As we get ready to send our daughter to Kindergarten next year, I’ve partnered with Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool to share some thoughts on kindergarten readiness.  Bright Horizons is hosting their annual Kindergarten Prep and Preschool Showcase events around the Boston area the week of January 27th.

Promoting Creativity for Pre-K learners

Although it’s hard to believe, our oldest child will start kindergarten next year. She turns five in just two weeks and I feel this tug to get her ready for kindergarten, while also pushing her to play more without any structure. I went to a lecture recently about the demise of kid’s imagination and creative thinking skills, all because of the toys and media we let into their childhood. It was eye-opening. Now it’s changing my thoughts on how we play, and how I can encourage creativity while still making sure she is prepared for the demands of kindergarten.

Counting Activity Pre-K

The idea of getting my daughter ready for kindergarten through play really makes sense to me. When I searched Pinterest for kindergarten preparation, I found tons of wonderful activities. Math, writing, story telling all play a part of learning new skills, but can also encourage creativity. When I spoke with J.J. Lynch, the director from the Sudbury Bright Horizons, she shared a great activity that is popular in their Kindergarten Prep classroom. Let them draw a picture in a notebook, then pass the book to an adult and have them write down everything the child says about the story. It’s a great way for them to connect the creativity of drawing with the skills of writing and reading.

sock puppet diy

Making a sock puppet is a great way to encourage creative thinking. Source

The lecture I went to was run by Dr. Susan Linn, who is a co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. She worked with Mister Rogers, so you know she is a good egg. She wrote the book: The Case for Make-Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World. I loved her message of what kids need in order to foster their creativity:

  • Time
  • Space
  • Silence
  • Inspiration

Good toys are 90% child driven. Most toys on the market are not. As I walked through my house the morning after the lecture, I felt less excited about the talking toys, and those with a predetermined identity. Where are the toys that are gender neutral? Maybe we need some sock puppets in our home. When we give children a branded toy (say Princess Sophia) then we have already given them the toy’s identity, the script and have drastically reduced their need to be creative. Even coloring books fall into this realm of reducing our children’s opportunity for creativity.

Finding the right balance is what is most important. Letting the kids play to learn is a part of childhood that we as parents need to protect. The influence of T.V. and branded characters is a whole new world to navigate. There are some helpful tips and tools on the Coalition for Commercial Free Childhood’s website.  {Their TOADY awards are crazy.}

Bright Horizons will be hosting their annual Kindergarten Prep and Preschool Showcase event, which is an opportunity for rising preschool and Kindergarten Prep aged families to engage with the teachers and educate them around the curriculum for the program that their child will soon be entering. The kids are invited and dinner is included. It’s a great way for the whole family to get an idea of how Bright Horizons teaches kids to get ready for Kindergarten. I appreciated learning about their approach to educate the “whole” child, not just the academic side of learning. They have preschool locations all over Massachusetts and you can find the schedule of events by location here

Image Source

This is a sponsored post by Bright Horizons but all the stories and opinions shared here are my own.

It’s the last week of Project Simplify and the task was to finish a “Put Off Project.” Hmmm…where to start? As we prepare for the new baby’s arrival in the coming month(?) we have been frantically purging the house of unused items, extra furniture and dealing with issues that come from having siblings move in together. The biggest task of all is to organize the kids playroom area. They have a great selection of toys, games, crafts and activities, but not a great place to store them. First part of Operation Playroom was to clean out an overcrowded closet and make it a cozy play closet for the kids.

This truly is a “closet under the stairs” play area. The before picture shows how crazy crowded the closet was with bedding, baby toys in storage, gift wrap and my wedding dress. (See how I organized my gift wrap stash in a previous post.) Some of the bedding was donated, the baby toys were paired down and stored in the nursery and my wedding dress actually still needs a new home. It is amazing to me how much dead space there was in the closet once I saw it in the photo. If the kids outgrow this space, I’ll add in some vertical shelving.

Crowded Closet Before

Next up was to add some light to the closet since there are no overhead fixtures. I found one nightlight that goes on the wall that the kids can turn on and it automatically shuts off. I plan to add another one for a little more light in case the kids want to read in the nook at the back.

Play Nook for Kids

There are two main activities in the cozy nook, dress-up and baby dolls. Both of these activities tend to sprawl when the kids get into them with their friends. My hope it to potentially contain some of the craziness behind closed doors. I used the removable Command Hooks to hang up the dress up items and the accessories are stored in two baskets below. A princess needs her shoes, bag, gloves and tiaras close at hand.

Dress Up Zone for Kids

Madison’s favorite part was actually the bedding at the back that we saved for guests. I may expand this space a little more so it’s truly a cozy spot for the kids. I’ll also be on the lookout for two additional dress up items when I shop the Parent Talk Sale this weekend. We have a large assortment of tutu’s, but not a lot of gender neutral options.

Wish Love Dream art

The other addition to the room is this sweet wall art I found and printed out myself. I may add in a few more frames of quotes in the realm of the importance of pretend play. I started saving a number of them, and other playroom ideas, on my Pinterest boards.

For more organizing ideas, head over to the collection of posts on Simple Mom’s week four round up of “put off” projects.  You can see all of my other Project Simplify posts here. Thanks for everyone’s comments on the past few Project Simplify projects. I hope to have more updates for Operation Playroom once our new storage unit arrives from Ikea!

I’m sharing this over at OrgJunkie too!

The Project Simplify challenge this week became a little more in-depth so I decided to split it out into two separate posts. This project features the creation of a quiet activity desk for my preschooler. I used some wasted space to carve out a special area for her to enjoy in the nursery when I’m busy with the new baby next month.

Preschooler Quiet Desk RandomRecycling.com

I recently had an interior designer, Dina from Honey & Fitz, come for a visit to help me plan out the kid’s room as it shifts from a girly one to a shared girl/boy bedroom.  We also reviewed the layout of the nursery and debated what to do with this random desk space that was built into the room. We never used it as a desk, even when the room was my home office. Once I cleared off all the clutter, including the day care notes from years past, the desk looked so lonely. I realized that it could be a good place for the kid’s to be entertained while I’m busy nursing the new baby. This led to the creation of the “Quiet Desk.”

The desk offers great work space and it’s just the right size for a child. Madison said, “I can do my homework here.” Cute since she is a long way off from homework days, but she already gets the concept of it. While I’m happy the desk is now functional, I would love to add a couple more interesting things on the wall to look at. Maybe a fun map to start talking about geography, or some hanging clipboards with activity sheets attached to them. The goal is to have some activities that the kids can do independently when I don’t have any hands free.

Create a Quiet Desk for Kids RandomRecycling.com

When I search on Etsy for Quiet Books, there are so many fun options, depending on the age of your child. I really like this quiet book from Handcrafting Harmony as it offers lots of fine motor skill practice.

I’m curious to see how well the two “big kids” share this new space. When I introduced it to them it was a hit, except it’s a little tight for two little people at the same time. I also need to find a little place mat as I think the crayons will soon decorate the desk instead of paper the way my little guy colors.

What other activities would you add to this quiet space? Any other tips for entertaining older kids while you are busy nursing a newborn? 

For Part 1 of this week’s Project Simplify, check out the How to Organize Your Gift Wrap post.

For more organizing ideas, head over to the collection of posts on Simple Mom’s week three round-up of “pile” projects.  You can see all of my other Project Simplify posts here. Up next week~ the put off project! You know you have one…

This is shared with Growing Slower’s Tuesday Baby link-up

Free Outdoor Activities for Kids RandomRecycling.com

Happy Earth Day 2013! While I believe Earth Day should be everyday, I do like being able to highlight easy ways to bring a little more green into your life. Getting kids outside to appreciate nature will make them good stewards of the Earth as they grow up. If they don’t get out and experience nature, they won’t be that motivated to help protect it.

25 Earth Day activities outdoors

Here’s my list of 25 Free Outdoor Activities for Kids, all battery-free!

  1. Bring an easel outside to paint or color on
  2. Bubbles
  3. Chalk drawings
  4. Backyard baseball
  5. Soccer practice
  6. Enjoy a picnic lunch
  7. Swing set time
  8. Create an obstacle course
  9. Bug hunting
  10. Bird watching
  11. Identify plants and flowers
  12. Plant seeds
  13. Nature walk
  14. Wagon ride
  15. Neighborhood bike ride
  16. Sandbox castles
  17. Squirt bottle water drawings
  18. Bring musical instruments outside for a jam session
  19. Collect rocks to paint
  20. Hopscotch
  21. Take the dolls for a walk in their stroller or grocery cart
  22. Visit a duck pond
  23. Paint fences or walls with water
  24. Go puddle jumping when the opportunity arises
  25. Lay on a towel and look at the starts together

Earth Day Quote RandomRecycling.com

Which is your favorite activity to do with your kids? Anything else to add to the list?

Ultimate Homemaking ebook bundle Sale

I’m sharing this post with the Tuesday Baby Link Up and Your Green Resource