Since starting this blog almost 11 years ago, there’s been an influx of STEM focused toys on the market. There’s no shortage of products designed to foster curiosity and get our kids interested in these subjects but the teacher in me can distinguish between items that provide worthwhile STEM learning experiences versus those that masquerade…
preschoolers
2018 Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. This year’s Best Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers reflects this age group’s innocence, curiosity, and their ability to see the world as a wondrous place. I loved spending time with…
2017 Gift Guide: Best STEM Gifts for Kids of All Ages (PreK-Teen)
The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. During his presidency, Barack Obama worked to expand STEM education and employment opportunities to all students. In order to meet the projected workforce need of 1 million additional STEM graduates…
2017 Gift Guide: Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. There is always something magical about toddlers and preschoolers. I spent many hours with this age group in classrooms as an undergraduate psychology major and later through my graduate studies…
Using Zap Zap Kindergarten Math App to Teach Early Math Skills
This is a sponsored post Number sense, representation, spatial sense, measurement, estimation, patterns, and problem solving are all key math skills young children need for school but how do you translate these into learning experiences for toddlers and preschoolers so they’re ready for kindergarten? Incorporating counting into every day tasks, using manipulatives to develop one…
2016 Gift Guide: Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers (18 months- age 5)
Oh how I miss this age! I never thought I wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps as a teacher until I spent so much time with these age groups. There was always something magical about toddlers and preschoolers. Maybe you don’t feel the same way as a parent in the thick of tantrums, potty…
2015 Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
Parents of preschoolers know exactly how busy they are at all times. From morning until their eyes close at bedtime their bodies and minds are constantly in motion as they absorb information about the world around them. Kids ages 3-5 are working to navigate the social world and friendships that prove to be both rewarding…
Fisher Price Smart Toy Encourages Imaginative Learning for Preschoolers with a Plush Screen-Free Best Friend
This is a sponsored post Every child needs a best friend who is a good listener, available for epic adventures, has a great imagination, and doesn’t resist hugs. Many kids have favorite stuffed animals who accompany them on all sorts of adventures through the years but the new Fisher Price Smart Toy represents a new…
2014 Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Preschoolers
Preschoolers are constantly busy. If they’re not in motion, their minds are racing as they work to synthesize information about the world around them as they learn at home and at school. Friendships at this age can be rewarding but tricky. Parallel play- playing near each other but not exactly collaboratively- is something that develops…
New 5 Little Monkeys App Reinforces Learning for Toddlers and Preschoolers {giveaway}
While the Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood has launched a campaign against app manufacturers who market educational apps for babies, there’s no doubt that apps designed for toddlers and preschoolers can be used to reinforce early learning concepts. The possibilities of well-designed interactive apps to help teach numbers, colors, letters, letter sounds, and even sight…
