Lettering them Jump!

One of my friends recently told me of a fun game she created for her daughter who is constantly on the go. This game is great for children who learn by doing and children who need to keep moving. It is also great exercise... so why not join in mom?

The Game:
Take letter puzzles and scatter 3-5 pieces on the floor. Choose one letter from the pieces on the floor and call out its name. Your child then identifies the called letter by jumping onto that puzzle piece. Reverse roles and let your child call out the name of the letters. Be enthusiastic about it and let your child know how fun learning is.

Glitter Gourds

This is a wonderful little crafty project I came up with for my daughter for the Harvest season. It doesn't require much skill or craft knowledge just be sure to supervise! You can use decorative pumpkin gourds or other decorative gourds both of which can be found at your grocery store. The sparkles I used have a beautiful sugar glitter shimmer to them and comes in a variety of colors. It can be found at DeSerres along with the Mod Podge both of which are by PLAID and are non-toxic. You can also pick up your sponge brush at DeSerres as well. The completed product is for indoor use and makes a beautiful center piece at the dinning table where the whole family can admire your child's work. To make this project you'll need...

A Splash of Fun

Give your child her own piece of the ocean- add a few sea shells to her bucket of tub toys. It will bring a little nature indoors while encouraging imagination and exploration. Use smooth and textured shells in a variety of colors for added interest (Be careful to avoid small, sharp, fragile or pointed shells that could be a choking hazard or cause scrapes/cuts). Mixing shells with buoyant toys is a great way for your child to explore which items float and which ones do not.

Geography at the Dinner Table

Exploring geography with your child can be a world of fun.  When introducing geography to your toddler start by identifying one or two continents. Repeat those continents a few times before introducing a new one. If you choose to use a geography place mat (we found ours at Laugh 'N' Learn) you can personify animal crackers or goldfish crackers and "help" them travel or "swim" to a named continent. Children love this. The more imagination sprinkled in the better- so be creative! When you are confident that you've overheard your child correctly identifying the continents on his own initiative then you can begin to ask him to identify or locate the continents.  I like to ask something like "can you help the goldfish swim to Africa?"

Here are some helpful tips for teaching geography to your young child:

1-Make it fun- don't turn home learning into homework
2-keep it brief- this keeps interest for the next session
3-if your child is not interested don't worry. Put it away and try again later.
4-Help your child associate fun with learning from a young age -avoid this activity if either of you are not in a good mood or is overtired. At this age children learn best from loosely structured hands on exploring.
5-It is natural to want to show others your child's abilities and new skills -you're a proud parent and you should be -just remember that some children don't want the extra attention and may feel pressured to perform.
6-Don't test. Testing just puts more expectations on your child. Instead wait to overhear your child correctly identifying on his own time line.

Love

Pictured above, Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies topped with white Chocolate, made with love by Dagny and her little "sweety-pie".

This Valentines take a little time to learn your child's primary love language. Primary love languages are the ways we best express and receive love. There are five love languages: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Gifts, and Physical Touch. To learn your child's love language check out Gary Chapman's love language assessments.