10 Ways to Encourage the Love of Reading in Your Child
Our 10 Top Picks for the Best Picture Books for Preschoolers
9 Educational and Fun Activities for the Fourth of July
Don’t Forget to Visit the Library This Summer
8 Tips for Learning While on Vacation
Avoid a Summer Reading Setback
6 Nature Activities Your Child Will Love This Summer
Teaching Your Reading/Writing Learner
Here at merka, we’ve discussed the theory of various learning styles, one or more of which may apply to your child or student. Thinking in terms of learning styles can help us as parents or teachers to work with our kids in the most helpful way for them. Check out the other posts in our series here: Teaching Your Kinesthetic Learner, Teaching Your Auditory Learner, and Teaching Your Visual-Spatial Learner. So, what’s a reading/writing learner? Well, it’s pretty self-explanatory, but it’s good to flesh out the details, because with all of our creative teaching approaches, sometimes we can actually overlook...
What Should Your Child Know Before Kindergarten?
If you have a child who will be attending kindergarten this fall, you’ve probably already gone through kindergarten registration and started thinking about other preparations you’ll need to make. I’ve been there twice, and it’s so surreal to think about your child being old enough to go to “real school”! Of course, your child doesn’t need to be an academic genius before starting kindergarten, but here are 10 skills that are good to have before the first day: How to write their first name: Knowing how to write both first and last names would be a plus, but if your...
10 Fun Ways to Learn About Transportation
Cars, trucks, and trains… oh my! Whether you’re: Teaching a transportation unit at preschool, or Looking for ideas to keep your little one engaged at home… Transportation crafts are a perfect way to teach preschoolers about the world, since they are usually associated with fun and excitement. Today we’re sharing 5 creative projects and 5 picture books that will help your preschooler learn through the vehicles we see around us. Transportation Activities for Preschoolers Dump Truck Sound Sort (and other creative games!) at Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten Practice telling the difference between similar-looking letters and sounds by matching letters to the correctly...
How to End the School Year Well
May is here again, and the school year is wrapping up! The end of the school year is usually a combination of last-minute activities, warm spring weather, and pushing through the same school-day routine… which is probably feeling a little stale by now. (See the viral post Worst End of School Year Mom Ever if you relate!) Okay, so how can we as parents help our kids (and ourselves) end the school year on a good note? Here a few ways to finish well and get ready to transition into a summer routine. Stay consistent with homework, morning and evening...
How to Help Your Child Stick to a Routine
Most of us are aware that having some sort of routine is necessary to have a functional family life. Kids need routines throughout their growing-up years, not just when they’re infants or toddlers. Keeping activities in a consistent sequence helps both parents and kids manage their daily needs, including food, hygiene, sleep, and homework. Kids may fight routine, but it helps them have a sense of consistency and security. Here are some tips for helping your child stick to a routine: Use pictures. Connecting visuals with a listed routine can help kids remember it better, especially if they’re visual-spatial learners....