Muscle tone and joint stability in the trunk, shoulders, wrists, and hands are important for hand skill development. Some exercises that involve the whole body also develop arm muscles. Try these:

• Push ups or pull ups
• Hand stands or wheelbarrow walking
• Swinging on monkey bars or a climbing ladder
• Laying on your stomach and leaning on forearms while playing games, reading, or cooking

Oral language is the basis for all communication, both spoken and written. Build those pre-reading and pre-writing by lots of talking. Try these:

• Visit stores, parks, the library, or a zoo. Talk about all that was seen.
• Retell or act out familiar stories, such as "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."
• Use questions that ask who, what, where, why , and when.

Mathematics is the development of logical thinking and the ability to see patterns and relationships. Try these:

• Use math language in daily conversations (more, less, same, big, little, longer, shorter)
• Promote reasoning ability by asking questions ("How do you know?" "Why do you think that?" "What if…?")

Exposing young children to books, reading, and storytelling builds reading readiness skills. Try these:

• Encourage your child to find his or her name among other family names.
• Use magnetic letters to spell familiar names or words on the refrigerator (cat, mom).
• When you read a book aloud to your child, point to the words as you read them to show that print has meaning.