Tag: pre-school

Imaginative play can inspire young minds

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Anything is possible with a little imagination. The power of pretending can help your child be or do just about anything.  From ruling their very own kingdom to walking on the moon or even racing in the Daytona 500. Imaginative play is an integral part of a child’s overall development. As parents, we should always encourage imaginative play. Whether it’s as simple as playing superheroes with their friends on a quest to save the world or scientists traveling back in time to save the dinosaurs. Your child is limited only by his or her imagination.

The benefits of imaginative play

Imaginative or pretend play can help a child’s brain develop skills they will use in everyday life. This can include the development of decision-making skills, reasoning skills, and problem-solving skills. Pretend play can introduce children to new experiences in a fun and non-threatening way.  It can teach them how to deal with a variety of different situations. It can also help them tap into their inner creativity, which can stay with them thought life.  They are basically training their brains to think more creatively. Some of the most creative people in the world were big into imaginative play when they were children.

Improved language and communication skills, as well as motor skills, are additional benefits of pretend play. Just listen to your child interact during make-believe playtime. You’ll be surprised as to their language skills and so much more. Watch them build an airplane out of some old scraps of wood in the backyard and you’ll be amazed at their dexterity.

Most importantly, imaginative play is integral to the development of important social skills. When taking on a specific role during pretend play with friends, they learn empathy, how to cooperate with others and how to share. Imaginative play also helps them to develop confidence and self-esteem. All very important qualities in their journey through life. 

Encouraging imaginative play 

You can help encourage your child’s imagination by scheduling playtime into each and every day. Children’s schedules are usually as packed as most adults. Some even more so. Between team sports, dance classes, pre-school and more, there’s often little time left for good, old-fashioned play. We understand that structured activities and of course a quality education is important, but so is playing. It can be a very valuable learning experience as well.

Help your child think out of the box by providing them with tools they need to get their creative juices flowing. From sheets to use as superhero capes to old clothes for dress up or a pair of binoculars for their pretend African safari exploration. Something as simple as a cardboard box can turn into anything from a castle to a pirate ship. A ruler can become a magic wand that transports your child to another time or place.

Children are limited only to their imagination. You can help nurture it and help their imagination thrive. Plan playdates with their friends. Help them build their own pretend playsets. A mini play kitchen for the budding chef or a hospital for the aspiring doctor. You can join in on the pre-tend play fun as well. Be a co-pilot when your child takes off on his or her next big pretend adventure. Imagination is the door to your child’s future. Help them open it.

At Building Blocks Learning Center, we provide children with the tools they need to excel in a fun, safe and nurturing environment. From infant to pre-school programs, pre-k, and childcare, we strive to inspire them to explore, discover and grow their individual talents. Click to learn more about Building Blocks Learning Center. 

Tips for Helping Your Pre-Schooler Build Math Skills

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

Math skills are one of the most important things we can teach our children at an early age. Early exposure to math and math concepts can have a big impact on a child’s skill levels later in life. Learning math can help a toddler to develop the ability to solve problems. This is so essential to success in school and life in general. As a parent, you will find that your preschooler is naturally curious and already interested in math as it relates to his or her everyday life. The best way to teach your child valuable math skills is through every day hands-on activities, tasks, and games.

5 Tips for helping your toddler learn math skills

1 Count together. Counting everything together with your pre-school child is a great way to get started. Children love to count, so make a habit of counting all the time. Count crayons in the box, tiles on the kitchen floor, pictures on the wall and bananas in the bunch. Teach them to recognize and read numbers as they learn to count.

2 Make snack time a fun learning experience. Snack time is a great way to practice counting and other math skills. Your toddler will love counting the number of cheddar goldfish or animal crackers in a bowl. Teach addition and subtraction by adding a few or taking some away and having them count the new total.

3 Use toys and playtime to help your pre-school child count and sort. You can do the same with toys as snacks. Count, sort and categorize. How many matchbox cars are in the box? How many are blue? If we took away all of the blue matchbox cars, how many cars are left? The same can be done with blocks, dolls, or whatever your child likes to play with. Sort by color, type or whatever interests them. Combine categories or remove items to help with adding and subtracting. It’s always important to keep it fun. Playtime isn’t all about building math skills, but when made into a game it can be enjoyable.  Board games and other games can also be learning tools. Moving a certain number of spaces on a board or following the “Simon Says” directions of jumping four times can be learning opportunities as well. So can more or fewer games, sequencing games and building and counting blocks.

4 Use regular daily activities as teaching opportunities. Keep it simple and keep it fun. How many steps do we climb to get to the second floor or how many squares are on the sidewalk in front of the house? Make laundry time teaching time. How many socks are in the basket? Ask your toddler to sort the clean socks and put them into pairs. Sorting objects, putting them into different categories and then counting them again. The simple task of sorting and counting laundry can help a toddler develop problem-solving skills. Even setting the table can be a math skill learning opportunity for your child. It will help your child understand the one to one concept of one fork, one knife, one spoon, etc. for each person. Cook together and teach your child how to measure ingredients. It’s a great bonding experience, as well as a math lesson. Finally, make grocery shopping a teaching experience. Have your child help with simple shopping tasks. Ask them to put six apples in a bag for you or pick out five cans of soup. Teach strategic counting. How many Cheerios boxes do you see on the shelf? If you’re paying with cash, let them help you count out coins. They’ll love helping and learn to love math at the same time.

5 Help your child learn important math concepts. Math is about more than just counting. It’s learning concepts such as quantity (more or less), measurement and size (taller, shorter, bigger, smaller). This will help your child develop mathematical reasoning skills. Shapes and patterns are important as well. Learning and naming shapes and identifying patterns is fundamental to a child’s understanding of math. Practice recognizing shape, such as a square post-it note, a triangle-shaped slice of pizza, a cracker that looks like a rectangle, etc.

Enroll your child in preschool and let the learning continue 

Building Blocks Learning Center has preschool and daycare locations in Wilkes-Barre, Mountaintop and Dallas, PA. Our program provides an age-appropriate education curriculum that can help your preschooler excel. Building Blocks pre-k program will help prepare them for the transition to kindergarten. Learn more about all of our childcare and educational programs on our website.

March into some outdoor family fun

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019

With March in sight, we’re sure your entire family is showing signs of cabin fever and craving some time in the good ole’ outdoors. We’re right there with you, just waiting for that much-anticipated break in the weather. Believe it or not, daylight savings time starts on March 10^th, so get ready to set those clocks ahead. Believe it or not, the first day of spring is on March 20^th. There are plenty of outdoor family events happening throughout our area in March and April. Here are just a few ideas.

10 ways to celebrate early spring outdoors in NEPA

1. Bundle up and head out to a St. Patrick’s Parade. You have several to choose from, starting with the Pittston parade kicking off at noon on Saturday, March 2^nd. That’s followed up by the famous Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday, March 9^th at 11:45am and the Wilkes-Barre parade on Sunday, March 10^th at 2pm. Check for updated information on family activities surrounding each parade online as the dates near on the individual city/parade website.
2. Visit the SPCA of Luzerne County Pet Expo. Love to support your furry friends? Then head on over to the Kingston Armory on Saturday, March 30^th between 10am and 6pm or Sunday, March 31^st from 10am to 4pm for this 2-day event, which benefits the SPCA of Luzerne County. Admission is only $5 and children under 12 are admitted free. Best of all, you can bring your furry family members to this event. Yes folks, bring your pets! You will enjoy food and craft vendors, animal product and services, animal welfare organizations, adoptable pets will be on site, plus face painting, basket raffles and more. Best of all, you’re helping the adorable little critters at the SPCA. Tap to learn more.
3. Take me out to the ballgame; take me out with the crowd. Believe it or not, the RailRiders season opener is only a month away on Thursday, April 4^th in Buffalo. The team is then home for a 7-game stretch from Thursday, April 11^th through Wednesday, April 17^th. They play Buffalo from the 11^th through the 14^th and then Lehigh Valley from the 15^th to the 17^th. Tap to see the RailRiders season schedule, as well as information on family nights, other promotions and giveaways.
4. Be on the lookout for local Easter Egg Hunts. Nothing beats a good ole’ fashioned Easter Egg Hunt, and there are usually plenty held throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. You may also find several breakfasts with the Easter Bunny events. Keep your eye out for an Easter event near you.
5. Pack a lunch and go fishing! Yes, April 13^th is first day of trout fishing in NEPA. Introduce your children to the fun of fishing. It’s a great activity for the entire family. Don’t forget to pick up your license before the big day.
6. “Do it for the Kids.” The Wyoming Valley Children’s Association Kids that is. Not a fan of fishing? Then take a walk. The WVCA’s 27^th annual “Do it for the Kids” Walk-A-Thon is on April 13^th as well. This family friendly event features a 2.5-mile walk, food, music, raffle prizes, family activities and more, all to benefit the WVCA programs. The walk begins at the WVCA at 1133 Wyoming Avenue Forty Fort. Tap for details.
7. Enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms in Kirby Park. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 from 11am to 5pm in Kirby Park. There will be food, crafts, rides, games, music and more.
8. Ride a bike. Your child may have gotten a brand new bike for Christmas, but haven’t had an opportunity to get out much in the cold weather. There’s no time like early spring to enjoy the outdoors with a family bike ride.
9. Celebrate Earth Day by starting a garden. They say April showers bring May flowers after all. Earth Day is April 22^nd and it’s the perfect time to teach your children how to garden. The Farmer’s Almanac offers some suggestions for planting timeline for a Wilkes-Barre climate.  You can start seeds outdoors for vegetables, such as beets, carrots, onions and spinach in April. It will also give you suggestions for a timeline for starting seeds indoors and transplanting them. You can start seedlings indoors as early as March, so be sure to check it out. Start seeds early for flowers and herbs indoors as well. This is an activity your children are sure to love as they watch their vegetables and flowers grow all summer. Need a few more ideas to celebrate Earth Day, how about taking a hike or building a bird feeder for your yard.
10. Fly a kite. The breeze of springtime makes it’s a great time to teach your child the joys of flying a kite.

Building Blocks Summer Camp for Kids

Spring is a great time to begin to discuss the Building Blocks Learning Center Summer Camp with your family as well. Our summer camp runs mid June through mid August. It includes fun projects, sports, STEAM activities and more. Breakfast, lunch and a snack is provided, as well before and after care. Building Blocks summer camp for children is a fun and interactive way for kids to spend their summer. You can learn more by calling 570-793-1725. Building Blocks is here for all of your summer camp, pre-school and daycare needs.

Most importantly, enjoy the beauty of spring with your entire family. Whatever you do, do it together. Follow us on Facebook  to see more family fun ideas like this and information on what’s happening at Building Blocks Learning Center.