Easter activities

Easter Fun & Learning #3

I’ve been waiting to include this special video in my kindergarten readiness and learning blog until Easter.

Speaking of learning…did you know that even very young children will have individual strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning? There are usually clues about children’s learning styles while they are still babies. Some babies talk and chatter to themselves, their stuffies, and anyone who is close. Quite likely, these ones will prefer verbal learning methods. Some babies roll, crawl and pull themselves along the floor at amazing speeds so soon that their families barely have time to baby-proof the house. Chances are they are hands-on learners. Quiet little ones may be keen observers, liking to watch and learning visually. All children and all adults learn using all of these different ways, but we each have our own preferences.

Using sign-language seems to appeal to many young children and especially those who are hands-on. Did you know that signing a few words is another way to build brains? As kids learn to connect the action to the word, their brains are making connections too. And all that brain development helps grow readiness for kindergarten. Enjoy doing these spring and Easter signs with your child. Can you see/tell/feel how your child likes to learn?

(P.S. Thank you Signing Time.)

Easter Fun & Learning #2

Many kindergarten readiness evaluations check if children can follow directions. Some children struggle with directions and it’s not because they haven’t been listening. Following an instruction is a thinking skill and just like other skills, it needs practice and repetition. Easter bunny to the rescue, not to deliver eggs, but a fun game for carrying out some directions.

Easter-game
No...eggs go in the basket!

First comes the story: Once upon a time, a little bunny wanted to help the Easter bunny but s/he didn’t know where to put the eggs. The Easter bunny said “Put the eggs in the basket.” But the little bunny put them beside the basket, “Is this where?” The Easter bunny said, “No, that’s not in the basket. Try again.” This time the little bunny put them behind the basket, “Is this where?” The Easter bunny said, “No, that’s not in the basket. Try again.” The little bunny carefully put them in front of the basket, “Is this where?” The Easter bunny said, “No, that’s not in the basket. Try again.”  The story continues with little bunny trying under the basket, close to, far away from, etc. and finally gets them IN. If you have a couple of bunny stuffies you can use them to help tell the story and anything can be the eggs: a few paper ones, plastic ones or even some small blocks, containers, or other toys.

Now, let your child be the little bunny and practice putting the eggs IN the basket. Then, have the little bunny practice listening carefully while you tell him/her to put the eggs beside, behind, in front of, under, close to, etc. Use several different places to put the eggs. After the story, kids may want to place the eggs in the basket as the default but having to put them in different spots exercises the listening and thinking. For kids who are older, you can use more complicated instructions such as “Put 1 egg in the basket and 1 egg beside.” That’s a 2 part instruction. Kids will love the chance to be the Easter bunny and tell grownups where the eggs should go. They may also enjoy doing the story all by themselves. Did you and your child have fun with this Easter learning game?

Kindergarten Readiness – Easter Fun & Learning #1

Some of the fun of holiday activities is being able to do the same things over and over. Learning involves repetition as does kindergarten readiness. This year’s Juno musical album of the year was Christmas songs, so this post can certainly repeat some of the same Easter songs that we’ve heard before.

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Easter eggs,     4 little, 5 little, 6 little Easter eggs,
7hug-bunny little, 8 little, 9 little Easter eggs,    10 little Easter  eggs.

This is an easy song and so can be used with quite young kids. Make up a few more verses such as 1 little, 2 little, 3 little Easter bunnies or 1 little, 2 little, 3 little Easter baskets. This song can also use other animals: 1 little, 2 little, 3 little fluffy chicks or 1 little, 2 little, 3 little ducklings, etc.

Here’s another song to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It,  that can use a variety of actions for some moving fun:

If you like the Easter bunny, hop around. If you like the Easter bunny, hop around.
If you like the Easter bunny and you think he’s kind of funny, If you like the Easter bunny, hop around.

The bunny can jump around, hop on one foot, or even sit right down.

Singing encourages lots of brain development and  kindergarten readiness. Children learn vocabulary and rhythm. Music is similar to math as it is based on spacing and sequencing, too. Singing also promotes listening and auditory skills. Singing and moving at the same time is even more of a challenge. Children need to not only think of what to sing and how to move but how to coordinate and do both together.

Readiness for Kindergarten – Coloring Easter Eggs

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 … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Coloring Easter Eggs

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Fun and Learning

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

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Art

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

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Books

 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

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Kids’ Songs

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

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Chocolate No-Heat Fondue

Chocolate is a special Easter treat. In today’s blog, I’m going to share an idea that uses chocolate as a fun, learning activity that encourages kindergarten readiness skills. And it gets kids to eat fruit! Kids get to choose fruits to use: apples, bananas, strawberries, oranges, peaches, mango, etc. While the grown-ups need to peel … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Chocolate No-Heat Fondue

Readiness for Kindergarten – Easter Patterns

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