I have one child who went through a phase where he could not get enough puzzles. The problem was that puzzles can be expensive, especially when it comes to puzzles designed for younger children. This is why we ended up making various puzzles with our child.
One way to do this is to hold on to greeting cards that you receive. Cut off the front of the card, leaving it in a rectangular shape. Draw a puzzle design on the back as a guide and cut out the shapes (or simply cut free-hand). Flip over the pieces and allow your child put the card back together.
This same technique can be used to make puzzles out of photos you have taken or pictures from magazines. (If the paper is too flimsy, glue it onto thin cardboard, such as an old cereal box, and allow it to dry before cutting out the pieces. Cereal box pictures also make great puzzles so you can have two puzzles in one! Just make sure the pictures are different enough that they the sides will not be confused when your child is putting them together.)
Store your pieces in sealable plastic sandwich bags and place them all in a gallon-sized bag or an old wipes container. You can also use hot glue to attach magnets to the back of puzzle pieces to use with a cookie sheet for a travel version of any puzzle. (I like to save the free business card size magnets I get in the mail or that are given out at various events for advertising. I then cut these into pieces before gluing them onto the puzzle pieces.)
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Written by Laura on February 29, 2012
If you wanted to search for advice on how to raise your preschool child, you could type the topic into a search engine, visit any library or magazine rack, call your mom or maybe even your mother-in-law. However, I have found the best advice about raising a preschooler seems to come from other moms who are going through the same challenges I am because they are in that same season of life.
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Written by Laura on February 22, 2012
My kids love to camp out even if it is just in the living room. Of course, they each need their own flashlight during this little excursions. They don’t necessarily use them to find their way throughout the darkened house at night, but, instead, they are transformed into miniature movie projectors with the sides of the tent taking on the role of the movie screen.
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Written by Laura on February 20, 2012
In the movie “Shrek”, Donkey, who is one of the main characters, is trying to convince his over-sized acquaintance that they are now the best of friends. Shrek, on the other hand, prefers to go it alone and does not want Donkey accompanying him on his journey. Donkey responds by trying to bribe Shrek with various laborious acts and miscellaneous gifts. My favorite bribe is parfait.
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Written by Laura on February 16, 2012
Last week, I took a walk down memory lane when my older son found a familiar card game at the condo in which we were staying. My mom and step-dad had arranged for my brother and his family, along with my own family to stay at a ski resort for the weekend. Although nobody skied, we all had a wonderful time relaxing and playing games. The favorite game of the weekend was “Uno”.
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Written by Laura on February 13, 2012
Help your child gain some knowledge of various scents by playing a game called, “What’s that Smell?” Simply walk around your home with your child, and start smelling things. Smell the wooden cupboards. Smell the freshly laundered sheets. (Smell the dirty clothes, if you dare.) Smell the dog. If you have any flowers, smell those too.
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Written by BRWI Staff on January 30, 2012
A couple of years ago, I made a chart that my oldest son, then three years old, would use to keep track of his television time. He was allowed to watch two, half-hour shows each day and one movie each week. Whenever he watched a show or movie, he would color in a square on his chart that coincided with the current day and type of screen time.
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Written by Laura on January 27, 2012
Although making an Object Alphabet is fairly simple, your child will learn a great deal about the connection between letters and sounds while completing this activity. You will need is 52 sheets of paper, a marker, and various household items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. (I have included a sample list at the end of this article.)
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Written by Laura on January 25, 2012
When I look out my window here in Pennsylvania, I see bare trees with snow on their branches. They are barren, yet beautiful. My children have come to learn that “the trees are sleeping for the winter”. As spring approaches, the trees will “wake up”, and buds will fill the branches until soft, new leaves emerge. In the summer, these leaves collect the sunlight and rain.
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Written by Laura on January 23, 2012
When my four-year-old began to express a sincere interest in completing home-school activities of his own, I figured it was time to order him his own curriculum from the same cyber school that my older son attends. At first , he was very excited to being learning like his big brother, but now I feel ...
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Written by Laura on December 30, 2011
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