There is something to be said about learning to follow directions in order to duplicate a product, but it’s not the ONLY way. In fact, I’d much rather not show or tell a child what it’s supposed to look like at all, and have them create something original using the same materials every other person in the room was given. Sure, it might look like total poop…
Every time I hear someone say that they’re basically paying for school so someone can “just play” with their child, my hair stands on end. Yes, it offends me. Why? Because I have 2 Master’s degrees that qualify me to know HOW to play with children, and what I can accomplish in 30 minutes with a child, the average person may not be able to…
Play-Doh doesn’t just help your children build up muscles in their hands, but it’s a ton of fun with infinite possibilities. Even without any of the fancy sets that Play-Doh sells, kids can use their creativity to take a colorful blob and create anything their hearts desire. Here are just a few examples: Letters – Spell out their name or words. Need to…
Often times I see families so set on getting workbooks for their littles, and although parents’ may be well intentioned, you’re talking to a woman who ended a school tour early because multiple classrooms had cookie-cutter coloring pages on display as “artwork.” No, no, no, and absolutely not. To be clear, I’m not saying small children shouldn’t ever use pencils, crayons, and markers, but this…
I want to start off by saying that I make absolutely no money from the company whose curriculum I chose to use for my daughter. I looked into 10 different ones (and there are many more to choose from), and it’s the only one that really stood out. It’s research based, aligned to each state’s standards (for FL, it’s aligned to the old standards…
Visual schedules provide a way for young children to understand what comes next through pictures combined with print, even if they can’t read just yet. If you’re like me who wakes up and looks at her calendar so that I can mentally prepare for my day, imagine a child-appropriate version of that. Kids love it because it gives them ownership over their day and is…