Ready to Explore Kids ages 3-5 have tons of energy and are eager to walk, run, dance, and play. It’s a great age for exploration too. Preschoolers learn a lot when given the chance to investigate their environments (with supervision, of course). There’s much for preschoolers to explore. Now that …
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Safe Exploring for Toddlers
On the Move Toddlers — it’s hard to imagine a more fitting name for this stage of development. Between the ages of 1 and 3, toddlers are literally scooting away from babyhood in search of new adventures. They’re learning to talk, to walk and run, and to assert their independence. …
School-Age Readers
Listening and Learning From kindergarten through third grade, a child’s ability to read grows by leaps and bounds. Although teachers provide lots of help, parents continue to play a very important role in their child’s reading development. Kids who are first learning to read get more information from listening to …
Should Your Preschooler Play Sports?
What Kind of Activity? There’s nothing cuter than a bunch of preschoolers playing T-ball or soccer, but is it the best way for them to be active? Probably not. Team sports offer a chance for preschoolers to meet each other and get some exercise, but can be too complicated. Even …
Smart Toys for Every Age
If you’ve ever marveled at the look of concentration on the face of a child who tries to fit a square block into a square hole or catch a ball in mid-air, you know that playtime isn’t just about fun and games. It’s serious business — and toys are the …
Story Time for Preschoolers
Becoming a Reader “Rattle, shake, screech, roar — who’s knockin’ at my door?” Matthew tears through the house, a sheet over his head. “Boom, boom, in my room!” he yells. “A witch is flyin’ on her broom!” For the past month, Matthew has immersed himself in a world of Halloween …
The Magic of Play: How It Inspires & Aids Early Development
With the help of a frilly dress, tiara, and magic wand, your 3-year-old is transformed into the queen of a magical universe where her hobby horse is a winged unicorn. When you’re asked to taste the pink clouds, you agree that they’re a lot like bubblegum. Your son pulls a …
Toddler Reading Time
Gabrielle takes a break from playing at her kitchen set and reaches into her basket of books. She roots around until she finds her current favorite by Richard Scarry, then delivers the book to her mother, who knows just what page to skip to. Gabrielle sits in her mom’s lap …
Toddlers: Learning by Playing
Encourage Activity It might look like just child’s play, but toddlers are hard at work learning important physical skills as they gain muscle control, balance, and coordination. Each new skill lets them progress to the next one, building on a foundation that leads to more complicated physical tasks, such as …
What’s Funny to a Preschooler?
By the preschool years, kids are humor veterans. After all, they’ve been smiling and laughing for years. A reliable host of tricks and jokes will crack them up, and even as preschoolers get older, they continue to be amused by many of the things they found funny as toddlers. The …