Learning Resources

I am currently in the fun position of being a Preschool teacher and being Mom to a preschooler. It is honestly such a magical stage of childhood, and I love how much playful learning happens daily. I am always on the lookout for engaging new materials with my daughter and preschool class, so I was excited to test out Learning Resources® Preschool Letters and Numbers Skill Builders! Sets. In this first blog, we will focus on the Letters Set.

I like to keep learning hands-on for preschoolers, especially when first helping them discover letters and sounds. The Skill Builders! Preschool Letters Set comes with a good selection of materials to learn about uppercase and lowercase letters. You get a detailed activity guide to help inspire learning ideas, as well as laces and threading letter beads, a color spinner, picture and letter cards, and some interactive paper sheets with activity ideas on them. We laminated many of these sheets as they work great with dry-erase markers, which means they can be used multiple times.

1. Letter Threading - My four-year-old went straight for the letter threading materials. She was super excited to make a ‘name necklace.’ She carefully identified the letters in her name and threaded them onto the lace. This is great for her fine motor skills, which helps build the muscle strength in her hand, ready for writing. She spoke about the shapes of the letters as she threaded them onto the lace as well.

2. Letter Matching - Next up, she liked flipping over the letter cards and matching both the uppercase and lowercase letter beads onto the cards. As she did this, I encouraged her to trace the letter on the card with her finger, and we said the name of the letter and the sound that it made. She loved it when she was able to tell me a word she knew, starting with the sound! On the back of the letter cards, there are vibrant illustrations of something starting with the letter, which was a great way to expand her knowledge.

3. Color Matching - The last activity we chose was a color matching game using the spinner. Preschoolers always love flicking the spinner and watching excitedly to see where it lands. My daughter would spin, identify the color and then choose a letter bead. I challenged her to tell me the name of the letter; we would then make the sound together and try to think of at least three words starting with the letter. If we came up with three words, we got to thread it onto the lace. You could add an extra element of challenge to this by each having your lace and seeing who could thread the most letters on in a given time (remember to come up with the three words each time, though). You can also repeat this activity with lowercase letters to keep the learning developing.

The activity guide left us with so many more great ideas to try. Our favorite material was the letter beads, and we can’t wait to use them in some sensory bins as well seen as they can be easily washed. I love that this set is versatile and comes with a range of hands-on activities, all of which can be adjusted for the stage of learning your preschooler is at.

Writer’s Bio

Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play and being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind, and over on her blog, Find the Little Mind.

Is your child a daydreamer? A constant question asker? An outside-of-the-lines colorer? Don’t despair! While learning to follow directions and mastering basic foundational skills is an important part of early learning, so is learning to think outside the box, aka creative thinking. Creative thinking, or the ability to find multiple, creative solutions to a problem, is just as important (maybe even more important!) as critical thinking or the ability to solve problems using a single solution.

Why? As our world continues to grow and change, we create new problems that require new solutions. Solving these new problems requires a fresh perspective and the ability to see beyond the obvious, existing answers. That’s where creative thinking comes in. And that’s why creativity was the most desired soft skill in the workplace in 2020* and not just in creative fields, either! Industries from software design and biomedicine to telecom and robotics require creative thinking to identify new problems and discover innovative solutions.

Bonus: besides making your kids ultra-desirable employees of the future, creative thinkers are generally more resilient, confident, and optimistic, better communicators; and even physically healthier than their less creative counterparts. That all sounds good, right? So how do you encourage your kids to think creatively?

Luckily, most kids are born creative thinkers. They ask questions, make up their own rules, use tools in new ways, and generally play their way. But there are several ways you can cultivate and encourage your kids’ natural creative thinking, things you can do at home to help your kids to come up with and try new ideas, see situations in new ways, find alternative explanations, and make new connections including:

1. Providing Time for Open-Ended Play - Building time into your child’s schedule for unstructured play or playtime with no rules and direction is a great way to foster creative thinking. Supply the props, like toy vehicles, action figures, dolls, dress-up clothes, and building blocks, then let your child loose to imagine their own scenarios, dialogues, problems, and solutions. Your child can play solo, with a sibling or friend, or with you, but don’t correct them, intervene in their process, or offer your own ideas; just observe, encourage, and support.

2. Offering New Experiences - New experiences build kids’ brains! It’s true – each new experience creates a new connection, or synapse, in the brain. These connections are used for high-order thinking like problem-solving, logic, reasoning, and organization. So set out some new art materials and musical instruments, take a nature walk in a new part of town, or try new food at a new restaurant.

3. Indulging Curiosity - The endless questions can drive you crazy, but they’re a sure sign of a creative thinker at work. Before you answer, ask your child what THEY think and applaud their effort to use what they do know to sort out a solution. Then answer the best you can, but if you don’t know the answer, brainstorm a bit together before looking it up.

4. Shaking Things Up - Shaking up the status quo will get the whole family thinking creatively! Try running your day backwards, with jammies at school and breakfast for dinner. Instead of reading a favorite story, ask each family member to develop an alternate ending. Paint with an old toothbrush, pom pom, pipe cleaner, or make a potato stamp. Make up a crazy recipe and try it for lunch. Fill the bathtub without using the spout (or just talk about how you might get that done if you can’t stand the splash). You get the idea!

Creative thinking is an important skill that will help your little one become a better problem solver and build the confidence they need to try new things and share new ideas. So let them dream the day away, count the clouds, or build a 10-foot tower. Marvel at their unique ideas and innovative solutions. They’re going places!

* https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/top-skills-and-courses/the-skills-companies-need-most-in-2020and-how-to-learn-them

The Countdown to the New Year Begins! This is a traditional baking soda and vinegar science activity with a creative New Year twist. If your kiddos are curious and love science, they will love this science activity to help them to ring in the new year with a bang! This New Year’s activity is also great for some fine motor play. Here’s what you’ll need: 

Get a head start on building someone amazing this holiday season with our fun, learning educational toys! Let us help you pick out the perfect toys for your little learner. These gifts will grow with your children and help you discover new learning fun every time you give a gift! 

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Coffee Filter Turkey Craft with a Fine Motor Twist! Just in time for Thanksgiving, this craft is a fun and engaging activity for the whole family! Check out the Reel below for a video version of how to put this craft together. 

Ready for the ultimate sensory math experience? Penguins on Ice™ is a highly engaging math activity set that integrates hands-on fun with a multitude of math skills. Teach counting, sorting, problem-solving, computation skills, making 10, place value, and base 10 concepts using these perky penguins and the cool blue ice bars. Keep little hands and busy brains working hard for hours of creative work and play! 

Here is what you'll need: 

- Penguins on Ice

- Water

- Sensory Bin

- Baking Soda

Grab your Big Feelings Pineapple and color your very own winter wonderland! 

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Can you use MathLink® cubes to make a holiday tree and present? How many cubes do you need to make each shape?

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Use the colors below and match them to the correct number!

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