Active Learning Toys For Preschoolers
Mini Trampoline
A mini trampoline is a great preschool gift designed to burn loads of energy! Trampolines provide a great way to invite gross motor play and build balance and coordination, while channeling all that childhood energy into fun and exciting play. The balance bar allows for toddlers to hold on as they jump and gives young jumpers extra stability.
Climbing Tower
This climbing tower is a great outdoor toy for preschoolers! This fun climbing dome helps build gross motor skills and coordination and three year olds absolutely love the challenge. Great for kids three to eight so this learning toy will be put to use for many years to come!
Tricycle
A tricycle is the perfect learning toy for 3 year olds and a great way to get outside! Riding a bike is so much fun for preschoolers, plus its great for developing balance, coordination and improving fine motor and gross motor skills. This tricycle also comes with a push handle for adults to help steer beginning riders.
Balance Bike
A balance bike is a helpful learning toy for any three year old. Kids learn balance and riding skills without pedals so it builds their confidence as they begin riding a big kid bike.
Plasma Car
The Plasma Car is easy to use and a great outside toy for preschoolers to enjoy! With no batteries or charging, this little car is perfect for active fun as it builds coordination and riding skills and develops gross motor muscles as you ride. Fun for kids of all ages, even adults!
Rocket Launchers
Listen To Your Childs Worries
Although its tempting to quickly reassure your child and move on, its important to let your child know that his worries have been heard. No matter what they are, big or small, childrens worries about preschool can significantly influence their experience there. Will you remember to pick him up in the afternoon? Will his teacher be nice?
Let your child know its normal to feel happy, sad, excited, scared, or worried. Explain that starting something new can feel scary and that lots of people feel that way. It can be helpful to share a time when you started something new and how you felt. When you allow your child to share her worries, you can help her think through how to deal with them. For example, if she is worried about missing you, the two of you can make a book of family photos to keep in her cubby and look at when she is lonely.
What Sort Of License Should I Look For At A Preschool In Houston
Houston preschools are required to hold a child care license and are regulated by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. You can search for a school’s license on the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’s website and see full inspections and reports from the last five years. There are some exemptions from a full child care license faith-based preschools are notably exempt, as are preschools attached to a greater public or private elementary school .
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St Stephens Community House
Provides childcare for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, family services, senior services, and youth programming for youth ages 5 to 18 years of age. They also have a Choice Food Pantry, urban farm, Christmas gift programs, rent assistance and other neighborhood services.1500 East Seventeenth Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43219 294-6347
The Ohio State University Early Head Start Partnership Program
Provides early childhood education and additional supportive services for infants and toddlers ages six weeks through age four, and their families living at or below the poverty line. In addition to child care centers and family child care homes, they offer children onsite medical, hearing, dental, vision exams, developmental screenings, nutritional care and mental health access. They also connect parents to community resources including housing stability, workforce development, education, and financial security. There are no direct fees associated with enrollment in Early Head Start. However, families are required to pay their Publicly Funded Child Care copay to the child care center/family child care home, if applicable.175 East Seventh Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201General Information: 292-7680
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What’s The Difference Between Childcare And Preschool
Childcare centers are generally an option for working parents who need their children to be taken care of during the day centers accept babies as well as toddlers and are full-time, full-year programs. Preschool refers to an early-childhood educational class for 3- and 4-year-olds. Many offer a part-time schedule as well as full-day care, but only from September to May. Yet the terms are often used interchangeably. A childcare center with experienced, well-trained teachers and stimulating activities offers kids similar advantages to a preschool. “In fact, many preschools are part of childcare programs,” says Linda Smith, executive director of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
Float And Sink Experiment
Lets add some science to the fun. Teach the kids about sinking and floating with this simple water experiment.
You will need
A water tub, some natural items like leaves, twigs, flowers, stones, shells, etc., some water toys.
How to do
- Before starting the water play, get some items like leaves, flowers, stones, sticks, shells, buds, etc., from your garden.
- Place them next to the water tub along with the water toys.
- Now ask your kid to sit there and drop each item at a time. Tell him to observe which item is floating and which is sinking.
- Explain to them why some objects are floating and some and sinking.
- Now remove everything from the water, ask questions, and then check their answers by dropping the objects.
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South Side Early Learning
Offers early education and care for children from 6-weeks to 5 years old. Families can enroll their children in our Early Head Start, Head Start, and Preschool classrooms and private pay). They also provide parenting classes and supportive services for caregivers.280 Reeb Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43207 444-1529
A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea
Teaching about the food chain?
This song is absolutely adorable, and the animation of the video will provide visual learners with a better understanding while they sing and learn! This is a great way to teach about the food chain and fosters the development of memorization skills from repetition.
Learn more:
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Why Families Choose This Type Of Care
Families who select a preschool program usually dont need full-day, full-year care, but are looking for a program that focuses on getting children ready for kindergarten.
This text has been adapted from content originally created by Child Care Aware of America Grant #90LH002 for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families , Office of Child Care .
Parenting With Presence: Practices For Raising Conscious Confident Caring Kids
Our children can be our greatest teachers. Parenting expert Susan Stiffelman writes that the very behaviors that push our buttons refusing to cooperate or ignoring our requests can help us build awareness and shed old patterns, allowing us to raise our children with greater ease and enjoyment. Filled with practical advice, powerful exercises, and fascinating stories from her clinical work, Parenting with Presence teaches us how to become the parents we most want to be while raising confident, caring children.
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Is Your Child Ready For Preschool Or Pre
As you think about your child’s readiness for preschool or pre-k, remember that there are many different options to choose from. Consider your child’s personality, strengths, and needs as you make this decision. For example, if your child isn’t ready for a more traditional preschool where kids need to be able to sit and work quietly for short periods of time, you may want to find a play-based preschool that gives your child more freedom.
Here are some signs your child is ready for preschool or pre-k:
Can Your Child Handle Transitions
Stephen Lux / Getty Images
Most preschools operate on an established schedule. For instance, they might move from carpet time to playtime, to craft time, to snack time, and children are expected to be able to smoothly transition from one activity to the next.
If your child is not good at transitioning quickly, especially when they are engrossed in an activity they enjoy, transitioning is something you’ll want to work on before preschool starts. Learning to move from one activity to the next as a class is an important skill preschoolers must learn.
Many times, giving children a little advance notice, such as telling them, “We’ll have a snack after we finish coloring this page,” will help them learn to make the switch more easily from one activity to the next. You also can establish a simple routine at home that requires them to learn how to transition from one thing to the next even when they don’t want to.
Consider using a simple wall chart that shows the order in which activities occur like meals, playtime, outdoor time, storytime, and snacks. These charts serve as reminders for what comes next in their day as well as to prompt them that they need to move on to the next activity.
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Kickstart Your Search Process With Some Of The Top
When it comes to our kids, sometimes it takes a village — and today, we hope to become a part of yours. Our team of parents read through 2,182 Houston preschool reviews, so that you donât have to.
With over 2,300 early education providers in the Houston area, itâs sometimes hard to figure out which one is the best preschool for your child. And, thereâs no one-size-fits-all list that works for everyone.
As we read through thousands of reviews together, one core thing stood out: there are so many amazing preschools, teachers, and staff in Houston that genuinely care about their children. They go above and beyond to provide kids with high-quality preparation for elementary school — and life in general. So many of these reviews just melted our hearts.
Consider this guide a starting point. We couldnât feature every top preschool in and around Houston, but below are some of the most highly-rated preschools based on parent reviews across the web.
If you have any questions before you dive into specific schools, check out our Common Preschool Questions section below.
Ok, letâs do this!
Provides Your Child With A Safe Structured Environment:
Enrolling your three-year-old in preschool gives them a safe and secure environment where they can feel free to learn and grow. For example, preschools often teach the basics of personal safety, such as what to do in a fire or when approaching a stranger. Additionally, most preschool programs typically promote healthy habits such as brushing ones teeth or washing ones hands after playing outside. The structured activities in early childhood education help kindergarten teachers more than most parents know.
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Preschool Allows Parents To Connect With Their Children:
Even though you are not with your three-year-old all day, preschool still helps you connect with your child. Although they might be intimidated at first, your child will soon realize that preschool is fun. As a result, they begin to bring that fun home with them. The stories they tell, the crafts they make, and the knowledge they share help you communicate with your child in new and exciting ways.
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Discover how history, nature, and science connect in this fast-paced, entertaining, and incredibly informative history of the world, from the beginning of time to the present day.How was our universe made from a tiny speck of energy? Where did the first trees, plants, animals, and humans come from? What happened to the dinosaurs? What was so miserable about medieval times? How were railroads and electricity invented? What are the perils of global warming?
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How Important Is Preschool
“There’s increasing evidence that children gain a lot from going to preschool,” says Parents advisor Kathleen McCartney, PhD, dean of Harvard Graduate School of Education, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “At preschool, they become exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes. And, more important, they learn how to socialize — get along with other children, share, contribute to circle time.”
Statistics show that a majority of kids attend at least one year of preschool: According to the National Institute for Early Education Research , more than two-thirds of 4-year-olds and more than 40 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in a preschool in 2005. “Children who attend high-quality preschool enter kindergarten with better pre-reading skills, richer vocabularies, and stronger basic math skills than those who do not,” says NIEER director W. Steven Barnett, PhD.
In fact, educators have so recognized the importance of giving kids some form of quality early education that about 40 states now offer state-funded pre-K programs.
Definition Of Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is the development of knowledge, skills, and problem solving. This influences how children think and figure things out. Brain development, including executive functioning, is a part of cognitive development as well. 3-year-olds are still very literal in their way of thinking, but also are becoming better at pretend play, which is why they are able to learn so well through play.
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How Do Preschoolers Learn
Your active little one is not ready to sit at a desk for 6 hours. At this age, play is learning, and learning is play. You can design fun games and activities that not only entertain your child but teach her as well.
Homeschool preschool should be loosely structured. It helps to have a daily routine and various activities planned, but dont be overly rigid. Some games and activities may completely engross your child others may occupy him for 5 minutes or less. Thats perfectly okay.
You also want to incorporate plenty of free play and time to explore. Sure, you may want your child to make a block tower of 6 blocks , but if he has the idea to turn blocks into a road for his toy cars, go with that. Hes learning and enjoying himself at the same time. Take the win!
What Makes A Good Teacher
Find out about the teachers’ training and credentials. Ideally, head teachers should have a minimum of an associate’s degree and formal training in early-childhood education. “Research shows that teachers with college degrees and specialized early-childhood training have more positive interactions with children, provide richer language experiences, and are less detached,” says Dr. Barnett. Also, consider teacher-child ratios. According to NAEYC standards, there should be at least one teacher for every eight to ten 4- and 5-year-olds, and one adult for every six 2- and 3-year-olds. Low child-teacher ratios are very important, since they allow teachers to give ample attention to everyone, notes Dr. McCartney. Talk to the teachers about how they work with the kids. “Look for teachers who recognize the particular needs of different children, and who know how to adapt a curriculum for those who are ahead as well as for those who need additional help,” she says.
Visit a class while it’s going on. A good teacher talks with children, asking a lot of questions and patiently answering theirs. She makes kids feel welcome and fosters their self-confidence. Talk with the teacher about a typical day, and ways in which she’ll keep you informed about your child’s progress. If she’s responsive to your questions and you’re happy with her answers and her classroom style, you’ve found a good fit.
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How To Prepare Your Child For Preschool
Here are some ways to help your little one get ready for preschool:
- Start potty training well in advance. That way they can learn at their own pace rather than rushing to meet a school deadline.
- If your child hasn’t spent much time away from you, try to schedule some time apart a night with grandma, for instance, or an afternoon with a sitter.
- If your child isn’t used to group activities, start introducing them. Take them to story time at your local library, for instance, or sign them up for a class such as tumbling to help them get used to playing with other children.
- If your child doesn’t keep to a schedule, it can help to standardize their days before preschool. Offer meals on a regular timetable and stick to a bedtime ritual .
- Set up playtimes where your child can entertain themself for 5 to 15 minutes. While you wash the dishes, encourage your child to make creatures out of clay, for example. Gradually build up to longer stretches of solo play.
- Try to sync your child’s nap with the preschool’s schedule. If they still need a mid-morning snooze, but naptime at preschool is after lunch, help your child adjust by gradually moving nap time a little later each day.
Build Letters That Come To Life With Abcs : Activities To Do With 3 Year Olds
In the abc games for 3 year olds from Osmos Little Genius Starter Kit, your child builds letters using squishy sticks and rings, then watches the letters come to life. Mo the friendly monster is there to help the letter recognition games for preschoolers, the shapes and sounds of letters. ABCs also expand kids vocabulary. ABCs is one of Osmos many indoor games for kids that will get your child excited about learning.
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