My child amazes me. I can say that, right? I mean, I am just amazed by how smart little kids are. SMART!
I started the year with a list of preschool skills I wanted my three-and-a-half year old to achieve by year end. I had a hard time deciding which skills to focus on as he won't be four until end of February and most skill lists I found were for kids going into preschool already four years old.
When Kumon Books sent me a complimentary sampling of their basic preschool skills workbooks to use in our home preschool, I was excited to see their format and coverage. With our Kumon Books we:
Teach a variety of preschool skills at home
With Kumon Books, you can have your preschooler work through a variety of preschool skills like drawing, coloring, pasting, tracing, and cutting. Even mazes and puzzles.
Each workbook is rated for a range of ages. For instance, you could get the Coloring book for 2-3-4 year olds, or the Coloring at the Zoo book for 3-4-5 year olds. Children move up in skills as they progress through the books.
The books are printed on high quality paper with color ink, and each book uses paper appropriate for the task. The Cutting and Pasting books have thicker cardstock-like pages with a coated surface - this makes it easier for small fingers to handle as they also deal with the scissors.
Teach preschool skills in a step-by-step format
Kumon Books start children off at entry-level. In my son's Tracing book, he started by tracing lines vertically, far apart on the page. Then horizontally. Then lines closer together. Now he's working on slanted lines. Soon he'll work on curvy lines. If he gets stuck, I can have him return to a previous worksheet and redo that one in a different color pencil or crayon.
As kids progress through the book, the activities get more challenging. In teacher-speak, this is known as teaching in the zone of proximity - giving instruction and work just a bit up from their current level and coaching them to attain a higher level.
Develop preschool skills with engagement and support
My son loves the animals featured on various pages - he traces their path through the forest with excitement. The bright colors, objects, and animals hold his interest despite the repetitive practice.
Coloring his favorite fruits and vegetables with the matching color is exciting for him. Because the worksheet gives him just a small area in the middle of the picture to color, his hand doesn't become fatigued, and if he goes "out of the lines" it's hard to tell because the rest of the picture is in color - so he never feels discouraged by accidentally going out of the box.
He traces around the pictures too - he is really into tracing! And it's another way you could use the coloring images for additional skills practice.
See preschool skills developing day by day!
My favorite book is the Drawing book. I love the way it shows kids step-by-step how to draw objects like an apple, baseball, and more! We are only a couple pages into this book, but I seriously believe it has stretched his drawing abilities already. Before we started any of the Kumon books, he had a very hard time with scissors, drew pictures very lightly with crayons. His drawings were loose in structure so I had a hard time knowing what anything was except a box with circles was a car.
Now, just a few weeks into the school year, his drawing progress is remarkable! After the first page of the Drawing book where he learned the three steps to drawing an apple, later that week he asked me to draw a tree. Then he drew an apple in the tree, and a ladder going up to the apple. He's writing more firmly with crayons, and his drawings have more intentional details.
I really believe the Kumon Books we're using are developing his preschool skills in an easy-to-use and effective method. It's really hard to explain the rapid progress over just a few weeks otherwise.
I'll be buying more of these books (and asking for them as Christmas gifts for my kids!). You can purchase your own books online at Amazon.com - click on the titles below to check out the ones we have and find many more Kumon Publishing products! (affiliate links)
Thanks to Kumon Books for sending products to facilitate this post! All opinions are 100% my own.
My first book of cutting would be wonderful to teach my sons how to cut.
My first book of cutting would be wonderful to teach my sons how to cut.
I like the first book of drawing
I like the first book of drawing
I love the My First Book of Drawing!
I love the My First Book of Drawing!
We would like the cutting book. We haven't started official preschool yet as my daughter is only two, but these books are definitely a great entry into these skills! Thank you for hosting!
We would like the cutting book. We haven't started official preschool yet as my daughter is only two, but these books are definitely a great entry into these skills! Thank you for hosting!
We love the cutting workbook, as we're currently working on fine motor skills with both my boys. We like to play legos to further strengthen their grips.
We love the cutting workbook, as we're currently working on fine motor skills with both my boys. We like to play legos to further strengthen their grips.
My first book of drawing.
My first book of drawing.
My First Book of Mazes; we discuss the importance of imagination!
My First Book of Mazes; we discuss the importance of imagination!
i think we would like the my book of amazing crafts, we love crafts so this is our kind of book
i think we would like the my book of amazing crafts, we love crafts so this is our kind of book
My daughter really likes mazes, but I'd like the drawing book to help in the area that I'm not gifted:)
My daughter really likes mazes, but I'd like the drawing book to help in the area that I'm not gifted:)
My First Book of MAZES - they are fun!
My First Book of MAZES - they are fun!
We would enjoy the Numbers, Upper Case, and Lower Case books! My son goes to preschool and loves to cut and color so I think of numbers and letters as a higher priority.
We would enjoy the Numbers, Upper Case, and Lower Case books! My son goes to preschool and loves to cut and color so I think of numbers and letters as a higher priority.
I do art projects with my kids
I do art projects with my kids
um love these! I would like them ALL! ok I'll start with saying Mazes. 🙂
What are your skills for this age?
um love these! I would like them ALL! ok I'll start with saying Mazes. 🙂
What are your skills for this age?
My first book of tracing. I sit down every afternoon and work with him tracing and his letters. His sister is usually doing her homework so he calls this his homework. I don't push him and let him pick what he does each day.
My first book of tracing. I sit down every afternoon and work with him tracing and his letters. His sister is usually doing her homework so he calls this his homework. I don't push him and let him pick what he does each day.
My favorite is the My First Book of MAZES. I built my daughter's preschooler's skills by reading to her and answering questions. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite is the My First Book of MAZES. I built my daughter's preschooler's skills by reading to her and answering questions. Thanks for the giveaway!
My first book of cutting.
My first book of cutting.
I think my daughter would most like "My Book of Pasting."
I think my daughter would most like "My Book of Pasting."
The cutting book looks great!!
The cutting book looks great!!
We love Kumon Books. We have two of them. My 2.5 year old would probably love My Book of EASY MAZES.
We love Kumon Books. We have two of them. My 2.5 year old would probably love My Book of EASY MAZES.
These look great, and I love the cutting book!
These look great, and I love the cutting book!
My First Book of Tracing would really help my 4 year old. We are learning how to write, and he gets so impatient but these books look great. Thanks for the review!
My First Book of Tracing would really help my 4 year old. We are learning how to write, and he gets so impatient but these books look great. Thanks for the review!
I love these books! Our 4.5 year old had been doing them for about a year and a half, and his cutting accuracy and coloring skills have gotten pretty remarkable. I love the "let's..." series of Kumon books - let's cut, let's color, letter sticker and paste. I'm planning on getting some cutting ones for our 2.5 year old for Christmas - he's obsessed with cutting paper, and is finally getting enough dexterity to do some real practice.
I love these books! Our 4.5 year old had been doing them for about a year and a half, and his cutting accuracy and coloring skills have gotten pretty remarkable. I love the "let's..." series of Kumon books - let's cut, let's color, letter sticker and paste. I'm planning on getting some cutting ones for our 2.5 year old for Christmas - he's obsessed with cutting paper, and is finally getting enough dexterity to do some real practice.
the cutting and jigsaw puzzles would be helpful.
the cutting and jigsaw puzzles would be helpful.
My dd would love the cutting book
My dd would love the cutting book
I'd like to have My Book of Amazing Tracing to use with my just turned 3 y.o. She likes drawing so I think this would be a good semi-formal intro to school.
I'd like to have My Book of Amazing Tracing to use with my just turned 3 y.o. She likes drawing so I think this would be a good semi-formal intro to school.
I would love all of these books for Eli, since I am doing some Preschool this year with him! I think he'd like the Cutting book the best!
I would choose the My Book of MAZES: ANIMALS. Dd loves doing mazes! We build her skill level with a LOT of patience! Dd is a whiner and whines when she can't get something on the first try (my little perfectionist! UGH!). We just keep reinforcing for her to try it again over and over and over...oops sorry...eventually she gets it and is happy again! LOL
I would choose the My Book of MAZES: ANIMALS. Dd loves doing mazes! We build her skill level with a LOT of patience! Dd is a whiner and whines when she can't get something on the first try (my little perfectionist! UGH!). We just keep reinforcing for her to try it again over and over and over...oops sorry...eventually she gets it and is happy again! LOL
My Book of MAZES: AROUND THE WORLD
My Book of MAZES: AROUND THE WORLD