Playdough Letter Press Activity

I have been doing this activity with Zoe for the past couple of months and she shrieks when ever she sees mom with playdough and alphabet cutouts. I took inspiration for this activity from Playdough to Plato

You would need Play-dough, alphabets (magnetic, wooden, plastic any kind of alphabets cutouts), I also use a tray but this is optional. 

Zoe loves playing with her phonics and numbers, she loves play-dough as well so this was a sure-shot hit for her. For Zoe I just use random alphabets and numbers because she is still too young to understand sight words. I add lots of playdough on the tray, I use a lighter colour (as you can see in the picture) so that the letter traced is easily visible. The moment Zoe prints a letter she goes "Momma, look what Zoe made". She can easily stay busy with Letter Press Activity for a few minutes at a go... which is huge for a preschooler.

For older kids, one can use this activity to make them understand sight words.

Alphabet Art-Vowels

When your child is learning phonetics/alphabets at school, doing a little activity built around that particular alphabet can help reinforce their foundation. Help them make something fun that will also make them remember that alphabet better.

Here are a few ideas for vowels that you could work their craft time around.

A for Ant

Top Picks - Kid's Artwork Display

Artwork is Zoe's favorite word after Stories... since she has started school, she brings a new masterpiece almost every single day. She is so excited about her artwork that I love discussing them with her. I make sure I not only keep her artwork securely. I also write small notes for everything I add in the file. I write whatever Z tells me about her creation. I know I'm not alone, you, as a parent must be looking for creative ideas to store the piece of art your little one has created. 

Reduce, reuse and recycle your trash into fun crafts!

This week Zefan learnt the alphabet “R” in school and as a standard procedure they have a “show & tell” time in class for the particular alphabet they have learnt. This activity basically reinforces the sound of that alphabet in a practical manner using tangible material. The children were asked to make simple things using recycled material, this helped them in two ways-one it supports the alphabet “R” and two, it teaches them the importance of recycling in a fun & interesting way.  

Activities for High Energy Kids

Is your child a bundle of energy?

Keeping him in one place even if it’s for a few minutes makes you want to pull your hair?

Colouring does not interest him?

Is your living room always a mess?

Are the pillows being used as trampoline?

Does the bathroom look like it has been hit by a hurricane?

Craft activities are a big No-NO?

If the answers to all these questions are YES, then jump on board the “Mom to a spirited child wagon”.  Let’s take a minute, ladies & give yourself an extra pat on your back because as a parent of an energy ball you're working harder than any other parent whose child is simply not as intense, relentless, and resounding as yours. Your child is just more of everything.

Have you got a TaleInAMail Yet?

At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book – that string of confused, alien ciphers – shivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader. - Alberto Manguel

Books... Books... Books. All parents love seeing their kids evolve as readers... but who will tells us...

Which Books do we choose?

How to read books?

What is age appropriate for my child?

I'm too busy, how can I make sure 

my child gets regular supply of books?

Till the time I understand what my child likes

s/he has already outgrown those books...

HELP.... 

“QUICK” Weekend fun with kids

It’s a crazy-crazy world & we are all running against time-running to meet deadlines professionally, personally, socially, etc. Time is at a premium and we all feel awful for not being able to spend enough time with our loved ones. Here are a few quick family activities that take less than 3 hours of time, yet are extremely high up on the fun quotient. 

Top Picks Jungle Theme Birthday

A little bit of roar and some tweet tweet tweet… Here grunts with a hoot meet - the rhyme might not be great, what do you think I made this up right now… but a Jungle Theme Party is just right for your little monkey. This theme is perfect for your kid as young as a year old and there is no upper limit really... all kids love animals. 

Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake

My boy loves to bake & despite the exercise being messy I am not complaining. Infact I take his interest as an opportunity for various things-listing a few of them below (Yes, I agree I am in love with organizing anything & everything neatly. Borderline OCD..!! Well Kinda)

15 Hollywood Classics (and some not so old) you can watch with your kids

I keep a strict tab on how much time Zoe spends in front of the TV. I have a list of English movies I want to watch with her. These movies are ones that I have grown up loving and I want Zoe to experience the magic. You can also pick these up and have a great time with your little one.

Kids Birthday Checklist

If you are planning to organize your kid's birthday party and intend to do most of the things yourself... then a detailed Birthday Checklist would help you organize better. It would also keep you sane, with a nice checklist you can avoid undue stress.

It is easier to hand over the preparations to an expert. Someone who can easily delegate all the tasks to their efficient team... but there would be something missing, a personal touch maybe.

I have been a pro at organizing events (yeah I'm saying that myself :)) both at home and at work during pre-Zoe days. I prepared this list when we threw my nephew's 1st birthday party. I took the list out, it's been more than 3 years since I last used it. I tweaked it a little and thought of sharing it with you guys... You might want to change it a bit to suit your needs but this would come real handy for sure. I started organizing the party from October for a party in December, so we divided the list into various sections. Things to do 2 months before, 1 month before, 3 weeks before, 2 weeks before, a week before, 3 days before and on the Day.

We have tried to incorporate as much as we could think of, if you think there is something missing, do let me know and we'll be happy to add.

To print the picture, click on the image, and print it in the original size.

Printable - Free Book Label (3 Different Themes)

School has started and a new session means new books/notebooks, new books mean covering them with brown paper and colorful labels... As a kid we always got excited about new books and new name labels. I remember, buying books and covering them was one of the best part of my schooling years.

Bangalore... Are you ready for the Candy Bazar???

Candy Bazar 2013 is a one of its kind, children's shopping event in Bangalore being held on 22nd June 2013 at the Hotel Lalit Ashok. A beautiful journey for kids & parents, with products ranging from kids-wear, toys, gifts, kids’ room décor, accessories and whole lot of exclusive creations for your little ones, from all across the country.

Indoor Summer Fun - Top Picks

Summer Vacations have started in many parts of the country, and in the other parts it’s just less than a month away. We as parents try to keep summer holidays fun and action packed, we dread our kids uttering those words “Mommy, I’m bored”. Trips, summer camps and activities unfortunately do not last for 2 long months. Stepping out of the comforts of your house is not always possible, playing in the park or garden is restricted to early morning or couple of hours in the evening. Obviously you don’t want the kid sitting in front of the idiot box or the laptop, day in and day out. Zoe hasn’t started school yet (she starts in June 2013) but I have already started my research on what kind of indoor activities I can involve Zoe in when she has her holidays.

Music and your Little One!

When we are really in a bad state of mind, music has the ability to make our mood better instantly. Children are no different… Infants and toddlers enjoy and benefit from music as much as adults do. Research suggests ‘Exposing young children to music for few years help improve their adult brain. Introducing some form of music in childhood goes a long way in improving how the brain functions in adulthood when it comes to listening and the complex processing of sound’ according to a new Northwestern University study.

Music tends to have a positive effect on children… their entire learning … like comprehension, expression, vocabulary, listening ability. Music also has an amazing effect on your child’s social and emotional development, besides others.

Kukucrate – “REVIEW“

 

All those who have been following Momsters know that we are very particular about engaging our kids in age-appropriate activities. Weekends give us all the more reason to indulge in some activity as a family that Zoe/Zefan will benefit from. Zoe loves colors and she loves helping her mom and dad in whatever craft activities we do. She does end up messing the project and herself up, but I strongly believe it’s all worth it.

When Charu Agarwal (the person behind Kukucrate) contacted Momsters to do a review for their product, I was super excited. Their boxes offer theme based, hands-on learning projects designed for kids between 3-8 years. Though Zoe is just 2.3 years old but I wanted to see her reaction, and boy… did she have fun or what. It was more work on her parents part and less on hers but she loved being with us, inspecting what we did. 

Finger Paint fun with your Toddler

I can not call myself cleanliness freak. I do like a nice clean house but mess makes me go mad and now after living with a kid for more than 2 years I have mastered the art of ignoring the mess. I still try to keep the house as organized as possible. 

I strongly believe not everything messy is bad, some of it is good; like they say "Daag acche hain". When this mess helps your little one learn something new, it sure is VERY GOOD. One such activity is finger painting, I'm a huge fan of finger painting... I started finger painting with Zoe when she was 15 months old, both of us totally love it. We were engrossed in some finger painting over the past weekend and I thought a post on Finger painting would be just right

Fun "Clean Up Time"

Cleaning up after a fun day of play probably tops your preschooler’s “Things I Don’t Like to Do List.” Till they are toddlers, they love to clean up, but once they've had enough they try to avoid it totally. However, getting your little one to clean up their play area/room is not only about getting him/her to clean the place & keep everything back in the place it belongs. A simple “Clean-up” time helps children improve their self-esteem. 

When children are constantly being told negatives like “no” or “can’t,” their self-esteem suffers. With the implementation of positive discipline techniques, children’s self-esteem benefits. They’re also learning self-discipline. As children are being taught to clean up, they are learning to put things away if they want to bring something else out. They’re also learning to control their behavior. Children can easily get overwhelmed with activities and the number of items to use. Controlling themselves to not bring out every possible toy is part of learning from positive discipline. By cleaning up, children also get a sense of responsibility, a sense of ownership of the space they are taking care of. 

Bumble Box by Yellow Bumble - "REVIEW"

How many of us always keep juggling between various activity classes for our kids. At times we have to choose between art, craft or a story telling session. Kids and parents both love getting involved in a whole lot of activities. Parents love seeing their kids perform different things. Kids on the other hand get to do different stuff and stay away from getting bored.

The fact is kids can only get involved in one thing at a time... Right? Well before experiencing the Bumble Box even we were of this opinion. Things changed when we received the Bumble Box (a huge thanks to Yellow Bumble) and we actually experienced it.

Make Road Trips Fun - Part 2

As promised Momsters are back with the second part of our Road Trips posts. While part - I dealt with basics, the second part of the post is full of practical tips. 

When you take a road-trip with alone with your baby, you will have to multitask. Driving and entertaining can be quite a task. If you are lucky to have another adult traveling with you, one of you can act as the child entertainer, while the other drives. If both of you can drive, try switching the duties, this will give the both of you a much needed break. 

If you talk about food, it is an extremely important part of any road trip. If you do not want to stop at a road side food joint or Dhaaba, you will have to carry food to keep everyone in the car well-fed.