As you teach preschool students or your own preschool age child, you will find that a good source to use as you teach them is completing a craft. As a child learns how to create a craft from what they have in their mind, they learn how to associate the different craft items with the image they have in their head. Making this association will take time for them to do. Help the process along by creating paper crafts they can make on their own and tell the story about the craft they made.
Every paper craft that you have them make, have a story to go along with it. It can be a story that is in a song or a story out of the bible. Each story has a purpose. The purpose of the song can be created into the craft. For example, Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall is a nursery rhyme that many preschoolers will learn and know. Have them make Humpty Dumpty out of a paper plate. Give them resources that they can use to create a face, arms and legs. To put these items onto the paper plate, they will need to use glue or paste and will need assistance with these products. You do not need to apply the glue for them, but help them with it. Show them the difference between too much glue and just enough glue. The paper craft has been placed before them to help them learn, not only to create a craft.
As a paper craft is created, as the teacher or parent you need to tell the story about the paper craft as you go. As you are telling the story and creating the craft, your student or child is going to be listening to you and helping you with the craft. Once you have finished the craft, tell the story once again with the craft. On the third telling of the story, have your student or child tell you the story with the craft. This process will help increase the child and student’s listening skills, memory skills and communication skills. Assist the child or student and help them fill in the gaps of the story. You have just helped the child or student learn and use skills that they need to know. These skills will be used in their everyday life and will help them succeed through school, work and home!
Preschool students love to learn about the holidays. Have your students create crafts that go with holidays themes. The student will be able to associate the paper craft and the holiday together. Once again you will be able to tell the story about the holiday and what the holiday means. Besides creating a craft that the student can take home with them, have them create crafts that will help decorate the classroom. Have the students make a paper chain that will countdown to Christmas Break or Spring Break. Have the student count the days and the number of rings the paper chain will need. They will not only learn how to count and use their numbers, but they are using their memory once again.
Finding the paper crafts that students and preschool age children can do is simple. The hard part is making sure that they are learning the lessons that are associated with the craft. Learning how to read, numbers and using their memory is very important. The more you can stimulate these items while the child is at preschool level, the better they will succeed in life. Keep each paper craft simple enough for them to create, but also challenging enough for them to learn.
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