Suggestions for 5yo?

[melmichigan]

My DS is formally starting K for us, which is very relaxed and somewhat child led.

 

We use Sinagapore Essential Math, which he already knows but is working on fine motor control with numbers. This he enjoys and will sit and do large portions at a time. He also plays around with EPGY and the MUS Primer.

 

We use HOP until they finish level 5, and ETC Get Set for the Code books which he has just about finished.

 

HWT- the ONLY handwriting program in this house. ;)

 

I am looking for more materials to work on fine motor, coloring, cutting, without giving him busy work. I had looked at CLE/RS preK/K books but I think that will be redundant. I need something for when he has fits because he doesn't get school work. :lol:

 

(He listens in with TOG for LG and the science that his sisters use with lots of books at his level from the library.)

[Spy Car]

Last year in my son's Kindergarten class they did coloring, coloring and more coloring. It seemed like coloring (with colored pencils, not crayons) got included in almost everything.

 

They had coloring in their math, in little craft projects, coloring book type sheets, free-hand artistic interpretations of poems or any other subject they studied. Coloring for home-work. Coloring, coloring and more coloring.

 

At first, I felt like my head was going to explode. Are we sending our son to "coloring school"? :glare:

 

But there was a method to the madness. Our very talented (and highly experienced) Kindergarten teacher understood the multi-sensory way children learn (on the airy-fairy side of the equation) and also knew the coloring was preparing and building those fine motor-skills and hand muscles needed to write well.

 

My son, not atypically of boys, had pretty dreadful writing going in. And he (and all the children in the class) ended the year with really beautiful handwriting, despite the fact that they spent relatively little time actually "writing."

 

But boy did they color :D

 

Bill (who learned something in Kindergarten :tongue_smilie:)

Edited September 22, 2010 by Spy Car

[FairProspects]

The Kumon maze books have been a big hit here, which also help with visual tracking training. Dot-to-dots have been great for reinforcing number sequencing. I agree with Bill, we also do loads of coloring once I realized how effective it was at building small motor skills.

[Farrar]

Good free mazes and dot-to-dots here:

http://www.printactivities.com/Mazes.html

[Aoife]

you can get school zone maze books on amazon for 1 plus they are eligible for the 4 for 3 promotion. We do TONS of mazes, dot to dot, cutting and coloring. if you go to worksheetworks.com they have printable doo dad papers for tracing, shapes for cutting and you can make basic printing pages to for more reinforcement. I also took foam sheets and cut them into shapes and then punched them with holes to make lacing shapes that he can thread laces through. Finger painting is yet another fun and good exercise for motor control. :) HTH!

[Dmmetler]

Dover books are wonderful for coloring, mazes, and other similar activities, and if you order direct from the company, aren't very expensive. There are a LOT of specials. My daughter especially loves the "Stained glass" books, where the pages are translucent, so after she colors them, we can put then on the window and see light glow through them.

[JudoMom]

My DS is formally starting K for us, which is very relaxed and somewhat child led.

 

We use Sinagapore Essential Math, which he already knows but is working on fine motor control with numbers. This he enjoys and will sit and do large portions at a time. He also plays around with EPGY and the MUS Primer.

 

We use HOP until they finish level 5, and ETC Get Set for the Code books which he has just about finished.

 

HWT- the ONLY handwriting program in this house. ;)

 

I am looking for more materials to work on fine motor, coloring, cutting, without giving him busy work. I had looked at CLE/RS preK/K books but I think that will be redundant. I need something for when he has fits because he doesn't get school work. :lol:

 

(He listens in with TOG for LG and the science that his sisters use with lots of books at his level from the library.)

 

I picked up this Mead Snip It! book at Walmart for my youngest, and he's enjoying it.

[Karen in CO]

My girls love this I love to draw book. My 5yo is working her way through the Kumon crafts books. For fine motor skills and 3-d modeling plus following directions - legos and kinex are terrific. My dd5 has done the Thames and Kosmos Little Labs engineering kits. Model Magic is also good for fine motor skills.

[Tracy]

The Kumon maze books have been a big hit here, which also help with visual tracking training. Dot-to-dots have been great for reinforcing number sequencing. I agree with Bill, we also do loads of coloring once I realized how effective it was at building small motor skills.

 

Kumon also has cutting and pasting books that I have heard good things about.

[kwickimom]

Kumon also has cutting and pasting books that I have heard good things about.

 

My 4YO LOVES the Kumon cutting, tracing, and pasting books! They were on the buy 3 get one free thingy at Amazon.

[ALB]

We have really liked the Developing the Early Learner vol. 1-4 workbooks. They have lots of mazes, coloring and cut and paste, but all within exercises that teach critical thinking skills. They focus on skills such as auditory memory, spacial perception, fine motor skills, sequencing, etc. Lots of fun and we've seen improvement in every area!