Most classrooms include Valentine lessons during the month of February, but it isn’t just about doing art activities with hearts. One idea is to focus on fine motor skills.
Have your child choose the ovoid metal inset and place it upside down toward the left side of the metal inset paper. Have him trace it and then place the inset toward the right side of the paper, overlapping the more pointed end at the bottom of the paper. This will make the shape of a heart when done.
Things to look for:
- While your child is tracing, watch closely to see how he is holding the pencil. If he does not hold it using a typical pincer grasp, encourage him to “pinch” the pencil.
- If you notice your child using a different hand each time he traces, try placing the pencil directly in front of him, straight up and down with the pointed end toward the bottom. Observe which hand he uses to pick up the pencil. This will most likely be his dominant hand. Feel free to try this occasionally, if you want to be sure. Once you feel sure, you will want to encourage your child to use that hand when he writes.
Extension Activities:
- Have your child color the heart in solidly or have him draw stripes. Let him be creative! Provide as many colors as he would like to use.
- If you have stickers at home, allow your child to use his pincer grasp some more to peel and stick them within the outline of the heart.
Peace Education Extension
As I’m sure you know, Maria Montessori was a pacifist. Use Black History Month to discuss and reinforce the importance of:
- Respect for yourself
- Respect for others
- Respect for the environment.
Ask your child to draw or write examples of the above. Your child can’t write? Not true! Let him “scribble” the words and then dictate to you what he wrote. If he is able, he may even surprise you by including some beginning sounds of words. You can then write the actual words underneath. It’s all part of the process!
Bonus Tip!
If your child has difficulties with sustaining attention, have some fidgets on hand, such as the one shown below.
