When it comes to teaching letters and sounds, I should really be saying ‘sounds then letters,’ because teaching sounds actually comes first! The ability to hear and manipulate sounds is called Phonological Awareness, and it is the first step in teaching a child to read. In fact, phonological awareness is even more important for later…
What is Phonological Awareness? From Rhyming to Reading
As you likely know, I am a huge proponent of waiting until children are developmentally ready to learn skills. It is not developmentally appropriate to teach most 3-year-olds to read. But it is developmentally appropriate to teach most 3-year-olds to rhyme. And rhyming is the very first phonological awareness skill that little ones should learn!…
Calendar Activities
When I was teaching Kindergarten, I remember feeling so successful after calendar time. Really, if everything else that day fell to pieces, I would still feel like my little ones had learned so many important skills – just from our calendar activities! Now that I am homeschooling my own little ones, we do ‘calendar activities’…
Days of the Week Activity for Preschoolers
Today, I’m excited to share a lovely days of the week activity with you! I’m a big fan of paper chains—they are fabulous for practicing fine motor skills, patterning, learning letters and sounds, counting down to a special event, or even playing in nature. And now, my dear friend, they are also for practicing the…
Quick-Dry Rainbow Salt Tray
We all have different strengths and different needs, right? One of my strengths, I do believe, is my willingness to let my little ones get messy. It really doesn’t bother me one bit watching them slosh paint on the table, drip paintbrushes on the ground, or see those painted little hands touch freshly washed hair….
Halloween Preschool Crafts: Pumpkin Name Puzzles!
Halloween Preschool Crafts are a fine art … a careful blend of fun, education, and independence. Well this one has it all! Sammy and I made Pumpkin Name Puzzles and we had a lot of fun – cutting, matching, and gluing. If your little one is learning his or her name, this is such a…
Gross Motor Alphabet Games for Kids
These little ones of mine love to learn on the move. They like to touch things, reach and stretch, run and jump, and use all of those great big muscles they are forming (well, itty bitty muscles right now – these boys of mine are tiny!) But guess what? Learning with a whole body is…
Quiet Time Alphabet Activities
Is there anything better than quiet time activities? Nope. Not really. A great quiet time activity with an alphabet activities educational twist? Hmm – that is a little better! Throw in a quiet coffee for Mama and you are living the dream … You know we adore our quiet time activities around here. But did…
Writing Activity for Kindergarten
Helping our little ones grow independent is such an important skill we need to put in place early on. By creating an activity like this, not only is a valuable learning goal being met but we, as parents, will actually stand a chance at enjoying the hot (ok, warm-ish) cup of coffee. This writing activity…
Alphabet Obstacle Course for Kids at Home
Winter is definitely upon us and with the cold weather here full force, you have to get creative to keep your little ones active and entertained. As it’s not always possible to bundle up in all our gear and head into the outdoors, creating this alphabet obstacle course for kids at home is a great…