If raising a preschooler hasn’t made you more forgetful than usual, you might recall a subject you took during grade school called “social studies.” Later, it became “history,” “sociology,” and “economics,” but those fancy names didn’t fool you. It was still the dreaded “social studies” (also known as “cramming before a test”). Webster’s Dictionary defines social studies as “the study of social relationships and the functioning of society.” Well, that sounds a lot like social media, ... Read More >>>
7 Amazing Kindergarten Critical Thinking Skills your Little One will Love
My son has some pretty amazing critical thinking skills for his age... and he’s just six! Don’t believe me? Here’s an example- “Why did you hit your little sister?” “I didn’t hit her!” “But I saw you hitting her bum.” “Well, she ate my candy…” “You ate hers too.” “Yeah! So now we’re even. And that’s why I was high-fiving her on the bum, not hitting her!” Okay, maybe this isn’t the best example of his critical thinking skills, but you gotta admit that was one smart cover ... Read More >>>
8 Preschool Reading Games Your Little Rascal Can Make From Scratch
Being pregnant and having a young son to chase around is no easy feat; this is why I am all about preschool reading games that can be whipped up in a minute. I am not one for spending hours preparing educational games for my son, but I do think that preschool reading games are essential to my little tyke's development; I just would rather have him get the supplies and set it up mostly himself. After all, this helps with his independence and also gives me a breather. This is why I want ... Read More >>>
Preschool Creative Ideas to Inspire Your Little Thinker
There’s nothing quite like the look on your preschool child’s face when she conjures up an idea. You can almost see the light bulb clicking on in her brain. Depending on what she’s thinking, that gleam in her eye can either mean inspiration or a mess you’ll be cleaning up later. Either way, just try to go with the flow. As you know, your child’s ideas are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. The reason? Ideas are what little boys and girls are made of. Yes, children are natural-born ... Read More >>>
8 Real-Life Kindergarten Problem-Solving Strategies For Your Munchkin
I always hear about problem solving in schools. It seems to be a term that is thrown around a lot but never clearly defined. "We worked on problem solving today" is a bit confusing to parents. I always want to respond, so did I, all day long, here's my laundry list of examples. It's almost like it is this golden term but not a lot of people know what it actually means. Problem solving is actually one of the most real-life skills we can help teach our little munchkins. It involves ... Read More >>>
Pre-Writing Skills for Preschoolers to Encourage Your Little Author
I swear, if I want to teach my kid something I absolutely must make it into a game or sneak it in their day disguised as some other exciting activity. Trying to develop pre-writing skills for preschoolers is no different, and I have a few activities that I’ve used in the past that made me feel good about encouraging my kid to be a better writer, but didn’t bore him to tears in the process. Try some of these out and you just might have the next Shakespeare on your hands! 1. Get messy with ... Read More >>>
6 Cool Kindergarten Science Games for Budding Geniuses
Teaching science to your little ones isn’t all that tough. You fell off the chair? Well, that’s the law of gravity for you. Your sister won’t share her cookie? That’s because you didn’t share yours with her, so Newton’s third law of motion (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) kicks in. Can’t seem to find your favorite car? That’s because of mommy’s law of ‘if-you-can’t-keep-it-back-in-your-cupboard-you-won’t-get-it’. See? Not tough at all! Sadly, science isn’t just ... Read More >>>
Printable Kindergarten Math Games That Are as Easy as Pi
Developmentally, kindergarteners have reached the stage where they’re starting to think symbolically, and they haven’t yet heard the vicious rumor that math can be difficult or boring. Now is the time to show them how to have fun with numbers. You want your child to glide through kindergarten with flying colors. You know that by the end of kindergarten she’ll be expected to know at least three different ways to tie her shoes and seven ways to solve for “x” – isn’t that what her teacher said ... Read More >>>
5 Offline Coding Games for Preschoolers Your Kids Will Love
If you see the word “coding” and start to feel your heart beating a little faster, let me tell you this: it’s going to be ok. If you didn’t grow up on a computer and you find yourself parenting a kid who is growing up literally surrounded by computers all the time… the world of coding can feel a bit overwhelming. And that’s fair! But it doesn’t have to be the way you look at coding. No, really! Coding can be fun. Coding can even be fun when you’re teaching your *preschooler* about ... Read More >>>
12 Brainy Preschool Critical Thinking Games
Remember when your parents used to answer your annoying "why" questions with “because I said so,” just before sending you outside to play in the street? Well, if you ever catch yourself saying those dirty little words, go wash your mouth out with soap. Then engage your little one in some critical thinking games instead. Just what is critical thinking? The short version is that critical thinking is what makes us stop and think before we judge. The longer version is that it’s based on ... Read More >>>
