At this time of year parents usually ask me for Christmas gift suggestions for their child. My recommendation is to keep it simple.
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At this time of year parents usually ask me for Christmas gift suggestions for their child. My recommendation is to keep it simple.
…
~Affiliate links are in this post. We receive a small commission at no cost to you. :)
One of the oldest games in the book is Memory.
It is a gem. It is flexible. It is an activity that is easy to personalize so that it fits your child’s interests. It teaches many concepts at different levels. You can play this game with really young children, but you need to simplify it so it is not overwhelming.
All you need: 2 sets of stickers, 3 x 5 cards, and scissors.
All you do: Cut the cards in half, then place the stickers on the cards.
For children who are between 2 1/2 and 3 years just begin by matching pictures. Put out an array of 6 pictures. Hold up a matching picture and say “Can you find the….put your finger on the ……” It can look something like this:
Once your kiddo understands the concept of matching. Set up a simple array that stacks the deck for success. Place the matching pairs beside each other. Turn them over, face down. You go first and show them what to do. Here is how to stack the deck:
Once they get the hang of this, add more pictures, then mix them up so that the difficulty is increased. Like this:
I suggest that when you increase the number of cards and use a random layout, you first match pictures face up. Once they understand the idea of finding the same pictures then turn the pictures face down. Placing the cards face down adds another level of complexity. This adds the memory component, it also requires more attention and focus.
Look at what you can teach your child:
1. Same/different
2. Vocabulary ~ animal names for this example.
3. Animal sounds ~ You can’t play a game with farm animals without saying ‘moo’, ‘oink’, ‘quack’, or ‘peep-peep’!
4. Attention to task
5. Turn-taking
6. Social skills that are associated with playing games.
7. Increased memory of course!
You can cover the cards with contact paper or have them laminated. They don’t have to be perfect. Mine aren’t, I don’t have time to make sure every cut line is perfectly straight. I would rather you spend time with your child then fretting over perfection.
Have fun!
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Cooking is a great way to connect with your child. It is also an opportunity to teach teamwork, cooperation, and basic concepts. Here is a super easy pumpkin pie recipe that you and your preschooler can whip up together.
No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
1 large can pumpkin pie mix (found by the canned pumpkin)
1 small instant vanilla pudding
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub of cool whip
2 baked and cooled pie crusts or graham cracker crusts
Mix together the pumpkin pie mix, pudding, and sweetened condensed milk. Fold in the cool whip. Pour into the pie crusts. Chill until set; then serve.
Variation ~ Pumpkin Cups ~ Place 8 graham crackers into a plastic bag and crush. Pour a couple of tablespoons of crumbs into dessert cups. Pour pie filling into cups, chill, and serve.
How can you make this a learning activity for your preschooler?
Language – Talk about what you are doing. You are pouring, opening, stirring, crushing…etc. As your child helps ask her questions about what she is doing. For example: What color is the pumpkin? What color is the cool whip? What happened when you mixed them together? How did it change after being in the fridge? What do you think we should do next? Talk about the utensils you use.
Literacy – Read the recipe to your child so they see an example of how we read in everyday life. Have your child ‘write’ a recipe for their favorite food. Or they can dictate the recipe to you, and you write it for them. It is so fun to see their perspective!
Fine Motor – Have them open the pudding and pour it into the bowl, let them scoop out cool whip, and let them stir the ingredients together.
Yes. This is a pathetic picture of a sad little piece of pie. But that is all that was left! It was devoured before I had a chance to take a picture.
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Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills is one of my all time favorite autumn books for toddlers and preschoolers. You can tell by the dog-eared corner!
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When should you introduce books to your child? Right from the start. Here are some ideas for using books with babies:
My favorite books for babies 0 to 4 months:
Tana Hobin – “Black on White”, “White on Black”, and “Black and White” These books are great for the youngest of babies because of their high contrast pictures. “Black and White” is an accordion book that can be used for tummy time.
Charles G. Shaw – “It Looked Like Spilt Milk“ This is another high contrast book that is great for infants, but is also enjoyed by school age children as well. It has a predictable and repetitive story line.
Thanks for reading!
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The purpose of this blog is to share early childhood educational activities for preschoolers. I want parents to play with and connect with their kids. However, first I must learn how to develop and create this blog. I am learning a new language, new content, new skills. I am a toddler to the blogging world. For example, this post is being written so that I can establish a feedburner. There are problems with ‘validity’ but I am really not sure what that means. Trudging on…