One of the easiest developmental stages we can help our baby develop is visual stimulation. We do this by using high contrast toys and books or educational flashcards for baby like the varieties from Banana Panda.
The boldness of black and white images stand out best for baby as they start off seeing a blurry world from their eyes. With pops of color like yellows, reds and other primary colors it really is engaging for baby.
High contrast shapes and patterns provide the baby with something simple and engaging to focus on, and in this focus – or intense concentration – they can allow their minds to rest. Researchers have repeatedly shown that newborns prefer to look at black and white geometric shapes, rather than bright colors or pastels.
Is it Baby Fever around you this season? We know so many families expecting babies right now. Our oldest son sees his friends having babies often this year. When I have to get a gift for a new parent I love gifts that educate like books, learning DVD’s and learning kits. Teach My Learning Kits are always a hit when I gift them.
Teach My says you can do a lot of learning and growing at just 20 minutes a day and I personally believe that is a great number – 20 minutes! Every night since our 11 year old was an infant I take the last 10-20 minutes of our day and read with him. He is in middle school and doesn’t need me tucking him in anymore (sniff, sniff), but I truly credit our small evening time to his excellent reading and learning skills.
Teach My has award winning all-in-one learning kits for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. No need to spend hundreds of dollars going to several stores buying individual teaching tools, Teach My kits provide everything necessary for learning with baby the basics, all in a portable and storable case.
This summer I sat our youngest down as we do all our boys through the years and made a summer learning plan. On one hand I do not want to destroy their summer break, yet I know that the summer slide is real and it can take several weeks to get back into learning mode when it has disappeared so many months. In all of my research and own trials, just 20 minutes a day is enough. So, I try to find fun ways to incorporate some learning.
Anthony had asked for some animation tablet accessories for his birthday last spring and has been wanting to learn to use it. We discovered Outschool that has so many online courses for kids from subjects to how-to’s like how to make your own animation videos, how to code, etc. and STEM-inspired. They even have different ‘video game’ related learning. He found a course and we signed up: How To Make Awesome Animated Movies.
Here is a very brief overview of Anthony’s course below:
Anthony logged on every Thursday from 3-3:50 for 4 weeks. Each week they were given a lesson and then for the week had a (fun) assignment to share next class.
Once you register for a course at Outschool or even join their email list you get notified every time new classes start or are added. There are so many! And some classes are just a couple of dollars. You see who teaches the classes and can click on their profiles, options for class times and all you will need before day one such as programs to download or equipment you’ll need, etc. By the time the class starts everyone should be ready to roll so it is seamless.
Being as how my son took a class that mainly consisted of his age group (you can sort classes by age group so younger kids don’t end up in teens classes and vice versa) some kids were setting up solo and needed extra help, but the Teacher was good about allowing a few moments to walk these kids through it and move on for the rest of the class. You always have access to direct message your Teacher too if you have questions you need to ask without the entire class. It was a fun experience and a great way to add some extra learning at home.
Head over to the online courses at Outschool today and find something fun to learn about!
Comment: Samples were sent for feature. Opinions are my own
Looking for screen-free, educational toys? They are hard to find these days. Codi the educational robot is an educational robot that plays songs, tells stories, teaches habits, sends messages and answers questions. Also, Codi helps put your kids to bed at night and at nap time!
Below is a video showing all of his best features and how when you load the free Codi Parent app you can do so much more. The app is available in Google Play and Apple store. Just download, connect Codi and he will be at his full potential.
Codi comes with a blue and white outfit, but there are more additional outfits you can buy separately to personalize Codi.
I love how customizable Codi is for parents!
Control what you want or do not want your child to listen to
See what your child has been playing
Set volume controls
Set guided routines when it’s time to clean up, brush their teeth, etc.
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