Toddlers can’t walk down the stairs with alternating steps. They just can’t. While your kindergartener bounds down the stairs taking each step in stride (or several in one super-hero bound, as mine is prone to do), your toddler will cling to the wall or rail as she takes a careful step down with one foot, then brings the other foot to that same step to stand firmly before venturing down in that same slow, tentative manner for another (step together), then another (step together), then another (step together).
6 Board Books for Toddlers that Build Critical Reading Skills for the Future
It’s never too early to start reading with your little ones! Even the simple act of holding a baby on your lap as you turn pages and ad-lib conversation about the pages will lay a foundation for reading. There are the obvious benefits of simply knowing how books work, the print concepts like how to hold it, turn pages, and that those marks our fingers dance over at the bottom are actually the words coming out of our mouths.
Lifelong Readers {What’s on My Reading List}
It’s easy for me to rattle of a list of book recommendations to parents with young kids. For their kids, that is. Books for grown ups take me a bit longer to get through! To be quite honest, I really enjoy reading, and because of that, I’ve looked at it for too long as a privilege. A leisure activity. Something to do when I get all my work done. (Like that ever happens!)
What You Need to Know About the Summer Slide
If you haven’t already seen the catch phrase everywhere lately, you soon will. From the headlines and pin titles, it appears people are working to avoid “summer slide” like it was the next pandemic. So what are the facts about the summer slide and what’s the best approach for you and your school age kids? [Read more…]
All About My Dad: A Fun Questionnaire for Father’s Day
Father’s Day is Sunday. Are you ready? My boys and I picked up my husband’s present yesterday afternoon and before dinner they had each dropped enough hints that we finally decided to enjoy the gift giving portion of the holiday a little early!
Teaching Kids Problem Solving with a Great Book!
I’ve got a thing for well-illustrated books that really capture the endearing quirkiness of kids. That’s the first thing that made me love Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy* by Jacky Davis and David Soman. But as I read it to my 4-year-old again tonight, I realized what a perfect book it is to illustrate the social problem-solving kids need to do almost every day. Something he had done today, in fact.
Just this afternoon, he and his brother were at odds about how to play together. As they got flustered and frustrated and began to grouch at each other, I stepped out to intervene. In a split second, I had to decide whether to intervene by settling it myself, or by taking the time to teach them to own their problems and problem solve together.
Let’s Play Birthday Party!
Every birthday is monumental in a kid’s eyes. Even pretend ones! “Birthday Party” is one of my favorite dramatic play themes to set up, and the kids love it too! Melissa & Doug know a thing or two about kids, play, and birthdays, so they’re sponsoring this post as a part of their Ultimate Birthday Bash. (They’re also hosting an amazing giveaway, so be sure to check out those details at the end!)
Book Activity: If You Give a Moose a Muffin (with an ABC Game)
I love Laura Numeroff’s stories, and the kids do too! In her predictable, yet amusing pattern, the characters begin with one activity, which inevitably leads to another, then another, then another, till you’re right back where you started again. Whether it’s the mouse with the cookie, the pig with the pancake, the moose with the muffin, or one of their many friends, kids learn to expect the unexpected!
Batteries Not Included: Gifts for Kids that Ignite the Imagination
Have you ever heard people joke about getting an extravagant gift for a child, and all the recipient wanted to do was play with the box? That’s because for all the bells and whistles you can find attached to today’s toys, the fact remains that children love any opportunity to imagine, create, and pretend. And as a parent and educator, I love to give kids that opportunity! Here, you’ll find some of my favorite gift ideas for igniting that spark!
*This post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely believe you’ll enjoy!
Stone Soup: A lesson in sharing
I was working on a batch of Stone Soup today, and thought it might be time to dig up, dust off, update, and reshare my favorite Stone Soup lesson from three years ago. It’s a great way to start a discussion about the importance of sharing. And who couldn’t use some nice, warm soup this time of year?
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- …
- 21
- Next Page »