For all the families that need a rest after Black Friday, tuck into a good book. With specials everywhere, maybe these stories are on sale because it’s after Thanksgiving.

The Perfect Thanksgiving caught my eye because the cover shows a turkey picture made by tracing a hand! Just like we did in turkey art. 10 Fat Turkeys wibble, wobble and do a noodle dance. Again, an echo of this blog’s turkey trot.

I’m not only grateful for these wonderful books that extend children’s language learning and kindergarten readiness, I also feel relevant and tuned-in. Are these ideas relevant for you and your kids?

Happy Thanksgiving. Need a quiet activity for your kidlet to do while you are busy prepping or entertaining? Have your child make place cards for the people who will be eating.  Your child may be old enough to copy the names or each place card can just have a little picture or scribble.  

Another idea is to color a picture menu of the foods for your meal. If you have an older one that can watch the little one, this ‘supervisor’ can help t0 cut out pictures of food from newspaper flyers. A grown-up can add the words. This gives your child a special part in the activities, too, and reinforces the kindergarten readiness concept that words have meaning. You’ll be cooking up learning along with the turkey! Happy Thanksgiving!

Earlier this month, we had lots of activities for kid’s very own “All About Me” books, since this is knowvember and time for getting to know about ourselves and others. With all the fun and celebration for Thanksgiving, it’s a great time for kids to show and share their special books. They can ‘read’the pages … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Fun and Family →

Doing crafts is part of kindergarten readiness. Just like art projects, children learn to follow directions, organize, plan, and create. While schools and carecenters have access to materials for crafts, it’s not always easy at home. Here’s an idea for one that’s easy to put  together and uses everyday materials. It can be adapted for kids of … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Turkey Craft →

(Canadians need to save this idea for next year. Americans do it this week.) Simple art projects are part of kindergarten readiness. Children practice listening to directions, organizing, planning and creating. Super easy to find the materials for this art project! It’s attached. Before starting, find a picture of a turkey in a book or … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Turkey Art Project →