I get a lot of questions from fellow parents in my Facebook community asking how & when to teach letters to kids. So this video is an answer to those parents & many more who have the same question! This article showcases the facebook live video I did on this topic recently as a part of my #TuesdayLive Facebook live series.
It is not a rare sight to see letter based activities for kids as young as 1.5 years. Is it right or wrong? Well there might not be a consensus on the answer. But in this video I am going to tell you, as a certified early childhood educator, what I think about when & how letters can be introduced to kids. It is a very personal opinion but in line with many alternative school of thoughts & some of you might disagree with it but to me. But this is the most organic way of introducing letters to kids according to me.
I hope you liked this video. Any kind of feedback - positive or negative is welcome in the comments below. I hope after this video, your perspective of looking at letters or alphabets & teaching them has changed a bit!
Share this blog among friends/communities who might be looking for any kind of help/support as far as introducing letters is concerned.
You can go through other facebook live videos HERE & I will keep adding them in this archive and you can find them all at THIS link anytime in the future. You can also join my facebook page & group to follow the updates.
Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori & Waldorf inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!
I love exploring kids products that are fun, engaging & facilitate learning seamlessly. Recently I came across this brand CForCat and I happened to browse their products. In this post I am reviewing three products by this brand - Flash Cards, Organic Crayons & Busy Book. You can watch the unboxing & product closely in the videos too. These products can be used for babies, toddlers, preschoolers & kindergartners. The brand boasts of organic, eco-friendly & educational toys for developmental milestones. Find an attractive discount offer on all CForCat products at the end of each review.
About The Brand - CForCat
Ensuring an exhaustive approach to the early childhood development stage, CforCat works to familiarize parents with the developmental process of young children and its distinctions of developmental milestones and delays. They exist to provide a helping hand to parents who wish for active involvement in their child’s growth. Their dynamic facilities include activities in all nine core skill fields: social-emotional intelligence, linguistic ability, pre-mathematical ability, science, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive ability, dexterity, and creativity. Though developmental milestones and delays are a common concern, CforCat stresses the notion that each child is unique and advances at their own pace and in their own time.They seek to conceive a world of play and learning for children where they are positively engaged off-screen. CforCat also strives to leave a minimal carbon footprint while standing for sustainability in all its ventures.
To watch the unboxing, product details & how to use these flash cards in various different ways, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!
How To Use Flash Cards - Covered exhaustively in the video above.
What I Liked
Perfect size for the small hands to hold & explore
Sturdy material
Little glossy to touch which makes it easy to flash through quickly
Alphabet cards have both uppercase & lowercase variants
Farm animals cards have shadow on the back & that makes it more engaging & versatile
Good for practicing starting & ending sounds & spellings later on
Good to use as storytelling prompts
Pretty much versatile & can be used in many different ways as the child goes through his learning journey from a baby to a kindergartner
Nicely packaged
What Could Be Improved
I would have preferred having pictures of real animals in the farm animals cards rather than the cartoonish versions that it currently has
For alphabet cards, I would have preferred the words corresponding to the letters according to phonics rules. For example, there is icecream on the I letter card & it is phonetically incorrect. Something like an igloo would have been better on the I letter card. Having said that, I would like to mention that most of the cards does have words that adhere to phonics rules
You might also want to read about early childhood brain development & my review on Quantum Cards (Flash Cards) by Brainsmith HERE.
Buy Links
Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com.
Amazon
Product Review - Organic Crayons
To watch the unboxing, product details & look & feel of the crayons, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!
What I Liked
The fact that they are organic. There are so many brands of crayons in the market these days but when we give our little child that piece of crayon, we often are concerned if he puts them into his mouth. These are 100% organic & non-toxic
They are made of wax from soya & palm oil & food grade colors are mixed
Nice texture while coloring. They of course do not feel the same way as normal crayons when used but I really liked this different experience
Super cute cloth bag in which they are packaged
What Could Be Improved
More range of colors. The current pack of organic crayons contains five of them
I would prefer all the primary colors to be present in the pack
Thicker crayons would be better for toddlers & preschoolers as their grip is still not fully developed
Perhaps it is a good idea to have two variants of these crayons - a pack of 6 & a pack of 12, just like any other brand in the market
You might like THIS article on open-ended art for kids & how to encourage creativity in kids at home.
Buy Links
Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com.
Amazon
Product Review - Good Habits Busy Book
To watch the unboxing & product details of this busy book, check out this video below. Do not forget to subscribe my YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future videos!
What I Liked
It has a theme that a child can relate to & hence it engages the child a lot
Children can be taught this healthy routine of bedtime using this busy book. My son repeatedly played with the teddy and put him to sleep following this routine. So he is now more willing to follow the bedtime routine for himself
The pages include various activities to develop fine motor skills
The material is all cloth so pretty much safe & sustainable
It has a wonderful look & feel to it
What Could Be Improved
Few pages have no activities as such to build a skill but it does have the thematic relevance to it. For example, pages of reading a story and saying a prayer. I would have loved if these pages also had some activities for fine motor skills
Buy Links
Official website of CForCat - Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all cforcat products when you buy from their website directly - www.cforcat.com.
Amazon
DISCOUNT COUPON CODE
Use this discount code "Kjunc" to avail 10% discount on all CForCat products when you buy from their official website directly - www.cforcat.com.
You should also check out the blog by cforcat, it has some wonderful articles about early learning & parenting.
Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!
This Ganpati festival, I conducted a workshop for kindergarten kids on how to make eco-friendly Ganesha at home. I used the ingredients available in the kitchen to make these idols.
Ganpati Festival in Indian, specially in Maharashtra is very popular among kids as well as adults. People bring Ganpati idols to their homes and offer Him prayers everyday for 10 days before visarjan into the water. Now a days with the environmental crisis all over the world, it is necessary to be more aware of what we put into our water bodies.
You can check out this video on how to make your own eco-friendly Ganesha & do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Here are some lovely moments that were captured during the workshop that I took. Kids loved this sensory experience!
There were kids from Nursery, Junior and Senior KG and I loved how they enjoyed and chatted all the way making their own Ganeshas.
Here I am giving finishing touches to all the idols.
Check out all the 18 imperfect yet beautiful Ganeshas!
After few days, these kids did the visarjan of these chemical free Ganeshas by putting the idol in a tub of water and then using the water for plants. Absolutely sustainable, right?
Hope you like this version of the beloved Lord Ganesha. Do share how you made your eco-friendly Ganesha. I would love to see the pics!
Do not forget to follow us on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!
Being a Momstar has its own perks ;) I received this Palmer's hamper from Babychakra to review.
Here is my quick review of these products. The detailed description of these products can be found on the Amazon links shared below. You can also buy these products from Babychakra HERE.
The baby washis superb. I used it when I was traveling & it worked like a charm. Nothing harsh, very mildly fragranced and it can be used as a shampoo too. It left my toddler's skin & hair soft.
I loved the cocoa butter stretch marks cream a lot. I am 2 years postpartum so not sure those remaning stretch marks that I have will even go away now but the cream in itself if so mild & gets absorbed super quickly into the skin. The smell is so so good & pure, I love coffee so I had to love its smell. I have not used the baby bottom cream because we have passed the stage of diaper rashes, my son is toilet trained now :) But the description on the cover of the product looks good!
The skin therapy oil is awesome too! It is absolutely non-greasy & immensely moisturizing. All in all, the quality of the products is very good. I would certainly recommend them.
As most of you know, I have been associated with Babychakra for quite some time now! I have been contributing articles on early learning, parenting & Montessori to this awesome portal for parents that has evolved so fast & beautifully in the last few months.
About Babychakra
BabyChakra is the most trusted platform for parents in India. Whether you are looking to connect with other mothers, experts or childcare services, BabyChakra guarantees happier, healthier mothers and kids. BabyChakra is an award winning venture that revolutionizes how parents discover healthcare and education for their families. They are the one platform that brings all the help and support a new parents needs to have in one place:
They have the largest, most active community of young parents in India.
They have the top Experts in India on BabyChakra.
The largest base of maternity & childcare services & reviews on them are on BabyChakra.
They have the most comprehensive base of articles with DIY tips, recipes and developmental milestones.
Babychakra has its presence in various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore but Pune (where I am based) is still on their cards to spread its wings. But luckily I got this opportunity to meet Babychakra team with whom I have been working online in this great event that they organized in association with Johnson & Johnson, a brand that has been in the child care arena since ages! When I got a call from Babychakra that they are going to have an event in Pune & I am the first person (a mommy blogger) that came to their mind to invite, it just made my day :) I counted days literally to be a part of the event because I knew if Babychakra is organizing something, it has to be a fun-filled event.
Little did I know that Johnson & Johnson as well, will leave a significant mark on me as a mother & an individual after the event. We did not know the agenda of this event beforehand but we knew it is going to be a moms & kids meet.
About The Event
The event started in the morning at 10 AM with the registrations. I was so excited to meet the Babychakra team in person, including the CEO & Founder Naiyya Saggi. What a lovely lady she is - elegant, soft spoken & down to earth. The hall was gradually full with moms like me, moms of infants, toddlers & some moms of elder kids too. It was such a warm ambiance that all of us moms connected to each other so quickly, many of the moms were totally stranger to me but the motherhood instinct in all of us made us connect beautifully while we had a nice cup of tea/coffee together outside the hall.
The best part of the event was there was a play area set up for toddlers right in the hall itself where our little ones were so busy playing & we moms could actually pay attention to what the event was all about :)
The event began with the introduction of Deepali Agarwal, the marketing manager at Johnson & Johnson. She is a brilliant speaker & kept us all awake & alive with her witty remarks amidst serious discussions. The agenda of the event became clearer as we moved ahead. Deepali helped us understand a lot of myths that exist around baby care products, we saw a couple of videos by experts explaining important gyaan, there were some quizzes too around Johnson & Johnson products and parenting in general.
Then some real fun part started, we were divided into teams & were given some DIY experiments to do that actually demonstrated us how Johnson & Johnson products fare as compared to other brands.
Wipes experiment - We were asked to squeeze out water through a syringe in a test tube from a baby wipe and compare it with another brand.
Testing Brand New Launched Baby Detergent - This event also marked a launch of Johnson's baby detergent & we used couple of sauces & colors to spoil a cloth & then wash it using this new detergent.
At the end, surprisingly our team won the contest, which means we were able to complete the experiments ahead in time!!! We got a gift hamper from Neutrogena - a beautiful one, yayyy!
Then the session was open for Q&A. Deepali was kind enough to take each & every question in a very mature & convincing way. The best part was that her answers had a scientific reason behind & the facts were not at all misguiding! The most crucial questions were around the lawsuit that was filed against Johnson brand about baby powder causing ovarian cancer. Deepali threw light on how & why the brand lost that case but won similar cases three times too. We all got to know how the products of Johnson are still #bestforbaby & how the brand has gotten over the controversy. Many moms, including me, who were skeptical about the brand products are now assured that Johnson is still as pure as it was when we were kids!
After that, there were Facebook Live sessions by we moms, Babychakra & Johnson guys! It was so much fun. You can go ahead & watch all the fun on Johnson Facebook Page HERE.
You can also check out my Instagram, Twitter & Facebook accounts where I posted about the event LIVE :)
The event was wrapped up by a wonderful lunch where we enjoyed networking with fellow moms & found ourselves feeding our kids some yummy kids friendly dishes too! The organizers had thought it off so well that they included special items for kids with very less spices.
We also got hampers & goodies from Babychakra & Johnson & Johnson at the end! My toddler was so eager to explore them & the nest day he demanded to use Johnson & Johnson shampoo, soap & oil for his bath :) And honestly I am loving their shampoo! It leaves my son's hair so soft & silky.
We also got gift voucher from Babychakra to shop from, if you do not know it yet, Babychakra now has an exclusive shop section that has some interesting items to pick. Since currently I am deep into parenting, early learning & Montessori (as you must have inferred by now from my blog), I ordered educational kit from their shop. It will reach me soon & my toddler is already questioning, what is coming in the parcel!!!
All in all, a brilliant day out for moms & kids, where I got to meet so many of my virtual friends in person for the first time, I got to meet the team of Babychakra, my son had a gala time in the play area & most importantly, we all got to know so much more about Johnson & Johnson brand & that it still is as pure & trustable as it was years ago, as they say, it is #bestforbaby !!!
I thank the entire team of Babychakra & Johnson for organizing such a memorable event for we moms & kids :)
My son is now 2.2 years and art at our home is mostly about open-ended exploration with various mediums like crayons, pencil colors, water colors, tempera paints, sketch pens, ice paints etc.
At the end of an engrossed art session, my toddler calls me to his art desk & tell me, mumma, see I made a sun. Mumma, see this is road & car, this is a house.
Ice painting
tempera paints using paint brush
Mumma, this is golden sun, red sun & green sun!
And the art work never looks like that particular object, of course because he is just 2.2 years right now. But what I am happy about is the way he is continuing to express himself on the paper, with no adult prompts, totally motivated on his own.
There are so many of his art works now that I have no idea how to store them ;)
Last night he did this painting while I was browsing through facebook on my bed.
Mumma, this is Anaconda
Usually, he calls me to show his artwork when he is done, but last night he suddenly got up from his chair & ran away from the room. I asked him what happened? He said with a mischevious smile, mumma, I made an anaconda, he is going to bite me! I laughed out so loud on this :) Then he teasingly said, mumma, this is just a toy anaconda, it will not bite me!
I was so surprised & amused with this episode that I decided to write this entire blog post on open-ended art for toddlers! Hope this is useful for you too.
What Does An Open-Ended Art Activity Mean?
Here is a checklist to know if what you are doing with your child is open-ended or not -
Variety of art supplies are there for the child to choose from & there are no direct instructions to choose one or more
The supplies are kept at a reachable place for the toddler, the furniture is child-sized so that the toddler can help himself when he wants to practice art
The place where the child would practice art is accessible, well maintained & clean
There is no end product or sample to follow, the child is free to express with the art supplies
There are no step-by-step instructions
The emphasis is on the process of making the art & not the final product, there is no right or wrong way to create an art work
The end product may or may not look like some creature or some thing really
The child decides the time & duration when he wants to do the art, there is no arts-time in the time-table
How Does An Open-Ended Art Exercise Help Toddlers?
Fosters independence & responsibility while they freely use the materials & take care of them
Enhances their power of expression while they use their little hands to reflect themselves on to a piece of paper
Enhances intrinsic motivation because there is no one to tell them when & what to paint. Going forward in life, it is very important to have that intrinsic motivation to succeed
Boosts their creativity
The process of making such art relaxes them, it is therapeutic
Kids feel accomplished when they make something they want to make themselves, it boosts their self-esteem
It improves their planning, problem-solving & comprehension skills as they try to create something on paper that they have in mind, they choose the art medium, colors, shapes all by themselves
It enhances their fine motor skills of course!
How To Encourage?
I have set up a small arts corner at my place where he can work on his art projects independently & whenever he wants to. Sometimes the masterpieces are done in the mornings, sometimes evenings & sometimes at midnight too ;) This is so Montessori inspired! The prepared environment for the child :)
Here is a sneak peek into my toddler's art corner. I have used whatever I had at home, no fancy easels or boards. It is super budget friendly. You can take some ideas to set up something similar with what you already have at home.
I would love to hear from you all & see pictures of your child's art spaces!
Mindfulness can help children improve their abilities to pay attention, to calm down when they are upset and to make better decisions. In short, it helps with emotional regulation and cognitive focus.
My 2-year-old son A, one fine day -
A (out of no where) : mumma, how to do dhyaan mudra? Pls do it for me Me : ok here you go (and now you can see my son's picture doing dhyaan mudra, above in this post) And then he said, 'family meditation time' ... And we both did Om chanting, Gayatri Mantra and Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra chanting together.
If you are wondering how to develop mindfulness in your toddler or how to introduce meditation or any spiritual exercise to your toddler (which is very important in today's world), here are some tips on the same - Start With Yourself
Start doing it yourself from today. Toddlers LOVE to imitate adults. You will wonder how beautifully they will start following you in no time & they will be proud of this fact too.
Set A Rhythm
Waldorf philosophy talks so much about setting a rhythm in a child's life. It makes the life of this little being more predictable & setting a rhythm has so many more benefits. Set an everyday rhythm for any mindfuness exercise - which means meditating or chanting mantras at a specific time of the day every day so that the practice is set into the daily rhythm of toddlers - remember they do not have much sense of time or days as yet. We have started this 'family meditation time' as a ritual with me, my husband and my son every night to introduce him to what is called 'silence lesson' in Montessori. Mindfulness and meditation come naturally to us - I'm an energy healer and Reiki practitioner myself and husband is a serious Yoga practitioner.
Sweet & Simple
Toddlers cannot process much so initially keep it super simple so that they are not overwhelmed with the entire exercise. You can even start with a simple Om chanting two or three times or just counting their breaths up to 5.
Keep Your Expectations Zero
Initially, when we started family meditation time, my son just roamed around in the room while I & my husband chanted mantras. But remember that children are listening & observing all the time, even the time when we think they are ignoring everything around them. Gradually he started sitting with us during chanting & now he chants along with us when he is in a good mood, but with eyes open hehe. When he is in a super playful mood, he even monkeys around on our laps while we chant. So the key here is to be consistent in our practice & kids will assimilate the practice gradually, but may not exhibit it always.
Do Not Limit Mindfulness To Meditation Or Chanting
Mindfulness is not just sitting with eyes closed & chanting mantras or concentrating on the breath. It also means being present & aware in your day to day tasks. One great way to be mindful when you are outdoors with your toddler is to make him listen the bird sounds, sound of the trees waving, sound of the water flowing in the streams and so on. We do this with our son & now he himself tells me when we are in a park, mumma, listen the koyal singing, mumma which bird's sound is this, mumma, I hear an ambulance siren and so on. And many times we realize these sounds after our son tells us! And I wonder when did we lose this capability of registering everything that is happening around us...
Prayers & Gratitude
It is a great idea to involve the little ones in prayers. It is equally important to teach them to express gratitude. The only way is to say grace & courtesy words often ourselves - to our little imitating monkeys :) It is so heart warming when my son says sweet thank yous when I set up new Montessori shelf activities for him or when I get him his favorite stuff to eat etc. And it is so funny & amusing to listen to something like this from my son - mumma, I got a glass of water for you, say thank you :) :)
Please do share what else worked for you in developing mindfulness in your kids!
Happy Parenting :)
This article was also featured on ChildSafeMedia on International Yoga Day 2017. Read HERE.
Easter is here & since I want to raise a multi-cultural child, we not being Christians does not stop me from telling my 26 months old son about Easter, its story & its significance.
Easter or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Source - Wikipedia
I thought & looked around for activities for my son based on Easter theme but most of them were egg based. I do have his Montessori shelf setup with some egg-themed activities (Will cover the shelf in a separate video) but I wanted to make something more meaningful to make him learn the real meaning of Easter. So I came up with this DIY Easter garden. I have shared the setup & details in this video below. Hope you like it :) I would love to read your comments!
If you are here, you might be interested to look at my Christmas Nativity Storytelling setup as well, that I had set up last Christmas for my toddler - HERE & HERE as well.
And now some pictures of my son with the Easter Garden setup!
Listening to crucification story
Putting Jesus inside the tomb
Putting the stone to close the tomb
Bonus, now a super fun activity with Easter egg & kinetic sand! Just put some kinetic sand into the Easter egg & shake shake shake! Open it & see an ellipsoid :) Watch the video below for details.
Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori & Waldorf inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!
