We all studied biology, at least till grade 10. We all studied that our muscles, bones, body all grows as we grow older and there are developmental charges at every stage of life. However, we very conveniently forget this the moment we become a parent. 

It is so true that lessons learnt from books are often forgotten but we never forget our first-hand experience. So please experience this process of growing up with your child by not making him/her grow up before their actually do. 

Did you know that the skeletal structure of a 3 year old hand and a 6 year old are significantly different? 

If you notice the bones in the wrist of the 3 year old, many of them are still mostly cartilage. Look at all the spaces in between the bones, these muscles and tendons will develop only through the years. 

At Niño & Niña we try and educate our parents that pre-schooler’s have so much development to do before they can write. 

We request our parents NOT to get stressed out if our pre-schooler does not want to write or draw. Some kids love it and some don’t at any given point of time but everyone eventually learns to colour and write. 

However, our emphasis while they are growing is on strengthing those little bones and muscles. 

At Niño & Niña Preschool our Childcare Educators are trained in finger gym exercises that help our children develop their fingers muscles which are eventually required for holding a pencil in the correct way. We spend a great time on prewriting & muscle-strengthening activities like: 

* Painting, Drawing, Colouring

* Playdough

* Tear & Paste

* Piercing holes in things 

* Digging in sand

* Building with blocks

* Beading

* Squeezing 

All these acticities strengthen and help develop little hands, muscles and bones. We at Niño & Niña even have crayons for each level so that the children enjoy the experience of colouring.

We use groove pencils when it comes to introducing holding a pencil. Our endeavour always is that the child learns to make a proper grip while holding the pencil to write. 

We lay great emphasis on Prewriting, tracing on sand or suji with the index finger and learning to make different patterns before we actually get them to writing proper letters. 

It is really necessary that children should be physically ready to write. It is so much easier then, than if they are pushed when they didn’t want to and weren’t ready!

-DIVYA JOSHI