Education Blog for Mommies

As a parent, teaching your child to read and write is one of the most important things that you will do for them. Through taking the time to do this before they go to school, and continuing to offer support while they are there, you can help your child to have the foundations necessary to learn, share and communicate with others.

Teaching a child to read and write is a harder task than many parents expect, not least time consuming. Many parents are concerned about trying to introduce their child to reading at too young an age, below 4 years old, however this is not something to worry about – the truth is that it can only help.

When you are starting to teach your child how to read, you should not concentrate on pronouncing capital letters first. The reason for this is that learning lower case letters is easier to aid learning how to read. This is because lower case letters represent how one speaks, and through combining lower case letters you start to understand how you can formulate words stemming from them.

When you are teaching your child how to read and write, you should be careful to limit the vocabulary that you aim to teach. The more vocabulary that you introduce; the more confusion and the more overwhelming the situation will become.

When your child starts writing much the same applies as with reading. The key is to teach your child to associate a character with a sound, and therefore to be able to graphically represent the spoken word.

Teaching your child to read and write is something which should go beyond preparing them for going to school. Further more, through making reading a fun and recreational exercise for your child you can ensure that their reading skills and ability to digest information will be much greater than it otherwise would be.

The play has many more functions for toddlers than for adults. For toddlers, play is not just a way to relax but it is also the best way to learn and perfect skills like walking, balance and controlling the hands. Through play, the child discovers the objects and their functions and learns some social behaviors. His work "tool" is the toy. If for the little baby the toy is mostly a decorative object, for the toddler who is just starting to walk and talk, toys are absolutely necessary.

The parent must make sure to offer his child adequate toys to his age and skills level. The most indicated toddler toys are the functional ones, who develop and stimulate different processes and mental activities (knowledge, inventiveness, imagination).

Moving games are one of a toddler’s preferred activities. Small sized slides, wooden or plastic material cubes, arranged in a pyramidal shape helps toddlers develop their musculature and agility. Another open-air game for toddlers that requires manual skills is sand play. This game requires the toddler to make different sand shapes and even complicated constructions. Sand play is so important, that I advise parents to arrange a sand box inside the house!

A toddler also requires toys to play inside the house. For the interior, the most important toys for toddlers are the cubes. They are used by the toddlers as load for toys trucks. These cubes will later take part in construction games that help develop hand maneuverability, the capacity to concentrate and the imagination.

Toddlers, both boys and girls, love animals and dolls made of different materials. It is a mistake to believe that at this age dolls are specific only to girls. Dolls help toddlers to identify the role of the mother and father in the family and learn the different body parts that a person has.

From the list of toddler toys, we must not exclude books. For toddlers, beautiful colored books, with few images but well outlined, help enrich the vocabulary and verbalizing perception. As a parent, you can create short stories based on these images, using words that the toddler can understand, with similar activities and experiences to the ones the child has experienced. After showing him the images and explained what they are, we can ask the toddler "What is this?" "What does it do?" This way you test the things he learned. Besides enriching his vocabulary, this game wakes up in him feelings of trust and security.

Newborns are inherently curious and are constantly intrigued by the surrounding lights and sounds. The infant activities should of a kind so as to be able to stimulate and encourage the development of the child’s mind and body. Baby activity toys arouse their curiosity and interest and thereby make way for further development of the mind.

While deciding what toys to buy for your child, keep in mind the age and the mental abilities. For an infant, the most important activities revolve around sleeping and eating. Music soothes a baby’s nerves and leaves a deep impact on the fertile mind.

Another interesting activity could be tummy lying. The baby should be made to lie on its tummy on a blanket or mat, and surrounded by a number of toys. The toys should be simple and easy to grasp. This activity helps build upper body strength and develop proper head control. These skills are extremely important in a baby, and should be mastered at a young age. Construction toys can also be given. These toys keep the baby engaged and promote both mental and physical growth. This activity does not require any specific toy; a tummy mat and cushions along with a few rings and rattles can be sufficient.

Babies also love to listen and observe their environment. They should be provided with safe toys that will attract their attention. Soft toys in bright colors go a long way in stimulating their imagination. Since color is one of the first things they feel attracted to, it is advisable to surround a child with objects in various colors.

For a one year old toddler, large plastic blocks, stuffed toys of different textures, rings, music boxes, and activity centers are the ideal activity toys. Babies of this age are extremely active, and like to put everything into their mouths. So it is important to ensure that the toys are absolutely safe. Also, under all probabilities, a child will learn to walk by this time. A good idea would be to provide him/ her with baby walkers and riding toys like a rocking horse. At this age, they will be extremely intrigued by the senses of touch, and these kinds of activity toys will help them get the required learning experiences.

Looking forward to your annual holiday may be clouded with the worry of having to travel with your baby. Even though your baby may be as good as gold while at home, a disruption to their routine may cause all kinds of problems. Most new parents decide to purchase travel systems for their new additions. A baby travel system is basically a stroller with an attachable infant carrier that doubles as an infant car seat.

Baby travel systems have come a long way since the small, rickety strollers of years ago. Today, baby travel systems are multi-use strollers, also called a 2-in-1 strollers, which are actually a car seat and a stroller all in one unit. Everything is coordinated and makes a matching statement for the car seat and stroller because they are basically the same piece of equipment. There is no longer a need to carry a stroller and a car seat with you when you go traveling.

Baby travel systems come in a wide range of colors and patterns. Many of the baby travel systems come with accessories such as built-in toys, cup holders, baskets and sometimes matching diaper bags. Keep in mind that car seats do eventually expire, but with the right travel system, you should be able to get about eight years of use out of this one purchase alone.

Once you consider all your options, you will probably have a short list of systems which meet your needs; both short term and long term, then decided where to buy it. If you do not have enough time to go shopping, ShopWiki.co.uk will give you a large directory of online store. Then you can make your final decision and purchase and enjoy day trips and overnight stays with your baby while using your new baby travel system.

Well mommies, happy traveling…

A toddler spends most of its waking hours playing. With toddler toys, your child should be allowed to develop motor skills. Research shows that youngster who are supplied with right toys that are stimulating will help youngsters to more fully grow their physical, cognitive and imaginative powers. By finding which toddler toys are correct for your child, you can help them to induce the associations in their brains that are responsible for building up your child’s future intelligence.

Every parent wants his or her kids to be smart and succeed in life. Everything starts during the toddler years. A toddler toy is the perfect toy in developing your kid’s brain as well as building his physical strength. Children are hungry for knowledge and it is your job as their parents or guardians to do whatever it takes to satisfy this.

Educational game scan proves to be a success under such circumstances. It is a known fact that games and toys help the overall development of a toddler. Toddlers should be given games with basic concepts like sequencing, counting, arranging, and coordinating.

Make a wise decision between quality and price is something that you need to keep in mind when choosing an educational toddler toys for your toddler. Parents now can visit shopWiki.com to find anything and everything for sale on the web. ShopWiki.com will give you a large directory of games, educational toys and games, outdoor and active toys, creative toys and classic kid’s toy store. You can also find toy buying tips and resources at ShopWiki.com.