How To Teach Your Tots At Home
Activities For Learning
The Active Alphabet
This A-B-C activity has been created for children who enjoy moving around. Many parents ask how they can get their young children to sit down long enough to learn the alphabet. With this activity, they don't have too!
Celebrate May Day!
May 1st is May Day and a great time to welcome the warmth and light of Spring and Summer in a celebration of the seasons. Here are some ideas for enjoying May Day with your little ones...
A Preschool Potato Curriculum
Because potatoes are a staple of the Irish diet, I thought it might be fun to explore some ways to learn using potatoes. So, here for your pleasure and enjoyment is a Preschool Potato Curriculum.
A Dr. Seuss Curriculum
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as 'Dr. Seuss,' wrote and illustrated 48 children's books. Geisel was born on March 2, 1904. His most famous children's book, The Cat In The Hat, was published in 1957. So, 2007 marks the 50th birthday of Dr. Seuss!
Home Preschool Curriculum Guide: Social & Emotional Development
There are many activities you can do at home and within your extended community to help your child develop social and emotional skills. Some of these skills are only necessary to learn in the preschool years (ages 2-5) if you intend to place your child in a public or private school for kindergarten.
Valentine's Day Makes Learning Fun!
Valentine's Day is on February 14th. Little kids seem to intrinsically understand a day set aside each year to celebrate love. Here are some fun and educational Valentine's Day activities to do with your little ones...
Home Preschool Curriculum Guide: Motor Skills
There are a variety of activities you can do at home that correlate with the cognitive developmental stage of 2-5 year olds and the typical preschool course of study. Preschool educators say children ages 2-5 should have certain motor skills in order to begin formal academic learning in the school or homeschool environment. Here are the skills they identify...
Home Preschool Curriculum Guide: Position & Direction
There are a variety of activities you can do at home that correlate with the cognitive developmental stage of 2-5 year olds and the typical preschool course of study. Two key concepts are Position and Direction.
Groundhog's Day Fun
Ground Hog's Day is coming on February 2nd! Here are some fun and educational ideas for celebrating with your little ones...
Teaching Mathematics: How Early Can I Start?
You start teaching as soon as your baby is born. When you feed her, change her diaper, and hold her, your newborn learns she is loved. But when does a baby begin to learn math?
A Holiday Preschool Curriculum
This is the season of enchantment, heavenly aromas, warm hearths and company. Homeschooling families should be able to enjoy it without guilt or anxiety. To help you avoid homeschool burnout and holiday stress, I created a 'course-of-study' that will not only satisfy national curriculum standards (so you can relax), but will also let you enjoy this magical time of year with your family.
The Three Sisters: A Native American Curriculum for Thanksgiving
After a long and difficult journey, the Mayflower, landed in America on December 26, 1620. The Pilgrims settled into an old Native American village to protect themselves from New England's cold winter. Read all about the story of The Three Sisters in this Native American Curriculum for Thanksgiving.
A Preschool Halloween Curriculum
Halloween is a very old holiday that is still celebrated in countries around the world today, and each country has it's own interesting set of customs and traditions. Halloween can be a lot of fun with a little imagination and creativity!
Reading Readiness Concepts
To help develop reading readiness in your young children we have provided some activities that correlate with the cognitive developmental stage of 2-5 year olds and the typical preschool course of study. Here are some key concepts, experiences, and skills that educators think children ages 2-5 should have in order to develop reading readiness.
Home Preschool Curriculum Guide: Listening & Sequencing
There are a variety of activities you can do at home that correlate with the cognitive developmental stage of 2-5 year olds and the typical preschool course of study. Two of the key skills that preschool educators think children ages 2-5 should have in order to begin formal academic learning - in the school or homeschool environment - are Listening and Sequencing.
Fun with Apples!
Fall signals an abundance of apples! My family kicked off our homeschooling each and every year by visiting a u-pick apple orchard. Get fun curriculum ideas your kids will love.
Home Preschool Curriculum Guide: Learning The Concepts
Learning The Concepts Of Size, Colors, Shapes, Numbers, And Counting - When you teach your children about big and little you're teaching them to observe and compare the world around them. Here are some simple activities that provide lots of comparison opportunities.
Cognitive Development & A Typical Course of Study for Preschool
You hear a lot in the media about how researchers in the field of early childhood education say the early years of life, from ages 0-5, are the prime time for brain development. They tell us that children should be exposed to numerous experiences that lead to cognitive development so that they will have academic success when they begin school.
Fruit Pit Math Manipulatives & Much More!
I ate a nectarine the other day, and when I was through -- out of old habit -- I started to wash the seed. I laughed out loud at myself. I haven't done that since my sons were very young...
Learning with Lemons
The light, fresh scent of lemons is perfect on a summer day. Their bright, yellow color is uplifting too. Lemons provide the ingredient we need to make refreshing lemonade -- and they are wonderful tools for other hands-on learning activities that kids love. Here are some fun, lemony ideas to try with your little ones....
A 4th of July Celebration
The following historical information has been written in very simple story form with young children in mind. I hope your little one enjoys this brief story about the birth of America!
Summer Activities For Little Ones
When you think of summer, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Why not get the summer rolling by sharing what you like about summer with your child and ask them to tell you what s/he likes about summer.
Celebrate Summer With Fun Activities!
Celebrate the Summer with your little ones. The first day of Summer is normally on June 21st. Also called the Summer Solstice. To kick off the summer festivities break out the art supplies and invite your children to make their own sun.
Pizza Party!
Does your little one love pizza enough to ask for it everyday, sometimes at every meal? If you're a parent that gives in to the constant pizza request, you are not alone...
Fun with Dandelions!
I love dandelions -- they are such a wonderful gift from Mother Nature! There is just something about them that makes me smile! Since dandelions are everywhere at this time of year, I thought I'd share some fun and educational ideas that you and your children may enjoy...
Traveling with Toddlers and Preschoolers
Traveling long distances with little ones can be a stressful undertaking but it doesn't have to be. Here are some ideas for learning with preschoolers in the car.
A Pancake Curriculum!
Did you know that Tuesday, March 1, 2011 is Pancake Day? Not only is Tuesday Pancake Day, but it kicks off Pancake Week throughout the world! Pancakes provide all of the ingredients necessary for lots of learning fun!
Pumpkin Fun!
Pumpkins are a big part of the landscape at this time of year and will remain so through the Thanksgiving holiday. Learn how to use pumpkins as an educational adventure for your preschoolers...
Fun With Fall Leaves!
Fall is such a fun time to explore the world with little kids! You can teach them so much just by commenting out loud about the changes taking place in nature.
Backyard Campout!
Camping with little kids requires lots of patience as you introduce them to all of the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and safety hazards of the great outdoors. Depending on the temperament of any given young child camping can be a success or a disaster. One way to prepare little kids for a real camping trip or to camp without too much hassle is to have a backyard campout.
Essential Learning For Preschoolers
Some things are crucial and need to be learned in the preschool years. Certain foundational aspects of character, family life and self-care development sets the stage for future growth and learning.
Have Fun with The Summer Moon Illusion
When my kids were little, I looked at any unusual, natural occurrence as an opportunity to have fun learning. This week Mother Nature offers a summer moon event that provides a wonderful way for kids to learn more about the moon -- or just have fun observing it and doing activities themed around it.
Winter Birdwatching Fun!
Birdwatching provides lots of fun and exciting ways for young children to learn during the Winter, both indoors and outdoors! Here are some ideas:
St. Patrick's Day - March 17th
St. Patrick's Day will soon be here. On St. Patrick's Day the Irish take pride in their heritage and lore as they celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick, Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland. I thought it only fitting to provide some celebrating tips for your wee ones...
Money Fun!
Little kids become aware of money at an early age. It is a perfect way to introduce math concepts from sorting to counting and eventually it can help with learning how to add, subtract, multiply, divide and much more.
Fun with Rainbows
The weather provides all kinds of inspiration for learning. Rainbows are an especially wondrous sight courtesy of Mother Nature.
Curriculum for Preschool
Saying that a structured study program for a young child is inappropriate is not at all the same as saying that learning is unimportant during the early years.
Make a Nature Table!
Little children enjoy marking the seasons of the year, and it helps them to begin to understand the concepts of the passage of time, and the calendar with its months, weeks, and days as well.
Holiday Decorating with Preschoolers!
Preschoolers can have such an exuberant over-the-top sense of style. As parents, we might love their extremes in decorating when we're the only ones seeing it. But what do you do when other adults are going to be visiting your house over the holidays? Karen has the answers...
Alternatives to Television Viewing
Parents are often conflicted on whether or not to allow very young children access to the television, even the so-called experts can't agree. If you are concerned about your preschoolers viewing habits, one mother has offered a challenge...
Fun, Springtime Learning Activities!
Spring is in the air! It's a great time to let your children explore the newness of nature! Celebrate the first days of Spring with these activities!
Gifts for Preschoolers
Need some ideas for educational toys, games, and DVDs for preschool age children? Check these recommendations.
Teach Your Toddler At Home
Why and How You Should Teach Your Toddler At Home - Find out what's behind the claims that government mandated and funded 'universal preschool' will stop crime, secure your child's future, save social security and provide a free government nanny.
Cranberry Fun!
Cranberries are everywhere at this time of year and you can use them to learn all kinds of fun things with your young children.
Summer Learning Fun!
There are many natural learning opportunities available for young children all summer long. Here are a few ideas to try with your little ones...
Make an Obstacle Course!
If the weather is keeping you indoors, here's a way to get a little exercise while introducing vocabulary and concepts needed for reading readiness skills.
Teaching Young Children At Home
How do you teach young children? What do you do all day? How do you provide a stimulating environment? These questions are asked frequently by parents of young children who understand the immense magnitude of what it means to take responsibility for their child's education.
Fun with Dry-Erase Markers!
If you have some dry-erase markers you can have some fun with your little ones while they develop coordination for handwriting skills.
Fun with Laundry!
One of the household chores my preschool-age sons enjoyed helping with was the laundry. I used it to teach them a number of readiness skills -- so I generally planned to do the laundry when we had plenty of time.
Rainy Day Activities
What to do with the little ones when you're stuck inside? Here are a few ideas... Go On A Scavenger Hunt. Make An Indoor Sandbox...
Making Music Makes You Smarter!
Let's talk about music and what simple things you can do to incorporate music into your preschooler's life. It is essential to their brain growth and development. Here's why...
Grow and Learn
Little kids can learn a lot about plants and the life cycle by growing things at home. A garden is a wonderful learning environment for young children, but if you don't have the space or time for an outdoor garden, you can experiment with a number of plants right on your windowsill!
Dress Up Ideas!
Little kids love to dress up in costumes and grown-up clothes. I kept a big costume box filled with all kinds of clothing articles that the kids could use to act out any character that came to mind -- often inspired by stories we had read. They dressed up and pretended to be a daddy, mommy, doctor, fire fighter, police officer, chef, grocer, letter carrier, dancer, sports personality, rock star, etc...
Talk To Your Kids!
Talking to your children has academic benefits that will last a lifetime. Children who hear lots of discussion, conversation, and language have a distinct advantage over those that do not.
Have You Hugged Your Child Today?
You've no doubt seen bumper stickers asking, 'Have you hugged your child today?' It's not just a nice sentiment. It's a reminder that children need physical affection as much as they need food, water, and air for healthy development.
Fun Walks for Mental & Physical Fitness
I'm sure you've heard it on the news -- obesity among chidren is epidemic. Kids, like adults, just don't get enough exercise. Sitting in a classroom or in front of the TV or computer simply doesn't lend itself to physical fitness.
Make Your Own Butter!
Lots of little kids like butter. Did you know that it is thought that Arabs discovered butter? According to legend it was a delicious accident...
Fun with Animals!
Most little kids are attracted to animals of all kinds. There are lots of ways to expose your children to a variety of animals aside from adopting pets.
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