Course 1

Course 1

Dear Parent/caregiver

Today you will be introducing the theme to your child. To do this effectively you need to provide him/her with some concrete objects to assist with grasping of the concepts. For this the following is recommended: 

  • Gather pictures of children
  • Show and tell your child why each child is unique and special  

Use the following questions to steer the discussion about the theme:

  • Who are you?
  • What is your name?
  • Are you a boy (male) or a girl (female)?
  • What is your full name?
  • How old are you?
  • When is your birthday?
  • Where do you live?
  • Why am I unique and special?

Activity 1

Creative Activity: Photo craft flower 

Duration: 20- 30 minutes

What do I need?

  • 1 cupcake holder
  • 1 paper straw 
  • Glue 
  • Scissors 
  • Photo of your child (that you don’t mind having him/her trim by cutting out)
  • Stapler 
  • Pre-traced flower (large enough for cupcake holder to fit in the center of)
  • crayons

What must I do?

  1. *Caregiver is to pre-trace a flower beforehand, as suggested above (ensuring bold outlines)
  2. Learner is instructed to carefully cut out the flower (assistance may be offered around corners and curves, only if necessary. 
  3. Next, have the learner glue the cupcake holder in the middle of the flower 
  4. Follow this by assisting the stapling of the straw to the flower.
  5. Have your child carefully trim the photograph in a circular so that it may fit into the center of the cupcake holder
  6. Allow to decorate further  as he/she desires

*Remember: Doing Arts and crafts with your child provides a platform to create new things. It makes him think differently and to be innovative. The ability to solve problems while working on a project, promotes creativity. In short, arts and crafts will make your child more resourceful and versatile.

Activity 2

Mathematics: Fingerprint numbers 

Duration: 15- 20 minutes 

What do I need?

  • A4 white paper (a few sheets) 
  • Paint 
  • Markers 
  • Tape

What to do?

  1. *Caregiver is to tape a few A4 pages together along the sides to create a long sheet of paper. (If you do have lengths of paper available already, this will do perfectly well)
  2. *Caregivers are to write the number symbols 1-10 on the sheets of paper in order using a marker. 
  3. Instruct your child to dip his/her finger into the paint and write over the number symbols. It is important to encourage your child to start writing/tracing over of the number symbols, by starting at the top.
  4. Also make reference to working from the left side to the right side again to promote directionality. 
  5. Your child can count along or sing a number nursery rhyme as they work.

Sing the following song to create further awareness of numbers 1 – 10 as you work with your child 

Did you know?

Children learn things faster if they associate them with something enjoyable. Music is one of the best ways to teach numbers to children, because it’s easy to memorize songs. Sing nursery rhymes related to numbers such as ‘1-2, buckle my shoe’, ‘5 little monkeys jumping on the bed’, and ’This old man’. Hold up your fingers for the number of characters in the rhyme. It’ll give your child an understanding of the concept of less and more.

Activity 3 

Physical Activity: Pool noodle hockey 

Duration: 10-15 minutes 

What do I need?

  • Pool Noodles or rolled up newspapers secured by masking tape (if you do not have a pool noodle
  • Balloons 
  • Basket (Box)
  • A large open indoor or outside area

What to do?

  1. Have your child place washing baskets (or boxes) as goal posts 
  2. He/she is then instructed to use the pool noodles (or newspaper rolls) to hit the balloons into the baskets to score goals. * Parent to demonstrate, if necessary. 
  3. Please play along with your child if possible, to create an interactive and greater fun experience.
  4. Have your child track the score by writing it down on a paper (writing strokes and then tallying it up afterwards) 

*The above game has the following benefits for your child:

  • It builds physical skills: eye-hand coordination; aim and accuracy and spatial awareness and
  • It builds non-physical skills: cooperation; sharing and critical thinking