Tagged with 'tips'

Super STEM Snacks!

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 23, 2020 | STEM

Building Someone Amazing takes a lot of work! Between e-learning, craft time, and those daily walks, your children always seem up for something on which to munch.

Next time they stroll into the kitchen asking the famous “what can I eeeaaat?” question, try some of these STEM-inspired snacks. Nothing unique about these ingredients either – you’ll most likely have what’s listed here hanging around the house. Talk about real BRAIN food!

Root Beer Floats: Solid, Liquid, Gas!

You won’t have any trouble convincing kids to try this classic. All you need is:

Vanilla ice cream
One can of root beer
A big mug or cup (clear is best)
Some little bowls to separate your matter

Place one scoop of ice cream in the mug, then pour the root beer on top.

The reaction is immediate! There are bubbles everywhere. Next, we see that scoop of ice cream float right to the top.

So what is happening? All states of matter are represented in this snack:

Root beer = Liquid

Ice Cream = Solid

Carbon Dioxide Bubbles = Gas

The root beer is carbonated, so when it comes in contact with the ice cream, carbonated dioxide bubbles are released. Also, the liquid root beer helps free the air bubbles that are trapped in the solid ice cream. That makes the ice cream float, float, FLOAT to the top!

Grape, Apple, or Cheese Structures

A STEM snack mainstay, this activity gets your little ones thinking like little engineers that could. You will need:

Lots of toothpicks
Cut up snacks of “fortitude” like grapes, apples, or cheese

When putting together structures like this, it gets children thinking in two ways:

What to make?
How to improve on something you’ve already made?

Engineering shapes and structures like these helps with dexterity, grasp, and coordination, no matter the age.

As they build, remind kids that failure is definitely an option. Their shapes may shift and their towers may topple, but that will teach them how to solve the structural problem. Attempts to rebuild are simply lessons from the first, second, or third try.

Math Sorting Snack

This is how we play with our food! For the younger set, print out this number “place mat”.

Have children fill in in the circles with their favorite cereal, fruit snack, or whatever small food they like. Fine motor and counting skills are practiced during snack time!

Goldfish: More, Less, or Equal?

Goldfish are a pantry staple and just ripe with counting, sorting, and graphing possibilities. For this specific activity, you will need:

Goldfish crackers
A printout or sheet
Less than, greater than, and equal signs (we used felt)
Two dice

For this game, simply print out a sheet with boxes, or handwrite the title and boxes on construction paper. With your pile of fishy crackers at hand, roll each dice and place in the box.

Count out the crackers and place under the dice. Compare the number of fish, and identify which has more, less, or whether they are equal in number. (Tell children the greater than/less than symbol represents a shark mouth. The open side will always show toward the bigger amount – the shark wants to eat as many fish as he can!)

Make Your Own Ice Cream

The creation of ice cream is actually a scientific, step-by-step process. Maybe mix up a bag of this sweet treat one night after family dinner!

Materials:

1 cup of half-and-half
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 cups ice
1/3 cup kosher salt
Gallon-sized bags
Sandwich-sized bags
Ice cream toppings of your choice

Step One:

Using the sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.

Step Two:

Place the ice in the gallon-sized baggie and add the salt. The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. This bag of salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water. This is the same principle in the wintertime when trucks put salt on slick, icy roads.

Step Three:

Place the small bag into the ice-filled bag. Shake it vigorously for 7-10 minutes. You might need a towel or oven mitts when you shake the bag because it becomes so cold. All this shaking is a great way to get out some energy!

Step Four:

Check ice cream to see if its consistency has hardened.

Ready to eat! If you tried this experiment without the salt, the liquid would have remained in that liquid state simply because the ice wasn’t cold enough.

This looks good enough to eat! Happy STEM Snacking!

Super STEM Snacks!

Building Someone Amazing takes a lot of work! Between e-learning, craft time, and those daily walks, your children always seem up for something on which to munch.

Root Beer Floats: Solid, Liquid, Gas!

You won’t have any trouble convincing kids to try this classic. All you need is:

Vanilla ice cream
One can of root beer
A big mug or cup (clear is best)
Some little bowls to separate your matter

Place one scoop of ice cream in the mug, then pour the root beer on top.

The reaction is immediate! There are bubbles everywhere. Next, we see that scoop of ice cream float right to the top.

So what is happening? All states of matter are represented in this snack:

Root beer = Liquid

Ice Cream = Solid

Carbon Dioxide Bubbles = Gas

Grape, Apple, or Cheese Structures

A STEM snack mainstay, this activity gets your little ones thinking like little engineers that could. You will need:

Lots of toothpicks
Cut up snacks of “fortitude” like grapes, apples, or cheese

When putting together structures like this, it gets children thinking in two ways:

What to make?
How to improve on something you’ve already made?

Engineering shapes and structures like these helps with dexterity, grasp, and coordination, no matter the age.

Math Sorting Snack

This is how we play with our food! For the younger set, print out this number “place mat”.

Have children fill in in the circles with their favorite cereal, fruit snack, or whatever small food they like. Fine motor and counting skills are practiced during snack time!

Goldfish: More, Less, or Equal?

Goldfish are a pantry staple and just ripe with counting, sorting, and graphing possibilities. For this specific activity, you will need:

Goldfish crackers
A printout or sheet
Less than, greater than, and equal signs (we used felt)
Two dice

For this game, simply print out a sheet with boxes, or handwrite the title and boxes on construction paper. With your pile of fishy crackers at hand, roll each dice and place in the box.

Make Your Own Ice Cream

The creation of ice cream is actually a scientific, step-by-step process. Maybe mix up a bag of this sweet treat one night after family dinner!

Materials:

1 cup of half-and-half
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 cups ice
1/3 cup kosher salt
Gallon-sized bags
Sandwich-sized bags
Ice cream toppings of your choice

Step One:

Using the sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.

Step Two:

Step Three:

Step Four:

Check ice cream to see if its consistency has hardened.

Ready to eat! If you tried this experiment without the salt, the liquid would have remained in that liquid state simply because the ice wasn’t cold enough.

This looks good enough to eat! Happy STEM Snacking!

Developmental Activities to Fill your Easter Baskets!

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 20, 2020 | Easter

Easter is right around the corner! This means many of you will be out there buying all of the fun things to fill your kiddo’s baskets up! As therapists working in child development, we are often asked during the holidays for a list of recommended activities, games, and products for different age groups.Below, I put together some of my personal favorites! They are all tried and true activities that are loaded with so much developmental skill stimulation for the varying age groups. I hope you will find this list helpful when choosing gifts to add to your baskets.

Infants

This is the perfect opportunity to fill up their baskets with some sensory stimulating play items! Infants love looking in the mirror, and the All About Me Mirroris the perfect size to prop up in front of them as they get their tummy time in for the day. It is also the perfect size to take on the go for some developmentally stimulating play during restaurant, park, and shopping outings!

18Months – 2 Years

There is a TON of development that occurs between 18 months and 2 years, but often times you can continue to use the same toy throughout this time – just with a little adaptation as they develop more advanced skills. Some of the things this age group really enjoys are open/close concepts (containers, pots, pants, etc) – the Peakaboo Learning Farm is a fun way to engage them in color concepts, open and close, animals, as well as number concepts. The animals also turn into finger puppets which is a great way to work on finger and hand muscle development.

2-3 yrs

The “I’LL DO IT!” stage! These kiddo’s seemingly want to do EVERYTHING themselves. For this age group, I recommend activities that include lots of opportunities for independently succeeding in a task. Plastic Easter eggs that have patterns or designs so that they can find and match pairs, small bubble sets that allow their little finger to hold and blow themselves, small crayons for their small hands, chalk for outdoor play and building up those foundational handwriting skills, Alphabet Blocks are great for color identification, fine motor coordination, as well as for simple letter recognition tasks – I recommend starting with the letters of their name so that they can visually recognize their name when they start school. Peg Friends Stacking Farm is a fun way to encourage visual motor integration as well as early building and matching skills.

3-4 yrs

This age group we look at a lot of the school readiness skills. Some of the activities that I really like are fine motor strengthening skills and the Froggy Feeding Fun game provides lots of opportunities to increase intrinsic hand muscles by squeezing the froggys mouth open. As they approach 4, the Alphabet Acorns game is great for letter recognition, visual perceptual tasks, as well as more advanced find motor coordination! Try adding the letters into a sensory bin for some added visual figure-ground searching skills.

5-7 yrs

For this age group, activities that have academically pertinent tasks built into a fun game is always a sure hit! Sight Word SWAT turns sight words into a fun fly swatting game. Try placing the words on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Or you can even hide them around the room for some added visual scanning skills. The whole family can join in on the fun making it an engaging and fun task to learn new words. Penguins on Ice turns math concepts into a fun activity using colorful penguins as manipulatives which is great for fine motor practice as well. If your 5-7’s have younger siblings, this is a fun activity for the young kiddos as well – instead of practicing math concepts, they can build patterns, work on color recognition, or even just simple fine motor manipulation!

8+ years

For the 8+ year old’s, on- the- go activities are always great as these kiddo’s tend to have busier schedules and limited “play” time. Mental Box Go! is a great visual perceptual thinking game for any downtime. Easy to carry with you and play anywhere, anytime! Geoboards are also a fun, easy activity to set up. Use rubber bands to create shapes, patterns, designs, etc. These activities also provide lots of opportunity for social participation and engagement such as problem solving together which is a great developmental skill.

While this is a short list of just some of the fun basket fillers that have great developmental value, I hope this article has helped you in deciding what fun skills you will be filling your baskets with this year!

Developmental Activities to Fill your Easter Baskets!

Infants

18Months – 2 Years

2-3 yrs

3-4 yrs

5-7 yrs

8+ years

Learning at Home through PLAY for PreK-1st Graders

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 19, 2020 | Math

Learning at Home through PLAY for PreK-1st Graders

No School Brain Fuel! 4 Mom-Approved Activities

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 18, 2020 | Reading

Kids may rejoice when school’s out of session, but as a mom, you may be wondering how you can balance their day’s activities between guilty pleasures (hello, screen time!) and wholesome activities. Whether your kiddo is under the weather, or you’re stay-cationing this Spring Break, here are 4 mom-approved activities that feed your child’s brain AND are easy to do when you’re staying in.

Fine Motor Foto Fun

Are your kiddo’s scissor skills just OK? Here’s a fun way to practice the fine motor movements that help them make the cut, with the added benefit of puzzle play that enhances critical thinking and problem solving.

Here’s how:

Find a collection of photos from magazines or family snapshots, or even by printing images from your computer. If you wish, glue the photos to cardstock or laminate them for extra durability.
Help your child draw guide lines on the photos to divide them into two or more large pieces, depending on their age and skill level. Lines can be freehanded or traced using stencils, like those included in our Trace Ace Scissor Skills Set.
Have your child cut the pieces out using child-safe scissors, practicing following the guidelines.
Have fun playing with your new puzzles. The more photos in your collection, the more of a challenge it will be to put each individual puzzle together!

Scissor Skills for Tiny Tots Materials 2

(Photo Credit: Lina Awshee)

Letter Look and Learn

Reinforce letter recognition and sounds while building critical thinking skills with a letter scavenger hunt around the house. Plus, this activity will get them up and moving!

Here’s how:

Give your child a set of letters A-Z. Use Letter Blocks, Magnetic Letters or DIY your own set by writing each letter on an index card.
Set your child loose inside the house to find items that start with each letter of the alphabet and mark them with the corresponding letter.
Have your child take you or another family member on a tour of their letter hunt as they collect up their letters from A to Z.

Other ways to play:

If you have more than one child to play, challenge them to complete their letter hunt first. Once an item has been marked with a letter, it can’t be used again, so they’ll have to find another item for that letter!
To make the activity a little more challenging if your child is ready, have them carry a notebook and write out the name of the items they find to practice handwriting and spelling skills. Then, ask them to use each word to write a complete sentence or create a story using all of the words!

Dual Dice Duel

Everyone’s played the card game War – time to give it a math-tastic twist. If you have four dice around the house, you can have yourself a math duel. Here’s how to play:

Give each player two dice – or for extra fun, try using one Jumbo Dice In Diceper player instead!
Depending on the player’s math skill level, decide if you’ll be practicing number recognition/value, addition or multiplication.
Each player rolls their dice.
- If playing for number recognition and value, each player calls out their number rolled from left to right. For example, if you roll a 4 and a 5, your number for that round is 45. The player with the higher number wins that round.
- If playing for addition or multiplication, add or multiply your two dice together. The player with the higher total wins that round.
The first player to get 10 points wins!

Other ways to play:

Add more dice to the game to make it even more of a challenge!
Try Polyhedral Dice with 8, 10 or more sides for more complex challenges!
Use multi-colored dice, and assign each color a function – Add your red dice number, subtract your blue dice number, and so on, to get your total for the round.

Magnet Match

While the kids are circling the kitchen for their fourth round of snacks, put them to work at the fridge with Magnetic Uppercase & Lowercase Letters and a homemade worksheet!

Here’s how:

Using a blank sheet of construction paper, write the alphabet A-Z in marker. Create one sheet with the letters in order and another jumbling them up at random. You can also create and print this out on your computer!
Attach the paper to your fridge using a magnet, clip or removable tape.
Using magnetic letters, have your child match the letter to a magnet, covering the letter on the paper with the corresponding letter magnet.

Other ways to play:

Ready to learn upper and lower case letters? Mix in both cases using our Magnetic Uppercase and Lowercase Letter set.
Take the game to the next level by creating additional sheets spelling out short words, or print out photos of words and have your child spell them in letter magnets.

No School Brain Fuel! 4 Mom-Approved Activities

Fine Motor Foto Fun

Here’s how:

Find a collection of photos from magazines or family snapshots, or even by printing images from your computer. If you wish, glue the photos to cardstock or laminate them for extra durability.
Help your child draw guide lines on the photos to divide them into two or more large pieces, depending on their age and skill level. Lines can be freehanded or traced using stencils, like those included in our Trace Ace Scissor Skills Set.
Have your child cut the pieces out using child-safe scissors, practicing following the guidelines.
Have fun playing with your new puzzles. The more photos in your collection, the more of a challenge it will be to put each individual puzzle together!

(Photo Credit: Lina Awshee)

Letter Look and Learn

Reinforce letter recognition and sounds while building critical thinking skills with a letter scavenger hunt around the house. Plus, this activity will get them up and moving!

Here’s how:

Give your child a set of letters A-Z. Use Letter Blocks, Magnetic Letters or DIY your own set by writing each letter on an index card.
Set your child loose inside the house to find items that start with each letter of the alphabet and mark them with the corresponding letter.
Have your child take you or another family member on a tour of their letter hunt as they collect up their letters from A to Z.

Other ways to play:

If you have more than one child to play, challenge them to complete their letter hunt first. Once an item has been marked with a letter, it can’t be used again, so they’ll have to find another item for that letter!
To make the activity a little more challenging if your child is ready, have them carry a notebook and write out the name of the items they find to practice handwriting and spelling skills. Then, ask them to use each word to write a complete sentence or create a story using all of the words!

Dual Dice Duel

Everyone’s played the card game War – time to give it a math-tastic twist. If you have four dice around the house, you can have yourself a math duel. Here’s how to play:

Give each player two dice – or for extra fun, try using one Jumbo Dice In Diceper player instead!
Depending on the player’s math skill level, decide if you’ll be practicing number recognition/value, addition or multiplication.
Each player rolls their dice.
- If playing for number recognition and value, each player calls out their number rolled from left to right. For example, if you roll a 4 and a 5, your number for that round is 45. The player with the higher number wins that round.
- If playing for addition or multiplication, add or multiply your two dice together. The player with the higher total wins that round.
The first player to get 10 points wins!

Other ways to play:

Add more dice to the game to make it even more of a challenge!
Try Polyhedral Dice with 8, 10 or more sides for more complex challenges!
Use multi-colored dice, and assign each color a function – Add your red dice number, subtract your blue dice number, and so on, to get your total for the round.

Magnet Match

While the kids are circling the kitchen for their fourth round of snacks, put them to work at the fridge with Magnetic Uppercase & Lowercase Letters and a homemade worksheet!

Here’s how:

Using a blank sheet of construction paper, write the alphabet A-Z in marker. Create one sheet with the letters in order and another jumbling them up at random. You can also create and print this out on your computer!
Attach the paper to your fridge using a magnet, clip or removable tape.
Using magnetic letters, have your child match the letter to a magnet, covering the letter on the paper with the corresponding letter magnet.

Other ways to play:

Ready to learn upper and lower case letters? Mix in both cases using our Magnetic Uppercase and Lowercase Letter set.
Take the game to the next level by creating additional sheets spelling out short words, or print out photos of words and have your child spell them in letter magnets.

9+ Letter Writing Prompts For Kids!

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 18, 2020 | Social-Emotional Learning

9+ Letter Writing Prompts For Kids!

Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks To Do With Your Kids

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 17, 2020 | Seasonal

All cooped up at home? Now is the perfect time to disinfect your home and teach your kids healthy habits to keep things clean. And, if you’re of the spring cleaning persuasion, tidy things up! But whether you’re scrubbing the floorboards and shaking out rugs or just doing your weekly cleanup, you don’t have to do it alone! Kids as young as two can help with simple chores, which gives them a sense of accomplishment and belonging! Plus, you’re priming them to pitch in as they get older. Read on for some age-appropriate chores and motivation.

Preschoolers Can…

Yes, they require a bit of supervision, but with your encouragement and guidance, two-, three-, and four-year-olds can help you:

Pick up toys and put them in a basket – Add a layer of learning (and make it more fun!) by asking them to pick up anything red first, then blue, then green. Or anything soft, then hard.
Take their dirty clothes to the laundry basket – Count the pieces together as they go in, e.g., one shirt, two shirts… Or shoot a quick game of hoops with your balled-up socks!
Help feed and care for the family pets – You may not trust your little one to fill the water bowl, but they can hold the hamster while you clean the cage and fill a scoop of dry food.

*Bonus idea! Pretend play sets, like New Sprouts® Clean It!, is perfect for imaginary play and give little kids a way to enjoy the cleaning fun!

Kindergartners Can…

Again, you’ll need to be on hand to help, but four- and five-year-olds can be hand helpers when it comes to chores like:

Keep craft supplies tidy – A place for everything and everything in its place! Putting away pencils, markers, glue, and scissors is easy with the Create-a-Space™ Mini-Center, a portable craft station that’s easy to store! If you need a more prominent organizer, try the Create-a-Space™ Storage Center.
Setting the table – You set out the glasses and plates, then show your kiddo where to put the silverware and napkins.
Sorting the laundry – Little kids are great at sorting the laundry! Show them what counts as white, medium, and dark, and leave the rest to them.

Big Kids Can…

Many six- and seven-year-olds are old enough to handle simple chores without supervision. A chore chart can be motivating at this age to manage tasks like:

Making their bed – Don’t expect miracles here; practice makes perfect! Pulling the sheet, blanket, and comforter up and placing pillows at the top is an excellent start.
Emptying trash cans – Show your kids how to start with the biggest can and carry it to the smaller ones around the house, dumping as they go.
Putting their laundry away – You fold, they stash or hang!

Bigger Kids Can…

Older elementary-school-aged kids can do so many things! Aside from managing their schoolwork, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school, these kids can:

Wash dishes – Yup! The day has come! Fourth and fifth graders can rinse and load the dishwasher and scrub dishes and silverware (skip the knives and delicate dishware).
Vacuum and rake – Whether indoors or out, your older kids can easily run the vacuum and rake. Plus, if they’re doing it, they can’t complain about the noise it’s making when you’re doing it!
Run the washer and dryer – You may not want them folding quite yet, but big kids can toss a load in the washer, add detergent, and turn the machine on.

In Conclusion,

Although it may be easier to do things yourself, the sooner you make chipping in with chores an expected part of your kids’ routine, the easier yours will be in the long run. A good rule of thumb is that kids can follow as many instructions as years they are old. For example, a three-year-old may be able to pick up their shoes, put them in the closet, and close the door. A timer is also a great motivator, as is a clean-up song. Choose something you love, play it loud, and work as long as it plays. When the music’s over, so is the clean-up!

Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks To Do With Your Kids

Preschoolers Can…

Yes, they require a bit of supervision, but with your encouragement and guidance, two-, three-, and four-year-olds can help you:

Pick up toys and put them in a basket – Add a layer of learning (and make it more fun!) by asking them to pick up anything red first, then blue, then green. Or anything soft, then hard.
Take their dirty clothes to the laundry basket – Count the pieces together as they go in, e.g., one shirt, two shirts… Or shoot a quick game of hoops with your balled-up socks!
Help feed and care for the family pets – You may not trust your little one to fill the water bowl, but they can hold the hamster while you clean the cage and fill a scoop of dry food.

*Bonus idea! Pretend play sets, like New Sprouts® Clean It!, is perfect for imaginary play and give little kids a way to enjoy the cleaning fun!

Kindergartners Can…

Again, you’ll need to be on hand to help, but four- and five-year-olds can be hand helpers when it comes to chores like:

Keep craft supplies tidy – A place for everything and everything in its place! Putting away pencils, markers, glue, and scissors is easy with the Create-a-Space™ Mini-Center, a portable craft station that’s easy to store! If you need a more prominent organizer, try the Create-a-Space™ Storage Center.
Setting the table – You set out the glasses and plates, then show your kiddo where to put the silverware and napkins.
Sorting the laundry – Little kids are great at sorting the laundry! Show them what counts as white, medium, and dark, and leave the rest to them.

Big Kids Can…

Many six- and seven-year-olds are old enough to handle simple chores without supervision. A chore chart can be motivating at this age to manage tasks like:

Making their bed – Don’t expect miracles here; practice makes perfect! Pulling the sheet, blanket, and comforter up and placing pillows at the top is an excellent start.
Emptying trash cans – Show your kids how to start with the biggest can and carry it to the smaller ones around the house, dumping as they go.
Putting their laundry away – You fold, they stash or hang!

Bigger Kids Can…

Older elementary-school-aged kids can do so many things! Aside from managing their schoolwork, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school, these kids can:

Wash dishes – Yup! The day has come! Fourth and fifth graders can rinse and load the dishwasher and scrub dishes and silverware (skip the knives and delicate dishware).
Vacuum and rake – Whether indoors or out, your older kids can easily run the vacuum and rake. Plus, if they’re doing it, they can’t complain about the noise it’s making when you’re doing it!
Run the washer and dryer – You may not want them folding quite yet, but big kids can toss a load in the washer, add detergent, and turn the machine on.

In Conclusion,

Stay At Home STEM: What Makes 10? Challenges

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 17, 2020 | Math

Stay At Home STEM: What Makes 10? Challenges

Learning at Home Tips From a Homeschooling Pro

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 16, 2020

Change is stressful for everyone, especially children. If you are new to homeschooling, you might be a bit overwhelmed and confused as you look for options and information. Having a homeschooling routine in place will bring a sense of security, comfort and consistency to a child’s life.

Why Is Routine so Important?

A routine is the way families organize themselves to get things done, spend time together, learn and have fun.

Children thrive in a predictable environment where they know what to expect. It makes them feel safe, secure and looked after, especially in stressful times like this. If you build a routine around having fun and spending time together, it will also strengthen family relationships. Having an important job to do in the family routine (like setting the table) helps children develop a sense of responsibility which is an important life skill. Routines for children with development delays or disabilities are even more important because they find it hard to understand or cope with change. It takes a little bit of time for children to get used to a routine, but when they do, you can give fewer instructions as they get better at following a schedule.

Having a routine is beneficial for parents too even though it takes some effort to create a good routine. But when you have one in place, it helps you get through your daily tasks and free up time for other things. A routine can help you feel organized and in control and this is very important for reducing stress levels. You will also feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day because you followed a certain structure.

Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergarten Daily Routine

In early education the entire homeschooling routine should be based on creating opportunities for your child to learn through play. The most natural way of creating relevant opportunities is to start with observation. Take a day and spend it casually with your child. Observe what they play with the most, what interests them at this moment, is there something they need help with (maybe work on speech or vocabulary more). When you know what your child likes and shows affinity for, then you can build on that and learning will be more fun and efficient. For example if your child loves dinosaurs, use that interest and incorporate dinosaurs into literacy, math, science and art.

Dinosaur puzzle

@teachingspecialthinkers

There are many themed activities and resources available for you to use on this theme and your child will enjoy this and learn much faster.

It’s important that you make your routine work for your family. Here is an example of a homeschooling routine we use and you can use it as a base and then adjust according to your needs.

07:00 am – Wake up/Get dressed/Breakfast

08:00 am – Storytime

We sit on the floor in a relaxing atmosphere, talk about what day it is, what the weather is like that day and they choose a story for me to read to them.

Calendar & Weather Pocket Chart

We spend a bit of time talking about the story – What is their favorite part/ characters? Did we learn a new word today? If they really like the story and we have materials, like relevant figurines or plush toys, we reenact the story together or they do it on their own. If they engage in free play, I will let them play while I tidy up or plan the next activity.

09:00 am – Songs/ Dance/ Movement

After they were playing quietly for a while, we have a loud activity like singing nursery rhymes, dancing to children’s songs or do some yoga for kids.

09:30 am – Literacy or Math

Now that they are fresh and awake from moving around, I like to do a short activity involving letters, numbers, shapes, or measurement. You can use printable worksheets, activity pads or play a game like letter hunt or sorting by size and working on patterns.

10:00 am – Snack time (fruit and nuts for healthy body and mind)

10:30 am- Free Play

It is very important to provide time for them to learn through independent play. All you need to do is offer open ended toys and resources like play food, old boxes, animal figurines, building blocks and similar.

@the_very_hungry_slp

12:00 pm- Lunch/ Family Time

1:00 pm- Outdoor Play (playground, backyard or patio)

If we can’t go out due to weather, then they either play on their own.

2:00 pm- Art/ Science

If we didn’t go out, I'd try to do more activities where they need to move or stand so we paint on the big art easel or do science experiments and they help prepare materials and clean up later.

2:30 pm- Snack Time

3:00 pm – Free Play

Most of the time kids are very good at finding opportunities to learn on their own but if you see they need a bit of direction, you can encourage some dramatic play. Give them some bandages, old syringes and let them be doctors and heal their dolls or maybe set up a grocery shop from an old cardboard box and food containers.

Pretend and play

@teachingspecialthinkers

4:30 pm- Dinner Time

5:30 pm – Family Time

Playing board games is a fun way of learning and strengthening family relationships. Money Bags^™ Coin Value Game is always a hit!

We laugh, tell jokes and try to have as much fun as we can together. Sometimes we also have a movie night at this time. If you choose to watch a movie, just make sure it’s short and appropriate for your child’s age.

6:30 pm – Bath time/ Getting dressed for bed

7:00 pm- Read a Bedtime story/ Sleep

Being flexible is the key to creating a good routine. Flexibility let's us take advantage of those moments when children discover something that sparks their interest. This allows us to extend a play period so they can gain maximum satisfaction from their play and we can do our own thing in the meanwhile.

When you are creating a schedule, it is important to provide a good balance between quiet and noisy activities, solitary time and family/sibling play and outdoor/indoor play. And also don’t forget to allow enough time for a transition from one activity to another to avoid stressful situations. Warn them once in advance before a change in activity. For example, if you are planning to go out, give them a 15 minute warning so they can finish their play and prepare for what’s next.

Homeschooling should be fun and relaxing above all. Enjoy the time spent with your kids, be present and sneak little lessons while you cook and play together. If you keep the wake up/ sleep time and feeding time the same everyday, this alone will provide enough structure so that everything else can be flexible and enjoyable.

Learning at Home Tips From a Homeschooling Pro

Why Is Routine so Important?

A routine is the way families organize themselves to get things done, spend time together, learn and have fun.

Homeschooling Preschool and Kindergarten Daily Routine

Dinosaur puzzle

@teachingspecialthinkers

There are many themed activities and resources available for you to use on this theme and your child will enjoy this and learn much faster.

It’s important that you make your routine work for your family. Here is an example of a homeschooling routine we use and you can use it as a base and then adjust according to your needs.

07:00 am – Wake up/Get dressed/Breakfast

08:00 am – Storytime

We sit on the floor in a relaxing atmosphere, talk about what day it is, what the weather is like that day and they choose a story for me to read to them.

Calendar & Weather Pocket Chart

09:00 am – Songs/ Dance/ Movement

After they were playing quietly for a while, we have a loud activity like singing nursery rhymes, dancing to children’s songs or do some yoga for kids.

09:30 am – Literacy or Math

10:00 am – Snack time (fruit and nuts for healthy body and mind)

10:30 am- Free Play

@the_very_hungry_slp

12:00 pm- Lunch/ Family Time

1:00 pm- Outdoor Play (playground, backyard or patio)

If we can’t go out due to weather, then they either play on their own.

2:00 pm- Art/ Science

If we didn’t go out, I'd try to do more activities where they need to move or stand so we paint on the big art easel or do science experiments and they help prepare materials and clean up later.

2:30 pm- Snack Time

3:00 pm – Free Play

Pretend and play

@teachingspecialthinkers

4:30 pm- Dinner Time

5:30 pm – Family Time

Playing board games is a fun way of learning and strengthening family relationships. Money Bags^™ Coin Value Game is always a hit!

6:30 pm – Bath time/ Getting dressed for bed

7:00 pm- Read a Bedtime story/ Sleep

Our 5 Favorite Online Resources for At-Home Learning

Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 16, 2020

As schools around the country close, we're here to help you navigate the world of at-home learning. While your little ones may not be in the classroom right now, there are easy online resources to help you turn your home into a place of learning. Below, you'll find five of our favorites:

Lesson Plans from Hand2Mind

As you switch from parent mode to teacher mode, you'll probably need a little help planning lessons that are skill- and grade-appropriate. That's where the curriculum resources of our sister company Hand2Mind come in. Designed by grade level and calibrated for all levels of learners, these free lesson plans will help you introduce and reinforce math concepts from counting and shapes to fractions, decimals, and more. You can also visit Hand2Mind's Teacher Corner for tips and resources trusted by teachers across the country.

Physical Activities from GoNoodle

Studying is important, but so is staying physically active. Pump up the fun of at-home gym time with the app-based fitness games at GoNoodle. These high-energy videos challenge kids to jump, duck, and wave along with the hosts, with your smart device detecting their movements and making them a part of the story. It's a novel way to get kids moving, and an easy way to help burn off excess cabin fever.

Fantasy Math Fun from Prodigy

When your kids need a break from traditional at-home lessons, there are plenty of ways for them to keep learning while they play. One of our favorites is Prodigy, the free online roleplaying game built around the concepts of Common Core math. Calibrated for students in grades 1-8, the game turns kids into wizards studying at the magic-filled Academy. As they explore and adventure, they'll solve real math challenges in order to defeat enemies, find treasure, and build their characters. In addition to fun gameplay, Prodigy also offers parent resources to help you incorporate the game into your own at-home learning plan.

Video Classroom from OutSchool

At-home learning is wonderful, but sometimes you need the collaboration of a full class to fully spark kids' creativity. With the small-group video classes at OutSchool, your kids can connect with inspiring teachers and students from around the world in sessions dedicated to everything from Spanish and game design to creative writing and music theory. OutSchool offers video classes for kids ages 3-18, so there are plenty of options to go around. Best of all: classes start from just $5.

Online Library from OverDrive

If you can't make it to your local library, Libby is ready to bring the library to you. This innovative app from the folks at OverDrive uses your own library card to connect you to your library's ebook holdings without the need to leave the house. From downloadable audiobooks you can play right from the app to graphic novels, picture books, and more, Libby is a free and easy way to expand your own learning resources.

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.