PRESCHOOLER

Here’s our list of sandwiches, from simple to bougie. Keep it exciting by varying your bread types too. 

• Egg and mayonnaise

• Tuna, capers, apple slices, mayo

• Cheese and jam

• Cheese and tomato

• Tomato and pesto

• Butter and dukkah

• Mushrooms and chutney

• Apple and mayo

• Peanut butter and syrup or honey

• Banana and peanut butter

• Salmon, cucumber, cottage cheese

• Watercress and cheese spread

• Chicken and mayonnaise

• Bacon, lettuce and tomato

• Cold meat and mustard

• Salami and cheese

• Hummus and cucumber

• Brie and onion marmalade

• Avocado and chard leaves

• Salmon and horseradish

• Cucumbers, ham and onions

FUN FACT

Seven colours every day

A healthy lunchbox
looks like a rainbow

1. Plant flowers. 

2. Create landscape art on the ground with natural elements such as acorns, sticks, berries and leaves. 

3. Roll down a hill. 

4. Have a twilight picnic on the lawn.

5. Lie on your back and find pictures in the clouds. 

6. Balance on a wall or curb. 

7. Balance a bean bag on your head. 

8. Play “boeresport” games like sack jumping or egg-in-spoon races. 

9. Hug the trees in your garden. 

10. Use paper and glue outside and make a nature collage. 

11. Take empty cans with plastic lids outside and look for seeds or small stones with which to make percussion instruments. 

12. Wash the dog. 

13. Spin around in circles until you get dizzy. 

14. Jump in a muddy puddles. 

15. Start a worm farm. 

16. Braid a flower wreath. 

17. Find snails and have a snail race. 

18. Dig a hole in the ground to look for (or bury) treasures. 

19. Make a tin walkie-talkie. 

20. Draw with chalkboard chalk on the pavement or porch. 

21. Examine the garden through a magnifying glass. 

22. Try doing handstands or cartwheels with your toddler. 

23. Float a paper boat. 

24. Stick googly eyes on stones. 

25. Have wheelbarrow rides. 

Lizanne du Plessis, occupational therapist shares some advice:

What you are describing involves two aspects of your daughter’s fine motor development: the development of a dominant hand, and the development of an optimal grip. I would like to reassure you that we do sometimes see the hand position that bothers you in children. 

Keep a close eye on your daughter’s development and play the games below with her. In most cases, a little extra practice and time is needed to establish these skills. 

Let’s first look at the development of her dominant hand. Dominance or hand preference develops from an early age – usually between the ages of 2 and 4. Observe your daughter. You will probably notice that she uses one hand more than the other when doing things like building blocks, throwing a ball, brushing her teeth, eating or picking something up. If she mostly uses her right hand, then that is probably her dominant hand. If you feel that your daughter’s hand preference is not yet fully established, or that she is often clumsy, the following games will help. 

• Hang from a beam and/or do monkey bars on the jungle gym. 

• Perform different animal movements: Slither like a snake, jump on all fours like a bunny or frog. 

• Roll snakes, balls and nests out of clay.

• Roll out clay or dough with a rolling pin. 

We sometimes see children writing with their hand bent inwards, and this is usually an indication that the building blocks for fine motor skills still need practice. This can also indicate low muscle tone. It is important for handwriting that children can extend their wrist, as this ensures sufficient finger movement and good pencil control. Ideally, a position in which the wrist is stable and slightly raised is a more effective writing position. The following games are good for developing the muscles needed for a pencil grip. 

• Crawl under and over obstacles. 

• Walk sideways or backwards like a crab. 

• Make doodles by holding a crayon or pastel flat. 

• Do activities against a vertical surface, such as drawing or painting on smearing shaving cream against the side of the bathtub (with your fingers), a mirror, an easel or paper taped to the wall.