As preschool children grow, their leaps into independence become impossible to ignore. With her fifth birthday on the horizon, I’ve noticed that my granddaughter Daisy has become more content to play on her own for longer periods, where previously would insist on the participation of an adult playmate. While her parents cook, do chores, or… Continue reading Nurturing a love of books and reading
Tag: Low-cost activities
Preschool numerical patterns: Numberblocks and number bonds
“Daisy, how many toes have you got on this foot?” I was sitting in the back of the car with my granddaughter Daisy as we travelled home from another afternoon spent rock-pooling at the beach, and Daisy had cast off her wellies and socks. Daisy looked at the foot I was drying and quickly answered… Continue reading Preschool numerical patterns: Numberblocks and number bonds
Preschool colouring fun: learning within the lines
Why do children enjoy colouring so much? Perhaps it’s because, like adults, many children find colouring both absorbing, relaxing and creatively fulfilling. Most adults appreciate that colouring has some parenting value, at least because it holds a child’s attention without much need for supervision – it’s a great way to encourage focused quiet time, which… Continue reading Preschool colouring fun: learning within the lines
A child’s eye view of life cycles in springtime
Here in the UK, our gardens and parks are starting to fill with new growth on plants and colourful flowers have begun to appear. It is an ideal time to take young children out to have a look and to talk about spring and what happens in springtime The world is changing around them –… Continue reading A child’s eye view of life cycles in springtime
Preschool numeracy: fun with odds and evens
On one of our regular FaceTime calls last week, my granddaughter Daisy made one of her frequent surprise announcements. She carefully explained to me that she and Daddy “are even numbers” and Mummy “is an odd number”. She added that, following her next birthday, she (Daisy) would be odd, Daddy would also be odd and… Continue reading Preschool numeracy: fun with odds and evens
Teaching your child to write their name
I remember well the family conversations that were shared about possible names for our grandchild, Daisy. Now it’s impossible to imagine her having any other name! We’ve watched as she’s grown and have seen how she’s taken ownership of her name and become a ‘proper’ Daisy. Our children and grandchildren take their name and invariably… Continue reading Teaching your child to write their name
Making tracks, outdoors and indoors
“‘Did you know, Granny, we found some footprints! They went in a straight line and around the corner and just stopped – like an L shape!". My excited granddaughter Daisy was telling me about her afternoon bike ride with her daddy. During their outing, they had found a track of footprints along the pavement. So… Continue reading Making tracks, outdoors and indoors
Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
Whether they are an only child or part of a larger family, every preschooler benefits from some nursery provision, which provides a combination of care, early learning and development. Nursery is not a substitute for home. It is a link for a child between home and life outside home. It’s somewhere where a child starts… Continue reading Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
The joy of cooking together with your grandchild
Whenever my granddaughter Daisy comes to stay with me, her visit creates a series of highlights in my day from early morning cuddles to evening bath times. These special moments now regularly happen in the kitchen. As she’s grown older and more independent, Daisy has discovered that, if she drags her little red chair over… Continue reading The joy of cooking together with your grandchild
Measuring up: teaching children about non-standard units
Measures – we adults use them every day and all day, responding to our alarm clock in the morning and checking our pedometer step count at the end of the day. On a daily basis, we use measures for time, distance, weight, temperature, volume and capacity, and that’s before you consider the more ‘abstract’ measurements… Continue reading Measuring up: teaching children about non-standard units
Granny Smith's Diary 