Category Archives: Preschooler

Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit

Activities To Prepare For Kindergarten

With kindergarten registration open across the country, parents often wonder how to chose activities to prepare for kindergarten. Kindergarten is an exciting time for kids but it is important to prepare them, so they can put their best foot forward. From social and emotional to academic skills, the list can be daunting.

Although Pre-K learning standards vary from state to state, there are some common themes for the academic skills required in kindergarten. Pre-K standards can be broken down in two ways.

As a parent, you can prepare your child with the basics or choose to go beyond and offer a head start on learning skills that will be taught in the classroom. Here are just a few suggestions of activities to prepare for kindergarten:

5 Activities To Prepare For Kindergarten

  1. Practice the Alphabet: Using an alphabet poster or book, start with printing the uppercase letters in order. Practice griping the pencil or crayon correctly!
  2. Recognize Numbers to 10: Introduce numbers by counting fingers to 10, counting book pages and printing numbers.
  3. Print First Name: Practice printing first names. This is a common skill required in the first few weeks of kindergarten!
  4. Have a  Knowledge of Colors: Point out colors on a walk, in a garden, around the home or using clothing. Repeat often!
  5. Identify Shapes:  The home and the neighborhood are full of shapes. Pointing out windows, doors, toilet seats and car wheels can help preschoolers understand shapes quickly.

5 Activities To Get A Head Start On Classroom Learning

  1. Recognize and Print All Letters of the Alphabet: Practice printing all of the letters of the alphabet, both upper and lowercase on a daily basis.
  2. Identify Sight Words: Introduce letter sounds with flashcards and beginner readers.  Use Dolch or Fry’s list of sight words to introduce new words.
  3. Recognize and Write Numbers to 30: Use books, flashcards or a number poster to show the progression of numbers 1-30. Eventually move to numbers to 100.
  4. Add and Subtract: Adding and subtracting on fingers or using food such as cereal, grapes or peas can make adding and subtracting real for preschoolers. Start with adding to 5 then subtracting.
  5. Recite Days of the Week, Months of the Year: On a daily basis, talk about the day of the week, the month and the date. Use a calendar to practice the vocabulary and counting the days of each month.

In just 20 minutes a day, your preschooler can master the skills necessary for kindergarten by using the Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit. To give a head start, take a look at Teach My Kindergartener. 

Activities To Prepare For Kindergarten

 

Teach My Preschooler

Indoor Learning Activities For Kids

Encourage indoor learning activities for kids by creating little stations or circuits around the home or playroom. Maybe pack a lunch box with snacks to pretend you and your preschooler are ‘playing school’! Most of all, this indoor fun for kids can  prepare your preschooler for going to school.

5 Suggestions For Indoor Learning Activities For Kids:

Books

Create a separate space at your child’s level for picture books in your home. A mini library is a great station to encourage early reading and listening skills.

Music

Music is a super way to expand preschool minds. You can use rattles, pots, pans, mini pianos and more to encourage a mini Mozart!

Education

You can create your own education station with puzzles, flashcards, coloring activities, however, Teach My Preschooler is specifically designed as a one-stop shop for all things education. Most importantly, it covers reading, printing, numbers to 100 and math.

Exercise

Break up learning time and ‘shake out the sillies’ with a little gym area. It might include a yoga mat or soft flooring for running on the spot, jumping, dancing and stretching.

Rest

Use soft pillows or blankets to create an area for your toddler to relax and enjoy a snack. Unpack the lunch box and enjoy a quiet picnic for two or more!

Looking for more indoor learning activities for kids? Outmatched Mama offers up some great suggestions for educational games and learning fun. In addition, super blogger, Hands On As We Grow has a comprehensive list of general indoor activities for kids.

The Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit is a great way to create indoor learning activities for kids. The multi award-winning all-in-one learning kit is designed for preschoolers 3 years+. The kit is divided into four sections to teach preschoolers, so your preschooler can learn reading, printing, numbers 1 to 100, adding and subtracting. Screen-free, the kit has an assortment of everything necessary to teach the basics. Full of indoor fun for kids, the kit has fully-coordinated books, flashcards, posters, a print guide and magic drawing board, all in one case.

Indoor Learning Activities For Kids

Different Learning Styles

Different Learning Styles

Children have different learning styles. It is useful to determine your child’s learning style, so you can meet their specific needs and address any issues. Studies have shown that accommodating different learning styles can significantly increase a child’s performance at school. Also, as a parent, you can play on your child’s strengths and help to improve the other learning styles.

There are currently 7 different learning styles however, these 3 are most important for preschoolers:

  1. Physical: A physical learner may need to use blocks, an abacus, or other counting materials to practice the new things.
  2. Visual: A visual learner will grasp the material more quickly by watching the teacher solve a problem on the blackboard or seeing a problem solved with real materials.
  3. Auditory: An auditory learner will understand the concept if they can listen to the teacher explain it and receive answers to questions.

Determine The Different Learning Styles

Learning should not be a one-size fits all approach. It is important to figure out your child’s learning style. You can work with your child and make improvements in their weaker areas.

Consequently, if your child is a visual learner, they will benefit from flashcards and books. A physical learner will work well with puzzles and blocks and if your child is an auditory learner, reading aloud can improve learning. By figuring out your child’s style, they will be able to learn more effectively.

Different Learning Styles

The Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit includes tools to meet all 3 different learning styles; visual, auditory and physical. The multi award-winning learning kit is designed for preschoolers 3 years and up. The kit is divided into four sections to teach Reading, Printing, Numbers 1 to 100 and Math. Screen-free, the kit has an assortment of everything necessary for to teach the basics. Full of Preschool activities, the kit has coordinated books, flashcards, posters, a print guide and magic drawing board, all in a case.

Yoga Poses For Kids

Yoga poses for kids are trendy however, also an important way to improve active learning. Physical education classes in schools has made yoga popular among children. It is a great way to encourage a healthy mind and body.

Yoga poses for kids can enhance a healthy mind-body connection. By exercising the body and calming the mental spirit, kids can prepare for the fast-paced world we live in today.

Studies have shown yoga can be an effective way to help children reduce stress, improve concentration, and manage emotions. According to Dr. Gurjeet Birdee of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University. “There’s also some preliminary research that yoga might be good for mood in children, so helping with stress, anxiety and depression.” Dr. Birdee also feels “Yoga might be good for attention.”

The act of practicing yoga poses for kids allows them to to clear their mind and focus on the effort. Consequently, this single focus to achieve a particular pose or stay balanced during yoga helps children to focus and concentrate in school and get better grades, several studies have found.

Yoga and Active Learning

Which leads to yoga and active learning. A recent study published in the journal of Pediatrics discovered that kids who move while learning may absorb more. Combine yoga poses for kids with learning and a winning combination is created.

Teach My recently introduced the world’s first educational yoga mat sets. The award-winning, Teach My Yoga Mat Set – Fish and Learn is designed to encourage active learning. With a fishing pond on one side and yoga poses for kids on the other side, little ones can learn their alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors while fishing, moving and doing yoga.

The Teach My Yoga Mat Set – Hop and Learn combines hopscotch and yoga. Using bean bags, a game spinner and play tokens, children can practice ABC yoga poses for kids and learn numbers, shapes and colors.

Yoga Poses for kids
Teach My Yoga Mat Set – Hop and Learn

 

 

 

 

 

Headstart Preschool

Headstart Preschool

Are you wondering how to create a headstart preschool learning environment in your own home? Parents and caregivers are often wondering what skills their little ones will learn or need to know for preschool. TeachersPayTeachers have created a great list called ‘My Preschool Goals’. Parents can use the checklist as a way to engage in a little headstart preschool at home.

Here is the list of goals that TeachersPayTeachers feel are necessary for preschool.

  1. I Can Write My Name
  2. I Know My Colors
  3. I Know All Of The Letter Names
  4. I Know All The Letter Sounds
  5. I Can Listen To A Story And Tell What It Is About
  6. I Can Draw A Picture And Tell A Story To Match
  7. I Can Rhyme
  8. I Can Identify The Beginning Sound Of A Word
  9. I Can Segment Words
  10. I Can Identify Shapes
  11. I Can Complete A Pattern
  12. I Can Write The Numbers 1-10
  13. I Can Count And Tell How Many
  14. I Can Count To 20
  15. I Know My Birthday
  16. I Know My Phone Number

Engage in some focused, one-on-one learning time every day. In just 20 minutes a day, your little one can master the basics and check off the list of goals.

The Preschool Goal Checklist can help create a headstart preschool environment in your own home. Also, both, Teach My Toddler and Teach My Preschooler have all of the tools necessary to teach the basics and the kits can build a headstart preschool feel into your everyday life. Visit www.teachmy.com for full information on the award winning learning kits and sets for kids 6 months to 6 years!

headstart preschool

 

Headstart Preschool

what-motivates-your-child

What Motivates Your Child?

According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), self-motivated children are more involved in their own learning and development. So , what motivates your child?

A child is more likely to learn when they believe they are pleasing themselves and not their parents. Parents should guide, while still giving lots of freedom and options. Children that are persistent, challenge oriented and independent tend to be self-motivated.

What motivates your child and some tips on creating self-motivation:

Environment: Provide an environment that allows children to freely explore.

Persistence: Allow children lots of time to work on a task. Make sure they can finish and resist the natural urge to “help”!

Independence: Allow for as much independence as possible, when working on the task.

Interact with adults: Provide as many opportunities as possible for children to interact with adults directly.

Challenge: Provide situations that give challenges.  Activities that are slightly difficult for the child will be more motivating and provide for stronger feelings of success when accomplished.

Evaluation: Give children opportunities to evaluate their own accomplishments. Ask “What do YOU think?”

Ration Rewards: Do not use excessive rewards. Rewards can undermine a child’s ability to value themselves. Praise and rewards should be based upon effort and persistence, rather than on the actual accomplishment.

Most importantly, when considering what motivates your child, the habits and attitudes toward learning that are formed in these early years set the tone for future learning.

The Child Development Institute also has a great list of 8 ways to encourage self-motivation in your child.

Encourage self-motivation with Teach My Preschooler – the multi award-winning all-in-one learning kit for preschoolers 3 years+ The kit is divided into four sections to teach your preschooler – Reading, Printing, Numbers 1 to 100 and Math. Requiring no batteries or DVDs, the kit has an assortment of everything necessary for to teach the basics. Full of Pre K activities, the kit has fully-coordinated books, flashcards, posters, a print guide and magic drawing board, all in a case.

What Motivates Your Child

Teach My Preschooler Reading

Reading Games For Kids

Reading games for kids are a great way to encourage reading. Before suggesting reading games, there are a few key pre-reading strategies your preschooler should master before they begin to tackle the process of learning to read.

Matching is one key pre-reading strategy. Matching shapes, patterns and letters evolves into the ability to match and recognize the patterns of printed words, phrases and sentences.

Rhyming is also important. Studies show children who can understand rhyming have a head start in learning to read and spell. Have your preschooler repeat rhymes, play reading games for kids with rhymes, mix them up and have your little one correct you!

Here is a great list of reading games for kids, complied by B-Inspired MAMA

A combination of pre-reading strategies, reading games for kids and teaching tools like Teach My Preschooler Reading can set your little one up for success with learning how to read. Teach My Preschooler Reading offers a head start in learning to read. Just 20 minutes a day with the award winning Teach My Preschooler reading tools and your little one can master letter sounds, reading aloud and 60 vocabulary words! Use the 10 step reading system, the flashcards, the flashcard holder and the reward tin to teach a child to read. The set has everything for encouraging reading games for kids and is considered one of the most creative reading programs on the market.

reading-games-for-kids

teac-my-preschooler-math

Math Activities For Preschoolers

According to Susan Levine, math development expert, by incorporating math activities for preschoolers into everyday life, children can develop math excellence. Here are 5 ways to create a math wiz with simple math activities for preschoolers:

Talk Numbers: Counting can become part of most discussions by simple asking ‘How Many?” Count buttons, crackers, vegetables, raisins and more.

Spatial relations: Spatial thinking is important in math activities for preschoolers. Talk to your preschooler about length, height and shapes. With shapes, talk about sides, edges and curves. For height, simple questions about siblings or friends will do the trick – “Who is taller, you or your brother?”

Use Your Hands: Use hand gestures to promote numerical and spatial skills. It is important to point, while counting. This will help your preschooler associate a number with each object.

Puzzle Play: Playing with blocks and puzzles will help develop children’s spatial thinking and math skills. According to The Children’s Development Institute, children learn to work directly with their environment and change its shape and appearance when they work with puzzles. Puzzels are great for hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and memory.

Board Games: Play numerical board games where you roll a die or spin a spinner. When you move your piece a certain number of spaces along a path, be certain to count all the way along!

Teach My Preschooler Math offers a head start in adding and subtracting from 0-5 and plenty of math activities for preschoolers. Just 20 minutes a day with the award winning Teach My Preschooler tools and your little one can master math for preschoolers. Use the flip book, poster, foam counters and foam numbers together to master early math skills and enjoy fun, educational play. The set has everything to give a head start!

math-activities-for-preschoolers

kindergarten readiness checklist

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

We have compiled a kindergarten readiness checklist, with the help of Icanteachmychild.com,  Education.com and Stacey Kannenberg’s book – Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten.

With back-to-school and education on everyone’s mind, do you find yourself asking the question: “What should my preschooler know for kindergarten?

Our list covers simple academic skills your preschooler should know before entering kindergarten. Every kindergarten may look for different skills and skill levels but the list below provides a simple baseline.

Apart from personal, social and physical development, preschoolers should know the following academic skills as part of a kindergarten readiness checklist:

READING

  1. Show an interest in books & reading
  2. Hold & turn pages correctly
  3. Recite the alphabet
  4. Match and identify upper & lowercase letters
  5. Talk about letters throughout the day

PRINTING

  1. Can use crayons & pencils
  2. Uses scribbles, shapes and letter-like symbols to write words & ideas
  3. Uses pictures to communicate ideas
  4. Practice name writing

MATH

  1. Can identify basic shapes like circle, triangle, square, oval, diamond
  2. Can match numerals
  3. Can count objects to 10
  4. Can begin to count to 100

Fill in the gaps on the kindergarten readiness checklist with Teach My Preschooler, the multi award-winning all-in-one learning kit for preschoolers 3-6 yrs. The kit is divided into four sections to teach your preschooler Reading, Printing, Numbers to 100, Adding and Subtracting.

Screen-free, the kit has an assortment of everything necessary for teaching preschoolers the basics. Full of activities for preschoolers, the kit has fully-coordinated books, flashcards, posters, a print guide and magic drawing board, all in a case. Developed with education consultant, Judith Rowlands, M Ed., Teach My Preschooler is designed to give preschoolers a head start, develop fine motor skills, encourage parent/child interaction and increase school readiness skills.

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

Beans in a CD Holder

SCIENCE FOR PRESCHOOLERS

Many parents and early childhood educators shy away from science for preschoolers. With STEM careers on the rise, it is important to introduce science for preschoolers early.

Liz Barclay, head of the National Child Research Center says learning science can begin almost immediately. “I am a big believer in the fact that the scientist is awakened in the crib,” says Barclay, emphasizing that basic senses unlock the first forms of scientific inquiry. “Tasting, touching, hearing — these are all the beginnings of self- discovery.” Once children reach preschool age, they are able to wrap language around that sense of self-discovery.

It can be a bit daunting but here are 4 super cool ideas that encourage science for preschoolers:

Biology: What better way to introduce science for preschoolers than growing beans in a CD case. This is a brilliant idea from Two Busy Brunettes. It is so simple, inexpensive yet effective! Hope you all have some old CD cases lying around!

Physics: Just when you thought physics would be a hard concept to introduce to a preschooler! Reading Confetti makes it so easy with these great sports ball science activities.

Chemistry: Have fun with vinegar & baking soda. Child Central Station mixes up the fun with an introduction to basic chemistry and science for preschoolers.

Astronomy: Looking to introduce science for preschoolers and astronomy, then Teach My Preschooler The Solar System is a great place to start. The coordinated set introduces your child to the basics of the solar system. Using a matching book, puzzle, poster and flashcards, Teach My showcases the sun and nine planets that rotate around the sun (incl. Pluto, The Dwarf Planet) In order to simplify The Solar System for little ones, we have highlighted one characteristic for each planet and each planet’s place within the solar system.

Teach My Preschooler The Solar System