Kindergarten Readiness

Early Learning and Brain Development: Me-Smart Activities

This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some encore posts on young children, kindergarten readiness, and multiple intelligence.

Me-Smart:

Awareness and understanding of oneself is not just kindergarten readiness; it’s a life-long process. Kids seem to be all about “ME” but there are ways that we can help children develop positive and healthy self-smart or me-smart skills (one of the 8 multiple intelligences).

  • Read books and share stories. Franklin was aware that he was afraid of the dark. Scaredy Squirrel likes to stay in his very own space. Talk with your child about when s/he feels scared.Winnie the Pooh knows that he loves honey. Ask your child about what s/he likes and doesn’t like.

me-self-smart activitiesBalance times when your child plays alone with times to play with others. Children who are me-smart are often independent and do not mind playing by themselves. They may need encouragement to interact with others.

Display your child’s art work on the fridge or a window in the kitchen. If possible, mail a few to grandparents or cousins.

Have some dress-up clothes so your child can explore different ‘selfs’.

If needed, before your child goes to a program without you, practice the words needed to tell the adults that s/he needs to use the restroom, has a tummy-ache, is feeling too hot or too cold.me-self-smart activities

  • Encourage self-reliance such as getting dressed with only minimal help, tucking pajamas away, washing hands.

Using “I” messages is both a me-smart and people-smart strategy. Instead of saying “Don’t grab my toy” an “I” message might be “I don’t like when you take my toy.” The words “I don’t like when you sit in my spot,” are more effective than “You’re making me mad.” Learning how to resolve conflicts is such a big learning challenge for young children. Adult support is really needed to help kids feel confident enough to share their feelings and negotiate with others.

Formula Mom on her blog says “Those with a strength in the intrapersonal intelligence are almost the opposite of those with interpersonal intelligence.” That is, they may be very independent and self-contained. Those who have a challenge in this area may follow what others like and do rather than exploring their own interests. Each child has both strengths and challenges. Developing self-smart or me-smart helps for kindergarten readiness and beyond. How will you encourage your child to be self-smarter?

Early Learning and Brain Development: Math/Logic-Smart

This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some encore posts on young children, kindergarten readiness, and multiple intelligence.

Math and Logic-Smart:

math-smart-activities1…2…3…kindergarten readiness. Kindergarten readiness will include some familiarity with numbers and early counting. Being math & logic-smart is more than numbers and being able to count, although that is certainly part of it. Children who have strong mathematical and logical intelligence (one of the 8 multiple intelligences) are also comfortable with patterns and reasoning. Even though all children have their own individual strengths and challenges, there are ways to help your child become number and logic smart. Here’s some smart fun:

  • Count whenmath-smart-activitiesever there is an opportunity. How many bowls are needed at breakfast? Say the numbers as you put some cranberries in the snack cup. Count the buttons on the coat, the steps to the car, the fishy crackers on the plate. Count for babies so that their brains pick up the words.
  • Talk about more and less/fewer. Ask questions. Do you have more fingers or do you have more noses? Compare big and little, long and short, and other relationships too.
  • When sorting the laundry, make groups. If there’s a group of white clothes like socks and shirts and a group of math-smart-activitiestowels of all colors, where would a white towel go? Does it go with the towels or the white things? That’s called Venn diagrams in 3-d for kids. (Beware of red, it can turn a whole load pink!)
  • Look for patterns. They can be anywhere: clothes, driveways, buildings, or fences. Make some patterns with blocks and let your child try. Lots of exposure to patterns is needed before kids can recognize them and create patterns.
  • Tmath-smart-activitieshere are lots of books to share with your child about numbers and shapes. The structure of most stories has a problem and a solution. Before reading the page with the outcome, ask your child for suggestions about what might happen.
  • Sorting toys into bins, at least for a few minutes, is a hands-on way to help your child understand a system of organization.

Cups or dolls that all nest inside each other are mathematical toys based on size relationships.math-smart-activities

There are countless ways (quirky humor intended) to help your child be logic/math smart and develop kindergarten readiness. Can you number some of these in your days?

Early Learning and Brain Development: Music-Smart

This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some encore posts on young children, kindergarten readiness, and multiple intelligence.

Music-Smart:

music-smart-activities
Hum the tune for “Wheels on the Bus” and sing “Kindergarten Readiness is not too hard, not too hard, not too hard.
Kindergarten Readiness is not too hard, it’s really very easy.”

And it’s fun, too. To help your child with both kindergarten readiness and musical intelligence (one of 8 multiple intelligences) include some of these music-smart activities in your day:

  • Sing songs; these can be ones that you remember, new ones that your child learns and teaches you, or ones that are jmusic-smart activities for kidsust made up using familiar tunes.
  • Listen to music. Libraries have collections that you can borrow to increase variety and ease budgets.
  • There are often school bands or youth choirs performing at free events in the communities.
  • Put on some music and dance. (This helps to make housework much more enjoyable for both of you.)
  • Create some noisy, I mean musical, instruments to add to the music toys in the toybox.
  • Let your child drum away on the pots and pans or shake something in a can.

music-smart activitiesMy friend Craig Duswalt, who was personal manager for Axl Rose and toured with Guns n’ Roses, advises adults to listen to music to increase their creativity and effectiveness in business, so for children…. Umm, maybe that’s not such a positive story to include in a blog on activities for music-smart kids. A better one would be about Angela Crocker, author of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network, who is also a director for Coastal Sound Music and a member of a choir herself. Her son loves music and singing and after kindergarten one day asked to listen to an older children’s choir practice. Like all children–and adults–Sean has areas that are strong and music is one of his strengths already at ayoung age.

You have heard this before, about each child’s unique strengths and challenges, but All children can benefit from brain stimulation through music. Baroque music in particular can prepare the brain for learning math. Is this tune stuck in your mind, Kindergarten Readiness is …? How will you encourage your child to be music-smart?

Early Learning and Brain Development: Body-Smart

This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some … Continue reading Early Learning and Brain Development: Body-Smart

Early Learning and Brain Development: Word-Smart Activities

This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some … Continue reading Early Learning and Brain Development: Word-Smart Activities

Color Up Some Learning and Fun with Easter Eggs

Will your child be coloring any Easter eggs soon? Part of the fun and learning at Easter time is figuring out the names of colors. Being able to match colors to their names is quite a challenge and it is sometimes used to check kindergarten readiness and learning development. Easter eggs come in all different … Continue reading Color Up Some Learning and Fun with Easter Eggs

Spring Cleans Up With Fun and Learning For Kids

A gray rainy day meant we spent more time inside today than outside. There were some things that needed to be done so we got a start with the spring cleaning. Do you include your kids with chores around the house? Having kids help with with tasks where appropriate also helps them learn responsibility, pride … Continue reading Spring Cleans Up With Fun and Learning For Kids

Cooking with Kids for Fun and Learning

This morning, Kia Robertson at “Today I Ate A Rainbow” shared a post from Tiffany McCauley at The Gracious Pantry about teaching kids to love cooking. Involving kids in the kitchen is a powerful way to develop some kindergarten readiness and life skills! Cooking, without doubt, is a highly sensory experience. There are different textures … Continue reading Cooking with Kids for Fun and Learning

Kindergarten Readiness: Learning About Sizes with Snowmen

Learning about size can be a tricky concept for children but it’s an important strategy and thinking skill for kindergarten readiness. Young children need lots of experiences and opportunities to play with and figure out sizes. Building a snowman, with real snow, playdough, or even paper circles is fun and uses big, medium, and small. … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness: Learning About Sizes with Snowmen