The Relationship Between Music and Brain Development in Children
Research shows music is good for children and has many cognitive benefits in their development. In fact, modern neurological research has discovered music and child development are deeply intertwined. Exposure to music can help children develop new neural connections, language skills, and more. As children engage with different types of music, whether through singing, listening or dancing, their brains undergo a symphony of activities that engages many areas of the brain including those related to: Working memory Language Processing Emotional Regulation of Self-Control Prob...
How to Prepare for Beginning Early Care & Education
We understand how changing routines, new encounters, and meeting new people can be challenging for both parent and child. Stepping Stone School wants to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you and your family. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help you and your family feel prepared for this important and exciting transition. What can I do to prepare my family for childcare and get my child excited about his/her new school? Before Your First Day: Become Familiar with the School. Get to know the environment and your child’s teacher before the f...
Fun Spring Activities to do With Children
Spring is in the air and with the warmer weather brings bright colors and new blooms which can be exciting for children. Activities with children in the spring are a way to celebrate the changing weather and nurture an appreciation for the season when everything comes to life. Many of these activities are easy to put together with materials you may already have on hand. These are also great activities to do over spring break as well. Here are some fun and engaging Spring activities for children: 1.) Make a Magic Potion. Spring feels like a magical time with plants and animals coming t...
Easter Baskets to Make with Your Child!
These easy to make baskets are the perfect activity to welcome spring! Tissue Box Basket Materials: construction paper, glue, scissors, stapler, empty cube tissue boxes or other small boxes, ribbon, and markers or crayons Preparation: based on the age of the children Directions: 1. Cut top or flaps off boxes 2. Decorate using paper, glue, markers, and ribbon. 3. Cut a handle and attach Paint Stamped Basket Materials: construction paper, scissors, stapler, paper bags, paints, and cookie cutters or other shapes...
Peace of Mind for Parents - Choosing Meaningful STREAM Activities for Your Child
Young children love to explore the world around them—and STREAM activities are a great way to help them do it. STREAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. There are lots of STREAM activities available online for families and children to do at home, but some are better than others! With so many STREAM ideas to choose from, how do you find what is best for your child? Here are some questions you can ask yourself: 1. Will this activity interest my child? Is your child interested in building? Collecting rocks? Looking at the night sky? Choos...
How to Create Five Child-Made Holiday Gifts using Items around Your Home
This holiday season, gift-giving may look a little different for families. Creating a gift with your child for a loved one provides a meaningful and memorable experience while creating something someone else will enjoy. While creating a gift for another, children build empathy as they think about how their gift will cause someone else to feel. Additionally, children are provided with the ability to express themselves creatively which often brings an internal joy and sense of accomplishment. Consider some of the following options for holiday gifts that use materials commonly found ...
Peace of Mind for Parents - "Making" At Home
Making is a term for hands-on, creative expression that gives children opportunities to explore, create, learn, and try something new through activities such as woodworking, sewing, weaving, constructing with recycled materials, and experimenting with circuitry. Here are some ideas for making at home to encourage children to experiment, explore, and create. LOOK Look “out loud” with your child as you both notice familiar and unfamiliar items Call attention to common examples of making: textiles like clothes and bedding and items made from recycled materials, like cardboard eg...
How to Make Easy Taste-Safe Finger Paint
While painting, children practice fine motor skills, color recognition, and self-expression. Around six months of age, infants will often show an interest in creative activities. Since very young children primarily explore with their mouths, it is extremely important to provide opportunities for learning with supplies that are safe if explored in this manner. Making a taste-safe finger paint provides even the youngest artist the opportunity for creative expression. Follow the instructions on this printable recipe to make a Taste-Safe Finger Paint your child will enjoy painting with to...
How to Make Taste-Safe Moon Sand
How to Make Taste-Safe Moon Sand Moon sand is a special craft sand that can hold its shape for a brief time similar to the sand you find at the beach. Most moon sand recipes require actual sand, but not this one! This recipe uses ingredients from your kitchen and is safe if it accidentally finds its way into your young child’s mouth. Playing with moon sand is not only a wonderful sensory experience, it also strengthens the muscles in your child’s hands. While shaping the sand with their fingers, children are developing fine motor skills which are necessary for gripping a pen...
How to Make Playdough
How to Make Playdough Making playdough with your child is a fun way to practice math skills. Measuring each scoop of flour, counting drops of food coloring, plus learning the difference between units of measurement equal hands-on mathematical learning. In addition to the experience of making playdough, playing with playdough strengthens your child’s hand muscles developing fine motor skills necessary for gripping a pencil and writing. Follow the instructions on this printable recipe to make a homemade playdough your child will enjoy playing with for hours to come! Homemade Pla...
Read, Create, Connect - Stepping Stone School Celebrates WOYC 2020!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has dedicated April 11-17, 2020 as a week to celebrate young children! In conjunction with NAEYC and TXAEYC (Texas chapter of NAEYC), Stepping Stone School is celebrating the young children who bring us so much joy! This year, we are centering our celebration around Connection using books by children’s author Ezra Jack Keats. Musical Monday: Read: Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats read aloud for you here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umbWnSOi0iQ Create: Make musical instruments from recycled mate...
Create Hand Print Hearts!
The month of February is a great time of year for young children to celebrate the importance of friendship, as well as, showing kindness to others. Here is a great craft for them to participate in with a family member or a friend! Materials Construction paper Washable finger paints Instructions Ask your child to select their favorite color of paint and dip one of their hands, palm-side-down into the paint. Next, have them press their hand print on the piece of paper. A parent, friend, or sibling can repeat the process with an overlapping second-hand print, creating the ...
Make a "Coupon Book" of Helpful Gifts !
Use this activity as an opportunity to talk about the many ways we each give and receive and a way to encourage your children to develop “an attitude of gratitude.” Materials Several sheets of paper or index cards Kid-safe scissors Markers or crayons Stapler Pictures from magazines Instructions 1.) Start by cutting or tearing pieces of paper in half to make blank coupons. 2.) Ask your child to come up with ideas for ways he can help the family. Here are some suggestions: Play quietly so a parent can have some peaceful time Give a hug, Sort socks in th...
2019 Turkey Trot
AUSTIN, Texas — It's an Austin tradition that has been going on for 29 years. Every Thanksgiving, thousands of people meet at the Long Center for the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot. The event has raised almost $3.8 million for Caritas of Austin, a nonprofit that works to prevent and end homelessness in the city. “Some of the things we will do with some money that is raised today at the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot is, overall, we will build well-being and help people build a future for themselves," said Jo Kathryn Quinn with Caritas of Austin. "We will connect people to permane...
Learning Gratitude with Thanksgiving Activities
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we express gratitude and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Gratitude is a fundamental component of both our overall happiness and our relationships with loved ones. Expressing gratitude is just as important for children as it is for adults. While gratitude can be a difficult trait for children to grasp, children learn best by doing. Here are some activities that your child can participate in during this Thanksgiving holiday: Thankful Tree. This is a wonderful craft that can be used throughout the month of November for the whole family ...
Cultivating Creativity
It is a common assumption among many parents that creativity is a talent their children are born with and either do or do not have. While it is true that a creative talent does not come equally to everyone, evidence suggests that creativity is more skill than inborn talent and it is a skill that parents can help their child develop. Creativity plays an important role in health and happiness and is not limited to artistic and musical expression. Furthermore, it is essential for math, science and emotional intelligence. Here are some ways you can encourage creativity in your child: Pr...
Creating Child Initiated Learning Opportunities at Home
Nurturing self-directed learning is a combination of allowing for free and loosely-guided play and activities. Cultivating curiosity and independence in your child are the first steps to helping them become self-directed learners. Self-directed learners know how to use resources to find answers to questions or to learn to solve problems. At Stepping Stone School, child-led learning is an integral part of our curriculum in early childhood education. However, you can use these methods in your everyday home environment. Here are some ways you can implement self-directed learning at home: ...
Preparing for Beginning Early Care & Education
We’re excited you’ve chosen to enroll your child sat Stepping Stone School. We understand how changing routines, new encounters, and meeting new people can be challenging for both parent and child, and we want to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you and your family. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help you and your family feel prepared for this important and exciting transition. What can I do to help my child get excited about his/her new school? Talk positively with children about going to preschool. Discuss what it means, what ...
Kindergarten Readiness at Stepping Stone School
This month, many of the children whom we have watched grow from infancy will be donning their cap and gown as they walk across the stage to receive their prekindergarten diploma. Our end of the year programs celebrate the accomplishments of our advanced prekindergarten classes over the past school year. It is always a bittersweet moment: a mixture of the overwhelming sense of accomplishment and the uncertainty which comes when starting the next chapter in one’s life. Engaging with our Platinum Learning for Life™ Curriculum, these children have come to identify many letters a...
Learning Through Play
Children across generations no matter their race, culture, or gender participate in play: enjoying games, inventing stories, imagining and creating worlds within their world. Psychologist David Whitebread of Cambridge University states “Play is essential to their development. They [children] need to learn to persevere, to control attention, to control emotions. Kids learn these things through playing.” (Kohn, 2015). Behavior research connects play to children’s development at several levels: linguistically, cognitively, mathematically, scientifically, and socially. Young c...
Teaching Ownership
In early elementary school, I started playing The Blame Game. My parents would confront me about a situation and I would blame someone else or something else for my choices. My dad’s solution - a song he made up and would sing with enthusiasm: “No more excuses, excuses are useless!” Too embarrassed to stick around, I often missed Dad’s choreographed dance moves. Through my dad’s refusal to accept excuses and his “delightful” little song, I learned to take ownership of my attitude and actions. As children grow, they often go through periods when they assume shifting b...
Gardening with Children
“Gardens offer children perfect laboratories where scientific concepts literally come to life.” -Pam Mohrmann, author and educator My three-year-old can tell you the parts of a plant, a plant’s life cycle, and which parts of the plant are good to eat. He can identify several insects that help our plants along with several of the harmful ones. He enjoys pulling weeds, inspecting fruit and vegetables, and eating them fresh from our garden. This knowledge is the result of numerous experiences “playing” in the garden. Shortly after his second birthday, I gave him his fi...
Block Play for Essential Early Development
It is a widely-held belief that block play is an essential part of early childhood development, but why? What do these seemingly simple toys help cultivate and why is it so vital to development? Here are some reasons you should consider forgoing those new expensive toys for this simple and superior option: Problem Solving – Intentional “I want to build a house.” And unintentional – “if I want to make it high on this side how can I do it?” The child has to figure out how they will accomplish these tasks and answer these questions. Self-Expression – Blocks offe...
What is Respect?
What is respect? According to four-year-old Julia, respect is “being nice to other people.” Pressing further, I asked “What does being nice mean?” She delightfully answered, “it means you give someone chocolate or a kiss!” As young as she is, this child recognizes that respect is the way you choose to treat another person. “Being nice” as she puts it, is how one acts when demonstrating respect. How does one teach respect to young children? Demonstrate respectful behavior. Children often watch their caregivers looking for clues defining the expectations. If they ...
Smooth Sailing to Kindergarten
Ensuring your children acquire the knowledge and skills to be ready for kindergarten is the highest priority in our advanced pre-K classrooms. Our Early Achievers Program blends into our Kindergarten Readiness Academy not only the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines criteria, but kindergarten-level activities as described in the Kindergarten Standards of the Texas Education Code. We have purposefully designed our curriculum to target the skills your children will need to succeed as they move into elementary school. For example, the kindergarten standards for language arts and reading req...
Math for All Ages
Concrete experiences with math concepts and interactions with teachers have a direct impact on your children’s acquisition of mathematical skills. When children manipulate materials in their classrooms and learning centers, they practice math skills. For example, in block centers, children explore the differences in sizes and shapes of blocks, count the blocks in a tower and experience cause and effect when the tower tumbles down. In the library center they find books that promote shape recognition and sequencing knowledge, and teachers may read stories that focus on problem sol...