Family ZoneWelcome to the Family Zone! Here you will find a variety of kid and family friendly resources including local activities, home crafts and kid friendly recipes, as well as the latest news about Lilybug Learning. If you would like to contribute to making this a better resource for kids and families in our local communities you can add your own content to this website by becoming a registered member.
Before adjusting the straps, make sure the helmet fits. Ideally you should be able to adjust the snugness so it doesn't fall off with straps unbuckled. Next, get the angle correct. The front of the helmet should be low on the forehead, not jauntily at the hairline or down in their eyes. Your child should see the brim of the helmet when he/she looks up with their eyes.The straps should be even, and each make a "V" with the bottoms just below their ears. Finally, and this is the hard part, snug up the straps so that only 1-2 fingers can fit, and so that your child can feel the straps tighten when opening their mouth fully.That last part is hard for kids with sensory issues, who are resistant to helmets in general, who are used to loose straps, or who have been pinched in the past. Oh, the guilt I have about the times I've pinched Drew buckling her helmet. She won't let me forget it. Be very cautious when buckling, have them look up and close their mouth, and use your own finger as a "pinchguard". Then gradually snug up the straps a bit more with each ride. Need a quick 1-2-3 helmet fit test? Just remember the eyes, ears, and mouth part. When it's cold out, the models with ear flaps are great, but you can also use a hoodie top or thin wool cap to keep little heads and ears warm. Bulky hats and hoods interfere with helmet fit, though.In the category of "safety advice based on ultra-rare occurences", the safety people would like me to warn you that bike helmets are not for general play, especially on playground equipment, where a handful of children have snagged their helmet dropping through narrow spaces. Starting young, letting your child help pick the helmet, modeling helmet wearing yourself, and being consistent about their usage may reduce helmet battles. In your house, that is, not online. Making a pinwheel is a great craft project for parents to do with your kids.It takes less than five minutes to make once you've gathered your supplies. This short video will guide you through making one with your children step by step.
Supplies You Will Need
Children can usually begin to recognize alphabet letters at the ages of 2 and 3.Children need to learn the alphabet letters in sequence and must also be able to recognize the letters out of sequence.Children need to learn the sounds of the alphabet letters.Each toddler has a different learning ability.Make learning fun and let your child learn at his or her own pace.Teach your toddler on a regular basis. Go over the alphabet everyday.Keep learning sessions short and fun. Examples of Alphabet Teaching Techniques Introduce one alphabet letter at a time. You can start at the beginning with the letter A. Show your toddler what the letter A looks like and sounds like. Once your child has learned to recognize the letter A, you can make a game of spotting the letter A in the objects around. You might, for example, try to find objects that start with an A or try to spot an A in videos, writings or other printed materials. Once your toddler is perfectly familiar with the letter A, you can start with the letter B. Advance further only after your toddler can tell the difference between A and B. AT Lilybug Learning we play I Spy with our alphabet it an easy game that we can even take game on the road around the community. After we have mastered a few intial letters we like to play letter scramble where the children sort , identify and order the letters in sequence. As with any learning technique remember to use your imagaination when trying to find new and exciting was to teach and implement new lessons. 1. When should my child begin potty training? Most children ideally are ready to start potty training between the ages of two and three. However some eager children may show signs of early interest. This interest at the younger ages tend to ween off rather quickly and your focused attempts may be futile if started too soon. Some signs to look for are :
Your needs or desires to start this process may be further along than your child's desire or skill set. Like any process, it takes time and a great deal of patience. 2. How do I get my child to use the potty? Introduce your child to the potty explaining what it is used for and how it works. Encourage them to sit on it whenever they want. Practice daily with them, asking if they need to go and walk them to the potty, going through the process fully each time. You can even make the entire event fun, with songs, rewards and positive attention. 3. How to I get my child to use the actual toilet? Once your child has master the potty or you can graduate to the seat adapter to make a smoother tranistions. Note some parents may choose to skip the first the potty altogether, you know your child best but remember be flexible as your child's needs may change.
2) Make it fun! Learning and teaching should be fun, make your learning opportunities play based. Use your imagination and your toddler's imagination too! 3) Practice, practice, practice, repetition helps to reinforce concepts and skills. 4) Interactive and hands are the best activities for toddlers and preschool age children. 5) Routine is key, A routine that you follow at every lesson not only saves you planning time, but is comfortable for the child. 6) Be flexible learning does not need to be so formalized or structured at this age it is important to be open to what ever happens, you never know what learning or lesson may present itself. Every moment presents an opportunity to grow. Using Puzzles with Toddlers is a great learning tool, here is why... When children work on puzzles, they are actually "putting the pieces together" in more ways than one. Puzzles help children build the skills they need to read, write, solve problems, and coordinate their thoughts and actions—all of which they will use in school and beyond. Find a puzzle with a picture that has particular interest for your child, and you may help her begin to recognize colors and letters, and come to realize that the sum of parts make up a whole—a concept that will help her with math later on. By inserting pieces into the puzzle, children also develop the muscle group used for writing, or the "pincer" grasp. Children can work on puzzles by themselves, without the help of adults or other children. They can also work together on large puzzles and practice compromising and getting along. Because each child must concentrate on the puzzle individually, he experiences a sense of satisfaction as he picks up a piece, rotates it, and discovers the spot in which it fits. Piece by piece, he begins to recognize the picture that the puzzle represents. Good quality puzzles are a good investment because children can use them year after Make sure puzzles are suited for each child's age and abilities. Two year olds, for example, will enjoy putting in pieces and taking them back out just as much as they will enjoy fitting them into the right spot. Toddlers enjoy three or four-piece wooden puzzles. As they grow and learn to rotate pieces to match holes and find pieces that fit, they can handle increasingly complex puzzles. Three-year-olds still enjoy puzzles with single knobs on each piece, but they can also work on puzzles with five to eight pieces. Four-year-olds will enjoy knobless puzzles with familiar scenes and characters. They can handle 12 to 18-piece puzzles. Five-year-olds can handle As children reach school age, they will enjoy more complex puzzles of 50–100 pieces or more. All family members may gather around the table top to help children put the pieces together. Puzzles should be well-made and appealing to the child. The younger the child, the more she will benefit from large, recognizable pieces to help her complete a picture.Good puzzles may show pictures of food, cars and trucks, animals, boys and girls, nursery rhymes and scenes from story books. Young children better understand figures made of simple shapes like circles, triangles and squares. Watch for missing pieces or damage to puzzles. Puzzles should offer a challenge to children, but they should also be solvable. Nothing is more frustrating to a child than trying to complete a puzzle with a missing piece. Puzzles can provide formallearning experiences. Teachers may work closely with children to help them learn to solve problems through puzzles. Puzzles also help teachers observe children and assess their development. While children work alone or in groups, teachers can monitor the way they speak, move, and concentrate.
Researchers have long recognized that it's far easier to acquire second and third languages at a young age. And they also know that learning two languages gives children intellectual skills that extend into other areas like reading and math, possibly even increasing IQ. Even without any of the other benefits, though, this is just a great way for infants and toddlers to have their needs met before they can verbalize those needs. Teaching baby and toddler sign language is similar to teaching a second language to a child. Even as your child begins to talk more, you may still encourage the continued use of sign language. It is a legitimate language and having the skill throughout life gives your son or daughter an additional qualification for securing employment in the future! If you look ahead, the potential is unlimited. Flashcards are a simple and effective way to teach young children letters, numbers and words. Here I share techniques to make your child's learning experience positive and effective. Five Tips for Using Flashcards
When using flashcards you will be encouraging your child to learn and store the information early on when learning to read, talk and recognise words. Education is important and by starting early with early learning flashcards, you are giving your child the necessary tools they'll need when starting school. |
I'm going to bypass any helmet debate here and just assume that if you're putting a helmet on your child then you're doing so wanting it to be effective, rather than to satisfy the letter of the local law. If so, please, please, please snug up those straps! There are SO many kids out there with dangling helmet straps. That leaves the helmet next-to-useless in a crash, where it will slip off the part of the body you're hoping to protect, and possibly harmful, if the helmet were to catch on something and get pulled behind your child's head.
A few things to keep in mind:
1) Make it simple, tasks that are too complex are frustrating and children loose interest when frustrated. Age and stage appropriate activities are essential when teaching.
Baby and toddler sign language can fill the vocabulary gaps and make it easier for your child to communicate. This is emotionally and intellectually satisfying for both parents and their toddlers. There is ample research to show that signing not only works for communicating before verbal communication is possible, it also increases verbal skills and vocabulary.
