Protect Your Baby’s Future Teeth
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: November 9, 2009
Even when your baby is only two months old, you should keep her gums healthy and clean. Gently wipe her gums with a wet, clean, soft cloth every day. The most important thing to remember is never to put your baby to bed with a bottle. In addition, never prop up the bottle at any time.
Any kind of drink except water can cause a baby’s teeth to decay, even breast milk and infant formula. Other liquids that cause tooth decay are powdered fruit drinks, soda and juice. Any drink that contains sugar can cause tooth decay when your baby gets older. A two-month-old baby should drink only breast milk, formula or water.
Here are some tips to follow to protect your baby’s teeth:
• Always hold your baby during feedings. Do not prop up the bottle or leave a bottle in your baby’s bed.
• If your baby needs a pacifier at bedtime, make sure it is clean and dry.
• Do not dip the pacifier in honey or sweet liquids. Your baby might like the sweet taste, but these liquids will cause tooth decay when her teeth come in. Germs in honey can also make a baby sick.
• Help prevent the spread of germs to your baby. You and your family should have regular dental checkups to help keep your own teeth and gums healthy. Clean the nipples of your baby’s pacifiers and bottles by washing with soap and rinsing carefully and thoroughly with clean water. Do not lick your baby’s pacifier or bottle nipples to “clean” them.
How To Clean Your Baby’s Teeth
At 10 months of age, babies are too young to clean their own teeth. But you can start now to make teeth cleaning a lifelong daily habit. Your baby learns most from watching you. Set a good example by brushing your own teeth after every meal. Let your baby see you doing it. Then clean your baby’s teeth by using a wet, clean, soft washcloth to remove germs. Do this after every meal. Save toothpaste until your baby is older.
Make teeth cleaning fun. Make a puppet from an old, clean white sock. Draw eyes and mouth on the bottom near the toe. Pull the sock over your hand. Pretend to clean the puppet’s teeth. Let your baby try. Alternatively, use a stuffed animal.
Sing a song while cleaning. Make up your own words. Or sing these words to the tune of “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.” This is the way we clean our teeth, clean our teeth, clean our teeth. This is the way we clean our teeth so early in the morning. (This is the way we clean our teeth before we go to bed.)
Use teeth cleaning for learning. Point to your teeth and say, “Teeth.” Ask, “Where are your teeth?” Talk about cleaning. Use words like brush, clean, tongue, top, bottom, back, front. Your baby will need to know these words when she starts cleaning her own teeth.
Make teeth cleaning a pleasant experience. That way your baby will want to try it on her own.
White spots on your baby’s teeth could be a sign of bottle tooth decay. If you see white spots, call your dentist.
About the Author:
Paul Banas was looking for a business idea that would allow him the flexibility to spend time with his family. Paul Banas is a founder of http://www.greatdad.com – a leading source of experience, recommendations, inspiration and advice for dads – delivered from the male perspective.
Why Babies Can (and Should) Learn to Read
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: November 9, 2009
Contrary to the popular view, children are ready to learn to read while they are still babies. In fact, the best time is before age 5. Several scientific studies show that this is not only true, but also that early learning is highly beneficial for many aspects of life. This article explains the reasons why a children’s best time to learn is at infancy.
Early Learning and Baby Brain Development
A baby’s body develops at an incredible pace during the first few years of life, but one of the most amazing aspects of this process is how the brain grows and develops. Between birth and age 3, the human brain goes from a very undeveloped form, weighing only a quarter of its final size to an incredibly complex state through a dramatic growth and development of billions of neurons and hundreds of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these neural cells. This period of active neural growth is when parents and caregivers can better help their children to get off to a great start and establish strong foundations for life-long learning.
The basic neural connections are created before birth
The basic structure of the brain is formed still during pregnancy. Here, the principal components of the brain develop and take form and the most basic cerebral functions start to organize. However, the vast majority of synapses are not yet formed, so the brain is not capable of the higher complexity that characterizes human cognition, learning and reasoning. These connections arise during the first three to four years, and the architecture of the complex networks of synapses depends in some degree on the child’s interactions with his/her environment and experiences.
The ability to learn languages is hardwired in the baby’s brain
Language is a basic human feature, and the brain of a baby is ready to develop language since the beginning. Studies showed that babies can be stimulated with the sound of their mother’s voices. As soon as they are born and start to interact with their family, the first patterns of the mother tongue are being set by the establishment of million of synaptic connections between specific groups of neurons. At the same time, the brains keeps growing, and the greatest density of neural connections is reached by the age 3. This is very important, since after this age, many of these synapses start to disappear though a process of elimination that brings the density of synapses down to the level we found in a typical adult brain. Considering all this, the conclusion is that the first three to four years after birth are the most critical times for brain development, and in consequence, the period during which the brain has the greatest power to acquire and fix abilities, especially those related to language.
Now, in our society, the process of language acquisition is clearly separated between speech development (learning to talk) and literacy (learning to read and write). The first one arises naturally, almost spontaneously between the first and the third year, but the second is relegated to after the age of five, when most children go to kindergarten or elementary school. Being the ability to talk and read both sides of the same process (language), the natural way to develop it would be at the same time, when the brain is naturally shaped to acquire language.
The consequence of this is that for decades, billions of children have not taken advantage of their best time to learn to read. Children are in fact able to learn to read since infancy, and the benefits of this stay forever. Children who read before entering Kinder perform better in virtually every aspect, both from the academic and social point of view and are more likely to succeed in life than their peers who were illiterate by age five.
Psychologists and early childhood education experts have developed effective methods for parents and caregivers to train their children into reading while they are still babies. These programs are usually based on books, word cards and also multimedia components such as DVDs and songs, and parents should look for those endorsed by professionals with expertise Early Education and Child Development.
The author has expertise in health, family subjects and early childhood reading. Parents of young children and expecting parents who want to see how their babies can read can find more information in http://www.ababycanread.com
What are the Advantages and disadvantages of daycare?
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: October 31, 2009
Many parents like daycare centers because they offer a formal, structured environment. All daycare centers are inspected for licensing purposes, caregivers are supervised (many classrooms have more than one teacher), and a director oversees the entire operation.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of hiring a nanny. I feel like I’d always want to check up,” says Noelle Haland, a copy editor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose 13-month-old son Max is in daycare. “I know taking care of a child can be frustrating and a nanny can also find it stressful.” Rather than worry about how a nanny might handle her son during particularly trying moments, Haland decided on daycare.
Another plus: Centers have clearcut rules for parents to follow (such as pickup and drop-off times) so you know exactly what is expected of you. A daycare center is more affordable than a nanny. Plus, parents have the opportunity to meet other parents who may be able to lend support and babysitting time.
Also, the arrangement is more stable (compared to, say, nanny or relative care) because the center agrees to watch over your child regardless whether a teacher is sick or tardy or even tired of working for you. Yvonne Matlosz, BabyCenter mom, agrees. “We chose a daycare center so we didn’t have to work around someone else’s sick days and vacation,” she says.
Staff members at good centers are usually trained in early childhood education so they know what to expect from your child developmentally and are able to nurture his growing skills accordingly. If the center you’re considering doesn’t hire knowledgeable staff, keep looking.
Good daycare centers include a nice mix of activities during the day to teach different skills, such as singing, dancing, and storytelling. Scott Huber, whose three-year-old daughter Lindsay has attended daycare in Portland, Oregon, since she was two months old, says he likes the fact that his daughter spends her day doing projects and honing skills in a structured setting.
“They’re not just playing all day,” he says, “they’re learning new things.” Huber says he feels especially good about his decision to put Lindsay in a center when he sees the projects she does. “Many of the instructional projects are a good mix of left- and right-brain activities, usually made of simple objects like blocks or beans or vinyl letters for creativity, but presented in an organized, structured, and methodical way,” he says.
Ongoing research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development suggests that children in quality daycare centers may even have an intellectual edge over those in other kinds of care. When researchers compared kids in quality daycare to those in other, equally high-quality childcare situations, children in centers performed a little better on tests.
Finally, toddlers can benefit from the chance to socialize with other children, which they may not get to do as often or at all when a nanny or a relative cares for them at home.
What are its disadvantages?
One problem with daycare is that you’re at the center’s mercy. You may have to pay a costly fee for late pickups, scramble for backup care when the center is closed on holidays, and stay at home when your child is sick. And your child is more likely to catch diseases such as colds and pinkeye, since he’s exposed to more germs. “My son Max never really had a serious illness before starting daycare,” says Noelle Haland.
Children are also less likely to get the one-on-one care that you take for granted with a stay-at-home mom or nanny. Babies, in particular, need a lot of love and attention to thrive and do well. Finally, moms and dads know that handling one baby, let alone three or more, is tough work, which is why some parents balk at the idea of a single teacher caring for more than one baby at a daycare center all day long.
The bottom line
It’s true that quality of care dips when a person has to watch over too many children, but good centers make an effort to keep the teacher-child ratio as low as possible. Also, having a number of teachers at these centers means they can support each other when needed. Quality daycare centers keep the number of children in each group low, too. “It’s easier to give one-on-one attention and be responsive when there are fewer kids in a room,” says Stephanie Glowacki, director of accreditation programs at the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a benchmark of quality.
The organization recommends:
• One caregiver for every three babies if there are six infants in a group, and one for every four if there are eight babies in a group. NAEYC says eight babies should be the maximum number in any group.
• One caregiver for three children in a group of six, a 1:4 ratio for eight children, 1:5 for ten, and 1:4 for 12. Groups should have no more than 12 kids.
A daycare center doesn’t have to follow these ratios unless it wants to receive NAEYC accreditation. But centers do have to at least meet state guidelines, which vary. Even so, you can use these ratios as a guide when you’re evaluating centers; the closer they are to NAEYC standards, the better.
Source: http://www.babycenter.com
Remedies To Help The Teething Baby
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: October 7, 2009
When there’s a teething baby in the house, everyone suffers. Poor bub is uncomfortable, in pain and distressed. Mom is upset at the fact that she seems to only be able to do so much to help, Dad is trying to help out and everyone’s losing sleep because the baby is.
There are remedies to help, and naturally, you’ll do all you can to alleviate the symptoms and bring peace back to the home.
You might like to go out and collect some provisions that will help. This way, you’ll have everything you need and no cause for alarm if you find you need something like teething gel in the middle of the night.
Items To Assemble
- Teething gel
- Acetaminophen for pain relief
- Petroleum jelly (for diaper rash and drool rash)
- Cool, clean wash cloths
- Teething ring
- Teething rusks or biscuits
- Apples and bananas
Food That Help
Wrap a cold, peeled apple wedge in a clean washcloth or piece of muslin. Once your baby tastes the sweetness, she will want to continue biting down and sucking and this will exercise and massage gums, which will provide relief.
Frozen bananas work a treat. They fit nicely in the mouth, taste wonderful and are sweet and cooling.
Soft foods that won’t irritate gums are helpful. Try soup, well-cooked pasta with some bland sauce, mashed vegetables, custard and sandwiches with the crusts removed.
Atmosphere
Try to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere while baby is teething. Too much noise and commotion will not help with a stressed, over-tired baby. If you keep your cool and don’t succumb to impatience and frustration, though it is very difficult, your baby will feel much calmer herself. Avoid having to go out and face crowds. Home time, in familiar surroundings is easier for all concerned.
Physical Relief
Teething rings are like gold to babies with sore gums. Keep a couple in the refrigerator and while one is in use, the other is chilling. Give one to baby to chew on for relief whenever necessary.
Massaging baby’s gums with your clean finger, or a clean washcloth on the end of your finger will provide relief as well.
Teething rusks and biscuits help with discomfort as well as giving your baby something welcome to suck on. If her appetite is low, she may just derive some nutrients from the biscuits and feel like eating a little more next meal time.
Medical Remedies
If possible, avoid administering Acetaminophen (Children’s Tylenol). But as a last resort, it can really pull you through a difficult period. No one wants their child to suffer from pain, so use it when required for pain relief and alleviation of fever.
If your child’s teething concerns you greatly, consult your family doctor. Particularly in the case of a first child, it’s incredibly difficult to know what’s normal and what’s not, and a little reassurance will go a long way to keeping everyone feeling comfortable and happy.
My Infant Started Waking at Night. Could She be Teething?
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: October 7, 2009
Has your infant previously been sleeping through the night only to wake up crying? This sudden change in schedule is certainly not what you had in mind and neither is it what your baby was expecting, either. Usually, between the ages of six and 10 months babies will begin to teethe. However, the drooling and pain can begin earlier than that. For these babies, teething can create an uncomfortable or painful feeling that will cause them to wake in the middle of the night crying. This new level of crankiness can put the whole house in a bad mood, but teething generally comes and goes. You will know teething pain when it rolls around because it is usually sudden and accompanied by drooling, loss of appetite, and overall crankiness. However, if your baby is waking during the middle of the night without these symptoms it could be something else like the excitement over learning new tricks like sitting up or rolling over. Babies like to practice their new skills and sometime the joy is enough to keep them awake practicing. Since babies don’t have to get up and go to work tomorrow they aren’t worried about staying up all night because they can always sleep later!
If your baby does not seem to have any pain and continues to wake at night just follow your typical bedtime routine. You don’t want to get off schedule because this can mix your baby up even more. If you can tell your baby is in pain from teething because his gums are red and irritated then you may want to consider massaging his gums gently. Or, give him a frozen teething ring he can munch on that will help the pain and calm the fussiness. If your baby still seems to be in pain talk to your doctor about giving him a dose of baby Tylenol or Motrin before bed. You shouldn’t give your baby any medicine without speaking with your doctor first.
Compare Breast Feeding and Bottle Feeding With the Nutrition Health
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: October 2, 2009
Breast Feeding Verses Bottle Formula Feeding Nutrition Benefits
Deciding whether or not to breastfeed your newborn usually has to do with your lifestyle, because breastfeeding is definitely more work. You have to deal with the schedule, pump your breasts when you aren’t around your baby, find adequate storage for the milk and then see that your baby gets enough to feed on whether you and your breasts are there or not. Most of the time, women make decisions about breast feeding because of their work schedule: most jobs don’t allow you the time or flexibility to bring your baby in for feedings every two to four hours! (But they should!)
Breast Feeding Health Benefits
Medical evidence is clear: breast milk results in healthier babies, stronger immune systems and better bonding between moms and infants. The ingredients in breast milk measurably increase babies’ resistance to illness and infection, cause them to gain weight faster than bottle fed babies and longer term create children who suffer fewer childhood diseases. And those are just the things that medical science can measure! What medical science has difficulty in measuring is also important: there are so many things we still don’t know about how the thoughts and feelings of the mother become important components of the actual milk, and how they work in the baby’s body. What science has measured though, is the fact that breastfeeding as a process strongly influences the health and happiness of the infant and the mother. Babies who are breastfed go to sleep faster, and are more easily soothed than bottle babies. When research compares the health of babies who are breastfed to babies who are bottle fed, as long as the mothers of the breastfed babies provide enough milk and are healthy themselves, the breastfed baby comes out ahead. And the nursing mother experiences greater bonding with her baby as well as the benefit of easier post-delivery weight loss: breastfeeding burns up about an extra 500 calories a day, or 3,500 a week, which amounts to a one-pound per week weight loss just by breastfeeding.
Cute Baby Anish Playing With His Formula Milk Tin
Benefits of Formula Bottle Feeding
Cute Baby Anish Playing With His Formula Milk Tin
There are real and legitimate reasons to bottle feed your baby. If you don’t have enough milk, your doctor will probably recommend that you combine breast and bottle feeding so your baby gets enough to eat. If you have an illness that either affects the quality of your breastmilk or makes it difficult to keep a reasonable weight when nursing, your Ob-gyn may recommend bottle feeding. But these are rare instances, and most of the time, women who decide to stop breastfeeding early in their child’s development or right after leaving the hospital do so because their lives make breastfeeding too inconvenient. Many women can’t afford to quit their jobs to stay home and nurse a baby, and most jobs still don’t make allowances for nursing mothers to do what they need to do.
Lactation Research to Help You Breast Feed Your Infant
Some mothers give up on breast feeding because they have a difficult time learning to nurse their babies. This usually happens because they haven’t had the proper training: with more hospitals shoving the mother out the door right with the sweat still on her brow, more new mothers don’t get the help and advice they need about breastfeeding. This extremely natural act doesn’t in fact come naturally: you may need training in teaching your newborn how to latch on, or in different holding techniques. You may feel it’s silly that part of being a mother may include studies in the best breastfeeding methods, but keep it in mind; babies aren’t born knowing just how to suckle, and new moms need some teaching too.
Lactation continues for a time whether or not you decide to bottle feed, so even moms who decide to use formula have to get rid of the excess milk in their bodies until it dries up on its own. Part of the regular equipment of motherhood, a breast pump, bottles for storage and serving bottles are useful to new mothers whether they are breastfeeding or not.
Continue reading more information about Storing Breast Milk
Are the Symptoms of H1N1 Flu Different From Those of the Ordinary Flu?
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: October 1, 2009
For most people, the word “flu” means just about any short-term illness that lays them low. To other people, flu means any short-term illness that makes them cough, feel sick and achy, and have a fever. However, to doctors, flu means an illness caused by an influenza virus. In this report, the word “flu” means an illness caused by an influenza virus.
The early symptoms of all kinds of flu are similar, and they also are similar to the symptoms caused by infections from many other viruses. That makes it difficult to diagnose any kind of flu by symptoms alone.
All flu viruses spread by jumping from one host (person or animal) to the next mainly in small droplets of saliva and mucus or in feces. Inside each droplet of saliva can be tens of millions of tiny flu viruses. Once a virus finds a new host and infects the new host’s cells, it begins to reproduce quietly, making millions of copies of itself before causing symptoms. This time between when the infection begins and when symptoms start is known as the incubation period. With the new swine flu virus, the incubation period is between 3-5 days.
Symptoms of Ordinary Flu
Ordinary human flu tends to occur during colder weather, typically between November and March in the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. Flu-like illnesses that occur in other months are less likely to be caused by an influenza virus. Although most people with flu have a cough and sore throat, these symptoms can be caused by many other infections, as well, even during flu season.
When someone develops a cough and sore throat in flu season, there are several things that tend to distinguish flu from another kind of infection. A person with influenza is more likely to experience the following:
- symptoms start abruptly—over just a few hours
- feel very sick (no energy for anything)
- high fevers (100° F to 105° F) that rise to this level rapidly, in the first 12 to 24 hours
- bad headaches, aching muscles, aching joints, pain on moving the eyes, and discomfort in bright light—along with the cough and sore throat
In other words, as anyone who has had it can attest, “ordinary” flu can make you feel pretty sick for a while. However, in healthy people, ordinary flu subsides once the human body mounts a defensive response: healthy people usually return to full health after about a week. For older people or those with diseases of the heart or lungs, adding the burden of serious lung infection to their existing condition can be too much. In fact, 30,000 people die each year in the United States because of ordinary human flu.
Symptoms of H1N1 Flu
The initial symptoms of this new flu have been similar to the symptoms of the regular flu. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may be more common.
Here are the differences so far between H1N1 flu and seasonal flu:
- H1N1flu seem to thrive in much warmer than the usual cold weather when seasonal flu thrives.
- Symptoms seem to be no worse than those of seasonal flu, although that may change when the weather gets colder in late fall and winter.
People with flu symptoms should seek immediate medical attention if, instead of recovering, they become sicker with the danger signs listed here.
For adults, the most worrisome symptoms are these:
- shortness of breath
- persistent vomiting
- confusion
- dizziness
For young children, the most worrisome symptoms are:
- very rapid breathing
- not interacting normally, not eating or drinking normally, being unusually irritable, or appearing unusually sleepy
- high fever and rash
- a bluish color of the lips and skin
Old MacDonald
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: September 28, 2009
In the version commonly sung today, the lyrics allow for a substitutable animal and its respective sound.
- Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
- And on that farm he had a [animal name], E-I-E-I-O,
- With a [animal noise twice] here and a [animal noise twice] there
- Here a [animal noise], there a [animal noise], everywhere a [animal noise twice]
- Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
For example, a verse using a cow as an animal, and moo as the cow’s sound would be:
- Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
- And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.
- With a moo moo here and a moo moo there
- Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo
- Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
Sometimes the ‘with a’ before the animal sound is dropped. Another version similar to the above goes:
- Old MacDonald has a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
- And on the farm he has a cow, E-I-E-I-O.
- Moo moo here, moo moo there
- Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo
- Old MacDonald has a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: September 28, 2009
“If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a popular repetitive children’s song, of uncertain authorship. The song is supposed to belong to the public domain, although many of the different versions of the song are still protected by copyright law. One such version was written by songwriter Alfred B. Smith (1916-2001). It has, like many familiar childhood cantations, been altered in various ways over the years for various uses.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe
(Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe (Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe.
(Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head (Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head
(Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head.
(Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe
(Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe
(Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tap your toe.
(Tap toes twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head
(Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head
(Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Nod your head.
(Nod head)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
(Clap hands twice)
Fun Activities to Promote Math Skills
Posted by: allaboutbabyblog on: September 26, 2009
Sorting objects by shape, color, and size. Counting to ten. Recognizing groups and patterns. You can help your preschooler master these early math skills simply by playing games in and around the house. Forget the flashcards and number drills; if you want your child to love numbers, show him how math is part of everyday life and he’ll be eager to learn more once he starts school.
Here are 12 fun ways to introduce your child to the world of math. Because children learn in different ways, they’re arranged by learning style.
For the visual learner
Go on a number safari. When you’re driving around town, have your child look for numbers in street and store signs, and on license plates. Call out the numbers as you find them. Your child should be able to recognize numbers up to ten before kindergarten.
Connect the dots. This old standby will help your child understand number sequencing; that is, that one is followed by two, two by three, etc. Bookstores are full of coloring books with connect the dot themes (and don’t worry if your child only wants a Teletubby or Pokémon theme — it’s all about the numbers right now).
Make a phone call.Write the phone number of a friend or relative down on a piece of paper. Have your child dial the number to give him practice reading numbers left to right.
Count everything around you. Count people standing in line, the number of steps to the library, the cracks in the sidewalk.
For the physical learner
Count and sort household items. Mix up the knives, forks, and spoons from the silverware drawer and have your child group them by type and count how many there are in each group. Do the same with your sock drawer (by color, by size), your child’s stuffed animal collection (group the animals by big and small; put all the bears together). Have your child help you fold and sort laundry. How many socks are there? How many T-shirts? Have him divide them into groups.
Go on a shape search around the house. Look for squares, triangles, circles, stars — any kind of shape. Your child will be expected to recognize, draw, and manipulate shapes well into 1st grade (not to mention high school geometry!).
Play with shape puzzles and blocks. Manipulating three-dimensional objects — playing with a shape-sorter box, for example — will introduce your child to basic geometry as well as help develop his fine motor skills and spatial reasoning.
Make a counting book. This activity has a reading and a math component: With some help from you, have your child go through an old catalog or magazine and cut out all the items that start with the letter “A” and paste them onto a piece of construction paper. When you’ve gone through the list, count all the pictures on each page.
Make a game out of snack time. For example, give your child a handful of goldfish crackers, and draw a picture of a fishbowl on a piece of white paper. Put the fish in the fishbowl and have your child count them. Take one out, and count again.
Play pattern games. For example, give your child green and purple grapes. Have him arrange them in different patterns: purple, green, purple, green. Or green, green, purple, green, green. Look for patterns in nature: rings on a caterpillar, the whorl on a snail shell, or things that come in pairs such as eyes, ears, or two peanuts in a shell. This activity will develop your child’s problem-solving skills and his ability to think abstractly.
For the auditory learner
Listen to counting rhymes and songs. “Three little monkeys jumping on the bed; one fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, ‘No more monkeys jumping on the bed!’ Two little monkeys jumping on the bed…” Any variation on this counting rhyme introduces basic subtraction. Look for children’s games and music activity tapes such as the Wee Sing series that features songs about numbers.
Make a recipe with your child. Give your child the measuring cups and bowls and let him measure out the ingredients while you read the directions out loud. An easy — and delicious — way to introduce concepts such as volume and weight.
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