Pregnancy, Parenting and Beyond

Courtesy Kindergarten dot com It is very important to make sure a child can sustain play .  When a child plays he or she is building social language, imagination and creativity.  Sustained play will teach a child how to focus on one topic at a time and help develop natural conversation skills .  More importantly, playing teaches a child new concepts, cognitive, fine and gross motor skills.  Using simple blocks as an example, a child may learn about construction, spatial awareness, balance, colors, sizes, shapes, etc.  If a child has delayed language, an adult could model a lot of functional language by simply talking about what kind of building he or she wants to build, suggest who might live in the building, or compare her building to something else. You may have a child that is easily distracted, hyperactive or sensory seeking.  He or she may not know how to play with a specific toy and become easily frustrated.  One of the best things you...

Kids Love Stickers You can buy a package of stickers and a package of construction paper and help your toddler put the stickers on. They really enjoy the process, although they aren’t too interested in the finished product at this toddler stage. But they will have fun putting the stickers on, with your help. Make a Collage Buy a roll of clear contact paper. You can cut a piece and tape it to the surface of the table you’re working on. Your child can then easily make a collage with any kind of material that sticks on the contact paper, such as confetti. Your child will enjoy dribbling the confetti over the paper, and then pressing it down to make it stick. You can also rip up construction paper into smaller pieces and use that instead of confetti. When you are finished, place another piece of contact paper of the same size over the first one, and voila! You have a lovely work of art suitable for giving to Grandma or hanging on the refrigerator. Play Dough and Finger Paint The t...