The holidays are right around the corner! When it comes to purchasing gifts for the kids in my life, I have always leaned more toward the educational (blame the teacher in me, as well as my parents). I decided to gather up a list of some of our favorite educational products that we have checked out this year, as well as a few that I have my eye on as my daughter gets older. I hope you find some holiday gift giving inspiration here!
Kids naturally learn from watching and imitating. From the very beginning, babies and toddlers try to speak, move and act like the children and adults around them. How many times have you seen a small child pick up a phone and pretend to have a whole conversation? They learn by watching us and by attempting to do these things on their own. Allowing kids to help around the house is a great way to encourage independence, curiosity and creativity. It also provides opportunities for learning and practicing important skills. We recently had the opportunity to try a great learning tool from Little Partners which allows all ages to get more involved.
My toddler watches TV.
Yup, I said it.
Now let’s not be crazy. I don’t let her watch TV all the time. I am very much a believer in the “Everything in Moderation” mindset. Our social media feeds are full of articles telling us that TV and screen time are bad for kids, and I definitely agree that screen time should be monitored and minimized. However, I have definitely seen a benefit to allowing my daughter some screen time with educational television shows.
Reading together is one of my favorite ways to connect with my daughter. When we are reading a great book together, I hope that she takes the lessons, love and values to heart. I love when I read a book about love to her, and she recognizes that the mother in the story cares about the character the same way that I care about her. Watching her make connections to the story, the characters and the illustrations is a special part of reading to her. The personalized children’s books from Put Me in the Story makes the experience even more unforgettable by weaving her into the book.
Emotions can be a difficult thing to understand. As adults, even we have trouble handling our emotions sometimes. For kids who are still learning to communicate, putting their feelings into words can feel impossible. My daughter recently turned 2, and although she has quite the vocabulary, she often has trouble communicating her feelings. She has recently started throwing bigger tantrums when she is angry (hello terrible twos!), and makes claims that she is afraid of the dark. (One of her favorite things to do is hide in closets or our shed, so I’m pretty sure this claim is more of a bedtime stalling tactic than an actual fear). I have been trying lots of techniques to help her handle the big emotions she experiences. So far, the greatest one has been the introduction of the Moodsters.
As a teacher and a mom, I am always looking for ways to entertain my daughter while also teaching her. I try to fill our days with various learning activities or opportunities to be creative and practice important skills. While it can be lots of fun to come up with different activities to keep her interested and motivated to learn, it can also be a lot of work! Today I’m excited to share a company who aims to help busy parents to give kids a variety of learning opportunities, delivered right to your door!
No two families are alike. Some families have 1 parent. Some families have two moms or two dads. Other families may have stepparents or several generations living under one roof. Each family is unique, and it is important for kids to learn that love is what makes a family. Thankfully, there are lots of amazing books and products available now to help kids learn about all of the different family dynamics out there. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a company that wants to teach kids about different families through play. I also gathered a list of some of the top books to help kids learn about what makes a family,