Preschool Activities: Use Snacks And Crafts To Teach ABCs

Everyone knows that it is important to teach children the letters of the alphabet. After all, it is clearly an important building block for learning to read and other early education milestones.

Even children who know their alphabet need to be regularly reminded and challenged with the letters in various order.

The challenge is finding a way to teach preschoolers that is both effective and fun. Most early childhood educators do not recommend buying flashcards or expensive educational tools. Effective preschool education makes learning fun and friendly.

There are three simple methods you need to employ for effective preschool learning and these can be done with things you already have in your own home. Young children learn best if you use these three simple methods: see it, say it, experience it.

This means that in order to teach your preschooler the alphabet you need to let them see the letters -- both in order and out of order. Then you must say the letter and the child must also say it. Finally, in order for the child to really understand the letters of the alphabet he must also experience it. This means employing the senses.

You can use food and crafts to help your child experience the letters of the alphabet by seeing the shape and creating the shape in three-dimensions as well as eating food that either starts with the chosen "letter" or is in the shape of the letter.

For example, why not have your child munch on carrots and candy corn while gluing cotton balls into the shape of the letter "C"? Or perhaps blow bubbles, glue beans in the shape of a "B", and then eat banana splits?

Some other ideas include:

W snacks like waffles, whipped cream, and watermelon; Y snacks like yogurt, yellow cake, and yeast rolls; and Z snacks like zucchini bread, Zesta crackers, and zwieback toast.

Making three dimensional art projects using kite strings and kidney beans for "K"; leaves, lace, lima beans, lids, letter stamps, and shoe laces for "L"; and play money, material, macaroni, and moon shapes for "M".

Be creative and let your child's imagination roam free in your kitchen and with your craft supplies. Once you start looking around your home (and grocery store) for alphabet teaching "tools" you might be surprised at how many ways you can teach your child the alphabet.

While teaching your child the alphabet is an important part of teaching your child to read and preparing for their education, it does not need to be difficult, boring, or expensive for you or your child. It can be fun and easy if you use the world around you and foods and crafts you have in your home.

What Childcare Or Preschool Options Will the Hobsonville Point Development Provide

Previous articles have both challenged and posed a number of questions to the Hobsonville Land Company (HLC) and the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA) about the impact that Hobsonville Point will have on childcare services in the area. Today, the AKA represented by Assistant GM Peter Pablecheque and two support staff, fronted up to parents and teachers of the Hobsonville North Kindergarten. The discussions were disappointing.

In essence there are two issues 1. How to keep the kindergarten operating in some form or 2. how to manage the stampede of kids to other 'local' kindys.

Peter confirmed official notice has been given by the owners of the land (HLC) to the AKA, and that the lease will expire in Dec 2011. He said the HLC were sad, but they had no option but to terminate the lease due to the location of the kindy and the approved design plan.  The only way to keep the kindy operating is to find some land and relocate the building. The AKA own the building, there are heaps of toys and playground equipment and even some money in the kindy's bank, thanks to the years of support from previous parents and generous businesses donations. Unfortunately, the land is the big stumbling block.

The HLC have allocated a piece of land for a future 'day-care centre' approximately 130 meters North East of the current kindy location. However, the land will be put on the open market in 2013 ($1 Mil + for the land alone) for tenders to purchase and build a day-care centre. The AKA will not be submitting a tender.

It was pointed out that the Te Kohange Reo, which is also currently located on Hobsonville Point land, has been incorporated into the design plan i.e. the land will not be put on the open market. An obvious line of questioning to the HLC is why? Can the kindy be co-located?

It was also mentioned the Air Force have an old disused ex-kindy, that could provide the land necessary to keep the kindy operating. In fact, the idea was raised with the AKA over a year ago and the response at the time is it would be to close to other kindys. When pushed, Peter said he was looking at other land options and in fact had 'called someone at the North Shore council this week'.

Assuming land could not be found, the discussions turned to the AKA plan with respect to managing the stampede of kids to one of the 3 surrounding kindergartens.  Peter attempted to reassure parents that the kindy will continue to operate until the lease expiry date of Dec 2011 - while kids were still attending. Parents and a committee member from the Hobsonville kindy were extremely interested in the AKA plans to reallocate and manage kids into one of the three available kindys. The AKA response was that they would not know until the end of next year, when parents started applying for these kindys! In a classic case of the tail wagging the dog, there was no plan, but a commitment to react to events in a year's time...

This is how I explained it to the AKA. In the area 4 kindergartens have healthy roles. If one shuts, more pressure will be placed on the other 3. And, in the next year 80+ houses will be built and sold by the HLC. The demand is increasing, and the supply is shrinking. Despite this simple explanation, the AKA insisted you could not plan because the numbers fluctuate - 45 kids in a kindy now may not be 45 wanting to relocate in a years time. Which is true in terms of exact numbers, but given the above argument the demand must increase.

What this means is a lack of leadership in (AKA) planning and will create an early exodus of kids from the Hobsonville North kindy, as parents try to get a jump and assure themselves a place at another kindy before Dec 2011. The AKA will be adding to the problems as the kindy will be forced to close early due to the diminishing rolls, leaving even more on waiting lists.

Peter did point out that (unfortunately) preschool was not a legal requirement. It struck me that unless land could be found, the likely outcomes for parents in the Hobsonville Point community and surrounds are using more expensive day care options, or long waits and a fleeting kindy-exposure before starting school.

Preschool Printable Calendars - An Easy Way to Preserve Your Child's Memories

If you have a little guy or gal at home you know how valuable simple tools like preschool printable calendars can be. You can use these convenient and widely available resources to help your preschooler learn about the passage of time, the flow of the seasons, numbers, the alphabet and so much more. A decorated preschool calendar is a very fun and easy teaching device for a parent to incorporate into every day life.

However, with a little creativity, you can use these calendars to do so much more. One excellent idea is to use your preschool calendars to develop a written log of your child's life. By simply being intentional with the usage of your calendars, you can have a long term written and visual record of your child's preschool years.

Here's how it works.

1. Keep track of the basics.

Every parent loves to remember the milestones in their child's life and rightly so. Growth patterns such as height, weight, etc., doctor's appointments, and that first dental visit all can be documented on the preschool calendar. Why keep track of these things twice - once on your personal calendar and then rewritten in a baby book? Print out a preschool calendar each month, fill it out and decorate it together with your child according to the month or season and keep track of all monthly events concerning your preschooler in one place.

2. Developmental growth.

Hang your preschool Calendar in a place where every day can first teach your child about the date and day of week, to record the notes in line with developments in real time.

Who are your friends from pre-school child at this stage of life? What does your child attend parties (or give)? Make notes about travel, weather, favorite toy, a new vocabulary, all these precious moments of sweet roll will be to your heart forever. This is the official account written of the life of your son. UseDaily life and generous notes. This will jog your memory for years to come. Your words are priceless!

3. Build and enjoy.

As the months roll along to keep each of your to-school calendars to print pre-published in a guest book. Add scrap booking pages for additional material and pictures if you like. to mount the exception of a morning or afternoon per month, and photos that pop in the pages of the book everything needed to keep the book in your child's life course,accurate and satisfying. The key to this whole idea is that you are going to do most of this 'work' anyway, as a course of daily life, so simply do it in such a way as to preserve it easily.

Believe me, your preschooler will be delighted as she watches 'her' book grow and grow. This will also help her understand difficult concepts such as time passage and help her put her seasonal experiences into a context she can muse over again and again.

This method is an easy and fun way to record all the details in your young child's life with very little hassle. You can do a search on the web for preschool printable calendars or see my resource box below for free ones. Get started today preserving your preschooler's daily fun!

Simple Guidelines For Choosing Baby Toys

Toys and kids seem to go together and for a new parent it is a chance to indulge in some very cool toys like those that you had when you were young, or that you wish you had as a child.

For very young children toys can help begin the process of lifelong learning by stimulating their hand eye co-ordination and sense of touch. Toys like Lamaze baby toys can help young children awaken their senses and start to discover the world in gentle and colourful ways.

Newborn babies cannot see very far at all but can hear very well so the best baby toys have bright, contrasting colors and noticeable but not obnoxious noises. For example a toy designed for use at this early stage may have black and white, contrasting stripes or checks and have an element that makes a crinkling sound when squeezed.

If you have a newborn you will know that one of the ways they experience the world is with their mouth so learning toys also factor this in. They may have numerous elements that have different textures on them, all designed to be felt with the mouth but without the danger of being swallowed.

The best learning toy is one that does all these things to encourage your child to reach out and explore the world and experience it with touch, sight and sound but also is compact, light and, let's face it, looks good.

Lastly, there is no use having a great toy that does all these things if it looks like something a cow burped up.

Your child won't mind if it looks bad, as mentioned earlier their eyesight is not that great early on. Luckily toys for this age group are designed with both mother and child in mind. They have an element of the cute factor that mothers are generally drawn to, it reminds us of our own childhood or how we would have liked it to be.

And after all it's going to be featured in lots of photos so make it one that appeals to you too!

Smooth Move - With Preschoolers

Moving with preschoolers? Here are a few tips to make it easier.

AT THE OLD HOUSE

o Prepare your child for the move. Explain what is going to happen. A great resources to use with little ones is the picture books, Mr. Rogers Moving by Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Go to your library or bookstore and find some preschool books on moving--read them for appropriateness, then share selected ones with your children. Let them ask questions.

o Make moving an adventure. Talk positively about the move. You may not be thrilled about the prospect, but your little one doesn't need your worries. Encourage your daughter or son to be excited about the "new" house. Select something that will interest her and say it enthusiastically. i.e. "Did you know our new apartment has a playground?" or "Look your new bedroom has lovely blue carpets."

o Make it clear to your child that all items being put in boxes are going to the new house. You might want to pack his room last. It can give him a place to play while you work and also may make him feel less fearful.
o Don't pack his "comfort" object. Whether it's a security blanket or a favorite toy, the item that comforts your child should be out and available. "Transitional objects are real important for preschoolers since the environment is changing," says professional counselor Rose Rathbun, MSW.

o Sometimes it's helpful to provide something "new" to occupy your child. Has He wanted a new book about his favorite character? She was missing something matchbook cars as his brother? Or wait for the new house, give them something. One of the parents had been waiting for a special toy in the bedroom of their new baby. If your move involves a long car trip or plane trip, you may have entertained a number of small parts to your child.

Reassure the child or their friends. "Yes, you will not see Cody every day, but we visiteach other. And he'll still be your friend." This may not come up until later. Or at all. But if it does, be encouraging about the new friends, they'll make, too. My oldest daughter has a friend she's not lived near since she was three. They've seen each other infrequently over the years, but even at fourteen and fifteen, they still enjoyed getting together.

AT THE NEW HOUSE:

o Set up your child's bedroom as soon as possible. Perhaps you'll want to orient his crib the same way as in the old bedroom. The new room can be made to "feel" familiar by putting pictures, mobiles, shelves, toys, etc. in a similar relationship to the bed as in the previous bedroom. Then when he wakens in the morning or opens his eyes after a nap, his surroundings will look less strange. She also may play with her familiar toys while you are busy unpacking in other rooms.

o As you unpack, use the empty boxes to your advantage. If you've used professional movers, wardrobe cartons (with the metal bar removed) make fantastic toys. But whatever kind of boxes you have, kids love playing in them. Your child might draw on the cardboard and turn a box into a race car. Or a house. Or a set of boxes may become a city on the moon or a maze of tunnels. Once our girls used a flattened box as a slide on a slope in the lawn. Don't be surprised if it's weeks before your children are ready to give up the boxes.

FOR EITHER END OF THE MOVE:

o Try to keep routine things as normal as possible. If he always has a nap after lunch, put him down for a nap. If she always has a story read to her before bedtime, have a book available and read it. Don't throw discipline out the window either. Your child needs those comforting limits.

o Be sensitive. Is your child extra tired? Does he need a hug? A few minutes on your lap? Some time to herself? You may find your child sticking close to you. Be patient--he needs the reassurance of your presence.

FOR YOU:

o Check into available resources. There are a variety of books on moving at your local library or bookstore. Professional movers often include information about "moving with children" in their packets. Besides a 16 page booklet with tips and advice on moving with children of all ages, one moving company provides an activity and coloring book for younger children.

o Don't expect to be settled overnight. Unpacking and finding the right place for everything takes time.

o Most importantly, don't worry too much about your children. Preschoolers are flexible. They adjust. I'll never forget the time we moved with a 14 month old and a three year old. The first week in temporary housing, the baby learned to walk and the toddler potty trained herself!

It takes some planning, but there is hope for a smooth move with preschoolers.

Preschool Writing Activities - Fun Ways to Teach Your Child to Write

Put down those boring worksheets!  The best way to teach your preschooler to write is to use simple preschool writing activities that make learning fun.  To be ready for kindergarten, your child needs to know how to cut and paste, copy simple shapes, trace vertical and horizontal lines, trace his or her name, and hold crayons, pencils and scissors correctly.

The first step to teaching the above is strengthening the small muscles in the hands and wrists that are used in handwriting.  This process is often referred to as building fine motor skills.  You can encourage fine motor development by having your child use art supplies like crayons, paints, markers, glue and scissors.  Lacing activities, stringing beads and cheerios, playing with playdoh, scooping sand or rice, and activities like pouring and stirring are also great fine motor activities.

When you feel your child is physically ready to write, have your child use a stick fingers in sand or rice, throw pudding, shaving cream, paint or oatmeal. Make simple lines and shapes, and ask your child to copy. So, let your child practice writing clear, dry on a table, chalkboard or Magnadoodle. Preschool children also tend to have fun with special pens and markers for use on Windows and trained in the tub. Be sure to accelerate this process. Let your child move through these stages at their own pace.

If your child is readymove on to pencil and paper.  Build confidence by letting your preschooler trace simple lines and shapes, then proceed to letters.  You can eventually teach your child to write his name by letting him trace or copy it daily.  If your child needs help remembering how to spell her name, practice with fridge magnets, letter tiles or alphabet blocks.

Keep preschool writing activities relaxed and fun.  Don't expect or require perfection.  Learning to write is a fun process that will give your preschooler a boost in confidence and solid foundation for future studies.

Cognitive Development - Preschool Play

Preschool is the best place to prepare children for the formal learning in a school. It focuses on teaching new skills and promoting development is all arenas with a great degree of fun without creating any pressure on the child. The children who are ready to go to preschool are at the stage of developing their thinking skills and preschool play provides the environment for that cognitive development.

At this stage, children learn language, its usage, its Association and develop their memory, thinking, awareness and knowledge base. On the right, where the activities can be greatly assisted cognitive development and children, strong problem solving that are the basis for a happy life and successful development. Some of the activities of pre-school play in promoting cognitive development:

RPG

Role play or role-playing, children build their imagination to new stories andideas. They develop images in their mind and try to understand how a particular character will behave. This further gives them an understanding of the roles of things and human beings in different walks of life like doctor, chef, and firefighter. You can aid the process by pretend play toys like play food, scaled down versions of kitchens, houses, factories and doll houses, playhouses.

Puzzles

Preschoolers grasp concepts very fast so using puzzles involving numbers, alphabets, shapes, colors, sizes intrigue them way beyond you can imagine. Blocks, shape sorters, jigsaw puzzles also make them think beyond their usual mental boundaries and they try different things by applying their thought processes. These activities encourage the development of problem solving capabilities.

Rhymes and finger plays

Music stimulates the senses in very effective way. Listening to nursery rhymes and educational songs involving counting and word formation makes a deep impression on their memory and encourages them to learn in a fun way. Finger plays with puppets and finger toys tickle their creative abilities and inspire them to try something new without any fear.

Memory development

Teachers in preschools play a major role in memory development by re-introducing children to activities and tools or toys that were done or used, say a week ago. It compels them to think in terms of distance and the mere activity of trying to recall works very well. Concrete experiences help children in remembering things of past so make sure to indulge in distancing questions and old toys.

Playful learning encourages children to rely on their instincts and to satisfy their natural curiosity. They develop cognitive skills along with physical and emotional development. Preschool play builds a strong foundation for future life by nurturing children's imagination, creativity, thinking and problem solving skills. So whenever you plan to choose a preschool for your child, do examine the emphasis they pay on cognitive development while having fun.