The Florida Department of Education defines a pre-kindergarten child with disabilities as a child that is below the age of five that has a sensory, physical, emotional or mental condition that could affect the child attaining normal developmental milestones. This child would be eligible for ESE pre-kindergarten programs and activities that would help the child with personal and social skills, language and understanding skills, small muscle skills and large muscle skills. There are supporting activities for skills development for the pre-kindergarten age group.
According to a program in the Orange County Public Schools, social skills in pre-kindergarten children consist of verbalizing feelings, interacting with other children in games, verbalizing toilet needs, picking up toys and becoming independent. Supporting activities for attaining these skills consist of playing simple games such as Ring Around the Rosie, playing dress-up with the child, praising potty skills and making up special nicknames for the child. Social skills activities also could include making up special songs for skills, such as a clean-up song when picking up toys and putting them away. Setting up cooperative play situations like kicking a ball back and forth is also helpful in developing social skills.
Developmentally delayed pre-kindergarten children should start developing basic language skills and following simple directions. Supporting activities include reading books 10 minutes a day to the child, pointing out objects and colors and singing nursery rhymes. Older children should be encouraged to play make-believe with dolls and toys, complete puzzles of three or four pieces, learn to say their full name, age and sex, and learn to sort objects by shape and color. Teachers should begin to set limits on behavior and explain why they are necessary.
An ESE pre-kindergarten activity includes developing small and large muscle skills. Small muscle development activities are picking up beads and blocks, painting on paper and playing with finger clay or sand. They can begin to manipulate zippers and open and close objects. Large muscle skills activities include playing tag or throwing a ball or bean-bag. Climbing, riding a bicycle, or kicking a ball and hopping on one foot are good activities for the ESE pre-kindergarten child to accomplish.