Learning While Playing for Kids Development
Published May 21, 2013 | 
Since birth, children have a curiosity. They want to know everything around them and how their world works. Babies learn by interacting with people around them, using their senses. Since early years are crucial for their brain development, you need to support and guide them. They are learning while playing.
Have you ever watched your baby played? You need to see your baby’s learning process and see what they do. See how they try to insert his thumb into his mouth to aspirate. Observe how they tried to be free from the blanket. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that parent should remember.
Children learn through their play. As a parent, you should participate in these games. Toys are not very important because parents are the major toy for children. Did you ever hear a child who said “I do not want toys, I want to play with mom or dad.” Do not worry if you cannot buy toys that are good and expensive. You’re the one that he needs today.
When you play with your children, there are no rules to be followed, except for safety rules. Be spontaneous when you are with them. Play with them and let them lead. Give a hand only when they need help. Challenge when they are ready. One thing for sure, you need to enjoy every moment. They are learning, through their play. We, as adults, just do not realize it.
For us adults, playing may not seem like learning. Playing with blocks, toys, water and peek-a-boo is very boring for adults. But for children, it is a mean to develop their motor skill. They train their fingers to hold the block, picked it up and make a balanced stand on the other. This is not an easy thing for children.
All children love to play water. They learn that not all matters are solid, there is also liquid. It teaches the concept of empty and full when they are pouring and spilling. Babies and toddlers are delighted with this simple game. Same thing with pick-a-boo, and hide and seek. They learned that even though an object is not visible, it does not mean the object is not there, just hidden. Mother may be hiding behind those hands, but the mother still exists there.
Play with your children until they do not want to play anymore. You can slip over many elements of learning in their game. Introduce your child to books as early as possible. It’s never too early to start reading.
Posted in Education Learning While Playing | 
Adults, Babies, Babies Toddlers, Birth Children, Brain Development, Curiosity, Dad, Fingers, Interacting With People, Learning Toys, Lifetime Experience, Mom, Motor Skill, One Thing, Parents, Peek, Safety Rules, Senses, Simple Game, Thumb, Toddlers, Toys, TrainThe School Transition, Preschool to Kindergarten
Published May 17, 2013 | Change can be tough for anyone, but especially for young children. When it’s time for kids to start kindergarten, many of them are very apprehensive about the unknown and what may lie ahead. When parents watch their five-year-old walk through the school’s front doors for the first time, they may smile broadly and wave goodbye — but they are commonly feeling just as anxious about these changes as their child. Offer these tips to parents to ease the kindergarten transition for everyone, including you.
Talk early, talk often. The time for parents to start talking to their child about kindergarten is not the week before it begins, but months beforehand. Some parents naturally weave in conversations about the school experience during daily activities with their children – almost from birth on – and these children are subsequently much less likely to feel apprehensive about facing their first day of school. When parents view the transition as a natural, positive and expected one, children will, too. While it’s common to feel sad about seeing your child grow up, focus on all the exciting experiences your little one is about to encounter.
Plan ahead. With the beginning of school comes a much busier family schedule. When your child’s teacher sends home a school calendar (and some schools post calendars online), grab a marker and post every relevant event for the entire school year on your family’s calendar. Even kindergarteners have teacher conferences, open houses and field trips. If you plan ahead, you will avoid the disappointment that you – and your child – will feel if you miss an important event because you didn’t remember it or make arrangements to attend.
Create a school binder. Prepare a file to store all of the teacher’s notes, informational letters and other important papers your child will bring home each week and keep it in a convenient place. If you already have a place to put all that paperwork, you will be less apt to lose an important paper that you might need to refer to later. Some things you can store inside your binder include contact information for the school and your child’s teacher, lunch menus, the school handbook and any of your child’s school work you wish to keep. You can also keep copies of medical documents in the binder that your child might need later for sports or other activities. Being organized will reduce household stress, which will also make transitioning less taxing for your kindergartener.
Make known the unknown. If your child hasn’t visited his classroom yet and school will begin before an open house is scheduled, make arrangements for your child to do so. She will feel less anxious if she is familiar with the building and knows where the classroom is. Meeting the teacher is a big help, as well. Knowing what to expect on her first day will help her avoid one of the chief worries of kindergarten – fear of the unknown. And it just might make you feel better, too.
Posted in Kindergarten Education | Convenient Place, Disappointment, Entire School, Field Trips, First Day Of School, Front Doors, Impor, Important Event, Informational Letters, Kindergarten, Marker, Open Houses, Paperwork, Relevant Event, School Binder, School Calendar, School Experience, School Transition, School Year, Teacher ConferencesEarly Education in Preparation for Kindergarten
Published May 15, 2013 | It’s back to school time! While many children and parents scramble to purchase new school clothes and school supplies, parents of younger children have a much bigger issue to consider. Kindergarten is a major milestone in a child’s life. Whether you are a working parent or not, it is very important to ensure your child gets the appropriate preparation for kindergarten. Parents can become involved in their toddler’s development through doing a few simple things. Parents should focus on their child’s social life, boost his self awareness, expand his mind, surround him with words, encourage nimbleness, and finally tour his school beforehand. Parents should focus on their child’s social development through enrolling their child in some kind of daycare, preschool, or an extracurricular activity such as dance or gymnastics. If these activities are unavailable, playgroups or even independent outdoor community activities are vital to a child’s social development. These types of activities as well as educational games and educational toys help teach a child how to share toys and collaborate with other children during activities.
Parents can help boost their child’s self awareness by asking the child questions about himself and his demographics, body parts, etc. Doing so also opens up a world of words to the child. Posting letters and words as well as educational toys with letters and words around the child’s atmosphere also helps the child to learn words, letters, numbers, colors, and sounds. If your child is in a daycare or preschool setting, make sure they have educational toys and help expand your child’s mind through everyday activities such as counting objects, making distinctions between concepts, and establishing an understanding of comparison of objects. Educational workbooks are also useful in both childcare settings or in a home setting. When looking for birthday or holiday gifts, parents should look for educational toys instead of video games or movies.
The importance of an early education via preschool or the right childcare setting for your child has been proven. These types of settings can help develop your child’s social, cognitive, and physical skills in preparation for kindergarten. Research shows that an appropriate preschool or childcare setting provides much needed nurture to prepare a child for kindergarten. Parents and childcare providers should also encourage nimbleness through activities which develop fine motor skills such as drawing and handling child sized tools and other objects to strengthen arms, fingers, shoulders, etc. Finally, touring your child’s school and classroom whenever possible is an important step. Parents can reduce kindergarten stress by becoming familiar with the classroom and school grounds prior to the start of school. They can also reassure their child and show their child the school at different times of the day while the students are participating in various activities. When the child is prepared, they will feel less pressure and less stress and will be more confident at the start of kindergarten and throughout the duration of his school years.
Posted in Kindergarten Education | Body Parts, Childcare Settings, Children And Parents, Demographics, Distinctions, Early Education, Educational Games, Educational Toys, Educational Workbooks, Everyday Activities, Extracurricular Activity, Gymnastics, Holiday Gifts, Kindergarten Parents, Milestone, Playgroups, School Clothes, School Supplies, School Time, Self Awareness