By the time a child enters preschool he should have mastered how to use a fork and a spoon to eat. The child should be able to scoop up food onto a spoon, hold the spoon with a firm grip and bring it to her mouth with little to no spilling. The child should also be holding a fork firmly, and be able to stick the fork into a piece of food and then bring it up to her mouth without dropping the food.
A child entering preschool should correctly hold pencils, crayons and markers with a good grip. This means that the child is holding the writing utensils firmly and can draw without placing too light or too heavy pressure. Lines should be fairly straight. A wobbly line is an indication of a grip that is not strong enough.
Most children beginning preschool can draw recognizable objects and shapes, including circles, squares, houses, trees and people. The preschooler can draw figures consisting of a circle for the head, a long oval for a body, and lines for arms and legs. They may also attempt to draw the family pet, the family home and other familiar objects.
Not only should a child entering preschool be able to cut out shapes, but they should be turning the paper as they cut. This is one motor skill that may take longer to master and may not be evident until after the child has been in preschool for a few months. Children may have trouble properly holding scissors, but once that is mastered cutting out shapes will follow.
A preschooler should be able to run, hop, skip, climb and throw. These are major gross motor skills that are learned in early childhood and are perfected as they reach preschool age. By this stage in development, children love to play chase and show others how high they can jump. This is also helps children burn off energy which will help them sit more quietly and pay attention during classroom activities such as during story times and similar quieter activities.
The majority of children who are ready for preschool are able to do puzzles. These are the basic puzzles with knobs on them, and usually consist of 10 or fewer pieces. Large puzzles with knobs in the middle are easier for smaller hands to manipulate and fit into the correct spot. Not only does this activity improve motor skills, but it is a way to learn about colors, numbers and shapes.
Most children entering preschool can pour without spilling, or spilling very little on some occasion. Water and sand tables are favorites among preschoolers. A group of children stand around a table filled with water, sand or even rice and will pour the matter from one container to another. This is also one of the earliest forms of a science lesson as the kids are learning about different textures, substances and gravity.
A preschooler should be working on learning how to button, though they may not quite be there at the start of preschool. Buttoning requires a lot of coordination to get a button into a small slit or hole, using both hands and several fingers. This is one motor skill where there will be some preschoolers that have mastered it at the beginning of the preschool year, and others may still have trouble at the end of the year.