Jessica - The Mommy Teacher

Simple Pumpkin Game

Today I thought I would introduce a “card game” that you could play with your kids using a simple pumpkin template that I made.

For this game, print the pumpkin template onto orange paper (or cardstock) and cut them out either in squares or on the outside of the bold, black outline. Then write a number, sight word, letter, shape, or any skill you are focusing on at the time on the back of most of the cards. On about 1/5 of the cards write the word “boo” or some other fun seasonal word that is memorable for your child. Place the cards down with the pumpkins facing up. Your little one will pick up a pumpkin and tell you what is on the back of the pumpkin. If your little one names it right, he/she will keep the card and then you, or another player, will take a turn. But, if he/she cannot identify what is on the back of the card, he/she will have to put the card back (after you have re-taught him/her what that skill was). If your little one picks “Boo”, encourage your little one to put ALL of his/her cards back; making it very light-hearted and funny that he/she has to “start over” because of that silly “boo.”

Game Tip* Explain the rules FIRST, have a practice round second, and then play a real game third so that the rules are understood and applied by your little one before the game officially starts.

October 10, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

October Calendar!

Are we already a week into the month of October? Believe it or not, I am just now making and printing my October Calendar to post in my kitchen. So, go back and read my September Post about Weather Tracking for some of my thoughts on teachable opportunities with Weather Tracking and try to start October’s tracking (a little late thanks to yours truly).

Here is your October Calendar

If you would like to buy the entire year of this theme, check them out HERE!

October 6, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

ABC Hopscotch For Your Active Learner

It finally feels like Fall here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! Although it will probably only feel like this for one more day before the weather decides to melt us again, it is the perfect day to get outside and get your little one moving. If you are like me, you like to get moving too so you might join your little one for this letter-naming activity.
I have noticed two mistakes on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to teaching letters: 1) we teach too many letters at one time 2) we stop reinforcing letters when our little ones “know” them all.
Today, I want you to do this activity with your little one EVEN if your little one already “knows” all their letters….this is a GREAT activity for active learners to practice their concentration on a few letters at a time, AND their fluency (how quickly they can identify the letters that they know).

Draw a hopscotch court with chalk or tape one down on the concrete if you want it to last longer and fill it in with letters of the alphabet instead of numbers. HOW you write the letters and WHICH letters you choose should cater to your little one’s knowledge of letter recognition.

*If your little one doesn’t know their ABC’s then write the letters in alphabetical order so that your little one can use the abc song to figure out which letters he/she lands on.

*If your little one knows 4 letters then write those 4 letters and 2 more letters that you can focus on teaching for that particular “court.”

*If your little one knows all the letters, pick upper and lower case letters AT RANDOM and place them out of order on the court and then erase (wet the letters with water) after playing a few rounds, and write new letters for them to practice naming them quickly.

For other ideas of how you might accommodate this activity for your little learner…contact me 🙂

October 3, 2011 by Jessica | 2 Comments

Creative Writing

Just a few days ago, I re-discovered my creative writing folder from my childhood and I LOVED this:

Rebus books that use pictures in place of words are usually for beginners to focus on a minimal amount of words on each page and use pictures as well as words within the print so that a beginner can see that words and pictures BOTH communicate meaning. That is one reason why I loved this creative “stamp story” (as I call it) because I was trying to tell a story using the stamp characters I had.

This would be such a fun writing activity for you to work on with your little one! If your little one is not yet “writing” – allow them to dictate the story to you and help you “write” when they can. You can substitute stamps with whatever you have in your house…..stickers, pictures (cut up double of family members and pets), magazine cut outs, etc.

This activity has so many possibilities that I would love for you to SHARE what you and your little one come up with on The Mommy Teacher Facebook Page

September 29, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Real or Make-Believe Stories

Little ones have the BEST imaginations; yet, some things that we define as make-believe may seem like a real possibility in a child’s creative little mind.

Still, it is important to start having “real” versus “make-believe” conversations with our little ones…..PLEASE don’t take this post out of context and start breaking their hearts about different heroes they may have that may or may not exist 😉

I am talking about asking questions about books and stories like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”….

Asking questions like: “Could that really happen in real life? Can animals talk? Do bears live in cabins in the forest and act like people?” Etc.

IF your little one says “yes” say “hmmmm….I wonder if we could observe bears in the real habitat/home they live in to see how they really are.” Go to youtube.com and search for different real-life bear videos to show your little ones the reality THEN ask questions like: “What are some things that are the same? What are some things that are different?”

A great way to make a measurable chart contrasting real and make-believe is to

1) Print the freebie I made for you: Real vs make-believe printable (You could also make/use a venn diagram)

2) Cut out pictures from magazines and place them in the column under the category it falls into.

3) Talk about it….ask questions to get your little one to figure it out logically!

This teaches your little one critical thinking skills, introduces the concept of fiction vs. nonfiction, and allows your little one the opportunity to build on oral vocabulary and express their ideas about their observations.

September 26, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments