Obviously, and as any parent these days knows, one important thing to do is read regularly to your kids. However, only about half of the activities each day had to do with reading to the kids. The rest focused on helping the kids build the skills they will need as they learn how to read and write.

Muscle development is very important, but you can't just expect a preschooler to develop their hand and finger strength out of the blue. First they need to develop their larger muscles. The first class they had us doing wheelbarrows (holding the kids by their legs or ankles and having them walk on their hands) or throwing a balloon for the kids to hit with a stick they held with both hands, one hand on each end.

Tactile play was also very important. Play dough, sand, salt, even shaving cream were all used as example of things to use to encourage kids to do things with their hands. The different sensations really engaged the children's curiosity.

Some of the activities encouraged the kids to create their own stories. They warned all the parents to not change their children's words as they wrote them down. Sometimes they would have stamps or magazines to cut up to make pictures for the stories the kids would tell and have their parents write down, but there would also be crayons or markers so the kids could draw their own pictures.

Making a book for your child is pretty easy. Take a couple pieces of paper, fold them in half, then staple the folded ends together, keeping the staples near the edge. Most of the children loved creating their own books.

One very important thing I noticed during these classes is how differently each child learned. Some of it was very distinctly related to age; the younger children simply had no interest in some of the activities, but there were always plenty of options.

These classes really emphasized that you are teaching your child skills that will help them learn to read and write even when you are not actually teaching them anything at all about their letters. There are many skills that must be learned first.

Everything I learned in the class was something that could easily be done at home. One of my daughter's favorites, for example, was the day they had us fill a balloon with flour, then tie it off and let the kids squeeze it. Of course, my daughter wondered why I couldn't make the balloon big, and I don't know if she really believed my explanation. But she did have a blast squeezing it, which builds those hand and finger muscles so necessary for learning to write.

Helping your preschooler get ready to read and write is really not terribly difficult. Just take a little time and encourage them to play with things that build the muscles they will need and, of course, read to them every day.