Since much of the country is in a deep freeze or having yet another snowfall, I know parents are looking for indoor activities to keep the little ones busy. Sometimes, in the winter it is fun to pull out a “summer activity.”
I’m spending a week playing with two of my grandchildren while their mom recuperates from being sick. After fun with the cars, castle, pirate ship and play-doh, our 2 year-old and 9 month-old were getting a bit antsy. I spotted the bottle of bubbles on the shelf. While it was freezing rain outside, we re-lived the summer with a little bottle of bubbles.
This is the time of year that parents are starting to make the decision about whether their child is “ready” for kindergarten. Often that decision is made based on a child’s social skills rather than academic. One of the behaviors needed for a successful kindergarten experience is the ability to share. As you raise your preschoolers and teach the concept of sharing, picture books can be helpful. Here are two that deal with sharing:
-Mine! By Mathilde Stein: One night, ready to hop into bed, Charlotte found a little ghost under her covers. The only word he seems to know is, “Mine.” He grabs the covers, hoards the tub toys, is stingy with the sock pile and takes the toys. Patient Charlotte offers a rational reply to each act of selfishness. A friendship grows as the little ghost learns how to share and take turns.
-The Boy Who Wouldn’t Share by Mike Reiss: Grumpy Edward, the keeper of the toys, will simply not share with his sister Claire—not his rocking horse, wizard’s hat or teddy bear. As he sits hidden inside his pile of toys, he misses out on a lovely treat while guarding his treasures. Claire of course doesn’t hold a grudge when her greedy brother has a change of heart and offers his tangle of toys for a day of creativity. Note: be sure to offer alternate language to the “Mine” reply that Edward uses repeatedly, such as “Let’s share.” “You take a turn.” “I am almost finished and you can play with this.”
What picture books do you use to teach sharing? or what picture books that are favorites deal with this concept? Leave me a comment and let’s share 
My friend, Jody, wrote to say that she had gotten the Step2 Diner for her 5 grandchildren from birth to 2 years old. Christmas morning the diner was a hit as the two oldest sat down for a chat. I am not sure if that is the food strewn on the floor but I do know that Will is holding Maggie’s fairy wand so maybe their meal will magically appear! The beauty of this diner is that it is double sided so it accommodates more kids for pretend play and offers different roles to assume. One side is for the cooks and chefs and the other side is for the customers. Add a waiter or waitress with their pad of paper for orders and many children are accommodated.
Make sure you provide paper and crayons or pencils so kids can “take orders” and pass them through to the chef. Research has shown that when children practice writing letters, they are better able to recognize them.
I included the Circo Frog Tent from Target as one of my selected items for holiday giving. Since we celebrated Christmas as a family at Thanksgiving when we were all together, I can report on the success of the Frog Tent! According to Will’s mom, even his great grandmother, Nanny, has crawled in there with him. The tent has been up since Thanksgiving and is used for collecting all his toys, hiding with his brother and playing with Daddy since the pirate ship, dinosaurs and airport were all dragged inside.
Will especially likes the feature where he can zip himself inside, feeling very hidden from the rest of the world!
Pretend play builds language as children invent a world of make believe. Is the tent a house, ship, kitchen or fairy land? Watch them collect props to support their theme and play along with your child, following her lead and supporting with language.
Teachers and speech therapists, this is a real bargain for around $20 at Target. I know what school budgets are like so here is good value for the money!
I love to hear from parents and Speech Therapists with ideas to stimulate speech and language. Keep the e-mails and comments coming!
Today I heard from a former colleague of mine who is an excellent preschool speech therapist:
Parents often ask me for advice on best toys and games for gift giving this time of year.
A wonderful source for top educational materials for kids is the Parents’ Choice 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. This trusted resource is divided by age, price and 20 child interests such as pretend play, bugs, butterflies and backyard fun, family games or dinosaurs and earth science. I just clicked on the age of my nieces and nephews, found a gift matching their interests, a few more clicks and the gifts were on their way! If you are interested in a certain type of media, go to the Awards section and click on DVDs, software, audio, video games, etc. and see reviews of award winners by year. One mom called me and was looking for recommendations for educational video games for her 6 year old. His younger brother has autism and she knew that he would be eventually playing too so she wanted a good educational game. I sent her to the Parents’ Choice winners.
Parent’s Choice Foundation has been a trusted reviewer of children’s media since 1978. I am never disappointed when I get something that they recommend and review.
For my tips and insight on how to build your child’s language through toys and games, see best educational toys for gift giving that build language.
We know that children learn language best when it relates to their everyday experience. This is the season of several religious holidays so parents are interested in reinforcing the stories and significance behind the celebrations that their families observe.
If you celebrate Christmas, take a look at the Little People Christmas Story Nativity Scene by Fisher Price. There are a variety of sets that include kings, animals, donkey carts, hay, Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus at various prices. Kids love re-telling the story, rearranging the figures and assimilating them into their other toys. My son, Peter, reported that 2 year-old Will has been taking baby Jesus and the animals for rides in his airplane all around the house and has hidden them in his play tent too.
Wooden sets are great for older kids too who arent’ tempted to put things in their mouths. You can also assemble your own set, gathering some animals from the play room, using playdoh to make hay, a manger or figures.Encourage your child to look around and gather pieces for the scene. Then watch their imagination take off!
After raising three boys and just spending the holidays with preschoolers, I am reminded again of how much fun a fort can be! It brought back memories as my oldest son grabbed the pillows off the couch and made a tunnel for 2 year-old Will, much to his delight. A tunnel, tent, fort or castle—no matter what you call it—a kid sized abode becomes a place to hide, sleep, peek out and pretend. I wanted to share some of my favorite forts, old and new, to create a land of fantasy, and bring on the giggles.
Eebee Playmat: Babies can crawl across the entertaining panels or get their older siblings to attach the pieces to make a house. The mirror, window, eebee face, cut-outs and peek-a-boo curtain maintain the interest of little ones.
Yookidoo Play Hut: This kid hut made Parents and Parenting Magazines’ list of top toys of the year. Sturdy, yet easily collapsible, it provides fun inside and out. With kid-sized openings for coming and going, and shape sorting, spinning and ball play on the exterior, kids are entertained on all sides.
Circo Kid’s Frog Play Tent from Target: Enter through the frog’s wide mouth, step across his orange tongue and you can zip yourself in to this hideaway. Easy to assemble, this fort is most like a tent with four collapsible tubes to support the frog. It breaks down to fit into a compact carrying bag. Big enough to hold some friends it measures 35” high and 71” in diameter. The price is right at around $20.
Eight-month-old Caroline confirmed my excitement over the Infantino Playtime Activity Center.
This pyramid of fun has four flat sides of entertainment–a mirror in the cat’s face, crinkly bugs to uncover under textured flaps, a jingle fish to swat in his fishbowl and two birds to settle into their nest. Each side is angled just right for tummy time or a sitting or crawling baby.
Moms love the portability of this toy as you unzip the velcro and flatten the pyramid to stash in your diaper bag. Perfect for an airplane ride or family visit over the holidays.
Tell Grandma to add this to her Christmas list!
For my full review see Parents Choice 2008 toy awards.
Two Year-old Will introduced me to Blabla dolls today. He was my “shopping buddy” as we visited one of my favorite stores, Airlie Moon, in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. We had talked about how we would point to what we like instead of touching it and I thought that my grandmothering skills were working. I looked away for a moment and found Will inspecting these delightful dolls and then next thing I knew, he was hugging two of his chest!
They are delightfully cushy, bendable and engaging with whimsical kid colors. Grabbable and huggable, these dolls and animals are ready for kid’s creative play. Minus batteries, noises and lights, these open-ended toys are ready for your child to create the action.
Check out their website to see the fascinating story behind the company. Two long-time friends traveled to Peru and discovered entire villages of expert knitters who had been knitting for generations. They decided to use their creative talents to design products, including dolls.
One of the friends,Flo, grew up in a creative family in a chateau in France with “no TV or washing machine…just a grand piano and lots of books.” After studying art in Europe and having a career in design she started to design for Blabla. I love to see the origin of creativity. She probably made her own fun as a child and is now designing kids dolls with just enough flare to spark a child’s imagination.
