63367 - Developmentally stimulating activities

[TheBlackSheep]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/63367/

I submitted a comment with this in it, but it's still hanging out in limbo waiting to be approved, so just in case that momma reads this forum, here's more advice!

The greatest book ever for this kind of stuff is Beautiful Beginnings, by Raikes and Whitmer. I use it every day at work and it is awesome. Every page has a different activity, which you can do with stuff you already have around your house, and each page says what developmental stuff that activity supports.

Another great resource that I often use at work are the Ages and Stages Learning Activities. Ages and Stages goes through age six, I think, whereas Beautiful Beginnings doesn't go that long, so there's a plus. You can learn more about Ages and Stages Learning Activities here: http://agesandstages.com/asq-products/a ... ctivities/ The SEAM is also pretty awesome. It doesn't have learning activities separate from its assessment as far as I know, but its assessment is full of activities you can do with your kid as well as the time when you'd expect a child to have mastered those skills. More about the SEAM here: http://eip.uoregon.edu/seam/

Anything with the name Montessori on it is well worth your time. One I often use at work is Basic Montessori: Activities for Under-Fives.

And this last part doesn't have much to do with development but I'm going to say it anyway: LOVE AND LOGIC. Anybody can parent this way and every kid I've ever worked with has responded well to its methods. I don't use straight Love and Logic, but it is what my "parenting" is based out of, and I plan on parenting this way for real when I have kids of my own. More about Love and Logic here: http://www.loveandlogic.com/