Inspire Bright Minds Kids Learning Toys

can be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes you think you are getting a great toy that will really last and that your child will love and they never end up playing with it. While that is always a risk you take when buying any kind of gift, here are some tips to make sure you are getting what you paid for.

Make sure that the toy speaks to your child. A good toy and an age appropriate toy will be one that doesn't take much explanation. So make sure it is something that your child will be able to figure out on their own. That is a good sign it is age appropriate. Remember too that a good

kids learning toy

can last through a few seasons of play. While a young child may pick up blocks and chew them. An older child can take those same blocks and stack them. An even older child can take those blocks and create an imaginary place.

Try to get a toy that is not a "fad" toy. Fad toys are toys that are popular because of a particular movie or TV show. They are popular for a few months or even a bit longer but they are not toys that will last. Try to find toys that will last, ones that are not attached to a particular fad. Those toys are fun for awhile but they will soon not be popular any more.

Also it is a good idea to find a toy that will teach your child something. Children are given this innate ability to play. They love to do it and they do a great job at it. The amazing thing is that they learn while they are playing. So find toys that will take advantage of that time and teach them something while they are doing it. Find toys that encourage imaginary play, fine motor skills, creativity, cutting and lacing. Find toys too that encourage recognition of letters and numbers. For older kids find

school age children and blocks

that promote problem solving, sequencing and summarizing. They exist and when you deliberately find them, you will be surprised how they encourage growth in your child.

Enjoy your toys and put some time in to getting them and you will get the more than what you paid for!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

School Age Children and Blocks

Blocks seem like a "boring" toy or even a waste of space. They are actually a great developmental toy for your young child and

can promote great learning opportunities as well. The process of holding the blocks and actually placing them on top of one another is a great development skill. It takes pinching of the fingers, developing muscles. It takes placing the blocks on one another which is eye-hand coordination. It also is a problem solving skill that enables your child to build and create which also promotes imagination.

Blocks can come in all different types. You can have small wooden blocks. You can have special kind of blocks or even construction toys that fit together in particular ways, making the thinking even more advanced. You can also have large blocks that children can build a house or castle out of where they can feel like it is life size. You can even have electronic blocks that do a certain motion or movement when placed together for your little scientist!

All of these types of toys are great for children of all ages. The younger children will play and stack and do that over and over again.

School age children and blocks

may seem like a weird combination but it is great for school age children to have the chance to build. You can also give them the finer block sets that require a little more skill when placing the blocks or straws together.

Blocks may not seem like a real exciting toy but when taken out here and there, they will foster some great learning opportunities both physically and mentally in your child. Give it a try and enjoy!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Kid Toys for Thinking

Kids Toys for Thinking

Do children really need to have toys that make them think? I have always been told let a child be a child.

Yes children need to be able to just be kids. Let them play and run and imagine! The amazing thing about children though is that that is how they learn. Young children learn through play. So, as a parent or teacher who wants to make sure to utilize their "kid time" we want to make sure to provide

kid toys for thinking.

These are not hard to find and if you provide good quality

kid toys for thinking

, you will find that your child is learning while they are playing. You do not have to take away that "kid time" and force them to learn. They are learning through engaging their minds and developing their muscles to name just a few.

You may be surprised to find out that you do not have to have ABC's or 123's workbooks to promote learning and development. Find some toys that are not just fads, things that are popular for a few months. Make sure to invest in some great imagination toys like play food, puppets or kitchens. Find some good building toys to develop their muscles in their hands and their brains as well as they build and problem solve. Give them a chance to create while developing muscles in their hands that they will need when they are in school with play dough or easels or even glue and scissors. Provide an opportunity to explore the world around them by providing toys that encourage play outside. These are just a few ways that children can utilize good

kid toys for thinking

at a young age. Try it. You will be amazed and you will find that a good toy will be useful at many different stages of growth.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Kids Learning Toys and Development

My child is having trouble in preschool holding his pencil or crayon. He seems to be holding it as a fist is that a big deal and do you have any toys you can recommend to help him in this area?

That is a great question. Children need to work on developing the muscles in their hands so that they can write without frustration later on in school. It is important as soon as you see a child dominating with one hand to get them to hold their pencils correctly. Make sure that they are pinching the pencil with their first finger and thumb, middle finger can be pinching too. But make sure the ring finger and the pinky are left free. A way to train your child to do that is to make them hold a cotton ball with their pinky and their ring finger and then hold their pencil. It is a way to force the child to hold the pencil correctly. You may not think that is important but it is critical to successful writing in school. You want them to have a good grip so that they are able to write without getting tired. Lets face it, there are a lot of new things your child will learn in school, so let a hurting hand not be an issue.

A way to develop and build those muscles in their hands is to provide good pinching

. I have a "squeeze box" in my classroom where kids just squeeze and pinch balls and toys. The kids love it and it is a great easy way to develop their hand muscles. Also provide your child with some toys that force them to pinch their fingers. Any kind of clothes pin type toy is great. You can also get blocks that force children to pinch a small straw in a hole to build something. If you can find something they have to pinch or squeeze those are great toys! Play dough is awesome and the play dough scissors and tools. Get to searching for great pinching

and your child will be on their way to a strong hand and a strong start to writing in school!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Kids Learning Toys

Christmas is coming up soon and I have to admit I get a little frightened to get a "good educational toy" for my child when there are so many toys out there that my child requests. Honestly none of them are educational that I can tell and isn't Christmas about getting things you want?

I think this is a great point. How horrible would it be to get your child some great

but nothing they asked for and then have a horrible Christmas morning? I think that would be frustrating for everyone. I have made it a practice to show them how cool toys are - even ones that are not fad toys for this season. I always point out blocks and games that are fun to see at

Walmart

or online. You will be surprised how your child will find those toys interesting too. Remember that most toy companies are advertising their hearts out to little ones. So the reason why your child wants that toy is because they think it is cool and they have seen it a ton. So, help them see other types of toys too. Then you can give one fad toy and a few other

and both the parent and the child are happy. Give it a try, you will be surprised and you will find too that your child really does like well made

. Mainly because kids learning toys are made to last and are made for children to interact with. They can't help but be pulled in. It will not be the first toy they choose to play with on Christams morning but it will come and if you have done a little prep work, it may even be the toy of choice Christmas day.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Kids Magnetic Easel

Kids magnetic easels seem to take up a lot of room and I wonder if it is a good idea to even get one. Do they really have any sort of educational value or physical value for younger children?

This question is very valid. Yes

kids magnetic easels

are a good investment. They do take up a lot of room, but we do carry table top easels as well as standing easels and many fold up if you need to get them out of the way.

Kids can use easels for many areas of development. Physically these easels are very important. It is important to get your child to write up and down on a standing surface. Having to hold their hands up and use their arms and fingers to accomplish this goal helps with the muscle development needed to write in school. It is important too to not get them to write with dry erase markers but with chalk. The chalk provides a resistance and a "feel" for the child as they are working on writing letters, drawing shapes, and even just scribbling. So be sure your

kids magnetic easel

has a chalk board side for them to use.

Kids magnetic easels

are also good educationally because they give the child a chance to use kids magnets. Magnets seem like a waste of money too, because we as adults wonder, what can you do with magnets. They are excellent toys for children to pattern and sort. They provide a catalyst for imaginative play. They can used to copy and try to draw on the easel as well.

It is important to provide your child with great toys and remember, we here at Inspire Bright Minds feel a toy can be used to its full potential when you choose educational toys and even put them away for a season and pull them out again. A

kids magnetic easel

is a good kids learning toy because it will provide different opportunities in different seasons and will last for a long time.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Numbers for Kids: Wooden Abacus

An abacus is also called a math counting frame. It is used for basic counting and more advanced counting with wires and beads.

Numbers for kids

can be a little clearer when using an abacus. You do not have to know how to do mathematical problems when using one you can do many things to make

numbers for kids

fun.

One simple thing you can do with an abacus is make a shape. Have the child try to make simple shapes using beads on multiple wires - a square, triange, rectanlge, diamond, or a straight or diagonal line.

You can also have younger children try matching. Move any number of beads to one side of the frame and ask the child to match your move on the wire below yours. This can also be done with patterns: arrange the 10 beads in different grouplings and the child can mimic on the line below.

Numbers for kids

can be learned with counting games. They are good for giving numbers for kids familiarity. Move a certain number of beads to one side and ask the child to count how may beads you moved and how many remain on the other side. Or have the child count from one to one hundred as they move that number of beads on each of the ten wires.

With older children, especially those who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, try creating larger

numbers for kids

by assigning different numbers to the colors. Blue is ones, red is tens, wood is hundred's, green is 1000's and yellow is 10,000. A great tool for visually showing place value. Or you can be more simple and have the five colors be five different numbers 1-5 and add the totals together.

For more complex mathematical problems. Do addition, subtraction, and even simple multiplication and division problems by using the first wire for the first number and the second wire for the second number and have the children answer on the third.

You can even use the abacus for things other than

numbers for kids

. Draw or say a captial letter and have the child create its shape on the abacus. A I E L are good starters. This tool is also good for developing their muscles in their hands and arms so that their pincher fingers are developed enough to write.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

More Kids Learning Toys

Kids Learning Toys

A current trend these days in homes is to have a "play room". I am not sure if this is because we have acquired too much stuff or if we as adults see the value in play.

Kids learning toys

should fill a play room and be the dominate choice for children to play with. You will be surprised at how good

can give children great and engaging play options.

What makes

different from regular toys is that they provide a chance for children to engage in various learning opportunities through play. Children will not even realize that they are learning and it is important that if they do realize they are learning that learning can be fun. Some examples of

are imaginary toys, children's crafts, lacing toys, building toys, abc toys, number toys, puzzles and much more. You will find that classic toys are just good kids learning toys.

Don't give in to the current fads for toys. They are fun for a while but good

have a life that can last longer than fads. Children may not play with them everyday but when you put them away and pull them out again, they can learn from them in new ways that they haven't before.

Fill your play rooms with

, they are a necessity and will enable your child's school year to not have as many surprises. Give them learning confidence when they enter school. Provide good

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Building Toys: Connecta Straws

Building toys are important for young and older children. They provide many opportunities for mind development, physical development, creativity, and logical reasoning. They are great investments and can be used in multiple ways. These Connecta Straws are fine

to add to your classroom toy collection or even to your home toy connection.

When children are using the Connecta Straw

they are using fine motor skills. This is important for little ones, ages 4, 5 and 6. They are building muscles in their hands as they pinch the ends of these straws and fit them in to connectors. It develops eye-hand coordination as well. These straws are great tools for little ones to just play with and develop those muscles so that when writing and cutting later on, their hands do not get tired. Older children, and even some younger ones, can take these

straws and begin the process of creating. They will use logical reasoning and step by step decision making as they try and try again to get these straws to form their desired goal. This is harder than you think and when you see that your child has acutally made something with these straws be proud!

Fianlly you can take these straws a step further and not only build with them but ask your children to pattern with them, make them in to shapes and challenge them to make three dimensional shapes. Connecta Straws are long term

that when brought out at different stages can be fun for all ages.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Math Patterns

It seems that

for children would be easy, but it does take some work to get them to understand the order of patterns. Patterns are important and enable children to assign and acknowledge attributes of certain objects. You can pattern colors, shapes, items and even sizes. The practice of patterning items will help children later on understand numbers and functions. Also taking the time to distinguish between certain attributes helps children understand logic, easy logic and more complex logic used later on in proofs.

It is important for a child's learning development to expose them to

. This particular pattern box has a lot of items to pattern and items kids find fun to play with. The worms and bugs can be orgnazined in many different ways. There are cards provided that will enable children to follow a given pattern and even continue it.

It is so fun to play with these bugs and worms! Let them enjoy playing with them or even doing some pretend play as they become familiar with their attributes. Take the

a step further and ask the children to sort the bugs by color. Sort them by number of legs. Get them to be observant and ask them some other ways to sort the items. Give them chances and opportunities to pattern. It will not only strengthen those skills in their minds but begin the training of their minds to notice details and extend a sequence. That is the basis of a early math. Find how these items fit togehter and carry it further.

This is a great tool for both home and school and definitely will encourage great

and great math development as well as some pretend play too! Who knows you may get a bug in your lunch one day - don't be surprised it is bound to happen! Maybe you can get them to pattern a set of bugs each day in your lunch! Shew - that would be awesome! :)

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Exercise Activities for Kids

It is very difficult to get your children outside to play when it is really hot or when it is really cold. It may seem that only a few times a year is the weather appropriate for outside play. When children are inside, their activity level can decrease some and even get to the point where they are not exercising much. It is too easy today to set your child in front of a TV or the computer and not provide

for your kids.

I was trying to exercise myself recently and I was trying to do an excercise video. My daughter had so much fun watching me do it and was dying to participate herself but it was just too hard for her and for me frankly. So I decided it may be good to find a way we can both do

together. I have noticed that my child and most children love to jump. They jump all the time. So I thought, one way for us to both exercise is to jump on an indoor trampoline.

It can be done any time of day and since the point of

is to get your heart rate up, put on some fun music and then just jump. Do a running jump, do a slow jump, do a fast jump, jump on one foot or both at the same time. You will find that as you both excercise together that this little time doing something active will keep you both healthy.

This small indoor trampoline is great because it can fold up and be hidden, for those days you just can't do it. It can be risk free too because it has handles and is not high off of the ground outside. It can also help those children who may need a little extra therapy in developing some gross motor skills that enable them to walk or jump well.

This is a great purchase for

and will be good for you and your child, you may even need to get a small adult trampoline so you can join your child in this great form of excericse.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Toys for Kids

It is hard to find appropriate

. You want to buy a toy that will last and maybe even last for different seasons of your child's life. You also want to buy toys that will promote learning and take advantage of your child's learning potential through play. You want to also find

that are fun. That is the bottom line really in the kids minds, but did you know that you can find toys that are both fun and educational?

Do not let the fear of finding good

scare you off from buying toys online. You may even wonder, "What do kids like?" Well every kid likes something different but you will be surprised how classic educational toys can meet those needs when chosen correctly for their age group or even chosen with a specific type of toy in mind. Every toy at Inspire Bright Minds includes some educational value. We are working hard every day to include new

and even give you some extra information on how those toys will provide some educational benefit to your children. From imaginary toys to building blocks, toys can be educational. Take some time to browse our site and see if you can find some great educational

that will not only be fun but worth the money for years to come.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Kids Learning Toys

We all desire for children to enjoy learning. It makes life more interesting and makes school bearable! One way to develop that mindset in our children is to adopt that mindset ourselves. Children tend to follow whatever their parents do, whether spoken or not, your child is watching you. Show them that learning is important and that you enjoy it, then hopefully they will enjoy it too for years to come. One way to do that is to provide

Kids learning toys

are a way to foster a joy of learning in your young children. When providing kids learning toys at an early age, there will not be a preset frustration with letters, numbers or other skills because they have been exposed to it in an enjoyable way. Children will also find success when playing with educational toys. They will learn various language and math skills without even realizing they are learning. These skills will come easily because they were acquired through playing with

. In turn their minds have been exercised and trained to learn in the midst of playing. When asked about letters and numbers in school, they will find success and familiarity and therefore have confidence in their first experience in school.

It is easy to buy toys and toys that will last but it takes some deliberation and effort to make sure your toys will not only be fun but teach your children as well. Take the time to find

that teach your children fine motor, language and math skills. Your desire for them to learn is felt and when you take the time to provide an environment of learning in a joyful way and not just with a paper and pencil, children view learning as an exciting adventure. Show your children that you enjoy learning and give them the gift of finding that joy as well.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Development of Language: Sequencing Activities

As your children start to get older and learn the elements of a story, one of the most important things they will learn is how to sequence a story. Sequencing is when you put the events of a story in order. This skill carries over in to many skills concerning language development and story structure.

Some examples of

sequencing activities

are putting things in chronological order, steps of a recipe or instructions, and even life cycles provide a sequential format. Examples of sequencing are seen in life every day. If you have ever seen the cartoon Dora, they do sequencing all the time as Dora has the children repeat the things they will be doing in the order they need to be done in. This skill, of putting events in order, helps with comprehension and helps with breaking large tasks in to small ones. It will also help memory and recollection when children are learning how to recall the sequence of events.

Make it a practice to ask about the sequence of events in your everyday life. Ask your child what they did when they woke up this morning. Take a movie or cartoon they just watched and ask them how it started. Use these sequencing cards to help them visually see a story taking place and teach them how to place them in order. Even take things a step further and ask them why it is important to do things in a certain order. Also encourage them to "predict" what will happen next. What are some major steps in this sequence? All these questions and

sequencing activities

will get their minds working in areas that their teachers will address.

We can not tell what is going on in the minds of little ones, but you can get some tangible items to help see what they are thinking. These

sequencing activitie s

are a great resource to get a window in to your children's mind and to create comfort in ordering events. When they are comfortable putting events in order, it will be easier for them to follow a step of directions in school too. The order becomes important and these

sequencing activities

can help with that.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Puzzles for Kids

Sound Puzzles: Puzzles for Kids

Kids love puzzles. These Listen and Learn puzzles add a little extra sound to the fun.

Puzzles for kids

can have many different pictures or designs and they are a great source of problem solving and organization. When you add sound to these puzzles, a child can then get immediate affirmation that their matching or sorting has been done correctly.

Not only are the sound puzzles fun for the younger ones, but they are a great teaching tool for older kids too. Younger children can take the Listen and Learn

puzzles for kids

and place the correct piece in the correct spot and get a great joy when they hear the zebra make a zebra sound. (What sounds to zebras make anyway?) As they do this over and over again, confidence in matching shapes, pictures and colors result. Also the sound the animal or transportation vehicles make give their ears a little exercise. Helping them distinguish one sound from another. They are also just plain fun. Give your young child the chance to practice shape and color placement with these fun sound

puzzles for kids

. You may even find that when they do not get it right, they will work and work to get it right and we all know that persistence can't be practiced too much!

Older children who have to see things visually and/or hear things in an auditory manner will appreciate being able to learn the United States with these auditory

puzzles for kids .

The names of the states are said as they place them in the right spot. It is a great way to help those kids who need something a little more than a picture and a book. For auditory learners and visual learners this is a great too. The auditory learner will remember the sounds made as they place the state of Utah where it belongs. The visual learner will remember the shape and location of the sound that they heard. How many of us remember things because we heard them?

These puzzles are a great preschool educational toy for older and younger children. The self-checking and encouragement make these puzzles go a step above other

puzzles for kids

by providing not only a learning environment but a fun repetitive toy that can be used for years to come.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Building Toys: Legos

Building toys

are great for children of many ages. You will find that many great educational things come from building toys such as legos. First of all legos help develop your child physically. Taking the blocks and putting them together matching the bumps in the block with the holes or groves in the connecting block takes a lot of fine motor movement from your little ones hands. When taking the legos apart and putting them back together again the child is exercising their hands and their pincher fingers to develop muscles for writing. When holding a pen or pencil correctly, you are only using the thumb and the first finger. So, those two fingers and the muscles in the arm need to be exercised so that children are ready and able to write and not get tired when doing so. It is amazing what playing with

can do!

Not only do

like legos provide fine motor development exercises but they also allow children to imagine. They take a picture in their head and try to recreate it visually in front of them. They also are able to make changes and plan. Let their imaginations go when they create a house or a street or a castle. They may all look the same to you but not to the child. Stacking and position the blocks on one another is great practice for young children. It takes some time and some mess but encourage your children to play with

. Not only for fun but for their fine motor muscle development.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Children's Crafts: Play doh

Believe it or not

my seem really messy and frustrating but it is a great tool for young children to play with. It helps them develop muscles in their hands that will help them write better and not get tired. You want your child to have good hand muscle development before they reach grade school so that when the teachers are asking them to cut, write and lace things they are physically prepared to do so and will not get tired. If they tend to get tired doing these things school may become frustrating to them.

Give

and play doh tools to your child and allow them to roll the dough, to pinch it and create things. They will be having a great time and in reality they are "exercising" their hands. They can also exercise their creativity by creating things with play doh. When they ask you to make something with the play doh, encourage them to do it and encourage them to talk through the steps they are taking to make the play doh become an item. The

tools are great too because they will enable the child to manipulate the doh and to feel different textures as well as create different shapes.

Take the tools and

a step further and ask the children to make something that starts with the letter A. Also ask them to make an item and then make an item that is bigger or smaller. Have them make three items and organize the items from smallest to largest. Use the different textures in the

tools and have the children make patterns with them. Patterns can be a hard thing to understand and "feeling" and making the patterns can help the tactile and kinesthetic learners.

Play doh and

tools are a great toy to have at home and a great item to help children get ready for school. Give it a try, you will start to see their manipulation of the

get better and better the more they have a chance to play with it! You will like it too - we all know it is hard not to touch it and play with it when it is in front of you. Enjoy!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources: Pocket Chart

As you know most educators end up spending a great deal of money to have

teaching resources

in their classroom that will provide a rich learning experience. The frustrating thing is that most teachers do not have the money to spend on a great deal of teaching resources. We here are Inspire Bright Minds, hope to give teachers the chance to not only get some great teaching resources but to help them get them at a great price.

One example of a great teaching resource is the classroom

pocket chart

. They are a great addition to PreK and up classrooms in order to develop language. The ABC pocket chart is great for PreK and K classrooms because not only can the children sort the cards given in many different groups but they can sort the cards given by beginning sounds. They can also look at the words printed on the back of the cards and sort the cards by lowercase letters in to the uppercase letters' pockets.

The Word Families and Blends

Pocket Chart

provide older children with a hands on approach to learning and sorting the right beginning sounds and the end word families. They help with rhyming and again you can use the picture cards for many sorting activites. Each

pocket chart

includes over 200 cards and inlcudes a great teacher's guide.

The Calendar

Pocket Chart

is a great way to display the calendar in your classroom in a way that is manipulative. You can have the children sort the numbers. You can talk about what today is and what yesterday and tomorrow were or are. You can sing songs about the days of the week with the cards labeled as such so that you can use them as sight words. You can also use the numbers to have a number missing and see if they can figure out what it is. There are many activites you can use with the Calendar

Pocket Chart

.

The

pocket chart

are a great teaching resource and should be used in the younger grades to provide a visual as well as a hands on manipulative for the children to grasp language skills as well as mathematical skills.

Imaginary Play: Play Kitchen Toys

Are pretend play kitchen toys really a necessary preschool educational toy? They seem like a space filler and I wonder if it will just collect dust.

Play Kitchen toys

are not a "necessity" but they are an excellent educational toy to give your young children. You can teach many skills with these toys and yes they will not be used all the time but you will be surprised how often some children really do love to use them. You can use it to encourage imagination, self care, mathematical skills, and manners. Give it a try, if you have room or even if you do not, you can find a play kitchen that will work for your home and your family.

Play kitchen toys

can encourage imagination by giving your child the opportunity to make meals for their pretend friends or lovies. They can also make meals for you and real friends too. They will then use mathematical skills to divide foods up and place kitchen play toys like plates and forks in front of each guest, dividing again. They can even take it a step further and play out a scene with guests arriving, talking through the meal, and cleaning up. These sort of "complete" imaginary experiences train your young ones brain to recognize a beginning, middle and end of a story. Take the mathematical skills a step further and sort the

by color or by shape or by use. Maybe even allow for some problem solving and tell your child that they can only use spoons, so what kind of meal can you give your guests since we only have spoons? If they say ice cream say YES - it is just pretend and they are doing great problem solving.

While the imaginary story is taking place when using your

, you will get a glimpse into manners and self care that your child is aware of. For example, do the guests wash their hands before they eat? Do they use a napkin? Do they say please and thank you? The nice thing is that if you have been working on these skills with your child, these

allow them to put those skills in to practice in a fun way and it allows them to "correct" their guests.

Even when a child is playing with

alone, they will be developing their minds in mathematical, imaginative and creative ways. Allow them the chance to play and even though you can't see what is going on in their minds, trust that when the right educational toys are provided, their minds will be developing. Have you noticed that in most good educational facilities for younger children, a kitchen or home-living center is always there! Have one at home too - they will not play with it all the time but they will never get bored of it and it is definitely worth the investment.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Soft Number Puzzles

Number Puzzles

These Lauri Crepe toys are a great toy for young children. They use their hands as well as their minds to learn numbers. These soft

number puzzles

are so durable and washable. My child had one when she was two years old. She could count the pieces and she loved fitting the pieces in to the numbered spots. It was such a great exercise for her to find the shapes that matched and put them where they belonged. She also loved the Number Express Train because she could take apart and put back together the train over and over again. She could also place the pegs in the right spots to show visually what 4 and 5 look like. The process of putting the pegs in the small holes of these

number puzzles

and then even building on top of the pegs with other pegs is a great exercise for young ones to do. The fine motor skill of pinching the pegs and being able to steady their hand and build on top of it to fit it in the whole is hard and will need some practice. These toys enable that to happen in a non-threatening way and with a lot of success.

You can take these great soft

number puzzles

a bit further and mix them up or even provide a certain number of pegs and ask them which number trains or number boards they can fill with that amount. Then ask if they can fill more than one with that same number of pegs. You are enabling them to think mathematically without even noticing. Do not correct them either, these soft number puzzles are self-checking and they will get the hang of it.

You can then take the

Tall Stacker Building

set and use the same pegs as with the number puzzles and give them the opportunity to think ahead and plan and manipulate the pieces to build. These toys are so durable and washable and can even withstand a bite or two, from your child of course not really a dog. :) A great investment!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Kids Puppets

When used correctly

can accomplish amazing things. As a teacher or parent you can use puppets to communicate things to children and for some reason they listen!

Here are some tips when using

: Have puppets that are only used by adults and then have separate puppets that are only used for the kids to play with. The adult puppet can be used to communicate things and should always be in character. If it strays from character it looses its effectiveness. When children get a hold of a puppet the character will change, that is why some puppets need to be for adults only. Give the adult

a personality with the tone of your voice. Small puppets usually need higher voices and bigger puppets usually need deeper voices. Some puppets can be high energy, some can be really slow talkers. Do not worry about moving your mouth because kids will only watch the puppet and not you. You do not need to be a ventriloquist to use puppets!

Puppets can communicate rules, ask kids questions, show the "wrong" way to do things. If you do these "wrong" things over and over the children will start to correct the puppet. Have fun with it and you will see your child's eyes light up and really form a relationship with these

. If you find a child will not communicate well or seems shy, give them a puppet of their own and you may be surprised what starts to come out when they can pretend to be someone else.

There is no doubt that

Magnetic Pattern Wooden Block Kit

are a great preschool educational toy. Not only do they help communication and help engage children in to a classroom situation but they can be used at home to promote story telling. Help your children put on a puppet show and give them the chance to use their puppets for story telling. Vocabulary, descriptive tools, parts of a story and many more language skills will develop as your child plays with puppets!

www.InspireBrightMinds.com

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Beginning Pattern Blocks

I am not real fond of pattern blocks. They seem like a waste of time and the pieces always get everywhere. Can you tell me what is the educational value for a preschooler?

Beginner pattern blocks

develop many skills for young ones. They help kids to recognize shapes and match those shapes to one another as well. Preschool children will sometimes have difficulty identifying shapes and patterns.

Beginner pattern blocks

will enable them to not only touch and feel the shapes but use them to make a bigger picture. Then as the child puts together a bigger picture with pattern blocks, they are organizing the shapes without even realizing it. Taking the time to organize the shapes may seem petty or a time filler, but it is actually very good for their minds to take parts and put them together as a whole. Then you can take it a step further and watch your child be able to distinguish shapes within shapes and actually find a part within a whole. These are all beginning stages of mathematical skills that will be developed in a more finite way as they get older but are started here.

You will also find great satisfaction on your child's face when he/she finishes a picture that he/she made. Take a piece out of the picture they made and ask them what is missing. Ask them the colors and have them form patterns with those shapes and discuss what patterns are.

I know that

beginning pattern blocks

seem like a nuisance but if you have them contained and use them appropriately they can be a great tool in developing your child's mathematical thinking and prepare them to distinguish parts from a whole when they are just having fun making a picture.

Our

can have three levels of play. (1) Slide a pattern card into the wooden frame and match the magnetic pieces to the shapes in the picture. (2) Place a picture sheet next to the magnetic board and use it as a guide to duplicate the image. (3) Use the pieces to create your own unique picture, pattern or design. Includes: sturdy, hand-painted magnetic board, 120 magnetic wooden shapes, 6 durable, double-sided pattern cards, and sturdy carrying case with easy-zip back pocket.

www.InspireBrightMinds.com

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Children and Language

I have a friend that whenever he was taking a long drive, would take plastic eggs with rice or something inside of them and use them to shake them to the beat of a song on the radio. It would keep him attentive and awake. Children can take these same great tools and learn rthymn and beat. It can keep them attentive and awake when learning language.

Children and language

start to connect with rhythm, rhyme and beat.

Our egg shakers do a great job of allowing children to listen for rhythm and beat and try to match it while shaking eggs. They will love this activity and the great thing is that will not fall apart and they will not be tempted to open them. These are a great tool for developing a relationship between

children and language

.

When connecting with the beat of a song or of words, children will start to find syllables. They will start to hear the rhythm of language and then in turn begin to develop their vocabulary. They will fill comfortable with syllables and therefore feel a bit more comfortable with spelling and sounding out words.

Children and language

are an important connection and we see them striving to work for communication with the world when they are very small through crying. As a child gets older they will continue to find ways to connect or communicate with the world and will start to use the language that others are using around them.

Do not be afraid to speak big words or words that have a lot of syllables around children. They will pick it up and you will find that not only are they not afraid of language but find it fun and challenging. Enable them to be comfortable with syllables and rhythm and you will find they will be comfortable with language too.

Children and language

is not something you should be afraid of either, enjoy watching how it all develops! A little deliberate selection of toys and opportunities to learn will do wonders. Who knows you may learn something too!

Kids and Music

Kids and music

are a great combination. Not only do children really love music but they can learn a ton from it. I have a preschool class and in that preschool class I pick certain music for the children to listen to that will not only be enjoyable but enable them to learn too. You remember about 95% of what you can sing. How many of us as adults remember capitals and other things by singing them?

The Frog Street Colors, ABC, Shapes and Numbers CD's are an amazing addition to any preschool classroom or any home. When you put

kids and music

together with these CD's, they will learn how to spell and recognize the above things with ease. The tunes are simple, the words are easy and you will find yourself wishing you could have one for things you would like to learn or remember.

Place these amazing CD's in the car, play them while children are doing centers in your classroom. Either way you will find that when

kids and music

are placed together and even when you are not focusing on them, the content is absorbed. And when you ask your 4 year old to spell "purple", they will do an amazing job of singing it to you. My daughter and I will take it in the car and when we are driving while listening to these songs we will ask each other where do you see a "s-q-u-a-r-e" and spell it out. It is fun and funny and your child will love the satisfaction of learning these site words a bit early.

Kids and music

are must and these CD's put a little direction in to the great desire all children have to learn and have fun. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Preschool Teachers Resources

The school year is about to start. I am currently getting ready for my preschool year to begin with my 12 students. I am seeing all these great lesson plans and ideas that I can do with my children but I am unable to get some

preschool teachers resources

because my budget does not allow for it. Do you have some suggestions?

You can do many things in the classroom that are low on budget and still great teaching tools. I have a laminated piece of long construction paper that I cut in half long ways (like a hot dog bun:) ). I then put big paper clips on the tops of the two long pieces and taped the paper clips to the back. Now the children can slip die cuts in there to form patterns, sequencing and it can be done over and over again. The kids love it and it cost nothing!

Another option for

preschool teachers resources

is to take a shower curtain from the dollar store. Then get some electrical tape and make a graph grid, leaving room at the bottom for labeling your graphs. Then die cut some smiley faces that are laminated and place the child's name on it. Throughout the year you can then have the children "graph" favorites using their smiley faces on the class graph. I then hang it outside the door for parents to see - they love it.

If you have some more ideas, send them our way. Also check out our toys if you want to make a bigger investment and we can help you obtain

preschool teachers resources

at a discounted price. Just

!

Have a great year!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Classic Toys: Clock Toys

So many older children these days can only read a digital clock. Don’t let your child become one of them!!

Clock toys

are great for children of all ages. They can start recognizing numbers on a clock as early as a toddler and continue through the years to learn basics of fractions when they are exposed to regular clocks and clock toys.

Clock toys

can enable toddlers to engage in their love of matching slots for shapes. With the numbers located on top of the blocks, they are also learning to match numbers as they find the correct slot for each block. The numbers are also located on the clock, which allows for your child to match number to number.

As a toddler,

clock toys

can help your child learn to match shapes and numbers and how to put them in numerical order. As an elementary child, they can begin to learn to tell time. The key words, such as “quarter past,” can begin to introduce fractions along with the colors dividing the middle of the clock into 12 parts. The minutes are also labeled in 5 minute increments to help teach your child sequencing.

“My two year old got this toy as a birthday present and loves it! She is already matching up the shapes and learning to match her numbers from the shapes to the ones on the clock. What a great educational toy.”

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Fun Kids Toys

Kids love to play and have fun. We, as adults, want to provide opportunities for them to have a great time.

Fun kids toys

can be a great investment when they are educational as well.

The amazing thing about young children, is that they learn no matter what. They learn to have fun, they learn to obey, they learn colors, numbers, and letters. Sometimes they learn things of value, sometimes they do not. You can not deny that It is so satisfying to see a young child see something new and find answers to their many questions. They are created to learn. It is usually fun. Unfortunately, for some reason, it soon becomes a burden.

We, at Inspire Bright Minds, think it is possible to provide children with toys that are not only fun but educational.

Fun kids toys

can even be about letters and numbers. When chosen appropriately these toys can be played with in many different ways to promote learning without taking away their joy. Decide to make learning fun for your children. Choose toys that are

fun kids toys

and educational. When this extra effort is taken you might even find that when your children enter school, learning remains a pleasure and not a burden.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Preschool Educational Toys

My child is not in school really, is it really necessary to have

?

Children will definitely learn no matter what. They will not go in to Kindergarten crawling. Yet the learning that is happening in their minds and in their fine motor muscles is not as visible. We have to remember though that young children between the ages of 2 and 5 will learn while playing. Their learning is not necessarily math and science, though it can be, it is preparation for learning those things later on in school. They need to play. They need to imagine and create. It is in these experiences that learning takes place. You can give a girl a baby and a boy a truck and they will do some learning and some playing. So, why not take advantage of that playing that they will do anyway and provide some

Preschool educational toys

that will extend their minds and their physical skills?

can range from playing with a pretend kitchen to crafts. A child that is given imaginary toys will develop muscles in their brains that help with vocabulary, parts of a story, problems and solutions. A child that is given appropriate children's crafts toys will develop skills of cutting, sorting, creating, taking what is in their mind and placing it on a piece of paper. They will also make significant improvements in scissor control and pencil control.

So are

really necessary? Well yes they are, if you desire to prepare your child for school. They will probably be okay when they get to school if they have not had

, but how easy is it to give them a toy with a little more thought and direction? Give their play time some purpose and watch as they start school that learning can be enjoyable.

Imaginary Play: Housekeeping Station

Imaginary Play: Play Cleaning Set

How many times have you been trying to get your house clean and your young child keeps asking how he/she can help? Then you try to encourage that desire and give them something to do and find that it only makes you have to do their "job" over again.

An imaginary

is a great solution to this problem. As you are moping or sweeping, your child joins you and you both sweep the dirt into different places at least making it look like you have cleaned. :) Lets face it, young children are not the greatest deep cleaners but it is good to encourage your child's desire to clean and help. Our temptation is to say "no" and get it done faster, but trying to include them is a good idea.

You can even take this

, which is sized for your little one, outside. You can have them sweep the porch. You can even make it a fun summer or nice day toy by getting a bucket of soap and water and let them mop the driveway or the garage. When they are moping have them mop some shapes.

It is also really hard to learn how to sweep in to a dust pan. You can take the dust pan from the

or a coffee can and lay it on the floor. Have your child sweep a play ball or some plastic food, or even a pretend bug in to the can or dustpan. What great clean fun!

One of my preschool students' favorite things to do when cleaning up the classroom is to sweep. Unfortunately, it will not take very long for the desire to clean in your child to disappear, so try and make it fun and take advantage of it. With a