The Preschooler

Pudding is Good for You!

I love to eat all types of pudding; vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch…  But it isn’t the healthiest food in the world to eat on a regular basis.  However, it is good for preschoolers, but not in the way you are thinking.  Pudding can be a wonderful manipulative to use when practicing printing formation.

I realize that right now you are probably picturing a baby smearing pudding all over the tray of a high chair and, although using a finger in pudding on a tray is certainly a possibility with this activity, there is no need to create such a mess and still get the writing practice for which you are looking.

Instead of dumping pudding on a tray, try putting a few spoonfuls in a plastic, “zip”-closed sandwich bag.  Seal it and squeeze out as much air as possible.  Then, flatten the bag on a table and allow your child to come write her letters and numbers on the bag. 

If your child needs a little more prompting, instead of simply having you announce a number or letter to write, put a set of magnetic numbers and letters into a bag or pillowcase and let him pull them out one at a time.  He then has an activity that is more like a game, and he also has something to refer to when determining how each letter is shaped.

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Written by Laura on August 13, 2011