If I'm being perfectly honest, much of the fine motor activities I place out for Rémy to work with often get ignored. I've tried presenting clothespins in many different ways, with little interest paid.
I take that back. He has always been fascinated with taking the clothespins apart and examining the separate pieces. But strengthening his fingers by opening and then directing the pin onto an object - a hard pass.
Last week I pulled out the clothespins again, and armed with a different approach, he practiced with the pins daily. The difference? I stopped thinking about an invitation to play or work, and I started thinking about presenting an interactive story.
Children are drawn to stories, and Rémy especially so. Throughout the day, I will hear him ask me to tell him a story. Sometimes he wants to hear stories about the big events that have left impressions that need to be revisited. But often times he just wants to hear some kind of tale invented on the spot.
So during circle time this week, I brought out a small wood tray, basket of colorful clothespins, a few cows, a couple chickens, and a peg doll. This was our interactive story: (filled with lots of impressive cow puppetry on my part):
"Once upon a time, there was a farmer named Mr. McGregor. Now, Mr. McGregor did not have a large farm. A modest apple orchard occupied most of his time, although he did find time to raise a lovely bed of lettuce and tomatoes.
Along with his apples and vegetables, Mr. McGregor cared for two chickens and a beautiful cow named Brunhilda. He talked to the chickens every morning and loved to pet Brunhilda's back before going in for dinner each night. He was very happy.
During the day, Brunhilda and the chickens would roam free. Then each evening, Mr. McGregor would call them in and place them in their pen. This worked well until a wonderous Spring day when Brunhilda had two calves.
Mr. McGregor looked at the animal pen and knew he needed to make some improvements. He put in a new trough, and wanted to build a better fence. He went out to the lumber yard and bought wood planks. He wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible, so he asked some of his friends to help him build.
Will you help build my fence?"
I then picked up a clothespin and modeled how to open it and position it on the wood tray. After that, the two builders would eagerly help Farmer McGregor construct his fence. Shy of two years old, Sierra rarely used the pins as Rémy did. She wanted to build quickly, so she simply placed the backside of the pin on the tray. It worked, and she felt proud of what she created.
Once they were done, I finished up the story:
"With a finished fence, Mr. McGregor tucked Brunhilda, her calves, and the two chickens in for the night. Then he went inside the farmhouse, happy with all the work he and his friends had done."
We repeated the story every morning for a week. It was always an eagerly anticipated activity, and both the kids became very attached to Farmer McGregor and Brunhilda. It became a perfect setup for imaginative extensions during their play. A great preschool storytime!
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