Infant and Toddler

Infant and Toddler Early Learning Activities

Readiness for Kindergarten – Pumpkin “Person”ality

Once a pumpkin gets a face, it assumes a “person”ality and emotions. Being able to recognize someone else’s emotions depends on 2 parts; how well #1 person shows that emotion and how well #2 person reads that expression. Children need lots of practice both making all kinds of faces and figuring out what other people’s faces are saying. Putting faces on pumpkins is an ideal time to focus on faces. Yesterday’s blog posts had kids making faces in a mirror. Today’s post is making faces with playdo or plasticine and real pumpkins.

Set a pumpkin on a table or counter and roll out some face parts using a contrasting color of playdo. Adults may need to help little fingers smoosh the bits onto the pumpkin but they stick quite easily. As long as the pumpkin isn’t too wobbly, kids can steady it with one hand and stick with the other. While this activity is great for such kindergarten readiness skills as fine muscle coordination, planning, stimulating language etc, it also really helps kids with matching feelings and faces. Talk about it with your child and ask what a mouth that’s down might mean, or how a pumpkin shows it’s happy. Experiment with all different sorts of mouths, eyes, and noses.

When children go to kindergarten, they are placed in large groups of kids with usually only 1 or 2 adults. Helping children to develop relationships with other kids will not have the same kind of adult guidance and support as before. One way to prepare them is to practice figuring out what other people are saying with their face. This is tremendously important for relating to others.

Positive relationships are not just important for readiness for kindergarten. Just last month the Bucksbaum Family Foundation donated $42 million for a medical university institute that will focus on improving doctor-patient relationships. Turns out that this relationship can affect people’s health in many ways. Relationships are important. What kind of face is on your pumpkin? Does it look friendly?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Pumpkin Soup Serves Up Learning

With cooler weather, it may be time to simmer up some soup this weekend. Pumpkins make good soup and serve up some readiness for kindergarten learning.

  • There’s lots of science if you make some from scratch and your little one may be able to help scoop out the pumpkin.
  • As you read the recipe you model for your child the importance of reading.
  • Ingredients need both counting and measuring, 2 important math skills.

Ready-made soup dishes up learning, too. There are social skills about working together, sharing, and behavior at meal times.
If pumpkin soup doesn’t really appeal in your house, try this book on the menu.
The children’s story, Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper, explores some basic emotions and social skills. Three friends, Duck, Squirrel and Cat make soup together. When a squabble arises, they have to deal with hurt feelings and find a solution. For kids to feel comfortable and eager to learn they need to develop early social skills. New research is showing that social skills, not just academic skills, have an impact on achievement. (Institute for Social Research) Exploring and learning about emotions and interacting positively with others is part of kindergarten readiness.

No matter is your soup is homemade, from a package or a book, would you agree that learning is an ingredient?

Readiness for Kindergarten-Backpacks & Early Social Skills

When most people think of readiness for kindergarten, they think of academic skills like letters, numbers, printing a name, etc. For kids to feel comfortable and eager to learn they need to develop early social skills. These would include understanding basic emotions such as happy, sad, mad, scared, and interacting positively with other children.

  • Playdates and other group activities are one way to help your child develop and practice early social skills. Preparation helps and may include something as simple as packing a backpack. Your child may want to take along a snack to share with a friend–being able to share is certainly something helpful to know.
  • Being able to separate from parents and caregivers for short periods of time is another important skill for kindergarten readiness. Talking about it beforehand and tucking a favorite stuffie into a backpack can be reassuring for some little ones. A backpack itself may be familiar and comforting.
  • Backpacks also give children a small measure of responsibility as they learn to put things back in & independence as they can take things in and out on their own.

Would you agree that backpacks can pack in a lot of different kinds of learning?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Happy New School Year

Some schools have already started their new year, but September 1 seems to be the official beginning of school. The best way to start something new is with a celebration. At celebration get-togethers children learn about socially acceptable behaviour in a group. This is more than just kindergarten readiness.  The classroom can be overwhelming with so many other people … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Happy New School Year

Readiness for Kindergarten – Supermarket Fun & Learning

There might be times when parents and caregivers wonder if maybe it would be easier to take a dragon to the store than kids. But shopping can also be an opportune time for different kinds of learning. In earlier posts this week, I talked about colors, shapes, sizes, numbers and all the words for different items … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Supermarket Fun & Learning

Readiness for Kindergarten – April Fool’s Fun For Kids

Writing that today can help kids and families with readiness for kindergarten isn’t an April Fool’s joke. There are tons of ways and I’ll show you a few. Today is devoted to humor. A sense of humor is actually a complicated series of thinking skills–recognizing intention, realizing something is irregular and understanding symbolism–and corresponding emotional responses. … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – April Fool’s Fun For Kids

Kindergarten Readiness – Do Something for a Friend

Even though there is technically one more blog post for February I’d like to change topics at the start of next week. This will then be the last one for now that talks about helping young children with social and emotional growth and development as part of kindergarten readiness. Since February is about valentines and … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Do Something for a Friend

Kindergarten Readiness – Pink Shirt Day

Yesterday, wasPink Shirt Day in Canada. It started four years ago when a new student at a school was being harassed and bullied. In support for him, 2 boysbought a bag of 50 pink shirts, handed them out to other kids and effectively stopped the bullying. Now, pink shirts are worn all over the country with messages like … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Pink Shirt Day

Kindergarten Readiness – Books for Friends

Sharing books helps kids with more than just language and reading. Stories are a powerful way to teach and learn about everything! This month we’ve been talking about relationships and some of the skills that children need to learn long before they go to school, such as sharing, coping in groups, being able to separate from … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Books for Friends