Books and Giggles
Playful learning activities for young children
I remember picking my girls up from preschool once, and seeing that the teacher had written a letter on Isabella’s hand. I was taken aback at first. Writing on a little kid’s skin didn’t seem like a good idea to me. Yet, my sweet girl was so proud and excited to show me she had learned a letter and…
Twenty minutes past bedtime, my daughter asked me to read her a story. We’d gotten home late from soccer practice, and I hurried everyone through their evening routines. Finally, I turned out the light and went to kiss Isabella goodnight. “Mommy, you have to read me a story,” she announced. I took a deep breath. …
I really must be going crazy. I just spent several days wondering how to make a spacesuit for a toy dog. I’d made a fun Mars rover craft to go with the picture book Max Goes to Mars – and sent it over to Cerys at Rainy Day Mum for a guest post on her blog. (I’d love it if you…
Kids who loves mazes can work through a stack of them pretty quickly. One solution is to give them harder ones. Another fun activity for big kids is drawing their own mazes. I caught my son making his own maze out of a coloring sheet, and had an “aha!” moment. As a child, I loved…
My son has wanted to make a solar oven ever since he saw one on a Curious George episode a few years ago. This year, as we started planning our summer, the kids and I brainstormed a list of what we wanted to do. High on my son’s list: make a…
Even big kids can enjoy sensory play. Children of all ages love digging their hands into a tray full of beads. They adore the feeling of the beads, and the sounds they make rattling together. They like the imaginative possibilities beads hold. I didn’t always know this. (All the product links in this post are…
If you have a preschooler who is ready to learn a few early sight words, this quick project is for you. When my twins were at that stage, I made them tiny, personalized books. My results weren’t beautiful, but my girls loved them. Mini-Reader Suspense Part of what sparked my kids’ interest was watching me…
In Montessori programs, teachers introduce the ABCs with sandpaper letters. These are boards, maybe about 4″ x 6″, with the letters on them in a rough, sandpaper-y texture. Children trace the letters with their fingers and say the corresponding sound. Most Montessori children do, that is. Not my son. He didn’t like the feel of…
Memorizing sight words doesn’t have to be boring. If you have a fun selection of sight word games, your kids will relish the time spent playing them with you. The game I’m sharing today is perfect for kids who like dramatic play. I have used the little plastic animals that my 5 year old twins enjoy, but you could…
Whether you’re on a long family road trip or just shuttling kids around town, no-prep car trip games can save your sanity. By “no-prep” I mean you can start them from the driver’s seat while still driving safely. For longer road trips, you can find cute printable activities, carefully select special toys, and even give in to the DVD…
My twins love scissors! They can spend a really long time cutting, taping, and gluing. We started working on scissors skills when they were about two. I wish I’d had this awesome tutorial on how to hold scissors. It would have been so much more fun! Once they learned the proper grip, we had them…
I love eavesdropping on my 5-year-old twins while I drive them to school. Behind my driver’s seat I hear, “Ask Mommy — she’s been around the whole world.” Then the reply: “Yeah, but she didn’t go to Texas.” It’s true. Before kids, before husband even, I took a budget backpacker trip around the world. I visited twenty countries…