"Hey guys, look over here!" Harrison summons us over to observe his experiment. "My magnet sticks to the bike!" With a wave of their magnetic wands, the children have embarked on a STEM learning adventure! Opportunities like this allow children to learn independently as they explore and then share their discoveries with their fellow magnetic […]
After a neighborhood nature walk, my early learners can't wait to play with the treasures they've collected. Kindergarten readiness develops as children play with the objects that they find in their environments. Today, that play involves patterning. Learning about patterns is a fundamental skill for all learning. Pattern play helps children develop their critical thinking, […]
Cooking gives preschoolers a strong foundation in science, math, language, art and even reading. When we invite our children to create in the kitchen, we provide learning opportunities in many academic subjects. Recipe ingredients introduce opportunities for counting, adding, measuring, dividing and estimating. As children see how certain ingredients combine, react and change as they cook, […]
Hello, Hallo, Hej Hej, Hola, Ciao . . . well, you get the idea! To expand our reach to families and early childhood educators around the globe, we've added a translation option to our Ready Child website. With this new functionality, our readers can now translate The Ready Child into more than 100 languages. Breaking […]
"Five green and speckled frogs . . . sat on a speckled log . . . eating some delicious bugs. Yum yum!" When we sing counting songs such as “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” or “This Old Man,” we introduce counting and numbers and math concepts such as adding or removing one from a group. The repetition and rhythm in these songs […]
Do you avoid playing board games because your children cry every time they lose? Competitive games often create conflict between young children—who don't yet have the maturity or perspective to take losing in stride. The competition and the desire to “be the winner” can take the fun out of playing. We've all had those days when […]
"I think we need another cylinder on this side," says Rowan. "Can you put that on for me? I will keep it balanced." Rowan and Parker are deeply engrossed in block play. Their investigations into balance, gravity, force, and cause and effect have led these four-year-old friends deep into the STEM zone. “Do you […]
The winter months offer a veritable blizzard of learning opportunities, so don't give up on your outdoor adventures at the first sign of falling temperatures and falling snow. Let's take a quick look at a few of the learning adventures that you can enjoy with your child as we explore the winter landscape. SNOW MOLDS […]
"Look!" squeals three-year-old Eleanor. "I can pick up these two balls. It's magic!" Have you ever seen young children playing with magnets? The "magical" properties of magnets never fail to captivate early learners and spark a play buzz. Children learn by investigating, observing and figuring out how things work. Magnets fuel that curiosity in a […]
"It looks like we're holding hands, but we aren't!" says Maya to Noah as she studies their shadows. When we're outside, we often engage in body shadow play with the sun as our light source. Exploring the ways that our shadows change as we move our bodies is a great way to get children engaged […]