Preschoolers develop important gross motor and cognitive skills through active play like biking, dancing, and helping with household tasks. Engaging in these types of activities has social and emotional benefits as well by encouraging cooperation, role modeling healthy behaviors, and helping children feel like valued family members. Visiting community locations and reading books also support preschool development by expanding children's social awareness and stimulating literacy and learning.

1. Monica Oliver
FMSC 332
Section 1301
Project #2

2. Active play is important for good health and building gross motor skills. Preschoolers develop goal-directed motor
behaviors and combine movement patterns to sequence a series of movements to achieve a desired goal. (Sporns &
Edelman, 1993) Motor skill development plays an important role in childhood when growth, development, and
learning center on play and physicalactivity. (Williams & Monsma, 2006).
Instructions: Get an appropriate sized helmet and bike with training wheels. Run alongside the child and
verbally reassure them that an adult is nearby. Practice for 30 minutes or as long as the child is interested. Planning
several practices until riding independently is achieved is the best way to avoid frustration.
Why Biking:Preschoolers are so proud when they are able to ride independently. Biking is a
great activity that families can enjoy even into teenage years. Bike riding can also be social with other
children in the community as well as a family activity. Meeting a child’s zone of proximal
development for the cognitive requirements of focus, balance, and coordination required to ride allows
children to accomplish as much as they can with adult support and the confidence needed to try new
tasks.(DeHart, Sroufe, & Cooper, 2004) Preschoolers should be able to ride a bike with training
wheels but riding without trainers will take a little more time and practice.
Instructions: Find kid appropriate music. Dance like no one is watching. Free style or instructed songs with
movements, such as “I’m a Little Teapot,” or “The Hokey Pokey” both get kids moving. Even babies of the
youngest ages start moving when they hear music. There are lots of child-oriented songs and finger plays that kids
enjoy.
Hints for added success:
Play instruments and parade in a marching band to increase movement and interest.
Listen to wide varieties of music to expose children to different dances and sounds.
Adding streamers, a disco ball, moving lights, hoola-hoops all make the party more fun.
Why A Dance party: Easy, fun, and everyone can dance.According to social learning theory, a majority
of learning results from observation and interactions. (DeHart, Sroufe, & Cooper, 2004) When parents model active
behaviors they act as role models for healthy living. There is little equipment required and dancing can be done
anywhere.
References:
DeHart, G., Sroufe, A. & Cooper, R. (2004). Child development: Its nature and course. (5th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw, Hill.
Sporns, O., Edelman, G.M. (1993). Solving Bernstein’s problem: A proposal for the development of coordinated
movement by selection. Child Development. 64:960–981.
Williams, H. & Monsma, E. (2006). Assessment of gross motor development in preschool children: The
Psychoeducational Assessment of Preschool Children. Hillsdale, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum.

3. Kids love helping. Making family time enjoyable encourages involvement while teaching organization, following
directions, and honoring customs when gathering with family and friends. Preschoolers want to engage emotionally
and understand theirsocially expanding world. Developing a general understanding of the social world is an
important task for preschoolers to accomplish. (DeHart, Sroufe, & Cooper, 2004)
Instructions: At meal time include the preschoolerin helping set the table. Simple preparation steps like
gathering ingredients, stirring, finding a bowl, or measuring are all ways preschoolers can help in the kitchen.
Hints for success:
Let the child do as much preparation as they are able or interested.
Include a simple dish that they can proudly present as their own creation.
How Being a Meal Time Helper Encourages Social and Emotional Growth:
Involving children in household chores that benefit the entire family promotes prosocial behavior in preschoolers.
Including even the smallest family members provides a sense ofidentity of being members of a family unit.
(Goodnow, 1988) The attitude of cooperation to prepare a meal demonstrates togetherness and support amongst
family members. Being involved with family chores is more about socialization than it is about the
actual tasks.
Instructions:
1. Contact a local library, post office, fire house,etc. and ask for a behind the scenes tour.
2. Prepare for the visit by talking to yourchild about community workers.
Hints for added success:
Often libraries have open story time for pre-school aged children providing an opportunity to interact with other
same aged peers. Having a variety of story tellers provides different approaches to books.
Encourage your child to ask the worker questions.
Getting a few preschoolfriends togethermay make the institution more open to a group tour.
Visiting Community Workers Develops Social/Emotional Skills:
Visiting community related facilities helps children see beyond their immediate microsystem. Since
they will be vastly expanding their social network once schoolbegins this will be an introduction of
exposure to the community in which they live. Involving community adults to share in familiarizing
and educating children about their services allows society to be included in collective socialization
at a time when many youth are disconnected. (Brendtro, 2006) This activity brings layers of the
child’s social environment (mesosystem) together. This furthers preschoolers’awareness of the
culture of their community.
References
Brendtro, L. K. (2006). The vision of urie bronfenbrenner: Adults who are crazy about kids. Reclaiming Children
and Youth, 15(3), 162-166. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/214193852?accountid=14696
DeHart, G., Sroufe, A. & Cooper, R. (2004). Child development: Its nature and course. (5th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw, Hill.

4. Goodnow, J. J. (1988). Children's household work: Its nature and functions. Psychological Bulletin, 103(1), 5-26.
doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.1.5.
Memory abilities and attention skills are well developed by this age. Preschoolers begin to reason quantity and learn
to count. Stable order is the expectation that numbers will follow a certain order and items can be numbered.
(Gelman & Gallistel, 1978) The ability to expand their sequentialorder of numbers continues throughout the
preschoolyears. Preschoolers are eager to identify words but normative development progress allows fluent reading
around 6 years of age.
1. Cut out construction papershapes. Having hearts in February or jack-o-lanterns in October keeps the game
current while acknowledging upcoming holidays that are important to kids.
2. Count the number of shapes.
3. Hide the shapes around the house (undera chair, on picture frames, etc) and let the child take a turn hiding.
4. Count how many shapes are found adding a math element to increase cognitive skills.
Hints for success:
For youngerchildren the item can often be “hidden” in plain sight so the child has the gratification of success.
If the child is having trouble finding pieces they can be clued as to when they are “hot” (shape is nearby) or
“cold” (shape is further away).
This game is a fantastic way to celebrate holidays or spend a rainy day frantically searching for the most pieces.
Why Search & Find? This game challenges memory, gives awareness to details, requires attention to
cues,and teaches counting. According to a National Association for the Education of Young Children article play
allows children to expand their limitations, communication, and self-control. (Pica, 2009) Search and find can be
easily modified to be developmentally appropriate for all ages. The game does not have a winner and loser it allows
children to participate continually and to develop cognitive and practice social skills. (Pica, 2009) It also provides
familiarity of the sequentialorder of events throughout the year.
Instructions: Find a subject that interests yourchild whether it is cars, butterflies, sharks,or princesses.Visit
your local library and find as many age appropriate books,on your child’s favorite subject, as you can. Children are
more engaged with topics that keep their interest. As an alternative find books on CD so that your child can listen to
anothernarrator who often brings the book alive with animated voices and music. Turning the page when the beep
sounds gives the child independence and practice following directions.
How Literature Affects Development: Reading books is a great way to bond and spend quality
time. According to DeHart, Sroufe, & Cooper (2004) parents can prepare children for school by providing multiple
activities and environments that are rich in literacy conveying the importance and enjoyment that is derived from
reading. Providing a variety of ways to tell stories,promoting independence,and interest begins the journey of the
love of books that may last a lifetime. An interest in reading opens the possibility of an education on a variety of
subjects.
References:
DeHart, G., Sroufe, A. & Cooper, R. (2004). Child development: Its nature and course. (5th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw, Hill.

5. Gelman, R., & Gallistel, C. R. (1978). The child's understanding of number. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University
Press.
Pica, R. (2009). What Makes a Game Developmentally Appropriate?. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 66-67.