Since coordination of large muscles is often easier at first for children than coordinating small muscles, practicing these strokes with larger arm movements is one way to play with these ideas. In addition, tracing or copying letters or shapes on paper before children are ready to can be frustrating and counterproductive. Instead, we are going to use paintbrushes to “write” on our bodies! I got these from Lakeshore Learning<\/a>; they are large and soft. <\/p>\n Choose a book about painting to read in storytime. Possible titles are: <\/p>\n Ain\u2019t Gonna Paint No More, by Karen Beaumont Afterwards, tell the children you are going to pretend to paint just like the characters in the story! Pass out one paintbrush to each child. Depending on the age of the children, you might: When you’re all done, say something like this to the grown-ups: <\/p>\n \u201cParents, when you give your children crayons, markers, pencils, and paintbrushes to play with, they start to learn how to hold and use pencils and crayons and experiment with making different lines and shapes. This helps them become good readers because reading skills and writing skills support each other and develop together. Writing with your children will help them get ready to read.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It takes a lot of time to master all the marks and strokes we use when writing letters! When learning their writing strokes, children first scribble, then at 2-3 years work on first vertical (up and down) strokes, then horizontal … Continue reading ![\"Paintbrushes\"](\"http:\/\/melissa.depperfamily.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Image-4-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMouse Paint, by Ellen Stoll Walsh
\nArt & Max, by David Wiesner
\nBear\u2019s Picture, by Daniel Pinkwater
\nWarthogs Paint, by Pamela Edwards
\nBlue Chicken, by Deborah Freedman
\nBlue Goose, by Nancy Tafuri
\nTap Tap Bang Bang, by Emma Garcia<\/p>\n
\no\tAsk them to \u201cpaint\u201d long straight lines on their legs, or circles on their knees.
\no\tAsk them to \u201cpaint\u201d different parts of their bodies (as in Ain\u2019t Gonna Paint No More)
\no\tAsk them to paint zigzags, rainbows, straight lines on the floor in front of them
\no\tAsk them to paint letters of the alphabet on the floor in front of them<\/p>\n