Seeking Board Games for Preschoolers? (No, It's Not Hi Ho Cherry-O)

My husband and I love board games! Naturally, we thought it would be a good family bonding activity with our little girl also and started to look into games that she could play.

We started with the typical Snakes and Ladders. It's easy and has a lot of variations (Mickey Mouse, Princess, etc.) at the toy store so it's easy to find a set that your child will appreciate. The game teaches kids the basics of counting, taking turns, and winning/losing graciously.

The next step was a bit harder. We wanted something more challenging, but still apt for our preschooler's level. I chanced upon Monopoly Junior Party at the toy store and this proved to be the answer for us (at least, for now). Instead of properties, players buy parties that cost 1-5 money. The denomination of the money is all 1's. With uber-simplified game rules, cupcake tokens, and a party box in place of railroads - this game is just right for preschoolers. It taught my daughter to count faster and further ingrained the concepts of taking turns. The chance cards encouraged her to read and already she's starting to show interest in the original version of the Monopoly game.

Dominoes was another sure hit with our little girl. We got it when she just turned 3. At the time, she was more interested in building houses with it. We tried again now that she's about to turn four. She finally understands the concept of the game and it's become one of our favorite (and fun!) family activities. There are a lot of versions available, we bought the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse one that features the faces of the characters (instead of just the dots). There is a Do-It-Yourself Dora version available online at the NickJr website.

Top (and free!) 5 iPad Apps for My Preschooler

Wow...it's been a little over two months since my last post - a testament that the life of a SAHM and/or WAHM can get very hectic! Let's see if I can make up for lost time... ;-)

My husband and I got an iPad for our anniversary and despite our noble intentions to try to limit the time our curious little girl spends with it (we still believe in active play, or at least, that's what we try to tell ourselves as we attempt to pry her little fingers from it so we can collect coins at the Snoopy Fair!), we can't help but give in to her at least a couple of hours a day. If nothing else, it's a sure-fire way to get her up in time for her morning classes!

As much as I'd like to stick to the educational apps, I have to admit that they're not very appealing - especially if they're free. Despite being on numerous "Top 10" lists out there, a lot these are repetitive, with bad graphics, and let's face it - downright boring for our kids. Here are a few gems I've discovered that I find to be appropriate edutainment for my tot's age (and best of all, you don't need to pay a cent!):

(1) Colormixer - this is one of the first ones we got and we love it! Kids are only given buckets of primary colors to work with that they have to mix to get new colors (e.g., red and blue make purple) for the app's coloring page. It's a great way for preschoolers to learn about color combinations.

(2) Mickey Mouse Road Rally - this free app from Disney features the full-length film in interactive format. Your tot will help Mickey Mouse and his friends solve puzzles to reach the finish line - a must have for any die-hard Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan! If your child is leaning more towards Jake and the Neverland Pirates, there's a free educational app featuring this show's characters too!

(3) My Little Pony by Ruckus Reader - this app comes with a free eBook featuring the adorable Twilight Sparkle and all her friends from the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic generation. The app reads out the words to your emerging reader and includes a "sticker page" at the end for free play.

(4) Barbie I Can Be - does your little girl want to be a baker, veterinarian, or pizza maker? This simple app will give her a dose of what it's like to be all three!

(5) Barbie Fashionista - if your daughter loves dress up games, there are numerous Hello Kitty and Princess Dress Up games out there, but Barbie Fashionista by far surpasses all. Skip the part about needing a ring/accessory - you don't need it to use the basic dress up app, which gives you a choice of more than a dozen barbie dolls and hundreds of combinations for clothes, shoes, hair, and accessories. I was planning to buy my girl the actual Barbie doll with the closet, but with this app, I may no longer need to. This is just the thing for all little girls who want to play dress up - and for moms who still wish they had their Barbie collection!

Paper Dolls and Worksheets

Just want to share a couple of great finds:

(1) WORKSHEETS and REVIEWERS

Visit school.ph for worksheets for both preschool and elementary kids. Covering all major subjects, these worksheets are made by moms for moms "to help their children do well in school." Registration is FREE (though premium membership is available for full access to worksheets and the answer keys) so you have nothing to lose by trying it out. The worksheets are in PDF format so all you need is an Adobe Reader and a printer and you're good to go!

(2) PAPER DOLLS

My daughter has just hit the paper doll mania stage. If you've gone through this with your kid, you've probably also experiences that one, teensy weensy annoying thing about paper dolls in general - as cute as they are, the clothes just don't stay on with those flimsy paper tabs! WS Pacific Publications (also known as Learning is Fun) solves this with paper dolls that have small lots for the tabs to go through, which prevents the clothes from sliding off. Their Princess Sticker and Activity Book comes with two such paper dolls. Although they only have a couple of dolls, clothes, and accessories, you can also pick up a copy of the mermaid, fairy, and ballerina editions in order to mix and match. At less than ~P80 each, you can buy the whole set at SM Department Store and still get more for your money than the flimsy Disney Princess counterpart. Each book also comes with stickers and activities (including puppets, connect-the-dots, etc.). I bought one to keep my daughter busy during our 1-hour flight to Cebu. It worked like a charm and all the dresses and accessories stayed on for the duration of the trip.

Rainy Day Activities for the Active Toddler

Rainy days + Active toddlers = Stressed Out Mommies!

Here are some activities to keep toddlers busy while waiting for Mr. Sun to reappear (assuming that you don't want your TV tuned to Disney Junior all day):

(1) RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT. When you shout "Green Light", your toddler is free to run around. When you shout "Red Light", he/she has to freeze until you say "Green Light" again. My daughter loves this game and it does come in handy. Once, my tot was running straight for disaster and wouldn't stop no matter what we shouted. I finally screamed, "RED LIGHT!!!" and she automatically froze.

(2) HUNT AND GATHER. Arm your tot with a basket or bucket and have him/her gather toy bugs, fruits/vegetables, easter eggs, etc. (depending on what toys are readily available) that you have scattered (or hidden) around the house. You can have your toddler count or identify the objects along the way.

(3) BUILD A FORT. Tie a blanket to some furniture to make a makeshift tent/fort so your child can have a pretend campout within your home! Note that if you do this once, your tot will likely ask you to do it again and again. Proceed with caution unless you're cool with seeing a blanket draped over your furniture every now and then.

(4) GET CRAFTY. It can be something as simple as getting out the crayons, paint, and coloring books, or an arts and crafts project (Want more? Check out Toddler Craft). This is a good opportunity to bond with your child. I often sit quietly and paint/color along with my tot. It's a great way to wind down and de-stress.

(5) HIDE AND SEEK. Nothing beats a classic! Have your child close his/her eyes and count to ten while you find a suitable hiding place. Then the search begins! This teaches your child to wait patiently and practice counting skills while engaging in fun and active play. If your toddler is too young, you might want to consider having someone guide him/her through the process of the game.

(6) HOP ABOARD! Have your tot hold on to your waist and march around the house as you pretend to be a boat, plane, train, or car. Sing songs (i.e., Row, Row Your Boat) as you move along. Grab Daddy, Granny, Yaya, or whoever you pass by to make a longer (and merrier!) line.

(7) DANCE! Crank up the music and let loose! Bring out some toy instruments (maracas, castanets, tambourine, drums) to add to the fun.

(8) HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES, and TOES. Another classic activity that helps your tot learn about body parts. Click here for the music and lyrics for this and other popular children's songs.

(9) THUMB THROUGH OLD PHOTO ALBUMS. Take this time to reminisce and teach your toddler about your family as you show him/her your family photos.

(10) READ A BOOK. If you haven't had the time to sit down and read to your child, now is the perfect time to do so. :)

Have fun, hang loose, and don't worry - the sun will shine again!

I Have Two Hands...I Can Help Clean Up!

Cleaning up after oneself is a good habit to teach early on, one that will surely benefit your tot (and you!) as he/she grows older. You can start by having your toddler pack away his/her toys before moving on to another activity (or tuning in to Nick Jr and Disney Jr). Always have him/her assist you or the yaya in keeping toys and books after playtime. If you are finding it difficult to engage your child in something as mundane as cleaning up, you can turn it into a game and eventually, he/she will get into the habit of packing up. Here are some tips to help your toddler get in the swing of things:

 (1) Sing a special song for cleaning up. You can look up these tunes that may already be familiar to your child:

Barney's version (Let's Go To The Firehouse): Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere; Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share

Dora's version (Dora Saves The Mermaids): Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! Everyone everywhere!

Gymboree version: This is the way we pack away, pack away, pack away. This is the way we pack away here at [Gymboree] -> instead of "Gymboree", you can change to "[child's name] house"

(2) Make a game of it. Have your toddler toss the balls into a basket. Challenge him/her to arrange her toys by type, color, or size.

(3) Engage in pretend play. My daughter pretends that her table and boxes make up a "toy store" and her bookshelf is a "book store". She has to properly arrange the items she "sells" and "buys".

(4) Teach your child to pack away gently (i.e., do not throw) so that the toys and books remain in good condition.

(5) Do as you teach. Help him/her pack away and show him/her that you also clean up after work or play.

Toddler Activity - Learn About Days and Weather

Here's a daily bonding activity between you and your toddler. It will only take a few minutes at most and will help him or her learn about the days of the week and the weather.

[1] You will need two magnets.

[2] Print out the image and stick to your fridge.

[3] Every morning, guide your toddler in placing a magnet in the appropriate day slot.

[4] Then, have your toddler look out the window and observe the weather. Guide him or her in placing a magnet on top of the appropriate weather symbol.

[5] Repeat everyday until your toddler familiarizes himself/herself with the days of the week and the weather. You can also have him/her spell out the letters of each day to practice identifying uppercase and lowercase letters.

CAUTION: Do not use small magnets that can be swallowed. Always keep an eye on toddlers when handling magnetic objects.

There's ABC and then there's abc

If you're starting to teach your toddler lowercase letters, you might want to consider using Kumon's ABC's Write and Wipe Lowercase Letters. This pack of flash cards represents each of the letters of the alphabet in lowercase format. Each card has the letter on one side and a sample word and picture on the other side. What differentiates it from other flash cards is that the letter side follows a tracing format using broken / dashes lines, which toddlers can attempt to follow using a pen (included in the pack). Once done, you can use the eraser (attached to the pen) to erase and have your toddler try again! The letters are quite big, perfect for first time writing attempts and the reusability factor is a must when dealing with kids this young. My only gripe is that the pictures are not colored, so it's difficult to identify some of them. Also while most cards feature a word that starts with the given letter, X is the exception - it shows the word "OX", which confused my child at first given the consistent pattern of the other cards. They could have used xylophone, at least.

Still, I'm satisfied with using the cards to practice lowercase letter recognition, writing, and spelling/reading. This pack of cards and other Kumon products are available locally, at Fully Booked.

Toddler's First Puzzles: The Next Step

So your toddler's mastered 3pc, 4pc, 5pc, and 6pc puzzles - what's next? Don't make that eager trip to Hobbes just yet! 24 pc puzzles and beyond may still be too much to handle for your little puzzle master. Thankfully, there is a puzzle between 6pc and 24pc - a 15 pc puzzle! I discovered this type of puzzle at the toy section of Landmark Department Store. It comes in three types - Justice League, Disney Princess, and Winnie The Pooh. The puzzle pieces are large and well suited for toddler's hands. There's also a picture at the righthand corner to serve as a guide. My daughter enjoyed  the feeling that she's now able to work on "big" puzzles! We helped her build the puzzle for the first couple of weeks and now she's able to build it on her own.

Another alternative is to get a 24pc puzzle with large pieces and set up all the corner/edge pieces on the frame. That way, your toddler will only need to figure out the remaining 8-piece puzzle in the middle.

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Toddler's First Puzzles!

My 2.5 year old daughter sees me working on puzzles all the time and wants to try it out for herself. So I figure, why not? Brain food and good practice for hand-eye coordination and control.

I bought her JOYTOY'S Spelling Fun set, which contains 16 3-piece puzzles. The puzzle pieces are large and easy to handle. Best of all, each piece corresponds to a letter that spells out the word depicted by the puzzle such as D-O-G, C-A-T, P-I-E, S-U-N, etc. What better way to introduce your little one to basic words and spelling?

My baby took to this puzzle set immediately and it was also quite a hit with the other toddlers in the playroom. I started by laying out one puzzle at a time and teaching her how to properly fit the pieces together. Once she mastered one puzzle, I began to mix the puzzle pieces for 3 different puzzles for her to distinguish and build, one puzzle at a time. The next day, I gave her a mix of 4 puzzles and so on until she can identify and build a mix of at least a dozen of the puzzles.

Eventually, I bought her a 4-in-1 puzzle that consists of a 3-piece, 4-piece, 5-piece, and 6-piece puzzle to increase her level one step at a time. She is now able to dump all of the puzzle pieces and rebuild it on her own.

JOYTOY Spelling Fun costs less than P200 for the whole box of 16 puzzles. I bought it at SM department store. There's also a 4-letter-word set available to start introducing tots to C-A-K-E and D-U-C-K.

4-in-1 puzzle sets are usually found alongside party favors and are a good deal at only P50!

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