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…
So many times I hear people say, “it’s not important, they can’t read yet anyway,” to which I’ll respond, “don’t every underestimate your child.” It’s one of the greatest disservices you can ever do them. By providing a print rich environment, you’re giving meaning to words and letting them know that reading is important. They will be using it their entire life, so we…
I’ve spent my life sprawled out on the floor and on playgrounds running around and playing with kids; it’s second nature to me. However, I realize that this isn’t the case for most people. They likely didn’t go to school for it and its possible they never grew up around young children. I discovered this while doing a workshop on developing skills through…
As a Speech Language Pathologist, I am often asked my opinion on speech and language development. While I don’t know your child personally, I will tell you as both a mother and a professional, that if you have even a shred of doubt, act now. I encourage you to have a conversation with your child’s pediatrician and take them in for an evaluation. No one…