As a mother, it is so important to me that I raise my daughter to be proud of who she is. I want her to have confidence to do the things she loves and surround herself with people who see the wonderful person that she is. I make it a mission to tell her how loved she is, and how much I appreciate the things that make her special. Luckily Nancy Tillman’s amazing books give me that opportunity whenever we read them together. I am a huge fan of her beautiful work, so I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to check out her newest one about helping kids discover themselves!
Category Archives: Toddlerhood
13 Monstrously Fun Monster Books
Updated October 16, 2019
Monsters can be a scary thing for kids to deal with, but there have always been lots of fun monster characters to enjoy in books, TV shows and movies. They can teach us lessons about not making judgments while making us laugh with their silliness and giving a physical representation to our fear of the unknown. With Halloween right around the corner, I gathered a list of colorful and funny monster books, starring all kinds of monsters. Whether you are looking for board books to help your young kids face their fears, or picture books with an important message on making judgments, there is something here for everyone!
I Let My Toddler Watch TV — and it’s Helping Her Learn to Read!
My toddler watches TV.
Yup, I said it.
Now let’s not be crazy. I don’t let her watch TV all the time. I am very much a believer in the “Everything in Moderation” mindset. Our social media feeds are full of articles telling us that TV and screen time are bad for kids, and I definitely agree that screen time should be monitored and minimized. However, I have definitely seen a benefit to allowing my daughter some screen time with educational television shows.
Fun Leaf Activities That Will Get Kids Excited for Fall!
The bright and colorful leaves of fall just beg you to have fun with them! From jumping in piles of leaves to creating fun art projects, the possibilities are almost endless. I love when the trees around us start to change color and all of the beautiful fall decorations start to come out. We decided to embrace the fall season and have some fun with colorful leaf activities!
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Making Kids Feel Special Through Reading
Reading together is one of my favorite ways to connect with my daughter. When we are reading a great book together, I hope that she takes the lessons, love and values to heart. I love when I read a book about love to her, and she recognizes that the mother in the story cares about the character the same way that I care about her. Watching her make connections to the story, the characters and the illustrations is a special part of reading to her. The personalized children’s books from Put Me in the Story makes the experience even more unforgettable by weaving her into the book.
Testing Your Memory with George!
How’s your memory? Not going to lie, I have a pretty terrible memory about some things. I still know all the words to random TV shows from the 90s (get out of my head Fresh Prince!), but other things just fly right out of my head. Then I became a mom, and let me tell you Mom Brain is real! So today’s book speaks to me because it is not only a very cute book, but is about a little boy who is great at remembering — except when he forgets.
Teach Kids About Feelings With The Moodsters!
Emotions can be a difficult thing to understand. As adults, even we have trouble handling our emotions sometimes. For kids who are still learning to communicate, putting their feelings into words can feel impossible. My daughter recently turned 2, and although she has quite the vocabulary, she often has trouble communicating her feelings. She has recently started throwing bigger tantrums when she is angry (hello terrible twos!), and makes claims that she is afraid of the dark. (One of her favorite things to do is hide in closets or our shed, so I’m pretty sure this claim is more of a bedtime stalling tactic than an actual fear). I have been trying lots of techniques to help her handle the big emotions she experiences. So far, the greatest one has been the introduction of the Moodsters.
Preschool in a Box!
As a teacher and a mom, I am always looking for ways to entertain my daughter while also teaching her. I try to fill our days with various learning activities or opportunities to be creative and practice important skills. While it can be lots of fun to come up with different activities to keep her interested and motivated to learn, it can also be a lot of work! Today I’m excited to share a company who aims to help busy parents to give kids a variety of learning opportunities, delivered right to your door!
Starting Early: How I Taught My 1 Year Old to Speak in 4 Languages
Kids are sponges. We hear it all the time.
“They will repeat everything you say!”
“They learn even when they don’t seem like they are listening.”
As a teacher, I had lots of plans for teaching my daughter when she was born. I had dreams of us reading together, doing crafts and science experiments, and learning new things. I read to her while I was pregnant and built up her library. On the night she came home from the hospital, I read to her out of the same book that my parents read to me on my first night. After that, I realized I didn’t have many plans for teaching her until she was older!
Sand Activities for Learning
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Playing in the sand is one of the summer traditions that you can enjoy anywhere! Whether you are at the beach, or playing in your own yard, there are so many fun ways that you can turn playing in the sand into a learning experience. My daughter loves playing in the sand, and she has been having fun creating new games to play in her sand table. Some of her favorite activities in the sand box are to build volcanoes using a funnel (she is currently obsessed with volcanoes), and finding her Little People dolls and animals in the sand. She likes when I bury them while she looks away so she can use her tools to dig them up.
