says” and “What’s the time Mr Wolf”
- Tracing over their own name and then writing own name independently (practise)
- Matching a collection of objects to 10 orally and written digits
- Make playdough
- Cooking
- Build an obstacle course
- Build a castle
- Arts and Crafts
- Fantasy Play
- Drawing and explaining what they have drawn
- Reading Picture Books and asking questions
- Write out letters and ask students to identify them. Name and sound
- Counting of objects
- Practise counting to 10 – forwards and backwards
- Identifying signs and colours
- Cards
- Board games
- Dance
- Gardening
- Riding a bike
- I spy – select objects starting with a chose sound
- Memory
- Puzzles
- Building blocks
- Hygiene practise
- Discussions about a range of topics. For example, the past, favourite games, things they like to do
- Make a storybook out of photos or pictures.
Website Links to help develop following skills:
- Gross motor skills: e.g running, hopping, skipping, throwing and catching a ball: https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/gross-motor-skills/
- Fine motor skills development: e.g pencil grip, strengthening hands, appropriately cutting with scissors and playing with Lego or puzzles: https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/fine-motor-skills/
- Developing social and emotional skills through play: focus on sharing, turn taking, listening and responding (perhaps during a story), social stories are effective and role playing (with puppets/teddies): https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/play-and-social-skills/social-skills/
- Daily reading: ask child to predict what the text might be about, read the text and go back and ask questions, discuss words they may not understand, discuss feelings/responses to fictional texts (character’s feelings, why, how would that make you feel…): https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/play-learning/literacy-reading-stories/reading-storytelling
- Discuss and practise healthy living: (brushing teeth, eating fruit and vegetables, drinking water, washing hands etc…): https://healthy-kids.com.au/teachers/teaching-resources/
- Dancing/movement skills: a free website is GoNoodle: https://www.gonoodle.com/
See our useful links below for more ideas.
Learning at Home – Department of Education
Print our Pre Primary Workpack B
Print our Pre Primary Workpack C
Handwriting information for Pre Primary