I fear I’m going to disappoint you by not including a long list of recommendations. My focus, as with all our advice at 100 Toys, is to empower you to make your own choices. And that means showing you what to look for rather than giving a list of specific titles (though there are a […]
How to choose the right book for your child Read More »
Sometimes you want to draw a picture. And you want it to look like something. A picture to give to Grandma that she can hang on her wall. Something like this, perhaps: But that’s not what young children usually do. Usually, they are caught up in the moment, playing with the materials, seeing what they
Take a water bottle. Add some water and food dye: And some vegetable oil: Oil and water don’t mix, which makes for a nice effect when you shake it: You can get even bigger bubbles if you cool the liquid in the fridge. It’s a DIY lava lamp. Watch the oil as it circulates and
Here in England the summer holidays are underway and the days are long. If, like me, you’re looking for cheap (i.e. free!) ways to entertain your child over the next few weeks, I’ve created a daily series of play tips you might find helpful. I’ve set myself three constraints: The materials must be common enough
Elastic band activities Read More »
Does your child ever help to hang up the washing? If you’ve got an outdoor line you will have discovered what a challenge of co-ordination and fine motor skills it is to use a clothes peg. But like the scissor skills we talked about in the second email of this series, squeezing a peg to
Washing Line Activities Read More »
It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but Week 27 | Scissor Skills is one of my favourite Get Set Five modules. It’s a bit nerdy, and probably goes into more detail than is strictly necessary, but it also gets to the heart of something important: Why do preschool teachers offer so many opportunities for cutting
The importance of scissors skills in early learning Read More »
Salt dough is play dough’s permanent cousin. Take out the oil, add some salt, shape and bake it. It’s that simple! In no time at all you have ornaments and decorations to paint and display. Easy salt dough recipe You will need: It’s important to use plain flour as self-raising will puff up in the
What’s the best way to teach maths to under 5s? The concrete-representational-abstract model. It sounds complicated but the idea is simple: play with physical objects to get a feel for number. But before we examine it in more detail, let’s look at how not to do it. The wrong way to teach maths Think about all those
The Concrete – Representational – Abstract Model Read More »
Do you ever wonder what your child’s drawings are about? Do you look at them and think they’re a bit messy? Do you wish she would draw something figurative? Happily, understanding children’s drawings is easy. All you need is a basic grasp of graphic schemas. My youngest is now four. Here is something she produced this week:
Understanding children’s drawings using schemas Read More »
You’ll often hear me say that children learn through play, that you should provide open-ended materials to encourage exploration and discovery. But it’s not completely true. There’s a more powerful and primitive force at work that shapes your child’s learning long before she starts to experiment with paint or collage, blocks or natural materials: Imitation.
Imitation in childhood | How your child learns and how you can help Read More »