The Message Young Disciple's Academy

26/02/2026

26/02/2026

Theme: My senses
Activity: I see with my eyes

25/02/2026

I hear with my ears 🤭

12/02/2026

🖐️ *1. Fine Motor Development*
Strengthens small hand muscles
Improves finger control and coordination
Develops hand strength needed for writing
Encourages pincer grip (thumb and index finger use)
This is excellent preparation for pencil control later on.

👀 *2. Hand–Eye Coordination*
Children must:
Look at the line
Control their hands
Place the dough accurately on the line
This improves visual-motor integration, which is essential for drawing and writing.

🧠 *3. Pre-Writing Skills*
By rolling and placing dough along:
Straight lines
Vertical lines
Horizontal lines
Curved lines (circle head)
Children practice the same strokes used in early handwriting.

✋ *4. Bilateral Coordination*
They use:
One hand to hold/stabilize
The other hand to roll/place
This strengthens both sides of the brain working together.

💪 *5. Sensory Development*
Playdough provides:
Tactile input
Pressure resistance
Calming sensory feedback
It helps children who need sensory regulation.

🎯 *6. Focus and Concentration*
They must:
Follow the outline
Stay within the lines
Complete the figure
This builds attention span and task persistence.

🧩 *7. Spatial Awareness*
Children learn:
Where lines begin and end
Body positioning (arms, legs, head)
Directionality (up/down, left/right)

🗣️ *8. Language Development Opportunities*
You can extend learning by asking:
“Where is the head?”
“Let’s roll a long line for the arms.”
“Which line is longer?”
This builds vocabulary and concept development.

👥 *9. Body Awareness*
Since it is a stick figure, children:
Identify body parts
Understand body structure
Develop self-awareness

🏫 *10. School Readiness*
This activity supports:
Pencil control
Line formation
Writing readiness
Following instructions

09/02/2026

Activity: Dressing a Child Using Cut-out Clothing

Description of Activity:
Learners were provided with an outline of a child and separate clothing cut-outs. They were encouraged to cut, decorate, and glue the clothing onto the body outline to create a dressed figure.

Benefits of the Activity
✂️ Fine Motor Development
Strengthens hand and finger muscles
Develops scissor control and cutting skills
Improves hand–eye coordination
Supports gluing and precise placement

🧠 Cognitive Development
Encourages planning and sequencing (what to put on first)
Develops problem-solving skills
Strengthens matching and positioning skills
Supports understanding of body parts and clothing placement

🗣️ Language and Communication
Expands vocabulary (shirt, dress, pants, shoes, body parts)
Encourages discussion and explanation of choices
Supports listening and following instructions
Promotes expressive language when describing the finished work

😊 Social and Emotional Development
Builds confidence and independence
Encourages decision-making
Promotes a sense of ownership and pride
Supports positive self-image and identity
🧍‍♂️ Life Skills and Self-Care Awareness
Reinforces understanding of daily routines (getting dressed)
Encourages awareness of appropriate clothing
Supports independence in self-care skills

🎨 Creativity and Self-Expression
Allows children to decorate and personalise clothing
Encourages creativity with colour, patterns, and design
No fixed outcome – supports open-ended learning

05/02/2026

Activity: Building a Classroom Using Picture Cut-outs

Description of Activity:
Learners were provided with printed cut-out pictures of classroom objects (chairs, tables, windows, doors, learners, and resources). Each learner was encouraged to design and build their own classroom layout by placing and arranging the objects on paper.

Benefits of the Activity
🧠 Cognitive Development
Encourages problem-solving and planning
Develops logical thinking and sequencing
Helps learners understand real-life concepts (classroom structure and function)
Strengthens spatial awareness (where objects belong in relation to one another)

✂️ Fine Motor Development
Strengthens finger muscles and hand control
Improves pincer grip through picking up and placing small pieces
Prepares learners for writing, cutting, and drawing

🗣️ Language and Communication
Expands vocabulary related to the classroom (chair, door, window, table)
Encourages learners to talk about their work
Supports listening and following instructions
Promotes expressive language as learners explain their classroom

😊 Social and Emotional Development
Builds confidence and independence
Encourages decision-making
Supports self-expression (“my classroom”)
Promotes respect for others’ ideas during shared workspaces.

🎨 Creative and Imaginative Development
Encourages creativity and imagination
Allows learners to express how they perceive their environment
No “right or wrong” outcome – supports open-ended play

Conclusion
This activity supports holistic development by integrating cognitive, physical, language, social, and creative skills. It aligns well with CAPS and the National Curriculum Framework for ECD, promoting learning through hands-on, play-based experiences that are meaningful and relevant to the child’s environment.

04/02/2026

Throwing balls into the air and catching them again is a simple but very powerful activity for children. It remains a key foundational movement and brain-building activity, especially in early childhood development.

Benefits of Throwing and Catching a Ball

🧠 Brain Development
Strengthens hand–eye coordination
Improves timing, focus, and concentration
Helps build neural connections between the brain and body
Supports problem-solving (judging speed, height, and distance)
💪 Physical Development
Develops gross motor skills
Strengthens arm, shoulder, and core muscles
Improves balance and posture
Enhances bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together)

👀 Visual Skills
Improves tracking skills (following a moving object with the eyes)
Supports depth perception
Helps prepare the eyes for reading and writing later on

🖐️ Fine & Pre-writing Skills
Builds grip strength
Improves hand control
Supports later skills like holding a pencil, cutting, and writing

🧍‍♀️ Body Awareness & Coordination
Helps children understand where their body is in space
Encourages controlled movement
Improves reaction time

😊 Emotional & Social Development
Builds confidence when children succeed
Encourages perseverance and trying again
Teaches turn-taking and cooperation when done in groups
Reduces stress and releases excess energy

🎯 Executive Function Skills
Supports self-regulation
Improves impulse control
Encourages following instructions and rules

Age-Appropriate Progression
2–3 years: Tossing and catching with two hands, rolling and throwing upward
3–5 years: Catching after a bounce, throwing higher, aiming at targets
5+ years: One-hand catching, rhythm patterns, games with rules

Why This Activity Is Still Important in 2026
In a world with more screen time and less natural movement, ball play:

Encourages active learning

Supports school readiness

Builds strong foundations for sport, academics, and daily life skills

06/01/2026

We look forward to this year 🤍