Early Self-Help Skills for Pre-School Readiness

Mod-Severe Readiness Level

Judy Benz Duncan, Occupational Therapist

Mealtimes, snack times, basic dressing / undressing, and help with set-up and clean up tasks are an important part of family life and pre-school readiness. The development of early self-help skills that will be covered here under pre-school readiness will include

o   Drinking from a cup - Mod-Severe Readiness Level - Scroll Down and See Below!

o Drinking from a cup - Min-Mod Readiness Level - to see just Click & go!

o Use of a spoon - Min-Mod Readiness Level

o   Use of a spoon - Mod-Severe Readiness Level

o   Dressing skills - Mod-Severe Readiness Level (coming soon)

o   Basic homemaking skills related to pre-school activities - Mod-Severe Readiness Level

Drinking From a Cup – Mod-Severe Readiness Building Activities

Drinking from a cup is a complex task that may take two or three years to master. When using a cup, a child may use two hands to help steady the cup, and as their skills mature they may be able to drink without spilling by holding with only one hand.

In pre-school, your child may be able to drink out of a cup that you have sent from home, or they may be using throw-away paper or plastic cups (for sanitary reasons and easy clean up). Paper or disposable plastic cups are often harder to handle as they tend to “squish” or get “limp.”

Your child’s ability to drink from an open cup also helps them gain mastery over their oral-motor or mouth muscles, while promoting their fine motor skill coordination and control. It does take time to master this combination of fine motor skills and oral-motor control required to drink from an open cup, so allow lots of opportunities to practice!

Following are a variety of activities you may wish to try. Some may work great; others may cause a meltdown! There are wide levels of activities presented for children who refuse the transition to those who are willing and ready to learn how to drink from a cup. Read through and pick and choose those that fit where your child is at.

Cup Handling Mod-Severe Readiness Activities:

o   You may need to provide chin support while they are first learning to drink from a cup. To provide basic oral-motor support place your thumb under their chin and your index finger under their lower lip.

o   To pace the drinking and swallowing the liquids correctly, make sure your child’s lower lip maintains constant contact with the rim of the cup. Tip up for sipping and down when they take a pause. Make sure they are clearing their mouth and swallowing before presenting more liquids to drink.

o   Pacing drink and swallow, drink and swallow, will help develop a good pattern of drink-swallow-pause to help prevent choking hazards

o   Spillage and liquid loss from their mouth is expected when first starting to drink from an open cup.

o   Chewing on the rim of the cup may be observed. This may happen because the child has not yet mastered jaw stability. When you switch to a cup, your child has to learn a whole new pattern of drinking, especially if moving from a sippy cup or bottle / breast.

o   Make a game out of opening and closing their mouths to a rhythm of “open and shut” over and over, or in time to some fun music

Keep scrolling down past photo for more ideas!

o   It is important to start with a stable base of support. Try to have your child seated on a solid seat, with back support, and with feet on the floor, a bar, or foot stool.

o   It is easier to concentrate on picking up, holding, and transporting that cup to their mouth when they do not have to worry about balancing the rest of their body.

o   If you need to use cushions, rolled up towels, or bolsters to help position your child in the beginning that is fine

o   Start with a variety of cups with lids and move towards using a cup without the lid

o   Using a cup with a rim or ridge may help your child get the feel for the edge of the cup as well as giving a bit more support for their lips to fit against

o   You may want to try cups with a weighted bottom, or a cup that is anti-tip

More ideas follow!

o   Use cups that have one to two handles for easier grasping and to help support and give stability to those little hands

o   Avoid light paper and plastic cups, or cups with a “skinny” bottoms that are easily knocked over

o   Watch the amount of liquid you add to the cup. Too little and your child will have to tip both the cup and their head back to get the liquid into their mouth. Too much in the cup and your child will have difficulty moving the cup and then tilting it to their mouth without spilling it.

o   It takes time to adjust to using a different type of cup – take your time, relax, breathe, clean up any spills, praise your child for “growing up” and keep at it

o   Practice, practice, practice, on a daily basis

o   Spills are a common occurrence in pre-school so do not worry if your child is a messy drinker – what’s important is to give lots of opportunities to practice drinking from an open cup, as sippy-cups and bottles will most likely be discouraged.

o   Let your child pick out the color or design of their cup

Scroll down for even more ideas!

o   Switch up the cups you use at different meal times – this helps them adjust to change as well as seeing that they can drink from different colors or types of cups

o   Let your child write their name on the bottom, or side of the cup

o   Let your child get the cup when it’s time for a drink, and then put their cup in the sink when they are done (kids help set-up and clean up in pre-school)

o   In the beginning, try to help support the cup when they are taking a drink and help them see how to keep it level when moving it from table to mouth

o   Keep their attention and focus on the cup and liquid inside – see if they can move the cup without making any ripples in the liquid

o   Practice the motion of taking the cup from table to mouth during pretend play

o   Let your child “pretend” to give their stuffed animals a drink from the cup

More ideas below photo

o   Use “thicker” liquids when starting out to slow the flow of liquids and allow more time for your child to manage. Thicker liquids could be a shake, nectar, and the like. Milk is thicker than water. Pear nectar is thicker than milk.

o   Coat the edge of the cup with applesauce, peanut butter, or jelly, and have your child take a “drink” by turning the cup around while they “sip” off the yummy stuff on the open edge of the cup

o   Talk with your service providers to see if they recommend a specific type of “therapeutic cup”

o   Look for cups that have a soft or semi-soft rim so your child does not hit their teeth on a harder cup (which may make them afraid to use later on)

o   Use smaller kid-friendly sized cups that are easy for little hands to grasp on to

o   Try offering a cup after the meal or snack to prevent any spills onto the food resulting in a mess and soggy food

o   Start with liquids that are not too hot or too cold to avoid any temperature sensitivities or a burnt tongue

o   Start with asking your child to take “just one sip.” Move on from there by asking for two, five, and so on. Watch they do not try to complete this too fast and pose a choking hazard.

o   Count with your child how many sips it takes to finish a small cup of water or milk

o   Talk with your child’s pediatrician, OT, PT, ST, about any concerns or worries. They have more intimate knowledge of you and your child and are able to help plan and direct you in your support of building pre-school readiness skills with your child.

Return to Main Pre-School Readiness Activity Page

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