Blogging Parents » Preschool Activities

10 Best Ways to Amuse Toddlers

Jacaranda — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:56:45 +0000

Toddlers usually are self-centered and energetic. Although most toddlers or children are curious about everything, and can’t wait until the next exciting event or fascinating experience, most of them only has an attention span of maybe 5, 10 minutes.

Kids easily get bored and always looking for something new to do. If you need to introduce a new activity for toddler or to amuse them for a couple of more hours, here are 10 ways of amusing toddlers

Pen, Crayons and Papers
Playdough
Baths and Bath toys
Sandbox
Field trips
Educational DVD, Cartoons etc.
Play Tent / Play House
Road Trip
Playground
Yutube!

Most of the activity listed above are taken from the personal experiences of yours truly. For kids of 4 and 2 years old, the sure hit way of amusing my kids is the internet, that is kidzui and yuotube and and stumbleupon. Playdoh is also a regular toy.

What are you ways of entertaining your children?

Toy Blocks Help Children Learn

Jacaranda — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:16:42 +0000

So true, toy blocks can really help toddlers to learn more! There are different kinds of toy blocks in the market today not just the alphabet cubes or those with numbers on it. The ever popular Lego blocks is the first thing that comes to mind when we say toy blocks but there are many other kinds. You just have to do a little research.

Toy blocks compared to other high tech and electronically powered toy that you find in TV ads and commercials, may not be as sophisticated but they are ideal for learning because they involve the child as a whole. As a whole meaning you get to excite the minds and body. The toddlers their muscles and they discovers how different objects feel in their hands. There is also the mental side of it. Toy blocks makes them thinks about spaces and shapes, and the way she develops thoughts and interests of her own.

Toy blocks vary in name and material by manufacturer, but they are all based on the proportions 1:2:4. These blocks must be sturdy and accurately cut so that children of all different ages and levels of learning may use them to create, solve problems, and challenge themselves.

Blocks help children learn

Socially—Blocks encourage children to make friends and cooperate. They learned also the value of sharing by playing with other children. Large block play may be a young child’s first experience playing in a group, while small block play may encourage an older child to work with others in solving problems.

Physically—When children reach for, pick up, stack, or fit blocks together, they build strength in their fingers and hands, and increase eye-hand coordination. Around two, children begin to figure out which shapes will fit where, and get a head start on understanding different perspectives—skills that will help them to read maps and follow directions later on. Blocks help kindergarten and primary grade children develop skills in design, representation, balance and stability.

Intellectually—Blocks help children learn across many academic subjects. Young children develop their vocabularies as they learn to describe sizes, shapes, and positions. Preschoolers and kindergartners develop math skills by grouping, adding, subtracting and eventually multiplying with blocks. Older children make early experiments with gravity, balance, and geometry.

Creatively—Blocks offer children the chance to make their own designs, and the satisfaction of creating structures that did not exist before. Beginning at the age of two, children may use a variety of blocks for pretend-play. Children may become life-sized actors in large block structures, or use figures to create dramas in miniature landscapes.

Children value their own block structures whether or not they represent specific things. Rather than asking a child, “What did you make?” say, “Tell me about what you made.” This will encourage a dialog and offer the child new opportunities to explore.

Preschool Toys – Useful tool for Preschool Activities

Jacaranda — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:09:12 +0000

Child development toys are wonderful means of attracting children to the world of learning. Toys designed especially for preschool toddlers emphasize on memory skills, patterns, and matching activities. Creative skills and artistic abilities of preschool kids are also enhanced by some of these toys. Moreover, preschool toys can be designed to cater to a kid’s imagination and interest in a specific field.

Preschool toys help toddlers get acquainted with colors, numbers, and letters. They also enhance the interactive skills in children, improve their eye-hand coordination, as well as encourage muscle and finger movements. The right kind of preschool toys encourage children to engage in basic activities like reading and writing. Playing with preschool toys can also enhance a child’s ability to communicate with the rest of his/ her play group members.

Importance of preschool toys:

Preschool toys act as important accessories in the toddler’s world of imagination. They help children imagine all kinds of situations and act it out in their mind’s eye.
When children play with preschool toys, they learn the basic motor skills. Play also helps improve their visual and auditory senses.
Toddlers acquire the ability to solve problems while playing with toys.
Preschool toys have the ability to improve the memory and increase concentration levels in children.
Playing with toys makes a child more acutely aware of his/ her surroundings.
Preschool toys focus on improving the child’s innate cognitive abilities.

Preschool age is the time when children start interacting with their surroundings and gain valuable knowledge in the process. The stage is marked by a dominant urge to explore and learn. Preschool toys are vital tools in inculcating this sense of exploration and learning. These educational toys aim at developing essential social and personal skills that eventually help in the overall development of children.

(Source:- www.educationaltechnologies.com)

Preschool Activities – Essential To Prepare Your Child For School!

Jacaranda — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:16:17 +0000

Going to school is the first major transition in a child’s life as this is the first time the kid is made to stay on his/ her own in a completely unfamiliar environment. Thus it is often advised that parents should get children habituated to certain prescribed activities which in turn will help them adjust with forthcoming changes. These are termed “preschool activities”.

Preschool plays a pivotal role in helping kids cultivate valuable physical, mental, and emotional skills. It provides the ambience for children to get a feel of the structure and functioning of a real school.

Preschool also prepares children to move away from the comforts of parental care and adjust themselves to a completely different learning situation. Preschool education aims at the overall development of toddlers so that they are able to face the challenges of more complicated and statutory education.

Preschool activities concentrate on encouraging a child’s cognitive growth. The preschool curriculum encompasses basic social skills of communication with adults and peers. It also fosters the elemental feelings of friendship and sharing.

Preschool activities may include:

Taking children out of the confines of the classroom is always a great way to teach basic knowledge. A visit to the zoo or local bird sanctuary can help them learn a lot about the world of birds and animals. These visits help children realize that learning can also be a fun experience.

Educational computer games and interactive activities are excellent ways to enhance a child’s hand and eye coordination. It also helps the child to get acquainted with alphabets and numbers.

Playing is a good way of developing a child’s concentration. Traditional preschool activities include playing with blocks, shapes, and colors. When children play with a particular object, their concentration levels are automatically enhanced.

Kids enjoy activities like drawing and scribbling. It gives them the scope to express their creativity. Preschool education can use this activity to develop the inherent creativity and sense of aesthetics in children.

Nursery rhymes and dancing continue to be the perennial area of interest for toddlers. Preschool curriculum encourages children to recite poems and nursery rhymes with physical gestures. This makes learning a more enjoyable and entertaining experience. Recitation also enhances the memorizing ability in preschool toddlers.

Physical development constitutes a major part of preschool education. Outdoor games and simple exercises help children develop a sense of physical fitness.

Thus, preschool education should aim at holistic child development. Preschool activities should aim at maintaining a healthy balance between education and entertainment. Knowledge and impressions picked up at a preschool level cast an indelible imprint upon the tender minds of toddlers. Preschool experience goes a long way in transforming a toddler into a confident and eager learner.

(Source:- www.educationaltechnologies.com)