MADI'S LEARNING

MADI's
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Is able to wash and dry hands
Is able to communicate needs to adults
Sleeps through the night
Feeds self and enjoys a variety of healthy foods I

Ideas to encourage growth:

Encourage your child to try new things, but never force
Offer a variety of foods at every meal
Allow your child to help choose and prepare meals
Allow your child clothing choices when appropriate
Celebrate with your child when they have successes (I.e., put on their own shoes, zip their coat, make good choices)

Self-Help Skills

Knows basic shapes and colors
Sorts items
Recognizes simple patterns
Shows curiosity
Can make predictions
Makes plans with toys

Ideas to encourage growth:

Make counting a part of your day - count the ducks you see at the pond, count the steps down to your basement, count the books as you put them away
Let your child help set the table and encourage them to think about how many plates, cups, and spoons they will need
Play I Spy with shapes, colors, or other objects (I spy with my little eye something blue, red, a circle, a square...)
Ask open ended questions (I.e., what do you think will happen if...? How did you make that tower so tall? What would happen if you...?)
Play with your child and encourage them to explore different ways to use toys

Math & Science Skills

Begins using writing utensils, scissors, and glue bottles
Runs, hops, and jumps with ease
Can walk up and down steps with alternating feet
Begins to throw and catch large balls with some accuracy

Ideas to encourage growth:

Offer your child a variety of open-ended art materials
Offer your child playdough (a great way to practice using scissors)
Spread sand, cornmeal, or flour on cookie sheets and encourage children to practice drawing shapes, letters, numbers...
Encourage creativity and exploration
Spend time outside with your child playing games, going on walks, and playing at the park

Large & Fine Motor Skills

Recipes

Playdough Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons canola oil
Food coloring Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the flour, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the water and oil. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until a ball forms.
Cool. Divide dough and knead in colors as desired. Store in airtight containers or resealable plastic bags.

Kool-Aid Playdough Ingredients

1 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
2 packets Kool-Aid
1 tsp vegetable oil *do not use olive oil to maintain color of Kool-Aid packet
1 cup water Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all your dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, salt, 2 Kool-Aid packets) and mix well.
Add the vegetable oil and water to a pot Mix.
Add the dry ingredients to your pot and mix well.
Cook on low to medium heat until dough starts to form and become dry.
Once a ball of dough starts to form and the Playdough looks fully cooked, remove from the heat, and let the dough cool before touching. If you added in extra Kool-Aid packets, it may take longer to cook. Just keep mixing until the dough forms.
After the dough has cooled, knead it for 5 minutes to make the dough soft and smooth.

Ants on a Log Ingredients

Celery
Peanut butter or sunflower butter, cream cheese, or ricotta cheese
Raisins Directions: Cut the celery stalks in half. Spread with peanut butter. Sprinkle with raisins.

Crock Pot Applesauce Ingredients
41bs tart apples, cored and sliced thin
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup water
1 tbs lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Mix apples (about 12 cups) with cinnamon and sugar and put into crock pot
2. Pour water and lemon juice over apples.
3.Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours

Apple Smiles Ingredients

Apples
Peanut butter or sunflower butter, cream cheese, or ricotta cheese
Mini marshmallows
Instructions:
1. Slice apple
2. Spread filling on one side of each apple slice
3. Place mini marshmallows on A of apple slices
4. Place another apple slice on top of marshmallows to resemble a smile

Is able to attend for longer periods of time
Is able to make friends
Can solve a problem with peers
Engages in dramatic play with peers
Understands and follows rules most of the time
Shows more ability to manage challenging feelings and behaviors on own or with minimal guidance
Expresses emotions appropriately

Ideas to encourage growth:

Set age-appropriate limits and guidelines for your children
Be consistent and let your children know your expectations
Model appropriate behavior
Acknowledge your child’s feelings while encouraging appropriate choices
Keep your daily routines and meals consistent

Social & Emotional Skills

Name puzzles

Write your child’s name of card stock or an index card
Child can trace with finger, marker, or crayon
Make two sets of name cards; cut one into individual pieces and have children match the letters

Literacy Game

Uses increasingly complex language skills
Language is understood most of the time • Enjoys being read to
Can retell familiar stories and enjoys making up stories

Ideas to encourage growth:

Read, read, read! Reading to your children is one of the most effective ways for children to gain language skills, develop memory, and spark imagination
Read a variety of books to your child
Utilize the local library
Remember to go at your child’s pace - they may ask lots of questions during a story or not be able to sit through a whole book
Help your child retell and act out favorite stories
Sing songs with your child and make up new words
Let your child see you reading and writing
Have books and printed materials available for your child

Language & Literacy Skills

Math
Games

Sort and count

Give your child items that are age appropriate (toys, beads, buttons, rocks, sticks, pinecones)
Encourage your child to sort the items by size or color and discuss the differences in the items as you sort them
Help your child count the items
Encourage your child to use comparison words such as bigger/smaller, taller/shorter, smooth/bumpy
Help your child create patterns out of the items

Scoop and Pour

Offer your child cups, bowls, spoons, and other containers that are different sizes to play with in the sandbox or bathtub
Other materials that can be used in a large bucket for scooping and pouring: puff balls, rice, beans, water
Encourage critical thinking by asking questions such as How many small scoops will it take to fill this big bucket? Which container holds more? or Which container is heavier?

How tall is...?

Ask your child to use Legos to make a tower as tall as they are, then count the blocks

Position words

Use a toy to practice position words. Can you hold the teddy bear in front of your tummy/behind your back/on top of your head...?

ART

Ice Painting Supplies:

ice cube tray
tempera paint
popsicle sticks
paper
Instructions:
1. Pour tempera paint in ice cube trays and put them in the freezer.
2. Let them set for a bit and then insert small popsicle sticks in them before allowing them to freeze completely.

Painting with Trucks/Cars

Supplies:
paper
washable tempura paint
various trucks and/or cars
Instructions:
1. Spread paint over paper
2. Allow child to use trucks/cars to drive through the paint making different tire tracks

Cotton Ball Throw Painting Supplies

large sheets of paper tape (can use clear packing tape)
cotton balls
washable tempera paint
paper plates or pie plates
Instructions:
1. tape pieces of white paper onto wall/fence/table
2. Mix paint with water on paper plate or pie plates
3. Allow child to dip cotton ball in paint and throw it at the paper

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The isty-bitsy spider went up the waterspout, Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, So, the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.
Change the words itsy bitsy to other words such as great big very quiet, very loud, or very happy
Change the actions to fit the words

Baby Bumblebee

I'm bringing hone a baby bumblebee. Won’t my mammy be so proud of me, (Cup hands together as if holding bee)
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee. Ouch! It stung me! (Shake hands as if just stung)
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee. Won't my mammy be so proud of me, ('Squish* bee between palms of hands)
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee. Ooh! It's yucky! (Open up hands to look at 'mess')
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee. Won't my mommy be so proud of me, (Wipe hands off on shirt)
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee. Now my mammy won't be mad at me! (Hold hands up to show they are dean)

Tiny Turtle

I had a little turtle, His name was Tiny Tim.

I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water, He ate a bar of soap. And now he lays in bed With bubbles in his throat. Bubble, bubble, bubble, Bubble, bubble, bubble, Bubble, bubble, bubble, Bubble, bubble, pop!

FINGER FAMILY

Daddy Finger, Daddy Finger, where are you? Here I am! Here I am! How do you do? (Hold up thumb)
Mommy Finger, Mommy Finger, where are you? Here I am! Here I am! How do you do? (Hold up index finger)
Brother Finger, Brother Finger, where are you? Here I am! Here I am! How do you do? (Hold up middle finger)
Sister Finger, Sister Finger, where are you? Here I am! Here I am! How do you do? (Hold up ring finger)
Baby Finger, Baby Finger, where are you? Here I am! Here I am! How do you do? (Hold up pinky)