ad iy Your child will develop fine motor control skills while having fun seribbling and coloring with crayons.rue eal! important basi playtime together. Develop fine motor skills Your child will improve finger strength and dexterity. This will help your child hold and use a pencil correctly, which is an important skill for more advanced learning. Gaining basic pencil control If your child can manipulate a pencil or crayon at will, or color firmly with a strong writing pressure, then he or she has acquired basic pencil control. in general, young children usually develop wirting skills in the following order: 1. Scribbling. 2. Coloring an area. 3. Coloring an area with strokes going in the same direction. |. To make the exercises easier for your child, please cut out the illustrated portion of each page for him or her. Please also allow your child to use the backs of the pages to scribble or draw on as he or she pleases. 2. This book is designed for use with eight basic crayon colors, but if you do not have the same colors, you can use similar colors ‘or any colors of your choice. If your child's Grip is not firm enough, he or she can use SU anc man calanoid PS rg ee nea uae ite latte en can help el skills while having f 2. This book allows parents and children to share meaningful Pee uita ye dren as young as two learn 3. This book is structured so that your child will develop fine motor control skills while acquiring new vocabulary. vy oz Lia 4. Drawing lines. 5. Writing letters and numbers This book aims at developing the first three skills. As children complete the coloring exercises step by step, they will learn to color neatly with crayons and will build a foundation for future writing skills. Nurturing a sense of color White coloring framed areas or adding more colors to the vibrant pictures, children will experience how different color combinations can create contrast and how the colored areas can join to form various shapes, These fun exercises will enhance your child’s sense of color and shape-recognition skills. water-based markers instead of crayons 3. When your child has completed each page, please offer him or her lots of praise. 4. Please reter to the “To parents” notes in this book, which provide more comments and advice on how to help your child enjoy and learn from this book. 5. Try to limit the number of pages your child will complete in a day. It is best to end the day's work when your child still wants to do more. Coney illusion by Yoko moto W Cover and interior design by STUDIO COM Wi Are direction by Tashibibo Kandla Interior ilaseations by Yshike Murakami W Photagraphs by Fl. Kamiicumi Copyright © 2005, Kumon Publishing Co. Lid. Reproduction of these materials is prohibited ‘Any other use oF reproduction of these materials requires the oior writen consent of Kummon Publishina North America,How to use this book”.@)¥ EE Relax and enjoy! Kumon’s First Steps Workbooks are designed so that children and parents can learn and have fun together. Children learn best from active and participatory parents, so please help your child with the activities in this book. By helping your child, you are encouraging him or her to develop a desire to learn, as well as laying the foundation for your child to become a self-motivated learner. BB How to choose the right color crayon The exercises in this book require eight colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet (purple), brown, and black. However, your child can use any color crayon that he or she prefers. First and foremost, please help your child experience the fun of coloring. Eventually, your child will be able to choose the correct color. Bz How to hold a crayon It is okay for your child to hold the crayon in his or her fist at first, but you should gradually teach your child to hold the crayon correctly. A At first, itis okay to grip the crayon in a fist. The best way to hold a crayon is to grip the bottom half so that it will not break. In the beginning, do not worry too much about breaking the crayon or teaching your child to hold the crayon properly. Observe your child's progress, and encourage him or her to move forward one step at a time. ‘a. This child is holding the crayon well, but not perfectly, After your child has gotten used to drawing with crayons, you can show him or her the proper way to hold itHow to use this book”. Q” BB How to color Your child will probably find it difficult to completely color a designated area al first. Young children with a weak grip will find it hard to control a crayon, especially if they have never used a writing tool before. At first your child will start with simple scribbling exercises. Then your child will practice coloring in a white area. Because each white area is surrounded by color, it will not look too messy if the coloring runs over the edges. It does not matter if your child cannot color the white area neatly—he or she can scribble over the area instead. As your child gets used to drawing with crayons, he or she will naturally learn to draw more firmly and color more neatly. Have your child scribble Children will gradually Here is a tip you can to his or her heart's learn to color neatly. Do —_give your child: Try content so that he or not be concerned about _ coloring from the inside she can experience the keeping your child's edges of the white fun of using a crayon coloring within the space and then slowly and adding new colors, edges at first. It also move towards the It may be a good idea does not matter if your middle. to line your table with child cannot thoroughly scrap paper so that you _color the designated can let your child area. Give your child scribble freely without ample time to become worrying about getting aware of the edges of any marks on the table. the coloring area, and to start trying to color it neatly and thoroughly. 44 An oxample of a child that is Getting more confident with coloring 4An example of scribbling, ‘A An eariy stage of coloring.Breakfast Time! To parents, Your child will practice scribbling first. Even if he or she is using a crayon other than red, allow him or her to proceed, Praise your child when he or she has completed the exercise. Then, say “omelet” aloud while pointing to the word. Draw some ketchup on the omelet.Bring on the Pasta To parenta t ahow your ch the orange your child made here. Draw the spaghetti. spaghetti| Need Some Hair! To parents When your child has finished coloring, while pointing to the word, Draw some hair for the boy.Water Fun To parents Encourage your child to scribble from the tip of the hose. ‘When he or she is finished, offer lots of praise and talk about playing in the water during the hot summer. Draw lots of water. ulIt Looks Like Rain Say so ike, “Here comes the rain,” or the ial snails have little umbrellas,” while your child is drawing the rain Draw lots of raindrops.| Holiday Party From this page, your child will practice short strokes. Ifit is too hard for your child to draw short lines, he or she can draw the same strokes as on the previous pages, ‘When your child has finished coloring, offer praise and talk about holiday parties. Draw lots of confetti. | vei red& (purple) party popper aYummy! on To parents Encourage your child to draw using different colors yellow brown if he or she seems to be able to do so. Do not be concerned about running off the edges. Draw lots of candy sprinkles on the ice cream. ice creamA Berry Good Time To parents ‘The black spats on the surface of strawberries are not black seeds. These spots are actually little fruits with even smaller seeds inside! When your child has finished drawing the dots, say “strawberry” aloud while pointing to the word, Draw black dots on the strawberry. strawberrySweet Tomato To parents Color the white area.Lemony To parents Ttis okay if your child cannot color the entire white spot neatly. And do not be concerned if he or she colors ‘outside of the lines. When your child is finished, offer praise such as, “What a beautiful lemon,” and say “lemon aloud while pointing to the word. Color the white area.