B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

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Y P E O F
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N C O U R A G E D
Focused
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Games for 3- to 6-Year-Olds
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Put your hand on the table and ask your little one to put hers on top of
yours. Then put your other hand on top of her hand and ask her to put her
other hand on the top of the hand pile.
Then you pull your first hand out from under the pile of hands and put
it back on top. Encourage her to do the same with her hand that is now on
the bottom.
Keep repeating this pattern with the hand on the bottom of the pile
moving to the top. Start very slowly at first until your child gets the idea
and then begin to speed up the action.
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Try the same game with your bare feet!
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Children are learning about taking turns, a concept that will stand them
well in preschool and beyond.
They are also learning about timing. If they pull their hand out too
soon, the game doesn’t work.
They are also learning about simple ways to enjoy themselves with others.
How Many?
Everyone has trouble waiting, but especially fidgety children. In this game,
you can turn waiting for someone to come pick you up or for someone to
get off a plane into a fun guessing game.
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Open and focused
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None