Month: July 2012

Activities to Teach Compassion to Kindergarten Children

Posted by | July 31, 2012 | , , | 0 |

Teaching compassion should be an ongoing process. Children are exposed to many things every day in which compassion should be the appropriate response. Sharing, friendship, love, respect, and charity are all traits associated with compassion. The Coin Jar This is an ongoing activity that will teach the children that one small act can grow into many acts of kindness. This particular act will grow into sharing and caring. For this activity you will need the following materials: 32-oz (or larger) plastic jug or jar Permanent marker Sequins or other small decorative items Liquid glue Several coins First, decide on a donation project with your children. Examples include the rainforest, a homeless shelter, women’s shelter, Habitat for Humanity, etc. Label the jar with the name of the foundation to which you will be donating. Have your child decorate the jar sparingly with the decorative items, using the liquid glue (you will want to leave some see-through spaces so you can gauge how much the coins are filling up the jar). Begin the project by putting several coins in the jar and encourage your child to put spare change from his/her allowance or change they find on the sidewalk, etc. into the jar. Once the jar fills up, start another jar. Make sure you discuss with your children the importance of the activity. Explain to them that you are showing compassion...

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Kids Learning Websites Learning How to Budget in Kindergarten

Posted by | July 28, 2012 | , | 0 |

kids learning websites Learning how to budget money can be a skill that is taught as early as kindergarten. Giving your child good building block for spending, and earning when they are young will help the be more responsible in the future as well as help them to build a slid foundations for financial frugality. While kindergarteners may not understand the full concept of budgeting money, the basic concepts can be taught with a few ideas:  You may want to buy or rent the book “The Bernstein Bears’ Trouble with Money” from your local library. This book talks about how the child bears spend their money the minutes it reaches their hands. Like a good parent, the father bear worries that his children aren’t paying attention to the right things in life. After reading the book with your child, discuss the book in detail about ways to earn money, how to spend money based on wants and needs, and properly saving money.  Purchase play money. Decide with your child a list of “play” rewards in the form of money for certain things, such as good behavior, picking up toys, etc. All through the week, create chances to earn the play money according to what the two of you previously decided upon. After the week is over, set up a pretend store in an area of your home with various...

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Teaching 2nd Graders How to Invest Money

Posted by | July 28, 2012 | | 0 |

Before children can learn how to invest money, they need to learn how and why to save money. There are a variety of options available to teach and motivate children to save. A common method parents use to help children to hold onto savings is by giving them a stipend or allowance. Caregivers and parents can ask their children to save their allowance, and discuss with them what percentage of their money they will have to save every week or month. To further encourage saving, you could match whatever your children save. Make it clear that although it is their match money, they cannot spend it without seeking permission. You could place your match money into their savings account, telling them that this is how they will save up for something they really want later. This may not work for you, and some children can’t stay keep their sights on the future of their money, so instead, you could use easy incentives of many types of things, such as something “for next week” or “next month,” rather than 6 months or a year from now. Once your children have fully grasped the concept of saving money, educating them on where and how to invest is a logical step. Many children have no clue what investing is, much less how to do it. Investing is a very grown up thing,...

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What My Child Should Know Prior to Pre-K

Posted by | July 28, 2012 | , | 1 |

Beginning Pre-K is a big step for both you and your child. While it may be hard to let go of your baby and entrust his/her in the hands of another adult as a teacher, it’s essential for the foundation of early academic skills. There are a number of things your child should know before he/she steps into the Pre-K classroom:   Your child should know basic developmental skills, such as dressing themselves, standing in line, sharing with other children, and playing well with friends. Encourage these skills at home before starting Pre-K. Also encourage a larger attention span, as well as learning how to express feelings in the appropriate way. Work with your child to learn basic academic skills, such as counting to 10, singing the alphabet, singing rhyming songs, and other songs that describe body parts, such as “Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes…” Also use everyday objects to teach colors and show him/her how to hold a crayon and pencil, and cut with scissors. Your child should know his first and last name, birthday, age, name of parents, telephone number, and home address. They should be able to write their name in basic capital letters. He/she should know basic manners such as hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, and excuse me. Vocalizing needs is also a basic skill he/she will need to know before...

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Kids Learning Websites Tips for Improving Language Arts in Kindergarten

Posted by | July 28, 2012 | , , | 0 |

kids learning websites Every day, your child should be learning more sight words. By the end of Kindergarten, your child should be able to read 50 sight words, and usually the words are assigned by clusters, building vocabulary throughout the year.  While reading aloud to your child, make it a challenge to find his/her sight words.  Start with just one page. Any more that one page will cause your child to lose trace of the story. Before you read, have your child look over a page to see if they can find the “mystery” sight word. When they have found it, you can read the story but your child must listen closely for the sight word to appear in the story again. Another sight word activity is to find an article that has one sight word multiple times that your child knows (any more than that will become overwhelming). Clip the article out and if necessary, scan it to your computer and print an enlarged version of it (unless you have access to a copy machine). Have your child take a highlighter and highlight that word every time he/she finds it in the article. Cut several of these pages and put those in your carry along bag for extra activities your darling can do while on trips, at the doctor’s office, etc. Purchase some word magnets and have your...

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