What is a fun way to incorporate reading and help my child learn the months of the year?

One of my favorite books growing up was Chicken Soup with Rice. I loved the rhyming and the fun pictures. Little did I know at the time it also helped me learn the months of the year! I thought it would be fun to do a months of the year activity with Little Bear and read this book with him.

To go along with the book, I made a months of the year printable. Simply print this off and then cut out the months. If you’d like, you can also laminate them for durability. I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with more uses for these than just what I’ll show you here!

The first thing we did was read through the book. As I read the book, Little Bear would find the correct month and put it in order. This helped him recognize the name of each month and he started to get a sense of their order.

After we read through the book, we just used the printable to practice the order of the months. At first we started with just six of the months at a time. When he had that down we switched and did all 12 at a time. It was harder but he was able to do it.

Some other ideas for using this months of the year printable: print off two copies and do a matching game, ask your child to find a specific month, put the current month up on the fridge so they know what month it currently is, or use it as part of calendar time in your preschool routine.

What are other ways you can see yourself using this printable?

We’ve found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites!

No Time for Flashcards, Train Up a Child, Teach Beside Me, 1+1+1=1, Living Montessori Now, In Lieu of Preschool, ABC & 123, Sun Scholars, All Our Days, Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Homeschool Creations, 123 Homeschool 4 Me, Teaching Mama.

How do I set up tot trays and how do I present them to my toddler?

First off, sorry I didn’t have a video last week. I had one planned, but sickness got in the way of making it. :( Oh well. I did say I would try to have a new video every week, but I never said I would be perfect. :) Anyway, today I do have a video and it’s all about tot trays. In this video I show how to set up tot trays and how to present them to a toddler. This seems so easy to me now, but I remember how hard and confusing it was when I first started doing toddler trays. Hopefully this video can help you out!

Materials Used in Video

• All H is for Hat printables are from my Toddler Curriculum (H is for Hat post is coming soon)
• Toddler Trays
• Home Laminator
• Laminating Sheets
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Yellow Sombreros (I can’t find these anymore, unfortunately, but these are similar)
• Hole punch paper dots
• Glue
• Crayons

Other Posts You Might Like

• How to Start Tot School
• Spring Themed Tot Trays
• Walk on Pillows for Gross Motor Development

How can I use clip cards for teaching numbers?

At some point we all learn that there is a connection between a written number (a symbol) and an amount (a specific number of objects). To adults it seems obvious. Of course 1 means one thing. But, to a toddler or preschooler this can be confusing. The connection between a written number and an amount of objects must be taught. This can definitely seem like a daunting task, but using clip cards makes it easy.

These apple clip cards are from my Toddler Curriculum. I laminated them with my home laminator. I definitely recommend laminating the clip cards (or at least covering them with clear contact paper) if you will be using them with math links or clothespins. Otherwise, it’s nice, but not completely necessary.

Side Note: I call these clip cards because they are cards that I clip clothespins to. We actually use math links with them more often than clothespins, but I guess I just like the alliteration of the name clip cards because that’s what I call them. They are also often called number cards in various preschool packs. Follow my Preschool Packs board on pinterest to find fun preschool packs. And now, on to the good stuff. Teaching numbers isn’t hard with these 5 fun and easy activities.

Teaching Numbers with Glass Gem Number Dots

I made these glass gem number dots way back when I made my Flat Marble Alphabet. I made these the same way, but instead of using letters, I just cut out circles the same size as the glass gems and then drew dots on the paper with a sharpie. The rest of the instructions are in the flat marble alphabet post. To use these with clip cards, just match the glass gem with the correct number of dots to the clip card with that number on it.

Teaching Numbers with Paper Clips

Using paper clips on clip cards teaches numbers and it is a great fine motor activity. Be aware that this is probably too difficult for most toddlers. However, it is great for preschoolers! Just have your child put the correct number of paper clips on each clip card.

Teaching Numbers with Beads

This is another way to use clip cards that really works on fine motor skills The smaller the beads, the more it develops fine motor skills. This is one that even toddlers can do. Just have your child put the correct number of beads on each clip card.

Teaching Numbers with Clothespins

Okay, so I didn’t realize so many of these worked on fine motor skills until now, but guess what? Clothespins also really work on fine motor skills! Wahoo. This is another one that might be too difficult for toddlers, but is great for preschoolers. You can draw dots on the clothespins and clip them to the matching clip card. You can also just write the numbers on the clothespins and clip them to the matching number. You can also use mini clothespins and clip the correct number of mini clothespins to each clip card.

Teaching Numbers with Erasers

I got a package of pencil topper erasers a few years ago and I have so many of them, I’m always looking for ways to use them. They work great for clip cards because they are big (great for little hands) and they have some weight to them so they stay in place on the clip cards. Just have your child put the correct number of erasers on each clip card.

Bonus: Teaching Numbers with Math Links

Our favorite way to use clip cards is with math links. Go here for my review of them and for 5 more ways to play with them. I got the idea from Confessions of  Homeschooler so she deserves full credit. To use the math links, just use a hole punch to punch a hole in each clip card. Then, have your child link the correct number of math links to each clip card.

Bonus: Numerical Order

The last way we typically use clip cards is by putting them in numerical order. Once they are in order, you can practice counting out loud with your child. This is a great way to help your child see the connection between the number symbol and the number name.

Other Posts you Might Like

• Toddler Curriculum and Schedule
• Missing Numbers Cut and Paste Worksheet
• 5 Ways to Play with Math Links

How can magnetic letters help with teaching the alphabet?

Teaching the alphabet is probably one of the most important things that happens in preschool, but guess what? It can be so easy! These fun magnetic letter match cards will help with teaching the alphabet, plus they are so fun! Download your magnetic letter match alphabet printables here.

Teaching the Alphabet with Magnetic Letters

These printables help with teaching the alphabet because your child has to recognize the different letters and match them. This is also a great activity for teaching letters sounds. The download has a different word for every letter of the alphabet. You can teach letter sounds by emphasizing the first letter in each word. You can say “Zz, zz, zz. Zz says zebra.” Repeated learning of letters and letter sounds creates a strong foundation for reading. The absolute best thing about this activity? You only need magnetic letters and the printables.

I got my magnetic letters a few years ago and I don’t remember exactly where I got them. This set of magnetic letters is all uppercase and it’s just about as basic as you can get. Here is another set that is more expensive, but higher quality. It’s also all uppercase, but it has multiples for the most common consonants and all of the vowels. This set has both uppercase and lowercase letters. These printables are all uppercase, but if you want uppercase and lowercase, this is a good set to go with.

When my kids play with these, they do one page at a time. I laminate the pages with my home laminator and laminating sheets. This is obviously optional, but the General Conference magnetic letter match cards I made a year and half ago are still as good as new with the lamination, so I definitely think laminating is worth it.

Put the printable on a cookie sheet and use the magnetic letters to match the letters. I use a cookie sheet so the magnets on the back of the letters have something to stick to.

There are two words on each page in the download. I made sure to choose words with no repeating letters so that you can complete the pages with only one set of magnetic letters. As long as you only do one page at a time, you only need one of each letter. You could also cut out each of the words separately and do just one word at a time or still do two.

Teaching the letters during the preschool years is all about exposure. The more activities you do with the alphabet, the more your child learns!

Other Posts You Might Like

• 5 Ways to Use Alphabet Stamps
• Scotch Thermal Laminator Review
• Missing Letters Cut and Paste page

Clipart in these Printables Comes from the Following:

• Pink Pueblo
• Poppydreamz Digital Art
• Jessica Weible Illustrations
• Pretty Grafik Design
• My Cute Graphics

How do I do age-appropriate toddler education at home?

I did a garden theme for tot school with Smiley Man last summer and Smiley liked it so much, I knew I had to include it in my Toddler Curriculum. I went back and looked at some of the activities we did back then (almost a year ago) and I am so impressed with how much Smiley Man has learned.

If you haven’t done much toddler Montessori, I would definitely recommend it. I am constantly impressed with how much Smiley Man is able to do with his tot trays. My biggest surprise was with the pouring tot tray. I didn’t think Smiley would be able to stop pouring once he got to the fill line, but he did! Using toddler Montessori or really any type of toddler education will really help your child achieve all that he can. And since I’m an educator, I’m pretty passionate about making sure my kids achieve their full potential. :)

(Smiley Man is almost 3, read here about appropriate ages for the Toddler Curriculum)

Make the Letter

Okay people, I lost our bathtub crayons. Those were supposed to be our Make the Letter activity for this week, but when I went to get them, they weren’t there. I’ll probably just make some more, but since I didn’t have them when we took the pictures, I don’t have a picture for you. :( It’s not that hard to figure out though, just use bathtub crayons to write the letter G. Help your toddler if he needs it.

Learning Notebook

Smiley Man did a pretty good job of finding all of the Gs for this printable. The hardest thing for him was coloring just one letter instead of the letter plus a few of the ones around it. This printable and more are included in the Toddler Curriculum.

Tot Trays

Theme: Use a toy watering can to water fake flowers that are in a flower pot. You could also practice watering a real flower.

Stickers/Stamps: Make a potato stamp with a carrot shape. Stamp “carrots” in the “garden” (brown construction paper).

Pouring: Have fake flowers in clear plastic cups. Draw a line on the cups (or put a rubber band around the cups) to act as a fill line. Pour water from measure cup into plastic cups to the fill line.

Cutting: Cut yellow, green, and orange paint chips to look like corn, celery or cucumber, and carrots. Use scissors to cut the paint chips on the line.

Sensory: Pick vegetable shaped erasers (or plastic vegetables) out of sensory dirt and put them in a small basket.

Supplies Used: watering can, flower pot, fake flowers, plastic cups, scissors, vegetable erasers, or plastic or squishy vegetables, sensory dirt

Tray Printables

I cut out the shapes for this printable before I gave it to Smiley Man to work on. If your toddler is older, you can let him or her cut the shapes out themselves. If your toddler is even older, he or she can cut the actual shapes out instead of just the boxes around the shapes.

Letter Activities

I’ve done lots of do-a-dot pages with Smiley Man with lots of different objects, but this was the first time we have ever done buttons. He LOVED it. I don’t know why buttons were so much cooler than using pompoms or glass gems, but Smiley Man just loved using buttons to cover his do-a-dot letter G. The Toddler Curriculum includes do-a-dot letters (both uppercase and lowercase) for the entire alphabet along with lots of ideas for how to cover them (dot markers, glass gems, pompoms, buttons, etc.)

Books

We didn’t get to the library this week so we had to just read our books at home. I really wanted to get this book though because it looks so fun! Maybe next week.

Letter G Craft

Smiley Man loves any kind of painting, so this vegetable painting craft was definitely fun for him. It wasn’t as fun for me because I cringe at messes of any kind, but we managed to get through it without a heart attack on my part. Definitely a success in my eyes. ;)

Sensory Bin

We used pompoms as the base for our sensory bin this week. Smiley Man loved them, but he was also a bit more interested in the Gs (unlike last week when he just wanted to play with the oatmeal). Read about our ABC Sensory Bins to see how we use them to teach letters.

Now that I’ve been using my Toddler Curriculum for a few months, I just have to say, it is so nice to have a set plan. An official curriculum definitely isn’t necessary for toddler education, but having one has made tot school more fun for Smiley Man and for me. This toddler homeschool curriculum keeps me organized and is perfect for when my creativity is lacking. When I do have more crafts and activities to add, I just add them to what we are already doing. But, when I have nothing extra, the curriculum has plenty to keep Smiley Man busy and learning. How do you get toddler education organized? Do you like to have a curriculum like me or do you like to come up with your own ideas?

Other Posts You Might Like:

• How to Start Tot School
• Spring Pattern Block Templates
• Spring Sensory Bin
• Toddler School: F is for Farm