Independent Activities for 12 Month Olds

Many first time parents do not realize that even very young children can amuse themselves independently. With independent activities they can learn important skills such as hand-eye coordination, creative thinking, and problem solving. Here are some fun activities that children around one year old can do without parental interaction.

1.  Peek-a-boo – You would not think that the facial recognition game could be played alone, but with a little creativity it can be. Paste photos of family members on a lid or other flat cardboard piece. Attach flaps of material to cover the photos. The baby can lift the flaps to see the picture and then cover them back up.

2. Treasure Basket – Fill a box or basket with child-safe products, not toys. Things like ribbons, hair brushes, soft balls, empty bottles and large sea shells. The baby can have fun taking each one out and trying to figure out what they are. They may try to put the ribbon in the bottle, listen to the sea shell and comb their hair.

3. Nesting Objects – Plastic mixing bowls and measuring cups make for a fun and easy to create activity. Babies will love to take out every piece and then try to put them back together in the right order. It will not always work, but it will teach them concepts like spatial recognition.

 

Abc Blocks clipart from Clker.com

4. Cupcake Tin Sorting – This is another easy to create activity. Give the child a cupcake tin and various small (but not dangerous) objects to sort into the tins. Empty toilet paper rolls work well as do plastic Easter eggs. You can also substitute an empty egg carton for the cupcake tin.

5. Threading – Threading can be a great test of children’s hand-eye coordination. For very young children, pipe cleaners work well because they are colorful and stay stiff. Have them thread the pipe cleaners through a bottle with holes in it, a colander, or other objects with holes.

6. Magnets – Babies love to play with magnets. This is a great activity for when you are cooking in the kitchen. Large alphabet magnets at the bottom of the refrigerator will keep baby busy and happy and in your sight.

These are just a few of the ideas for independent activities for your one year old. Children can learn a great deal from independent play and it also gives you a chance to get things done.

Guest post by Paul Taylor. Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare. They take care of all the necessary information related to “babysittingjobs.com/”. He personally thinks his blog will help finding information on all things related to a babysitter. 

Olympic family fun

The Olympics kicks off today and I'm so excited about it being hosted in London this year... even if it does make me a little home sick as I'd have liked to be able to soak up the atmosphere in person as opposed to via the Italian TV coverage. We'll be cheering on both the UK and the Italian athletes over the next couple of weeks though and throwing ourselves into some sporting fun.

The Olympics is a great opportunity to build your kids enthusiasm in sport and to introduce them to new sporting activities. It's also a fantastic way to teach them about world flags, different countries, sporting history and more.

We have several sporting games for the wii and even the Olympic game for the PS2 and have already started having family competitions against each other.

We've made some British and Italian flags for cheering on our athletes in their events and my 4 year old now knows a lot more about different kinds of sports. He's also discovered that he really loves tennis.

I'm taking advantage of it all to teach my kids more about London too. We've looked at pictures and video's of the big sites like Big Ben, the London eye and Tower Bridge. We've talked about the Queen and the rest of the Royal family and looked at photo's of Buckingham Palace. It's been a great opportunity to introduce some new English words into their language too.

The official website for the Olympics is http://www.olympic.org/ which is full of information about this years event and past editions. You can also find some excellent information about this years event at http://www.london2012.com/.

What will you be doing with your kids for the Olympics?

Teaching kids about dental hygiene

It's important for young children to learn how to take care of their teeth to help them maintain a happy, healthy smile for life.

Here's some freebies to teach them about why it's important to take care of their teeth and how to brush correctly:

Teach your kids good dental hygiene with this free printable kids tooth brushing chart. You can even personalise it with your child's name.

Get your free chart from http://www.loveyourteeth.net/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/dental-health/ has a huge range of teeth-tastic projects for kids with everything from 'How to brush' to dental word searches.

http://www.crest.com/crest-kids/eggsperiment.aspx#1 has a fun experiment to show kids the effects of brushing and non-brushing. They even have a printable version available.

http://www.dent.umich.edu/media/teachoralhealth/activities.html has a wide range of activities for promoting dental health. The activities are divided into different age groups too to make it easy to find a suitable one for your child.

Snap happy creativity

Help unleash your child's creativity with a digital camera! One of the great things about digital camera's is that you can take as many pictures as you like. Let their imagination run wild and give them free reign on what pictures to take.

Here's a few of the photo's taken by my 4 year old:

His feet

up close facial

door handle

toy

more toys

even more toys!

Tomato and lettuce plants (we grew from seeds)

It was interesting to see what things he decided to take pictures of and he had great fun playing photographer.

Rainy day activities for kids

The weather is some what unpredictable this time of year but rainy days are pretty common. As we wait for summer to bring with it the warm sunny days, the kids no doubt get restless and bored from being stuck indoors.

Image via WPClipart  

Here's a few ideas to keep them busy:

1. Reading. Let them explore new books and comics. If they're younger read to them and talk about the pictures and characters. 
2. Get them to make their own book or comic. What could be more fun after reading them than to make up their own? If they're stuck for ideas, share some silly family stories. There's bound to be some funny tales that will spark some ideas.
3. Puzzles. A great way for some quiet time fun.
4. Cooking. Pull out some simple recipes and let your kids help out in the kitchen. You could make anything from pizza for dinner to some sweet treats.
5. Colouring. Print off some colouring pages of your kids favourite characters and let them get creative.
6. Indoor camping. Set up a small tent (or let them make their own using a large sheet and chairs or a table). Give them a torch and let the adventures begin!
7. Puppet show. Make your own from old socks and get the kids to put on a show.
8. Teach them a song:

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It's raining, it's pouring,

The old man is snoring,

He went to bed and bumped his head

And couldn't get up in the morning.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away.

Come again some other day.

We want to go outside and play

Come again some other day

Rain on the Green Grass

Rain on the green grass,

and rain on the tree,

And rain on the housetop,

but not on me.

You can find some great ideas in this rain theme activity pack too.

http://www.archjrc.com/preschool/rain.html

If all else fails play in the rain! :)

FREE Easter colouring pages

Want to keep the kids busy with some Easter fun? Here's a few websites where you can print off Easter colouring pages for free:

• At http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter_coloring_pages.htm you'll find a huge selection.

Example colouring page from Activity Village

• At  http://www.coloring.ws/easter.htm you'll find colouring pages divided by object e.g. Bunnies, Chicks and Ducklings, Eggs, etc...

Example colouring page from Colouring.ws

• At http://www.coloringpages.net/easter5.html you'll find quite a wide range of pictures.

Example colouring page from ColoringPages.net

St. Patrick's Day activities for kids

Spread the luck of the Irish today and check out this selection of websites for St. Patrick's Day fun:


http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/st-patricks-day/

http://www.thekidzpage.com/holidays/st-patricks-day/index.html

Your kids will have fun learning about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day with these crafts, recipes, games etc...

Celebrate reading and encourage a love of books

I strongly believe that all kids should be given the opportunity to explore books. Reading is a powerful skill that allows kids to gain knowledge, stimulate their imagination and helps them to deal with their emotions. Reading is also fun. I read to my little ones everyday and they both love books. Cuddling up for story time is quality family time.

World Book Day takes place on 1st March and is a great way to share the love of books with your kids.

What is World Book Day?

World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

This is the 15th year there’s been a World Book Day, and on 1st March children of all ages will come together to appreciate reading. Very loudly and very happily. The main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. That’s why we will be sending schools (including those nurseries and secondary schools that have specially registered to participate), packs of Book Tokens and age-ranged World Book Day Resource Packs (age-ranged into Nursery/Pre-School, Primary and Secondary) full of ideas and activities, display material and more information about how to get involved in World Book Day.

What happens?

Thanks to the generosity of National Book Tokens Ltd, publishers and booksellers, we can send millions of book vouchers to children and young people (more than 14 million, in fact: that’s one for nearly every child aged under eighteen in the country).

Then…

They can take their voucher to a local bookseller and can use it to pick one of EIGHT (exclusive, new and completely free) books. Or, if they’d rather, they can use it to get £1 off any book or audio book costing over £2.99 at a participating bookshop or book club (terms and conditions apply).

How can you get involved?

You can download the new packs here (nursery, primary andsecondary). And please visit our Resources section which is full of exciting and fun new resources based on your favourite books, brands, characters and authors.

It’s all about getting kids closer to the books and authors they already love, and letting them discover more books and authors they’ll love every bit as much in the future.

Contact Us

If you’ve got any questions, problems, ideas or anything to share, whether it’s about your World Book Day book tokens, resources, display materials or anything else, the World Book Day Helpline is only a phonecall or an email (or even a fax) away. Please get in touch.

Email wbd@education.co.uk

Phone 01634 729810

Fax 01634 290175

Free Valentine's Day Printable for kids

I found this great free printable at http://overthebigmoon.blogspot.com/2012/01/valentines-day-pre-k-pack.html that you can use for a fun way to teach your child this Valentine's Day.

Included in this Pre-K Pack is:

Prewriting Practice Sheets - Cutting Practice - Which one is different?

Finish the Pattern Sheet - Size Sequencing Sheet -Valentine Strip Puzzle

4-piece Puzzles - Sorting Practice - Counting Practice Cards

Color the Heart -  Letter and Sound Finding Cards

2-Part Vocabulary Cards - Shadow Matching

Letter Vv Identification - Valentine Matching

 Valentine Magnet Sheet - Letter Vv Sorting Page

10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Entertained in Waiting Rooms

It’s a common problem for all parents. You’re in a waiting room or quiet area and your children are fidgeting, making noise and being a distraction for those around you. It’s not uncommon because children area eager to learn and are constantly seeking stimulation. With this in mind, there are several ways to keep your children entertained. From older techniques to relying on new technology, your children will be well-behaved as they learn and stay focused on anything except for how bored they are!

Here are 10 techniques to help you entertain your active children:

1. Read. It may sound crazy but when you find the right book—especially for children who can read on their own—the power of a story can keep children entertained for hours. If they aren’t of reading age, consider book on tape that you can purchase and transfer to an inexpensive mp3 player. Children love to feel ownership, so having their very own media player may be just the trick to keep them entertained and excited.
2. Card games. Bring along card games or other simple travel games for the waiting room. Many children’s games are very simple and portable. For example, you may find a simple game of matching cards to be just enough to keep your children entertained.
3. Other games. Have you ever played “20 questions” or “I spy” with your young child? Not only will these games keep them entertained, they can be a great learning tool for your young child. Ask your children to talk and engage with you.
4. Drawing and/or coloring. You’d be amazed with a plain piece of paper and a pen and/or crayons will do for a creative child. Children are naturally creative and giving them the opportunity to create their own masterpiece can keep them entertained for quite some time. Remember, it’s important to reward their creativity by admiring their work and displaying it proudly. The more you encourage this type of creativity, the more likely they will be to want to engage this this activity in the future.
5. Applications and games. Today, smart phones allow us to connect at rates that are astonishing. Although we think of these phones as ways for adults to communicate, there are many games and applications that are designed to keep children of all ages entertained. From Fruit Ninja to Angry Birds, children love to have something to interact with. Download these inexpensive games and keep your children entertained for hours.
6. Stuffed animals and action figures. Children have unbelievable creative minds. Allow their imaginations to run wild with simple toys. The trick is to really engage with your children and ask them questions. Make them know that you are interested and they will stay excited about nearly any activity.
7. Online television. Whether you have a portable television or a smartphone application, try streaming children’s television shows via your smartphone. Services like Comcast allow you to stream movies instantly, for example.
8. Ask your children to tell you a story. You’d be amazed how entertained your children will be making up a story of their own.
9. Homework. Yes, we had to throw this one in there. Children of school-going ages likely have a lot of work to do. The waiting room is a perfect, quiet place for them to get a leg up and ask you questions on homework assignments.
10. Learning. Yes, you’d be surprised what you can teach your children when you have designated alone time. Whether it is at home or in the waiting room, try to capitalize on these moments when you can connect with your child and ask them engaging questions.

Do you have any of your own ideas to share on how to keep the little ones entertained while waiting?

Guest post: Kara Taylor is a freelance writer and a big fan of internet on the go

Rome with kids

Travel with kids is often stressful and Rome is not known for being a child-friendly destination but the Italian Capital has a lot to offer.

The fact that a lot of the monuments are completely free and can be found just by walking around the city means adults can enjoy the must see sights without forcing boring hours of waiting in lines on the children.

The Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Piazza Navona, Panetheon and Roman Forum to name just a few.

If the kids have seen enough churches and museums take them to the Explora Childrens Museum in Via Flamina which is specially designed for kids to learn through play and has some great hands on experiments and other activities for them to do (Check the website http://www.mdbr.it/ for full details).

Rome is blessed with several parks that make fantastic get aways from the hussle and bussle of the city streets and offer open spaces for fun and games. Villa Borghese is right in the centre (close the the Spanish Steps) and has rides, bike hire, puppet shows and much more. 

If you're just after a quick break from sight seeing why not take them to one of the many play areas situated around the city. Piazza Re di Roma (near san Giovanni) has one as does Piazza Celimontana (near the Colosseum) and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (near Termini).

When going to new places, everyone should try to learn a bit of the language and even very young children can learn to say a few basic words like "ciao" (hello/goodbye) and " Grazie" (Thank you). They'll love the positive react it gets them from the locals!

Italian for Tourists is the perfect book to take with you as it covers only the stuff you need to know and is simple enough for the whole family to use and understand. It's now available in various formats so you can even download a copy to your iphone or ipad from www.ibookstore.com and have it as an easy to use reference tool when out and about in the City.

Little tricks to make Christmas extra special for your little angels.

As Christmas 2010 approaches children everywhere start to wonder about what presents they might find under the tree and whether Father Christmas will come and visit them. Bearing this in mind, December is a great time of year for gaining more control over their actions and getting them to behave themselves. It will be much easier to get them to do their chores if they think their stocking might be empty if they don't.

Christmas is also a magical time for children and allows for numerous craft projects and other ways to stimulate your childs creativity and imagination.

Here's a few ideas you might like to try:


Make Your Own Free Personalized Letters from Santa 

Free Christmas Activities, Puzzles and Crafts for Kids
  
Christmas Decorations for Kids: Free Holiday Printable Crafts for Children

Christmas crafts for kids

Free Christmas colouring pages can be found at:
 
http://free-coloring-pages.com/christmas.html 

http://coloringpages.net/christmas.html

http://freechristmascoloring.com/

http://www.thekidzpage.com/christmas/colouring.htm

http://www.freeprintablecoloringpages.net/category/Christmas

or download these directly:

Other sites you might find useful:

http://ministry-to-children.com/christmas-ideas/


http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmas_page.htm