Activities That Encourage Imagination

At Miss Sue's, we always want our students to use their imaginations! One of the best ways to encourage imagination is through free-play. From toys to games, the possibilities are completely endless when it comes to boosting a child’s imagination. If you’re looking to continue encouraging your child’s imagination, then here are some activities that keep imagination flowing:

Playtime with Toys

When children play with toys that don’t make noise, this then gives your child the power to create their own sounds! Think of it as this: if your child is playing with a plastic toy horse (without sound effects built-in), they might then begin to start making noises for the horse — or even make it talk. No matter what the outcome may be, your child is exercising their imagination, which opens the door to many incredible possibilities on the road ahead.

Arts & Crafts

Fact: your child's imagination can run wild with art! Whether it’s painting a picture on a giant piece of paper or making a sculpture out of modeling clay, your child will be able to fully express themselves through any artistic activity you provide them with! Before the arts and crafts begin,  be sure to supply your child with various art supplies that will pique their interest. This is truly a great way for children to express themselves and their emotions!

Story Time

One of the best ways to spark your child’s imagination is through reading. When reading a book to your child, it introduces them to an entire world of make-believe and lets their imagination soar! In addition to expanding their imagination, your child will also learn how stories are told — which will inspire them to make up their own stories! Finally, when you read to your child, it will also spark their love of reading, since they’ll be inspired to read more books to learn about the incredible world of imagination! 

Looking for nursery school on Long Island where your child can learn through play? The dedicated staff at Miss Sue's Nursery School focuses on the individual needs of each and every child. We invite you to visit our school and see our program in action. For more information about Miss Sue’s, give us a call at 516-938-0894 or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

The Importance of Picture Books

One of the best ways to introduce your child to reading is through picture books. From books with a few short sentences (per page) to those without words, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your child acquainted with literature. Below are a few of the many reasons why picture books are important tools for toddlers:

Storytelling

Since there are little-to-no words on the page, it’s completely up to you to do the storytelling! The pictures on page guide the general story line, while the tone of your voice brings the story to life. From the characters to the sound effects they make, you’ll be the star of this literary show — and your child will certainly be enamored with how fun reading will be! Children can fill in the blanks with their imagination, which also helps further develop their motor skills — which is another essential skill in their repertoire. 

Visual Learning

The best part of a picture book are the pictures! Children can let their imagination wonder in the beautifully illustrated pages, as you guide the story along with your narrations. This is particularly beneficial for children who are visual learners; will help them visualize the concept of reading — even though words aren’t present. Even after you’re done reading the story to your child, you can leave the book (or books) with them, so they can further examine each page and potentially read the story on their own. It’s a wonderful way to get your child more acquainted with the reading process! 

Interactive Learning

When showing a picture book to a child, it’s a good idea to ask them questions. You can point out certain objects to see if they know what they are. For example, if you’re reading a book together and it shows various objects (i.e. a dinner plate), you can ask your child what shape they see. This will be a great way to not only increase your child’s passion for reading, but it will also help them use problem solving skills within their literary adventures; a very important element when reading at any age!

Picture books are the perfect opportunity to introduce the concept of books to young children! Are you looking for a nursery school that specializes in language arts education?  If so, choose Miss Sue’s! We provide a safe environment, the best care, the best attention, the best education available and we definitely provide the most fun! Please call us for an appointment or with any questions at 516-938-0894.

Why Playtime Matters

Playtime is one of the main ways in which small children learn. At Miss Sue’s, we stress the importance of learning through playtime, enriching children’s lives daily with challenging, fun and creative activities. At this age, learning should be fun as it helps your child build a sense of self-worth and develop necessary skills. Here are some ways to promote learning through playtime:

• Playing with clay, drawing and painting pictures can encourage creativity, expression and help your child tap into their imagination. Developing self-expression and imagination are the keys to success and are highly essential in any environment.

• Building blocks and puzzles will help with shape and size recognition, teaching children how to put things in order. Teaching this essential step is important since it will help develop organizational skills, such as cleaning their room.

• Sand and water play can be an early introduction to science and math; they will learn that water is a fluid, not a solid, and that it can be measured in different sized containers. This will also play a large part when it comes skills such as cooking!

• Lace up cards or stringing macaroni to make a necklace is a great way to improve a child’s fine motor skills. These hands-on activities will be of great use when your child learns to tie their shoes, turn a key and more!

• Physical games, such as playing ball or running and climbing will help with coordination, strength and flexibility. In addition to helping with these important skills, physical games are a great a form of exercise, too!

• Playing instruments and singing is a great way to develop listening skills and rhythm. This will not only be a great way to introduce and teach these skills, but it will also develop an appreciation for music; your child might want to take instrument/voice lessons if they're a fan of this art!

So the next time your child wants to bang on pots and pans, or build something with sticks outside -- let them! You will be contributing to their success in the classroom and then later in life!

Looking for nursery school on Long Island where your child can learn through play? The dedicated staff at Miss Sue's Nursery School focuses on the individual needs of each and every child. We invite you to visit our school and see our program in action. For more information about Miss Sue’s, give us a call at 516-938-0894 or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

Why Hand-Eye Coordination Matters

One of the most important skills any child will learn is hand-eye coordination. Known as the skill that will be used on a daily basis, hand-eye coordination takes the lead when it comes to preparing gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Here at Miss Sue’s, we understand the importance and help our students perfect this vital skill on a daily basis — but why is hand-eye coordination really that important? Let us explain:

Will be Used on a Daily Basis

When it comes to hand-eye coordination, this skill is used every day in a series of situations. Think about it: from driving your vehicle to work to preparing dinner, there are many different avenues as to why this is a very important skill to have in one’s skill set. To further break down the process, hand-eye coordination can be best described as one’s way to track their hand movements with their eyes, which sends electrical signals to the brain and ultimately registers (mentally) what activity is being done — and how they can complete it, too. On a typical day at Miss Sue’s, we let our students partake in a series of different activities that will help perfect their hand-eye coordination, such as playing with modeling clay, stringing macaroni noodles on a string, and playing memory games, to name a few.

Will Improve Motor Skills

In addition to hand-eye coordination being a necessity for daily life, it will also help improve your child’s motor skills in the areas of gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Starting with gross motor skills, these will be essential not only in the area of sports, but also everyday activities such as using your reflexes to react to an impromptu situation. When it comes to fine motor skills, these are the intricate motions that correspond (and work closely) with gross motor skills, such as gripping a basketball tightly. When hand-eye coordination is introduced to your child through the fun array of activities at Miss Sue’s, they’ll be perfecting their gross motor skills and fine motor skills, which are the keys to success. In addition, activities such as reading and writing will also help with hand-eye coordination and will make fine-tuning all motor skills an effortless, fun process! Working on these important skills on a daily basis will open the door to many incredible opportunities! 

At Miss Sue’s Nursery School, our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. A multi-sensory, holistic approach to learning is provided through play, art, music and physical activities. To learn more about the school and give your child the best pre-k experience, give us a call at 516-938-0894.