The first day of kindergarten is a big step for parents and children alike. You can help make sure that your child gets off to the right start by doing these simple and fun activities that will help them develop the skills they will need to have a successful and positive kindergarten experience.

1. Teach your child how to manage their clothing and shoes on their own. Their teachers will likely be too busy to offer much help with zippers, buttons and laces and your child will feel much more confident if they can do it all themselves. Make a game out of getting dressed each morning and use skills boards and dolls to help your child learn to tie, zip, buckle and snap all on their own.

2. Use a chore or responsibility chart to help your child become more responsible with tidying up and remembering to do simple tasks. They will enjoy seeing how they are progressing with their big kid jobs and this will give them a head start in learning how to be responsible for things like putting their folders and lunchboxes in the right spot each day.

3. Your child doesn’t need to know how to read, but they should know how to recognize and write their own name. Make it fun by helping them write their own name  on their artwork and pointing out the letters in their name on signs and in books.

4. Play school with your child to help them understand what to expect and how they should behave. Let them take turns being the teacher! Fun props like a chalk board or white board, magnet alphabet letters and workbooks can make this activity double as an opportunity to learn numbers and letters, too.

5. If your child has never been in daycare, preschool or parent’s day out, look for opportunities for them to practice being away from you. This is a big step and some children find it more difficult than others. An environment with other children will be ideal to get them used to not having one on one care all day long.

6. Work on developing strong fine motor skills so that they are ready to learn how to write. Coloring, painting, playing with modeling clay or play dough, doing puzzles, stringing beads, peeling clementines, using chopsticks and other activities will help your child strengthen their finger muscles and improve their hand-eye coordination.

7. Use blocks, cars, beads or other small toys to work on counting, sorting and simple addition and subtracting. You can also use toys to reinforce concepts like shapes, colors, over/under and bigger/smaller.

8. Play games like Simon Says and Follow the Leader to help your child practice following directions, focusing and impulse control. Board games like Memory and Candyland are also fun ways to help your child learn how to take turns, be a good sport and follow directions.
9. Teach your child to cut with a pair of scissors and how to use just the right amount of glue.  Making collages with old magazines and sales flyers is a fun and inexpensive way to practice. You can also help your child look for the letters in their name to cut out to further reinforce the alphabet, letter sounds and name recognition.

10. Use fun songs, books and nursery rhymes to help your child learn to recognize rhymes and improve their memory. Let your child be an active participant in story time and help you “read” the story by filling in missing words and discussing what happened and what will happen next.

11. Reinforce good hygiene practices like using tissue, coughing into the crook of the elbow and thorough hand-washing. Make sure that your child knows how to wipe themselves after going to the bathroom and doesn’t wait until the last minute to race for the toilet.

12. Encourage independence during meal times. Pack picnics using the same kind of food and drink containers that you will use at their school. If your child will be buying lunch, buy small cartons of milk to teach them how to open them on their own. Find out the procedures for buying lunch so that you can practice them with your child and help them memorize their lunch number if your school uses them to look up accounts.

13. Continue to provide plenty of opportunities for imaginative play. This will help increase your child’s vocabulary, promote problem solving skills and increase self regulation. Use puppets, dolls or other props to help your child narrate and act out stories.

14. Do simple science experiments with your child to introduce them to the idea of forming a hypothesis then testing it out. You can also go on nature walks to observe plants and animals and foster your child’s curiosity about the world around them. These activities help your child develop an enthusiasm for learning that will stick with them for life.

15. Work on finding a sleeping schedule that works for your child. Getting plenty of rest can make a huge difference in your child’s ability to concentrate and regulate their own behavior. In the months before kindergarten, work to get your child on the same eating and sleeping schedule they will be following during the school year. This will make for a much easier first week of school and can make the difference between a positive beginning and a more challenging one.

About the Author:
Jacob Maslow balances his career with being a loving husband and father of five terrific kids. He works for Today’s Concept, where parents can find toys that support their children’s natural love of learning and creativity, like the award-winning Melissa and Doug toys.

Over the last couple of years I have talked about toy train events and various toy train activities that you can complete. This last weekend I ran across a family toy train table project that I thought was very sweet and endearing. This table was covered with a track that had stops on it that were important to the family, i.e. grandma’s house, the elementary school, the family home and a military base in Iraq where the dad was stationed. Next to each stop was a little sign that provided information and a picture related to the stop.

This is a great project for military families, divorced families and any family that want to find connectedness. To complete this project you will need toy train table plans, photographs, decoupage gel, a sponge brush, building supplies and paint.

After constructing your table as a family you can figure out what stops to add to your track. These stops need to have meaning to your kids. For example, if you have a divorced family structure then you will want to provide one stop for mom’s house and one stop for dad’s house. If you are a military family then you can include stops at the military base in the U.S., and if the military mom or dad is deployed, then you can also include a stop at the overseas military base.

For each stop you are going to create a little signs. This sign will include a photograph and a description of the stop. The description can include an address, a simple city name, a country name, as well as information about why it is important, such as “this is where daddy is stationed” or “this is grandma’s house.” The signs that you make can either be decoupaged directly onto the track board, or you can build 3D signs that can be placed ontop of the track board.

July is a great month to work on woodworking projects. The weather tends to be hot and dry, which is perfect weather for painting and staining wood. However, if you plan on working on a toy train table for your Name Trains you will need to use these tips.

The first thing that you need to know about working on a construction project during the month of July is that you need to try and stay in the shade. Working under direct sun is not good for you or your project. For you it can lead to a sun burn, skin cancer, eye strain and heat exhaustion. For your project it can lead to fading, paint bubbling and other cosmetic impairments.

The next thing that you need to know is that you need to work under a tent or a roof of some sort. While it is generally dry and hot in July a shower or thunderstorm can quickly move in and dump rain on you and your project.

The final tip is to avoid working on your project during thunderstorms. Electrical strikes near you can cause electrocution or death. Also if the wind kicks up it can blow sawdust into your eyes or blow away your plans.

Last week I talked about the fact that January is a great month to buy your building supplies and plans for your toy train table project. This week I’d like to give you a few tips for putting together your toy train tables. These tips will help you to customize your toy train table designs so that they compliment the activities that you will be doing on the table.

The first tip is to figure out what activities the table will be used for. The table top design will need to work with these activities. For example, if you will be playing with Name Trains on your activity table, then you will want a nice flat open table top. You will also want to create a painted insert that has track design on it. You will also want table top that is surrounded with a slight lip to keep the rolling train pieces from rolling off of your activity table.

The next tip is to be smart about the finishing products that you select. To start with you will want to select products that are kid friendly and as non-toxic as possible. If you will be working on your toy train in a basement then you will also want fume free products. Finally, since your table is designed for kids to play with you will want to use a finishing product that will not scratch easily. This may mean adding a special top coat or sealant to your table.

Toy train tables are durable pieces of equipment that will last longer than your kids’ childhoods. Because of this you can refurbish the table and create a whole new piece of furniture. There are several ways you can redesign your toy train tables, or activity tables. This week’s blog will discuss a few of these options.

The first way you can redesign your toy train table is to turn it into a coffee table. To do this all you have to do is remove the insert and strip the old paint from the table. Then stain the table using a gel based stain. This will make the project go quicker. Use a stain color that will compliment your living room furniture. If your toy train table is dinged or scratched, treat these imperfection with wood putty and sandpaper before you stain the surface.

The second way you can redesign your toy train table is to turn it into an entertainment center. Many toy train table designs will facilitate a 13 inch TV, or an even larger flat screen TV, as well as a DVD player and cable box. After you strip the old table finish, fill in scratches and dings with wood putty, allow to dry, sand smooth and paint with an enamel or washable paint product. Select a color that will work well with the colors in your child’s room, family room or play room.

For more information about toy trains and toy train table activities visit the Model Trains blog.