toddlers Archives - KidloLand

How To Encourage Early Literacy In Toddlers

January 17, 2017 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

It’s no secret that children of all ages love reading and listening to stories. But why is it really important to start reading and interacting with your child at an early age? How does it help your little one? The answer is simple. Early literacy in children is an important aspect of their overall development. A strong foundation of reading, writing, drawing, and communicating makes sure that your child does well in school and even in the future. It also opens up a whole new world of creative and imaginative ideas which can enhance your child’s thinking and social skills. You can make this whole process really fun for your toddler or preschooler by following the tips given below.

early literacy toddlers — image credit: nickelbabe/pixabay

Keep it exciting

Join a library which has a wide array of books ranging from bedtime storybooks, fairy tales, fables, early reading stories and more. Your little one can choose whichever storybook she likes the best and you can read it to her or read along with her. Use voice modulation and give funny voices to different characters in every story. Not only does this strengthen your parent-child bond, but it also develops language and vocabulary as they learn new words every single day.

early literacy activities — image credit: dassel/pixabay

Teach poetry and rhymes

Apart from storybooks, another great form of reading is reading poetry! You can introduce your child to the fun world of rhymes with classic nursery rhymes as well as other children’s poems. As an early learner, they will be fascinated with how words work and rhyme with one another. Emphasize the phonics and rhyming words, and ask your child to repeat them as well. Once your child gets used to rhyming words, ask them to write tiny poems on their own. This will surely create some wonderful moments for you and your child.

literacy development toddlers — image credit: Publicdomainpictures/pixabay

Read, read, read!

Reading doesn’t have to stop at books! Whenever you go outside with your toddler, ask them to read out the various labels, signs, names of restaurants, shops, streets etc. Take her to the supermarket and ask her to read everything around her. This will keep her mind alert and inculcate a habit of reading everything she sees. Don’t forget to ask her questions like ‘which shops did you see today?’ or ‘which sign did you see today?’ which will develop her memory skills too.

importance of early literacy — image credit: dagon_/pixabay

Communicate

Asking and answering questions is an integral part of every little one’s early literacy skills. Good communication skills ensure that your toddler will successfully communicate his feelings, thoughts, ideas, and opinions! If your child gets nervous about speaking in front of multiple people, slowly ease her into it by supporting her, cheering for her and appreciating her when she does it well.

preschooler language development — image credit: klimkin/pixabay

Draw & write!

Motivate your preschooler to write each letter, short words, and draw simple objects. Introducing your child to picture books with simple stories is another great idea! Your toddler will look at the colorful illustrations, point out different objects and characters, and repeat the dialogues of the characters which are all beneficial in the long run. This will improve his understanding and will make reading so much fun for him.

As parents, you need to actively work towards the development of your child’s early literacy skills. Children imitate parents in every way and being excited about reading will make them excited too! If you follow these ways to build your children’s early literacy skills, they will surely have a strong base for their future academic life.

5 Yummy Christmas Breakfast Ideas For Kids

December 23, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

Christmas is a couple of days away and the holiday cheer is all around us. People all over the world are excited because it’s the most wonderful time of the year! One of the best things about Christmas is the scrumptious Christmas breakfast that you enjoy with your family and friends. It’s a beautiful experience to prepare breakfast for your loved ones, especially for your little munchkins. A fun Christmas breakfast is something every child looks forward to, so why not make it even more interesting for them? Below are 5 easy and creative ways to make Christmas breakfast that will make Christmas even more magical for them.

1. Pancake Santa

Making Santa pancakes is a simple way to incorporate Santa Claus in your child’s breakfast! The steps are easy:
– Make a plain pancake with your usual recipe. Here’s one simple recipe from allrecipes.com.
– Place a pancake on a plate. Add strawberries to make the Santa hat.
– Slice a strawberry to make Santa’s nose and place it in the middle of the pancake.
– Pipe whipped cream onto the pancake to make Santa’s beard. Also add a little whipped cream at the end of his hat.
– Place two berries to make Santa’s eyes.
– Finally, make him smile with some chocolate sauce and you’re done!

2. Christmas tree cookies

– Christmas tree cookies can be made by first making your regular cookie dough. Here’s a detailed recipe.
– Once the cookies are baked in the shape of a Christmas tree, make sure you let them cool completely.
– Then, pipe green colored frosting on the cookies.
– Add some sprinkles on top of the frosting to mimic ornaments of the Christmas tree
– That’s pretty much it. You can also add a star shaped candy on top of your very own Christmas tree. Enjoy!

christmas cookies breakfast ideas — Some more ideas for cookies!

3. Reindeer brownies

– If you love baking, making brownies will be very easy for you. To make Christmas special reindeer brownies, follow this recipe to make the basic brownies first.
– Once they’re made, cut up your brownies in triangles to make the faces of the reindeer.
– Place some brown candies to make the eyes of the reindeer.
– Draw a smiley face with some whipping cream.
– Finally, add some pretzels to make their antlers. Reindeer brownies are ready!

4. Christmas tree waffles

-Waffles might be a staple breakfast food in your home, but how do you make Christmas themed waffles? It’s simple!
-First, prepare your waffles (here’s a recipe if you need any help!). If you want to make it even more accurate, add a bit of green food coloring in it.
-Next, cut the waffles into triangles.
-Place these triangles under each other to look like a Christmas tree.
-Add some sprinkles on it.
-Your Christmas special waffles are ready!

Christmas breakfast morning ideas — Place your waffles as shown here

5. Christmas tree cupcakes

-This one is simple and easy! First, bake some green cupcakes. Yes, green! Here’s a great recipe.
– After the cupcakes have cooled, pipe some green colored cream cheese frosting on top.
– Again, add some sprinkles for that extra Christmassy look.
– Place a tiny star shaped candy on top of it. It’s done!

Christmas breakfast toddler — Green cupcakes!

Summing up

Preparing and having your Christmas breakfast with your friends and family is a wonderful experience. These festive desserts will surely make your Christmas day even sweeter.
For more Christmas games, activities, songs and stories, you can download the KidloLand app here! Merry Christmas!

12 Useful Christmas Gift Articles For Preschoolers

December 5, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

It’s December already and that means, 2017 is almost coming to an end. But, it also means that Christmas is near! It is that time of the year when parents and children of all ages rejoice and make merry together. Surprise gifts, delicious food, decorations, stuffed stockings are all Christmas essentials that little children mainly look forward to. Your little one is probably very excited to know about Santa’s gift for him/her this year. If you wish to make Christmas a memorable one for your toddler or preschooler, look no further. Here are 12 Secret Santa gift ideas that your little bundle of joy will absolutely love!

best toddler toys — image credit: unsplash/pixabay

1. Crayons, colored pencils, sketch pens

Encourage your children’s creative side by gifting them packets of crayons, colored pencils, and markers. These gift articles are guaranteed to motivate your children to draw and express themselves very well.

2. Dolls or Doll clothes

If your children have dolls that they absolutely adore, take it up a notch by gifting them their dolls’ clothes. They will be elated to find out that their favorite doll has brand new clothes for Christmas too!

3. Playdough or modeling clay

Apart from making play time fun for young kids, playdough can also speed up their fine motor development, since it involves activities like pushing the clay in, pulling it out, squeezing it, rolling it and much more.

Christmas printables for preschoolers — KidloLand’s FREE Christmas Printables

4. Coloring printables

Printables are a great way for kids to develop their coloring skills. It’s a fun method to increase their hand-eye coordination, develop concentration and focus, identify colors, which in turn enhances their overall growth. KidloLand has 200+ worksheets that your child can color to his heart’s content.

5. Puzzles

Simple and easy jigsaw puzzles are known to develop a growing child’s cognitive skills, hand and eye coordination, problem-solving skills and they also learn to work with a goal. It can be an important addition to your child’s early learning experience.

6. KidloLand

This Christmas, make sure you download the KidloLand app in your iPad for your little one. Filled with 1000+ wonderful interactive animations, nursery rhymes, songs, games, activities and surprises, this app is sure to delight, engage and educate your toddler and preschooler.

7. Board Books

Board books are small books with thick pages made of paperboard which can handle your child’s inquisitive little fingers. Find good board books that tell simple but brilliant stories that your toddler will enjoy reading and appreciate.

secret santa gift for toddlers — image credit: alexas_fotos/pixabay

8. Toys

Different types of toys are a necessity for the development of every toddler and preschooler. By playing with toys, they learn to explore, figure out and interact with objects from an early age. Trucks, LEGO, cars, action figures, are all great gifts that your preschooler is sure to love!

9. Stuffed toys or plushies

Cute plushies or stuffed toys can be great companions for your kids to hug whenever they’re worried or anxious about something. Soft toys can also help your toddler to enhance his creative thinking skills and encourage imaginative play. Children will learn to love their stuffed toy and care for them just like they would care for a friend.

10. Stickers and a drawing book

Another great option for a secret Santa gift is a pack of stickers and a drawing book for your child to doodle on. By using stickers, your child can personalize and decorate various objects that belong to them, learn about positioning, and develop his hand strength.

best preschooler gift — image credit: alexas_fotos/pixabay

11. Craft activity kits

If your child is a crafty little one, then this is a perfect gift from ‘Santa’. Find a craft kit that has activities like jewelry making, building blocks, paper craft, DIY projects which will spark off your baby’s imaginative skills. Remember to always supervise your children when they play with small objects.

12. Bath toys

Bath time can be fun with the addition of some bath toys. Bath toys are affordable and can easily ensure that your child looks forward to bath time. Apart from the floating yellow duck, you can buy some floating boats, floating animals or other squeaky toys to make bathing enjoyable for your baby.

Final thoughts

Christmas gifts can be useful, practical and beneficial for your child if you choose them well. Select any of the gift ideas mentioned above and have a joyful Christmas!

Top Benefits of Educational Apps For Your Toddler’s Growth

November 8, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

Ever since the dawn of the Digital Age, means of education have become easily accessible to everyone through apps. Screen time for kids, especially toddlers and preschoolers, has been a much-discussed topic among parents around the world. According to a majority of parents, screen time is alright only if the content is educational and rightly so. There is a wide selection of educational apps available for kids on the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store, but what should you be looking for in those apps?

What makes the content educational?

It is important to check if the apps that you’re exposing your child to, impact your child in a positive way. If your child has learned something new, memorized a name, counted objects after using the app then you have a winner. A good educational gaming app aims to educate, build children’s brains, assist their early learning, help them grow cognitively and sharpen their fine motor skills.

How can your child benefit from learning apps? Here’s what we think:

1. ‘Mom, I can pick the odd one out!’

Apps which enable your child to learn to classify different objects are the best. Matching objects with their shadows, finding the odd one out, sorting objects according to their colors, shapes etc. are all the activities which prepare your children for the early stages of math development.

2. ‘Which object is bigger?’

Another aspect of learning about classification is comparing between two or more objects and organizing them. Through apps which encourage learning, your child will be aware of the fact that a drum is bigger than a pair of glasses, which is essential information to prepare him for preschool and kindergarten. He will learn to identify and compare articles, think logically and decide which one is heavier, lighter, longer, shorter, bigger and more.

3. ‘I can count!’

Identifying numbers and counting is another early math skill essential for your child’s development. Having a strong foundation with numbers and basic math will help your child in the long run. If your toddler can count from 1 to 10 just by memorizing, that’s half the battle won! The next step is to make him understand the concepts of greater than and less than so that the basic idea is crystal clear in his mind.

4. ‘Popping balloons is fun!’

Fine motor skill is the synchronization of hands and fingers with the eyes, making it a crucial skill for every child. It involves small movements of wrists, hands, fingers, toes, and feet. Interactive games which motivate kids to tap, pop balloons, paint on the screen or perform any other activity with their fingers are great for developing their dexterity.

5. ‘Let’s get up and move!’

If you’re worried about your child having a sedentary lifestyle because of games, you can go for apps which encourage your child to get up and move! Games and songs which make your child dance along, jog, skip, jump are perfect for your toddler. Fun times for you and your little one are guaranteed!

6. ‘It’s so interesting!’

With the constant updates that online gaming apps constantly roll out, your child just cannot get bored with them. Good quality and interactive learning apps know how to grab your child’s attention and pique their interest and curiosity. It’s much better if your child spends time learning and having fun rather than just mindlessly watching videos with no informative value.

7. ‘I have learned all the good manners!’

Some of the best learning apps for kids teach good manners, promote positive behavior and habits right from the beginning. Good practices like recycling waste, cleaning, planting and watering saplings all make a wonderful addition to your child’s early education. Children imitate what they see on the screen and if the animated characters on the screen are practicing good habits, your child will do, too.

Summing up

Educational apps which have a positive influence on your child are the best to keep him engaged, interested, and also keeps him ahead of the curve. If you’re looking for such an app, you can download Kidloland which has everything – right from Nursery Rhymes, Games to Fables and Stories with so much to learn from.
Download Kidloland here:

Halloween : Top 5 Craft Ideas For Kids!

October 24, 2016 kidloLand

Get crafty on Halloween with your little ones! Halloween is the perfect time to get your creative juices flowing. Create, fold, wrap, paint and go crazy! Little kids absolutely love crafting new things. You can take it up a notch by setting a Halloween theme to your crafting activities. Pumpkin shaped lights, skeletons, spooky wall hangings – the ideas are endless! If you’re looking for some fun and innovative craft activities to do with your children, here are the top 5 Halloween craft ideas that you can easily do!

1. Paper pumpkins

Take an ice-cream stick and paint it orange.
Cut 6 vertical strips (carefully!) from an orange craft paper. Every vertical strip should have one more strip of the same exact length.
Make sure that the length of the strips is more than the length of the ice-cream stick.
Stick the ends of the strips to the ends of the ice cream stick.
Cut two small green strips for the stem and bend them upwards.
Hang the pumpkin with a thread!
That’s it! Hang a few pumpkins of different sizes to get crafty this Halloween!

2. Paper plate bats

Trace a bat wing template onto your black paper using a pen or pencil.
Then flip the wing template over and trace it again.
Cut out the bat wings.
Using tape, attach the bat wings onto the paper plate.
Using the glue stick, attach googly eyes to the front of your bat and draw on a small mouth with a white paint pen.

3. Puffy cotton ghost

Start by cutting out a ghost template.
Glue cotton balls on it until the ghost is completely covered.
Cut out some eyes and a mouth (make it a smile so the ghost looks friendly, not spooky!)
Glue those on as well.
If you want, you can add a string to the back and hang your ghosts up somewhere in your house.

4. Balloon spider web

Blow a balloon. Tie a knot and attach a yarn thread around the knot.
Mix glue and water in a bowl. Add threads of yarn into the mixture.
Wrap the threads around the surface of the balloon in a random fashion. (Don’t wrap it entirely!)
After 5 mins, deflate the balloon and securely remove it out.
Stick some plastic spiders over the web! And there you go! The balloon spider web is ready!

5. Cotton swab (Q-tips) skeleton

Freehand draw some skulls on your white paper or print some off of online clip art.
Cut out a skull and glue it on the top of your paper. You will build your skeleton under this.
Stick the ‘ribs’ first and then glue the spine over the top. Use a dot of glue on each end of the Q-Tip.
Cut Q-Tips as needed for your skeleton’s fingers and feet.

Image Credits: Alexas_Fotos

5 Easy Art Projects For Toddlers!

October 21, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~ Pablo Picasso

Children can be very artistic and very messy at the same time. Creating art can enable them to explore various materials, colors etc. and think creatively at an early age. Toddler activities are slightly difficult to do because they are still learning and growing. In order to enhance their fine motor skills, you can introduce some simple art activities so that your little one is engrossed and entertained for at least a few hours!

As a parent, you must remember that your toddler has a short attention span and he might not even complete the art project. That is totally fine! Make it interesting for your child by avoiding repetition and by introducing new things every time.

To help you do that, we have 5 simple and easy art projects that any toddler can successfully do!

1. Painting over a stencil

First, spread a newspaper on the area which might get messy.
Find a large sheet of white paper and put it on the table or on the floor.
Place a stencil sheet which has simple cut-outs to paint over.
Give your toddler a big brush to dip in homemade edible paint just in case your toddler decides to eat it too. Here’s one way to make edible paint.
That’s it! Let your toddler paint to his heart’s content!

2. Sponge painting

Sponge painting can be super exciting for little kids.
Cut out different colors of sponges in various shapes (such as a smiley face, heart, leaf, star etc.)
Let your toddler dip one side of these sponges in edible paint and stamp it on a fresh white sheet of paper or plain cloth.

3. Fingerprint, Handprint & Footprint art

For this art project, you can draw a tree trunk with branches on a paper with a black marker.
Once that dries, ask your child to dip her fingertips in edible paint and stamp it on the branches to imitate leaves.
You can also get your toddler to make fingerprints, handprints and footprints on the paper. After it dries, you can draw funny shapes and smileys on those prints together!
This makes for a beautiful piece of artwork worthy of being framed!

4. Vegetable printing

Slice a few firm vegetables like carrots, potatoes, celery stalks, okra in different ways and allow your toddler to dip their ends in the paint.
This will create beautiful prints which look like flowers!
Finish off the artwork by painting the stems of the flowers yourself.
Ta-da! Now you have a joint effort by you and your little one!

5. Spray bottle art

Spray bottles can be an object of intrigue for toddlers and they won’t stop playing with it!
To make spray bottle art, fill a spray bottle with edible or non-toxic colors mixed with a little water.
Keep a towel on the floor that can absorb the paint that will drip down.
Place a large paper on a stand.
That’s pretty much it. The next step is to let your child spray the watery paint on the paper and create his very own abstract art!

Image Credits: Yuri_B, Icr3cr, ambush000, MowcowMoms

Top 10 Fun Winter Activities For Kids

October 20, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

Soon, it will start snowing and in a couple of months, Christmas will be here! Kids everywhere absolutely love playing in the snow while parents do not look forward to shoveling their driveway. Some people get excited for winter while some detest it. Well, you don’t have to be glum just because there’s hardly any sunshine. You can still make the best of it by participating in fun winter activities with your family.

Here are 10 awesome winter activities that you can enjoy with your kids!

1. Go skiing on the snow

A snow skiing getaway can be a great experience for the whole family. Kids can easily learn to ski with a good instructor and some practice!

2. Snowball fights

After you make sure that the snow doesn’t have shards of ice or stones in it, you can make small snowballs and have a snowball fight! This is a great way to relax, relieve stress and have fun with your children.

3. Shovel snow

Shoveling snow can be a dreadful experience if you’re doing it alone. On the other hand, your kids will be excited to shovel snow with you! Get your kids their own kid’s snow shovels and shovel snow together. This can be very helpful to keep them physically active during winter.

4. Go fishing

Get dressed in appropriate (layered) winter fishing gear, find a good spot and relax. Winter lowers the metabolism of fish and hence, they’ll feed more if the bait is small. If you’ve never gone fishing with your child, this can be a brand new experience. Stay safe and have a great time.

5. Go sledding

Sledding is an exciting recreational winter activity enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Revel in the breathtaking views of snow-capped hills and enjoy sledding down the slope!

6. Go ice skating

What is winter without some ice skating? Going ice skating is a must-do activity in winter. Experience the cold breeze of a crisp morning and have fun gliding on the ice.

7. Make snow angels

If you ask your kids to make snow angels in the snow, they will happily oblige! Don’t forget to capture these beautiful moments on camera!

8. Make a snowman

The next logical step after making a snow angel is to make a snowman! Find a good place with lots of snow, make snowballs for the snowman’s body and get creative with the accessories!

9. Make sock puppets

Staying indoors in winter can also be interesting for kids. Making sock puppets is simple and easy, you can watch this tutorial video to know more. Attach googly eyes and some fabric to complete your very own unique sock puppet!

10. Make paper snowflakes

This winter art & craft activity only needs two things – paper and scissors (Side note for parents – make sure you do all the cutting). Every design you create and cut will be different, just like a special snowflake! Here’s a great guide to find out how to make beautiful paper snowflakes.

Image Credits: MihaiParaschiv, rogerconnertn, AdinaVoicu, PublicDomainPictures

Free Alphabet Coloring Book For Toddlers

October 19, 2016 kidloLand Comments 0 Comment

free-alphabet-coloring-book

Get ready for some coloring fun with free alphabet coloring printables from KidloLand. These coloring sheets will help little ones identify the different alphabets. Each printable highlights a word that starts with the corresponding letter, which helps in increasing the vocabulary and language skills of your child. Download these interesting and fun-filled printables now to show your kids a fun way to learn the ABCs with alphabet printables they can color!

Top 13 Christmas Party Games For Kids

October 5, 2016 kidloLand

Christmas holidays are coming! Playing Christmas games with your children is one of the best ways for celebrating the holiday season as they not only supply entertainment but also help your child in sensory development and learning new things. Keep your children learning as they celebrate the merriest holiday of the year with Christmas Party Games!

The Top 13 Christmas Party Games for Kids are:

1. Ring the bell:

In this game, all you have to do is cut a large bell shape out of a large piece of cardboard. Then attach all the bells to a piece of ribbon. Then attach the ribbon to the top of the bell shape cutout and let your children ring the bell by throwing bean bags or balls through the hole.

2. Christmas Bingo:

Play Christmas bingo with your children by making a bingo card with different Christmas shapes like Christmas Trees, Stockings, Reindeer, Fireplaces, Santa, Ornaments, etc. on it. Next make Rudolph Nose markers (red circles). Have your children cover the shape you call or hold up larger pictures of them.

3. Big and little Christmas trees:

In this game you call out big, medium, and little and tell your children to be that size of Christmas Tree.
Big: stand up with feet together and put hands above head in a point,
Middle: Squat knees together and put hands above head in a point,
Little: Sit down with legs crossed and put hands above head in a point.

4. Santa’s Toy Shop:

Set different spots on your floor by using tape, paper bags, hula hoops, etc. and place different toys on each spot. Tell your kids that they need to test out new toys for them. Play music and tell the children that they have one song to play at an area and then once the music stops they have to move to the next area.

5. Pass the Christmas fun:

Have all your children sit in a circle. Let them all pass something like candy, small toys, crayons, etc. around the circle (once they have one thing mastered you can have them pass two things – one clockwise and one counter-clockwise. Play music and when you stop the music the child that is holding the item gets to keep it and then give one to another child that has not yet received an item. Continue the game until everyone has an item.

6. Mistletoe:

Tell all your children sit in a circle. Let them all pass a plastic or a silk mistletoe around the circle. Play music and when you stop the music everyone blows kisses to the person holding the mistletoe.

7. Santa, Santa, Reindeer game:

Make all kids sit in a circle. Choose the first picker from among the kids. The picker walks around the circle tapping heads of all kids by repeatedly saying “Santa”, finally chooses a kid by saying “reindeer” and runs. The kid who runs around the circle and sits down at the reindeer’s spot wins! Play many rounds to have fun!

8. Decorate the tree:

For this game you have to cut out Christmas Trees with felt. Next you have to cut out ornament shapes out of different colored felt. Let your children decorate the felt Christmas Trees. For older children tell them how many ornaments to put on the tree or have them roll dice to decide.

9. Chase Santa:

To play this game, one person is chosen to be the Santa. All the children stand on the starting line and the Santa has his back to the rest of the children. When he says “green light,” children try to run to the finish line. When the Santa says “red light,” he turns around and children have to stop in their tracks. To have more fun provide dress up materials like elve hats, Santa hats, beards, boots, etc.

10. Don’t touch the bows:

Put bows all throughout your classroom i.e. on the floors, chairs, etc. Play music and have your children run around without touching the bows!

11. Match the shapes:

In this game you have to use a cookie cutter and draw different shapes on a large piece of felt. Use a knife to cut out the shapes. Let your children match the shape to the missing part of the felt.

12. Christmas match:

Produce several different Christmas Shape Cutouts (Santa, stocking, ornaments, Christmas Trees, etc). Cut them in half and then tell your children to match the halves.

13. Pin the Nose on the Reindeer:

You need to draw and cut out a reindeer face with details like eyes, mouth, ears and atntlers. Hang it up and see how many children can pin his nose in place. To make it extra challenging, spin each kid around before pinning the nose on the reindeer.

Image credits: geralt, unsplash, markusspiske, Hans, PublicDomainPictures