Holiday Activities

Coloring Easter eggs is one of my favorite activities. I will confess that over the years I have simplified the process and the eggs are sometimes only 1 color. While the decorating time has decreased  the amount of cooking time has gone up. They are really hard, now and Only For Decoration. Not only is coloring eggs lots of fun, but there’s lots of kindergarten readiness learning, too.

With concerns about hot water instead I use about an inch of plain, white vinegar in a cup. Then I add a few drops of food coloring. Using a spoon, kids lower an egg into the vinegar-color solution. Some kids like to stir the egg the whole time it’s in the cup making sure it’s all covered. Other’s just like to watch and leave part of the egg sticking up. When dark enough, carefully lift the egg out. That same egg can go into a different color and maybe even another. Older kidlets can color on the egg with a white wax crayon and discover how that part doesn’t get colored.

Now, for the learnings. The names of colors is a place to start. Exploring how colors change when the eggs are put in 2 or 3 different cups is often a surprise. It’s like a science experiment in a cup. Predicting, talking, and observing are more. Practicing waiting patiently is another, as is taking turns. These are only a few readiness for kindergarten skills that come into play when coloring eggs.
What do you think came first, the chicken or the egg?

Today’s blog post is going to give some answers to the question “How can celebrating and having fun at Easter time support readiness for kindergarten?” At kindergarten, kids are part of a social group so learning and practicing social skills before they arrive really helps for kindergarten readiness. One set of skills involves learning how … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Fun and Learning →

Around the age of 2, kids start making lines on paper. At least, we hope it’s on paper. As children develop, these lines become less random and more directed. Already at 3 or 4, some children are very interested and talented when it comes to paper and crayon activities. But all children need some time … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Art →

 A quick look in just about any store will show an amazing number of books about Easter. I was astonished at how many have been published already in 2011. A book tucked in an Easter basket is a special treat and helps little ones with kindergarten readiness. The 3 I’ve highlighted below can build on a variety … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Books →

Singing is a wonderful activity to encourage kindergarten readiness. Children learn vocabulary and rhythm. Music is a kind of parallel to math as it is based on spacing and sequencing, too. Singing promotes listening and auditory skills, to name just a few. To help your child with readiness for kindergarten, sing along! And to make sure … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Songs →

An important early childhood development and kindergarten readiness skill is that of patterning. Patterning is being able to pick out a regular and repeating sequence. Our own bodies are based on a repeating pattern–DNA. Language, math, and music all have regular patterns, too. Children need lots of experiences with patterns to learn this skill. Easter has … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Patterns →