how to help with child development

Parents often ask at the two year old visit what they can do to help with their toddler’s development. My top 5 responses are:
1. Go to the park everyday – Outdoor play is great for gross and fine motor development. The social environment of the playground is also helpful for developing social skills. Toddlers learn to take turns on the slide, or wait until the swing is free. Safe climbing structures are excellent resources for physical development.
2. Get your toddler a library card – Circle and story times at your local public library are excellent resources to help your toddler develop a love for books. Toddlers also learn how to listen to the different speech intonations and tones of other adults. It is also a friendly place to learn how to sit at circle time. This becomes important when your toddler graduates to a preschool or kindergarten environment.
3. Puzzles – puzzles help with the development of problem solving and spatial skills. Research out of the University of Chicago recently revealed that toddlers who played with puzzles had better spatial skills when evaluated at age 4 1/2 . Early puzzle play may help with the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematic skills.
4. Nutrition – We are what we eat. Encourage your toddler to try new foods. Stay away from the easy pre-packaged foods that are marketed directly to parents of young children. Incorporate fish, nuts, legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits into your family meals. Make a game of it, and try to include a super food into every meal.
5. Rest – children (and adults) need sleep. Work on your bedtime routine so that your toddler gets the rest he needs to have a good day

Ressurection Rolls

What you need:

I can crescent rolls
Marshmallows
Bowl of melted butter
cinnamon and sugar mixture
Dip marshmallow in butter


Roll marshmallow in cinnamon and sugar mixture

Place marshmallow into crescent roll

Roll bread around marshmallow




Jesus us the marshmallow and the roll is like the tomb
Place in oven
When they are done open the tomb the marshmallow is not there
He is Alive!

Palm branches

On a leaf shape patter cut lines with a dot at the end indicating where to stop have each child cut slits in their leaf like a palm leaf. I make these before palm sunday and we walk around the schiol shouting hosanna hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord

Smash eggs

So last year when one of my class parents asked if the could bring confettii eggs for are parties I thought it was a little nuts but the kids had such a great time and loved them so much we had to do it again this year. I only let the kids smash them above there own heads but they also get to throw the confettii that lands on the floor they had a ball

Making green

What you need
Squeeze bottle s of blue and yellow paint
Something to spread the paint with
White construction paper
I would suggest newspaper for your table this one is little messy
Put items on table and let the kids have fun
the kids got to see the different colors of green they can make the ones who used more yellow had light green and the ones who used more blue had a darker green the kids really loved this one and had a great time with it due to the newspaper clean up was a synch

Caterpillar

So today we are on thr letter v so the plan was to make volcanos but as you all know especially with 3s it does not always work out as planned. While on the playground a friend found a caterpillar which led us to a nature hunt looking for leaves and sticks to add to a butterfly habitat that I use every year so we read the very hungry caterpillar and then made caterpillars and of course danced to if I were a butterfly did nothing as planned but the kids learn with life what a great day it is amazing when we can share in God s creations.

Volcano experiment

Diet 7 up, gingerale,  diet coke and mentoes
Which one is higher we let the kids determin what the think would happen and then we added the mentoes wow what a fun expirment

Once we got back to class I showed the kids how then can make a smaller reaction on a cookie sheet I gave them a cup of vinegar food color and baking powder once it started to bubble they squished their paper on top they had so much fun
I called this stinky art cause my room smelled :)