Infant and Toddler

Infant and Toddler Early Learning Activities

A Day for Past, Present, and Future for Kids

Different countries in the world today, will be enjoying more than a Monday in February. In the U.S. it is Presidents’ Day; in some parts of Canada, it is Family Day, and everywhere it’s the last week of the Sochi Olympics. But all of these days have something in common, and in a way it’s appropriate that they come right after Valentine’s Day.

early learning and developmentPresidents’ Day is celebrated close to the date of George’s Washington’s birthday, the first president. Abraham Lincoln also had a February birthday. Both of these men were beloved leaders who left a legacy for the country.

Families are the heart of any nation, and worth celebrating. Parents too leave a legacy for children. Often, as new adults, we either want to follow the example of our parents, or we vow to change something for our children.

The Olympics are not just a sports competition. They are a recognition of the achievements of all athletes and a display of the incredible feats of people around the world. Records will be broken and new ones set, inspiring new goals and dreams in hearts.

Whatever the day where you live, there are echoes from the past, the events of today, and a challenge to the future. For some fun and learning, your family may go to a community event. There might be a craft activity, such as making a country flag. Playtime could include turning the slide at the playground into a luge track–that’s the one where feet go first, although kids will try it the other way too. This day will leave its tracks as it becomes another part of your child’s early learning and development. Past, present, and future are a package that can also be called kids. What kind of day will this be for your child? Whether a big celebration or an ordinary day, how will your child experience this day?

Kindergarten Readiness As Easy As 1 2 3 … #5

In this brand new year, will your child be starting kindergarten? Are you asking, “Will my child be ready for kindergarten?” “What is kindergarten readiness anyway?” Could you use some answers?

getting kids ready to start schoolThis is a series of posts that looks at some of the basics of getting your child ready to start kindergarten. While most parents and caregivers would say that academic skills are most important for kindergarten readiness and early learning, new research is showing that social skills need to be included. The most sensitive time for the brain to learn social skills is between the age of new to 6 years old.

One of the first social skills that children learn is sharing. Helping children learn to share takes time and support. At preschool and kindergarten, children will need to share many times so it is important that they know how to share and also, how to ask others to share with them.

On playdates, at playschool, daycare, and preschool, children also need to know about taking turns. This is even important for adults; just think of the last time you had to line up and take a turn. Taking turns with others involves give and take and forms the basis of relationships. Another important skill is waiting.

Waiting requires impulse control and places demands on self-regulation. We don’t realize that being able to wait is a skill. Instead, we think of it as personality, but being patient depends on the tools we have to be able to wait. Some of these waiting-tools might be singing, playing games, reading a book or telling stories.

All of these social skills, and others, become easier with practice. They are important beyond the school years and the best time to learn them is during the early years. Do you have some suggestions that have worked to help your child learn basic social skills?

Love for you to come out and play too!! Visit this page on 123kindergarten.com and post a comment.

Nutcrackers Help With Fun, Learning & Kindergarten Readiness

One of the favorite Christmas decorations at our house is a nutcracker matryoshka or nesting toy. These 5 wooden dolls help little ones with fun, learning, and kindergarten readiness. Toys like this help kids with the math skills of sequencing and sizes. (When Little Sister is playing with them, we put the smallest one on top of the fridge. Small pieces may not be safe for young children.)

nutcracker-nesting toySizes are all about relationships. A toddler’s shoe may be small compared with an adult’s shoe, but it is big compared with a doll’s shoe. When the nutcracker is opened up, then there is a big nutcracker and a small one, but that small one is bigger than the one inside it. The difference in size is quite obvious but it is a real challenge when the dolls are taken apart to get the tops and bottoms matched together. Adult hands are sometimes needed for that part, but fairly young toddlers get the idea that little dolls will fit inside bigger ones. *A bar of soap rubbed on the edges of the wood make the pieces easier to slide together and apart.*

Because this is a difficult concept, lots of play with differently sized objects is needed. Kids need to repeat their exploration many times as the brain makes the connections to figure out how objects can be sequenced by size. Babies love to put things inside other things, take them out, and put them in again. Sometimes, taking things out is not as easy as putting them in, like keys in a water bottle! Older preschoolers like to discover just how tight the fit can be! Confession time: have you ever tried this too?

Kids might also enjoy playing with pots and pans, plastic bowls, cups, and other everyday items as they explore and discover size relationships. What other things can you suggest for this idea?

Kindergarten Readiness: Social/Emotional Skills a 4th R

Along with Reading, Writing and ‘rithmetic there is a new R: social and emotional skills. For young children, social and emotional skills are a big part of kindergarten readiness that has been overshadowed by academics. In the words of writer Mike McKay, “…the brain can’t learn, the mind can’t engage and the person can’t reach … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness: Social/Emotional Skills a 4th R

Hand Signs for Please and Thank you

While we all want the best for our children, we don’t always know how to support their best learning. Did you know that social skills are an important part of learning, early development, and kindergarten readiness? Surprisingly, social skills have more impact on later success than academic ones. Feeling anxious can interfere with learning, and … Continue reading Hand Signs for Please and Thank you

Kindergarten Readiness Early Social Skills: Taking Turns

Learning important social skills, as part of kindergarten readiness and other life skills, can be supported with play activities, such as games at holiday time. In order to practice taking turns, kids will need others; after all, it’s pretty hard to take turns with yourself. This week is not only the American holiday of Thanksgiving, … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness Early Social Skills: Taking Turns

Kindergarten Readiness and Early Social Skills: Sharing

The closer we get to the holidays, the longer grow the to-do lists. Could you use an idea to support your child’s early learning and kindergarten readiness that fits in especially well at this time of year? This might sound like the exact opposite that you would expect to hear from a teacher, but it’s … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness and Early Social Skills: Sharing

Kindergarten Readiness, Google Doodle, and Math Fun

Today’s Google doodle is Shakuntala Devi, a woman who was known as The Human Computer. An author and speaker, she had a wonderful message for parents and caregivers about children’s early learning and math. Devi wrote several books, including one called Mathability, Awaken The Math Genius In Your Child. She felt very much that mathability … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness, Google Doodle, and Math Fun

Long Weekends are for Family Fun and Learning

It’s a long weekend and whether your family is in the north part of North America celebrating Thanksgiving, or in the middle part with a Columbus Day holiday, there’s an extra day for some learning and fun together. We all know that parents are children’s first teachers, but it isn’t so obvious that what children … Continue reading Long Weekends are for Family Fun and Learning

Birthday Parties Are Part of Kindergarten Readiness Too

Children’s development, and kindergarten readiness, happens with whatever kids do. At a birthday party for a 5 year old, several other children connected their voices and sang Happy Birthday. Besides the song, there were other traditions, such as the cake, candles, games, and presents. A birthday party is an exciting event and special occasion, but … Continue reading Birthday Parties Are Part of Kindergarten Readiness Too