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September 16, 2025

Things to Focus on in Your Child’s Primary 1 Prep

Starting Primary 1 is a big step for you and your child. It’s when your child’s preschool journey ends and formal schooling begins. 

Given that, it’s no wonder most parents feel a little anxious about it!

The transition to primary school is about more than your child’s knowledge of letters and numbers. It’s also about emotional readiness and independence.

In this guide, we’ll show you what our educators advise when preparing for Primary 1 and what works best for smoothing the preschool to primary school transition.

Academic Readiness

1. Strengthen Your Child’s Listening and Following Skills

One of the main differences between preschool and primary school is that the latter involves more multi-step activities. You can prep your child for this at home. 

Start off simple, with tasks involving only 2 to 3 steps. Try starting with everyday routines he/she can work on, like putting away toys and washing his/her hands as part of getting ready for a meal.

You can add more steps after that. It’s a good idea to provide the steps verbally too. It’ll hone your child’s listening skills at the same time!

2. Build on Literacy and Numeracy

Your child will be expected to read and count at a basic level in Primary 1, so building these skills can help to improve your child’s confidence and readiness for this at school!

This is something we consider a focus area at My Little Campus. Our curriculum builds strong foundations for both English and Maths in fun ways, such as word and number games.

By adding bilingual foundations, we also prepare children for academic topics like Mother Tongue in Primary 1. You can start working on building bilingualism at home too by speaking to your child in both English and their Mother Tongue!

3. Cultivate a Love for Reading

The sooner your child falls in love with books, the better. Reading will be a big part of his/her life in primary school, after all.

So, try to read with your child daily even if it’s only for half an hour. It’s a great bonding experience and supports your child’s literacy and vocabulary growth.

We also do this at My Little Campus through interactive storytelling and roleplay. These activities make stories come alive and nurture both imagination and comprehension – all while making reading an enjoyable experience!

4. Develop Your Child’s Attention Span

Lessons and planned activities are much longer in primary school than preschool. In Primary 1, your child may struggle if he/she isn’t used to staying focused for extended periods of time.

You can help your child build up his/her attention span at home by offering quiet tasks that require sustained focus for a specified time. Think puzzles, drawing/colouring, crafts, and the like. 

You can slowly increase the duration your child spends on each task over time, eventually building their ability to focus for 40-50 minutes.

Life and Socio-Emotional Skills

1. Encourage Independence

Navigating Primary 1 involves various independent tasks. Children carry their own bags, unpack and pack up their own things, and move between classes on their own with little guidance.

Prepare your child for things like this by offering chances to take charge of daily routines. 

We do this at My Little Campus by encouraging children to put away their own shoes after outdoor play sessions or clearing their trays after meals. These empower children and teach them the basics of responsibility and agency early on.

2. Build Daily Routines

Primary school is more structured and routine-dependent. So, picking up these routines in advance can ease the preschool to primary school transition.

Give your child a clear routine at home. For instance, build a daily morning routine of waking up early, washing up and dressing independently, and getting seated at the dining table for breakfast.

You can also add bedtime routines or after-school routines while your child is still in preschool. It’s early practice for the primary school transition!

3. Nurture Social Confidence

One of the biggest changes for your child will be in the faces around him/her. They’ll meet many new peers and teachers, which may be a cause for anxiety for some children.

To support your child with this, frame the experience as a chance to make new friends. 

Give your child ample opportunity to practise doing that with regular playdates, or sign your child up for enrichment programmes with children of similar ages.

This will give your child opportunities to learn how to get to know new people before Primary 1. It will also show him/her that socialising with new people can be rewarding!

4. Build Resilience

There will be a lot of challenges in Primary 1 – even with the best preparation, you can expect your child to see a few setbacks every now and then. 

This is where resilience comes into play. You want to teach your child that trying again is often part of life and can produce rewards, so that he/she understands that mistakes aren’t the end of the world.

We do this at My Little Campus by using encouraging language and approaches. When children struggle with a task, we reassure them that it’s all right to take their time to try it again, and offer our support if they want it.

Praising efforts over results can also help your little one look at challenges with a more positive mindset.

Advice for Parents on Staying Supportive and Positive

Remember that you play a big part in how your child manages the transition to primary school. Your attitude may well set the tone for your child’s experience!

If you’re positive about the transition, your child is more likely to be positive too. It can also help if you tell your child what to expect in advance. This way, there are fewer surprises to cause anxiety.

Share with your child that it’s fine and completely normal to feel nervous about entering primary school as well. And above all, reassure your child that you’re always there for support if he/she needs it.

Get Help Preparing for The Transition to Primary 1

Preparing a child for Primary 1 takes time, but it can be made easier if you know what to do.

If you want to get expert support with that preparation, seek a preschool that gets them ready for it as soon as possible. For instance, preparation for Primary 1 is a core part of our approach to preschool at My Little Campus.

Reach out to us to see how we do it or book a school tour with us today!

September 1, 2025

How Do Multisensory Activities Boost Your Child’s Cognitive Skills?

If you’ve been looking for ways to support your child’s cognitive growth, you’ve probably run into the proposition to use multisensory activities. The question is, do they actually work?

Generally, early childhood educators agree that multisensory learning for preschoolers is helpful. The benefits of sensory activities range from enhancing focus to supporting problem-solving abilities.

If that’s piqued your attention, read on. We’ll share more about how to improve cognitive skills in a child with various types of multisensory activities.

What Is Multisensory Learning?

Multisensory learning is when a child’s learning experience involves engaging multiple senses at the same time. 

For example, an activity may require your child to both listen and touch. Or your child may need to move and see. That means more than one sense is engaged during the experience. 

There are a variety of multisensory learning activities, including fine motor sensory activities. Different children may have different preferences for them, depending on which senses those children favour.

Why Is Multisensory Learning Important?

A good bit of research suggests that multisensory learning benefits children’s education. For instance, the ADHD Foundation asserts that multisensory activities encourage children to form stronger connections or links for ideas and memories.

This is critical when a child is at preschool age (0 to 6 years). At this age, children’s brains develop rapidly. They can create millions of neural connections per day!

By reinforcing those connections, multisensory learning also aligns with modern early childhood education approaches. Consider play-based learning, for example. 

Play-based learning emphasises hands-on exploration, which employs several senses at once. Multisensory learning ties into this naturally, as a result.

Key Benefits of Sensory Activities for Cognitive Development

1. Enhances Focus and Memory

By engaging multiple senses at once, multisensory activities can help children keep their attention on an idea or goal. It feeds more than one stream of stimulation to them, after all.

Think of activities where children are encouraged to sort items by category. Do they feel rough or smooth? Look blue or red? Sound hollow or solid? These become crucial points of interest and stimulation that help sustain children’s focus.

At the same time, children can retain the information they glean longer. As mentioned earlier, multisensory activities tend to lead to stronger connections for ideas. 

For example, teaching a child the shape of the letter J can be paired with the experience of writing it. Some teachers will even add the act of pretending to shape it with a wave of their hands in the air. 

That allows a child so many “hooks” to use to remember the shape of the letter. From the visuals of it to the tactile feel of writing or shaping it in the air, all of those are scaffolds for memory!

2. Strengthens Problem-Solving and Planning Skills

Activities such as simple puzzles or matching games can be multisensory too. For example, think of one where they need to dig into a box of pasta to find the hidden puzzles within. 

The children need to use their sense of touch to find the differently shaped pieces amidst the macaroni in the box. And then, after retrieving them, they can use their sight to fit the puzzle pieces to each other and form the picture!

This is actually a form of problem-solving. It teaches children how to employ various tools at their disposal (like touch and sight) to solve a riddle. 

Such activities can also become stagegrounds for developing planning abilities. The children might learn to delay putting together the puzzle until they’ve retrieved edge pieces, for example, that could serve as “foundations”.

3. Supports Language Development and Communication

Multisensory activities can sometimes include tasks to talk, listen, or follow instructions. All of those naturally support language development.

A great example that we often use at My Little Campus is interactive storytelling. In it, we combine a variety of sensory inputs to provide an experience as fun as it is illuminating for little ones. 

They get visuals with props and roleplay, sounds through dialogue, movements through gestures, and more. In the process, they also learn to grow their vocabularies and verbal expression.

4. Boosts Socio-Emotional Development

Group multisensory activities are especially good for this. Collaborative sand play and group music-making are examples. 

Such activities promote emotional awareness as the children work together to realise their goals. At the same time, they discover how to cooperate and share with others.

These are experiences that build emotional intelligence as well as social skills – both of which will be critical for the children’s future relationships and emotional resilience.

5. Supports Different Learning Styles 

As mentioned earlier, different children will favour different senses. The beauty of having multisensory activities is that you offer more options for each learner!

Multisensory activities accommodate the differences among children’s preferences by offering several pathways for learning. This is especially important for preschoolers because in these early years, children’s dominant learning styles may not be clear yet.

Incorporating Multisensory Activities at Home

Want to try bringing multisensory learning into your home? Fortunately, it doesn’t require elaborate planning or costly materials. Here are some recommendations you can try:

Activity 1: Sensory Bins

Get a plastic bin and fill it with something safe for children to put their hands in. Uncooked rice, lentils, and pasta are favourites. 

Next, bury some safe household objects in the bin, right at the bottom. Try spoons, small balls, children’s toys, and more. You can even add a scoop!

After that, just let the kids play with the bin. It’s great as a play activity and stimulates touch, sight, and sound all at once.

Activity 2: Outdoor Water Play

This one might be especially fun on a hot day, out on the balcony. Get a plastic or inflatable tub, fill it with water, then fill it with safe things for children to play with. 

Children will love splashing about with the water and items, and will also begin developing scientific skills like observation. They might identify which items sink, for instance, or which ones float. They can even start observing which items absorb water and which don’t!

Offer Your Child a Multisensory Education 

Multisensory activities are more than enjoyable moments for children. They’re also opportunities for foundational learning and experiences.

If you want to ensure your child reaps the full benefit of multisensory approaches in education, consider My Little Campus. We actively build it into our everyday activities, with classrooms dedicated to sensory corners and interactive storytelling sessions.

We also do outdoor exploration and have educators who guide children gently through various sensory adventures that they tie back to cognitive development. Book a tour or visit us today to see how we do this firsthand!

July 15, 2025

How to manage temper tantrums: Strategies for preschool parents

Dealing with your child screaming or throwing things around the house? Or maybe it’s an overturned bowl of noodles and a refusal to eat? Either way, take heart from this fact: you’re not alone.

Temper tantrums are a natural phenomenon for preschoolers. Whether at home or out in public, most children will have one of these meltdowns sooner or later.

And before you start beating yourself up over it, remember: tantrums are actually signs that your little one is just starting to learn self-control. So don’t take them as indicators that you’re doing things wrong!

That being said, there are some strategies for managing tantrums that can make situations easier to handle for both you and your little one.

What are temper tantrums?

Before we start talking about how to manage a child during a tantrum, we should address this first.

A temper tantrum is just a behavioural outburst expressing a negative emotion. Most children express tantrums through screaming, kicking, or crying. Some just lie on the floor and refuse to respond to conversation.

The most common time for tantrums is when a child is one to four years of age. During this time, your child is learning to become more independent, but still has limited communication skills

Tantrums can be of varying durations. Most last a few minutes, while some stretch for as long as 15 to 20 minutes.

Anything violent that goes past that duration could be cause to see a doctor. This is just to ensure that your child is not facing any unusual sensory or communication challenges.

Why do tantrums happen?

There are several reasons tantrums happen in little ones. Let’s break them down into separate sections for clarity:

1. Developmental causes 

At the age when tantrums happen, the pre-frontal cortex is still developing. Because this part of our brains is responsible for both impulse control and emotional regulation, it can’t kick in the way it would for an adult.

The result is that every big emotion can overwhelm these little people in our care at first. Eruptions are normal, as such, until a child turns six or so.

2. Communication challenges 

The key to understanding tantrums is to remember that they’re often due to an unfulfilled need or want. They’re generally tied to some kind of dissatisfaction.

Children can feel that dissatisfaction in full. Unfortunately, they usually lack a similarly developed ability to express that feeling in words. 

As a result, your child can easily resort to a tantrum in an effort to communicate that. When words fail, your child can turn to screams or actions. 

3. External triggers 

Because dissatisfaction or discontent of some kind can lead to a tantrum, it only makes sense that certain things can trigger it. 

A missed nap is a great example. Because children feel tired when they miss a regular nap, they may express that in a tantrum instead of verbally stating that they’re tired.

The same is true for issues like delayed meals, overstimulation, or denied access to their favourite toys or activities. Overwhelmed by negative stimuli or sensations, children may respond by having meltdowns to indicate their discontent. 

4. Emotional needs 

This ties back to communication challenges. Sometimes, children may feel like they’re not getting enough attention or not being acknowledged. 

But, being children, they may not know how to say that. As a result, a child can easily decide that shouting is a quicker way to get results than a polite request. 

Outbursts like this are generally ones relating to your child’s communication skills. Most children don’t set out to be wilfully difficult – they’re only trying to make themselves heard.

How to manage tantrums 

So, what can you do when your child gets the inevitable tantrums? Here are some techniques for tantrum management that we’ve proven time and again at My Little Campus:

1. Stay calm and ensure safety

You can set the tone for your child to eventually follow. And that means calming things down instead of escalating. 

Try taking a few deep breaths before you respond to the tantrum. This may help you centre yourself. After that, assess the situation to ensure no safety hazards are near your child.

If your child is prone to physical tantrums where he or she throws items, for example, you want to move fragile or dangerous objects like glasses or ceramic plates far from reach. 

2. Speak softly and validate your child’s feelings 

Show empathy and understanding. Remember that a lot of tantrums are just about children trying to express themselves in non-verbal ways. Acknowledging their feelings tells them you’ve received the message and there are actual words for what they feel.

State what they’re feeling as simply as possible. Say something like, “You’re angry because you can’t find your favourite toy.” Or, if you’re not sure of the cause yet, “I see you’re upset.”

Use the simplest language you can and without making sentences too long. Children already having a tantrum can’t deal with too much information at once. 

Speaking softly and maintaining a neutral facial expression can help too. It provides less stimulus that could be used to unintentionally reinforce the tantrum behaviour.

3. Don’t try to actually teach or reason mid-tantrum

It can be tempting to try and turn the tantrum into a lesson. Don’t do it! Children having a tantrum are unlikely to process any logical reasoning during it, so you’ll just get frustrated.

Instead, be as calm and patient as possible until your child calms down enough to end the tantrum. Only after the episode is over can you think of reasoning with your child.

4. Offer simple choices when your child is ready

Once your child has calmed down enough to process ideas, offer your help in regaining control. For example, give him or her a choice between two things.

For instance, you could ask your child if he or she wants a snack or a drink at this point. It’s a great way to support the idea that your child has agency over something.

Long-term strategies for tantrum reduction

Another way to better deal with tantrums is to outright avoid them. That is, you can do certain things to try and reduce the number of tantrums your child has. These are some options:

• Stick to predictable routines
  Children tend to thrive when they know what’s supposed to happen next. Predictable routines create a sense of safety, helping toddlers feel more in control of their day, in turn reducing the frequency and intensity of tantrums.

  At My Little Campus, for instance, we’ve found that using consistent schedules for meals and naps help children settle into the flow of the day more smoothly. When expectations are clear, children are less likely to feel overwhelmed or resist transitions – two common triggers for toddler temper tantrums.

• Give your child positive attention regularly
  Since many children have tantrums when feeling neglected, you can prevent that from happening by paying attention to your child at set times each day.
  
• Name and model emotions
  This lets your child learn what he or she is feeling, what it’s called, and how to express it. We do this in various ways at My Little Campus, including through role-play and storytelling!
  
• Find patterns
  Some tantrums may be triggered by the same thing each time. Keeping an eye open for patterns of stimulus-effect can help you identify those and avoid them.

Helping children and parents navigate big emotions

Tantrums can be difficult and tiring to manage. But they’re absolutely normal, as well as possible to deal with if you have enough consistency and patience. 

Of course, more violent or self-harming tantrums could need special help. The same is true for more prolonged or more regular ones, which may require consultation with a specialist.

But other than those, most parents can deal with tantrums themselves, though not necessarily alone. If your child goes to a childcare or preschool where the educators know how to deal with tantrums, for instance, you can get extensive support. 

If you’re interested in that, reach out to us. My Little Campus’s trained teachers pay attention to each child’s needs and regularly communicate with parents over management strategies for challenges. Talk to us today to learn more or arrange a school tour.

June 3, 2025

Parent-tested ways to reduce your child’s screen time

Digital screens are inescapable now. Though some parents may lament it, smartphones and tablets are just part of daily life for everyone now – including little ones. 

Besides, it’s not all bad. Screens can now be tools for both entertainment and learning. That being said, excessive use of them can still have negative effects on your child’s development.

The trick is to ensure balanced usage. If you’re struggling specifically with that, this guide can help. 

Our expert educators have put together a list of the tips that have yielded the best results for both them and parents. Try these to reduce screen time to healthy levels in your child.

Understand current screen habits

Before you make any change to your child’s screen time, take stock of the current situation. How much screen time does your child have each day now? What triggers it?

For example, is your child most likely to indulge in screen time during meal times? When you’re busy doing chores? Or when bored?

Your goal is to try and identify patterns in your child’s screen usage. This can help you find and address the root causes of screen indulgence.

Set clear and consistent limits

Once you’ve identified how much screen time your child is getting, you can set a limit for how much he or she should actually get. 

You can base this on your own preferences, but you can also use expert guidelines. For example, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has screen use guidelines you can try. 

To simplify the guidelines in that advisory, you can follow these notes:

• For children under 18 months old – No screen use unless it’s for interactive video chatting. The MOH does not even advise turning on the TV in the background.
• For children 18 months to 6 years old – Use less than 1 hour of screen use per day outside of school. Do not use screens to distract your child or as background noise. Do not use screens during meals or 1 hour before bedtime.

These screen time limits can be paired with other rules. For example, you can require the content they consume to be educational or age-appropriate. Or you can make screen time a social activity they perform with you.

Remember to be consistent in applying the rules too. Children are more likely to resist a rule when they see it being broken repeatedly without consequence. 

Offer engaging screen time alternatives

One of the main reasons children resist screen time limits is that they use screens to amuse themselves. Without them, their minds lack stimulation unless given opportunity.

So, give them opportunities! Offer your child engaging screen time alternatives, from the chance to play a board game with you to a trip outdoors. 

It doesn’t always need to be something involving you either. You can set up a highly accessible arts nook stuffed with materials, for instance, that your child can use anytime. Or you can stock books about things your child finds interesting. 

All of these can serve as learning opportunities too. At My Little Campus, we believe in using screen time purposefully to support learning, not replace it. Educational screen content is thoughtfully incorporated alongside hands-on activities like sensory play and structured group learning.

By balancing digital and real-world experiences, we help children stay curious and engaged while developing a healthy relationship with technology from a young age.

Model less screen time

Modelling behaviour is always one of the best ways to teach it to children. Your child will imitate you if you look like you’re always glued to your screen – so unglue yourself.

Dedicate more time to off-screen activities, especially ones with or around your child. Think about reading, baking together, going on nature walks, and more. 

This will show your child that fun and connection are possible with digital screens… and the two of you will likely grow closer in the process if you do a lot of activities together.

Create predictable routines

When your child’s routine is highly predictable, he or she is less likely to go looking for a screen as filler. That’s why it may help to structure your child’s day in a way that ensures it’s full of off-screen activities and options.

Don’t forget to account for rest times too, though. Little ones need it to grow!

Use technology with a purpose

As mentioned earlier, you should consider limiting screen time to high-quality and age-appropriate material. This makes screen time purposeful and invests it with value.

This turns technology into a helpful tool instead of a medium for filler activities. You can make screens work for your child’s development – as long as they’re used in moderation. 

A good idea here is to look for videos or apps that focus on your child’s interests. You can even look for ones that will boost their knowledge of topics from school.

Let us help you give your child a richer early education experience

The first time you try the screen-reduction tips above, you’ll very likely struggle. Your child may push back and rules will be broken.

But that’s normal, so don’t worry too much. Reducing screen time doesn’t just happen overnight. 

The key is to start small and stay consistent – until you eventually build lasting habits that will support your child’s development.

My Little Campus can help you here. Our balanced curriculum combines purposeful screen time, hands-on experiences and structured play to support well-rounded learning.

If you want your child to grow up in a preschool where he or she can be nurtured in a way that sustains lifelong growth, consider our approach. Enquire about our programmes today!

May 14, 2025

6 tips to develop your child’s independence

At the ages of 3 to 6 years old, children are growing enough to try doing certain tasks independently. If you’ve seen this in your own child, it’s probably led to some of your proudest moments as a parent. 

These little moments may be small milestones, but they’re vital ones. When your child learns to put on his/her shoes for the first time – or when he/she starts tidying up toys himself/herself – those are your child’s first steps towards independence!

This essential skill can equip your child with confidence, problem-solving abilities, and resilience. These are abilities that can gear up any child to take on challenges in the future.

If you want to encourage independence in your little one, the ideas below may help.

1. Set predictable routines

Establishing consistent routines is a good way to promote child independence. Through routine, children have a clear notion of what to expect and what’s expected. 

It can be as simple as teaching your child to prepare his/her toothbrush for brushing in the morning. Or even showing him/her how to put on a shirt or socks without assistance.

Daily exposure to such routines gets children accustomed to them, and at some point, they’ll figure out how to execute them without your intervention. 

Make sure you praise your child for his/her efforts too. We always reinforce successes like these for the children in our care at My Little Campus and it works wonders!

2. Give age-appropriate responsibilities 

Children love mimicking adults. So why not encourage them to mimic adult responsibilities? 

For example, start giving small household tasks to your little ones. Give them chances to do chores that are safe for them to handle, like packing their own bags the day before school.

Chores like these are great activities for building independence. They encourage self-reliance while also developing practical skills and giving children a sense of achievement and responsibility.

At My Little Campus, for example, we encourage our children to clear their dishes after meals. It’s a simple yet effective way to nurture their independence and explain responsibility.

3. Allow children to make mistakes

This is so important! Most parents have an urge to step in and correct matters when a child does something wrong or struggles with the execution of a task.

But that may actually work against you because allowing children to make mistakes can teach them valuable lessons about perseverance and problem-solving. 

Among other things, it’s about giving a child the chance to overcome a setback himself/herself. This was referenced too by the team that produced the On The Red Dot episodes about children running errands on their own. It can be hard, but also rewarding.

This also means that parents should avoid being overly critical. It’s all right to point out that a mistake has been made, but try your best not to make children feel that mistakes aren’t acceptable and will result in criticism or a scolding.

Encourage your child to overcome mistakes by forgetting about perfection – focus on the value of effort and the notion of learning through experimentation. 

This is a great way to teach a child to persevere after each stumble. Instead of framing them as major mistakes, every error just becomes a chance for him/her to learn. That’s the foundation for lasting resilience.

4. Encourage decision-making

Letting your child make decisions is a big part of helping him/her build independence. At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm your child with too many choices. 

Our advice here is to limit the choices to ones that you think appropriate while still offering enough variation to make sure your child feels a sense of agency. 

Don’t ask your child to pick out his/her whole outfit for the next day, for example. Instead, pick out two outfits and offer your child the choice between both!

You can even try guiding the decision-making if your child seems stuck. Gently ask what your child is leaning towards, what’s blocking his/her decision, and so on.

5. Nurture emotional independence

Emotional independence gives your child the ability to regulate his/her emotions as needed. This can prevent difficult responses like tantrums later on.

A good option here is to help your child understand feelings better. Try naming emotions in specific situations or encouraging your child to talk about feelings early on. 

You can also show your child calming strategies like deep breathing when upset. It’s a great way to teach children how to cope with setbacks on independently and increase emotional awareness of not only his/her own feelings, but others’ as well.

6. Offer activities that build independence

Some activities offer multiple opportunities for nurturing independence – and are also great chances for bonding or entertainment! 

Consider options like solo play or role-playing scenarios. Through them, children can explore challenges at their own pace while building confidence in their own choices. 

We actually do these at My Little Campus, from storytelling to supervised free play. Through these, we provide little ones options for strengthening independence while still engaging in meaningful exploration.

Allow us to nurture your child’s independence

Independence is a foundational life skill that you can foster in your child through key activities and routes. 

If you want further support with this, feel free to reach out to us. At our preschools, our nurturing teachers support children with building self-confidence and independence in tackling daily tasks.

In addition, we offer structured yet flexible environments where children can thrive independently while receiving guidance when needed. Let us support your child’s growth with our unique approach. Enquire today!

May 2, 2025

6 ways to encourage physical development in preschoolers

Has your child just moved from toddling to running? Has he/she gone from grasping spoons to writing his/her name? 

This is a wonderful point in every child’s development, when both gross and fine motor skills go to the next level. You can even encourage this development in certain ways as a parent. 

If you want ideas for that, read on. We’ve compiled a list of activities you can try to support your child’s continued physical growth, whether through play or simple daily activities!

1. Gross motor activities

Gross motor skills are movements that involve large muscle groups. Think of skills like walking or jumping, for example. 

Skills like these are closely tied to strength and coordination. Here’s how you can build those for your child:

• 18 months to 3 years – Introduce activities like climbing and dancing to your child. For the former, stick to low structures for now to be safe. Other ideas include light obstacle courses. Toddlers love crawling through pillow tunnels or stepping over cushion barriers, for example. You can make a game of it too!
• 3 to 6 years – For older preschoolers, try running games like tag or hopscotch. You can even prepare them for bicycling with the classic tricycle! Games that involve catching and throwing balls are good for developing hand-eye coordination too.

2. Activities for fine motor development

Fine motor skills are all about small muscle movements requiring precision and control. Here are some activities to develop fine motor skills:

• 18 months to 3 years – Activities like stacking blocks, finger painting, or even turning pages in interactive books are great starts for toddlers. You can also try teaching your child to start eating on his/her own now. It also boosts independence!
• 3 to 6 years – Older children can move up to cutting paper (but use child-safe scissors) or working on crafts like sculpting with clay. These activities are designed to refine dexterity while sparking creativity.

3. Music, movement, and games

Musical activities are wonderful opportunities for combining entertainment with development. Activities like these can also boost rhythm and coordination:

• All ages – Dancing! Preschoolers of virtually any age can participate in this particular activity and often enjoy it. Try classics like Head, shoulders, knees and toes. Or try games like Simon Says! You can even incorporate storytelling into it. At My Little Campus, for example, we combine interaction with storytelling to encourage motor development while lighting a fire in children’s imaginations.
  

4. Everyday tasks

Even daily household tasks can double as opportunities for physical development. Try these particular ones, depending on how old your child is:

• 18 months to 3 years – Ask younger children to help sort toys, carry small items like fruit, or even pour water into cups. It can help improve their hand control.
• 3 to 6 years – Older children can help with some child-safe kitchen tools to prepare meals. You can ask them to set the table, for example. This builds fine motor skills while also teaching them the idea of responsibility. We do this in My Little Campus: show preschoolers how to feed themselves, set tables themselves, and so on.

5. Outdoor exploration

The outdoors can be marvellous for physical development activities for preschoolers. Parks and playgrounds offer many chances for a child to build up core skills:

• 18 months to 3 years – Invite your little one to walk on grass or sand that’s free of clutter or sharp objects. It’s a great way to challenge and train a child’s stability in a safe environment.
• 3 to 6 years – Go on nature trails! Children love to explore the outdoors, especially if they’re interested in nature or animals. You can also try to encourage your child to participate in group sports.

6. Structured sports or classes

Even for toddlers, there are already opportunities for structured sports lessons. Consider enrolling your child in age-appropriate sports classes or teaching your child yourself!

• 18 months to 3 years – Parent-child gym classes can focus on basic movement patterns. Even activities as simple as rolling or jumping offer a good start for further development. 
• 3 to 6 years – Consider introducing your child to team sports, perhaps with the help of family members. This is a great way to build up motor skills while also strengthening your child’s teamwork abilities. 

Let your child develop motor skills with our help 

The activities we’ve suggested are excellent for physical development in many ways. They support coordination and balance, motor skill development, increased flexibility, and more.

At My Little Campus, we’ve found that incorporating such activities into children’s daily schedules yields the best rewards. We do it through both responsibilities and play. 

This sustains the developmental benefits and also helps children get accustomed to being active daily instead of in occasional spurts. 

If you want to learn about how we achieve that in our comprehensive daily schedule, please reach out to us. We’ll be more than happy to outline the ways we can support your child’s development.