http://www.babyclassroom.com/ http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-green-toy-box.html Copyright BabyClassroom After working as a toy inventor for several years, Robert von Goeben knew what parents and children wanted. He also knew what was available on the market. The strange thing was, what parents wanted didn't seem to be available, so he decided to create it himself. I really saw a need in the market for products that have the three key ingredients we put into our products, says von Goeben, who launched the first line of Green Toys with business partner Laurie Hyman in March 2008. Those three key ingredients? Safety, environmental responsibility, and products that are made in ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-froebel.html Copyright BabyClassroom As introduction to his booklet about Friedrich Froebel and the Froebel Gifts, Scott Bultman writes, At first glance, I did not see anything special about these plain wood blocks -- except the price. At first glance, I had to agree. Each Froebel Gift appeared to be nothing more than a simple set of wooden blocks in various shapes, sizes and colors. What exactly made them so unique? It was only after delving further into Bultman's research and, most importantly, exploring the Froebel Gifts with my son, I began to understand how these beautifully constructed yet remarkably simple sets contained ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-baby-toy-safety.html Copyright BabyClassroom Product recalls from major toy manufacturers are all over the news these days, prompting widespread concern from parents and educators across the nation. We strive to provide the highest quality, most engaging early childhood education products available, with safety as a top priority. In keeping with that mission, we've compiled the following facts and recommendations to help you stay informed about toy safety and to help you select the most appropriate products for your children. In addition to this toy safety overview, you can download a product safety brochure from the Toy Industry Association, or visit safekids.org for additional ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-lets-pretend.html Copyright BabyClassroom If I had to choose two words to represent the magic of early childhood, they would be: Let's pretend! After all, who else but a young child can pilot a bunk bed to the moon, share afternoon tea with a teddy bear, or vanquish aliens as they emerge from a closet? And not only does pretend play offer hours of silly, giggly fun, it also offers incomparable opportunities for children to develop cognitively, socially and emotionally. So Much to Learn: Pretend play, says Angeline Lillard, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia who's done extensive research on ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-toy-awards.html As the holidays approach, we're bombarded with lists of hot, must-have and award-winning toys for the children on our lists. But where do all those lists come from, what do they mean, and how can we as consumers wade through the information available to find what truly are the best toys? We were as curious as you are about all these lists of award winners, so we spoke with a few experts to find out (1) how they evaluate toys, and (2) how we as parents can evaluate them ourselves. Who Tests the Toys? The first thing to ask when you ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-see-sign-game.html Developmental benefits of the See It Sign It game. http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-baby-multilingual.html Copyright BabyClassroom Parents often wonder if introducing a child to a andquot;secondandquot; language before he has mastered his first won't be more confusing than it's worth, but experts agree that when it comes to young children, the more exposure to languages -- yes, that's plural -- the better. Learning foreign languages helps children develop native language skills, says Nancy Rhodes, director of foreign language education at the Center for Applied Linguistics. It strengthens their vocabulary and their understanding of language structures in general. A young child's brain is naturally adept at language acquisition, Rhodes adds, making it an ideal time to ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-reasons-to-sign.html Copyright BabyClassroom For most parents, learning to sign with infants and toddlers is an entertaining, educational way to jump start early communication. For Rachel and Aaron Coleman, it was a necessity. When the Colemans found out their daughter Leah, then 14 months old, was deaf, they immediately began learning American Sign Language (ASL). We had no idea when she would be old enough to let us know what she could hear, with or without her hearing aid, says Rachel. It seemed like a very safe bet to use sign language because she doesn't have to be able to hear it or ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-best-toys.html Copyright BabyClassroom Gone are the days when choosing a young child's holiday gift meant deciding whether to purchase a teddy bear or a teething ring. These days, there are thousands of products marketed especially for babies and toddlers, but how's a well-meaning gift giver to know which ones are the best? We asked two experts that very question and came up with some simple guidelines for gift giving success without the stress. Our Experts: Claire S. Green, President, Parents' Choice Foundation: Ms. Green inherited the leadership role at Parents' Choice Foundation from her mother who founded the organization in 1978. It's ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-write-stuff.html Here are a few tips to help you foster those early writing explorations in your child. http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-how-smart-child.html Copyright BabyClassroom Have you ever asked yourself, Is my child smart? Perhaps a better question would be, How is my child smart? Experts agree there are many ways for a child or adult to process information. Some of us need to see a picture in order to understand new concepts. Others process information most effectively when we hear it. Still others need hands-on experiences in order to learn. Most of us use a combination of senses in order to learn, but there are those who heavily favor one area or another. Similarly, there are many ways for an individual to demonstrate ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-preschool.html Copyright BabyClassroom Sending your little one off to preschool is an exciting and emotional event marking his entry into a new age of independence and discovery. You want to give your child the space to grow and explore as an individual, but you also need to ensure the environment is safe, nurturing, developmentally appropriate, and fun. Well, don't worry! It's not as daunting a task as it might sound, especially when you consider these tips for making the most of your little one's preschool experience. Is your child ready? There's a lot of information circulating about how to determine if your ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-babes-woods.html Copyright BabyClassroom Did your mother ever tell you to go outside and play on a sunny summer day? Turns out, like so many things your mother told you, that was excellent advice! In his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2005), author Richard Louv explores the importance of nature experiences for healthy child development, both cognitive and emotional, as well as the troubling fact that today's children spend far less time in natural settings than did previous generations. According to experts, multisensory experiences in nature help build a healthy cognitive foundation as ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-read-child.html Copyright BabyClassroom As parents, we're often told we should read to our children from an early age, but why? Some of them are too young to speak, let alone read. Why is exposing them to books so important? The evidence on reading to kids when it comes to its direct impact on reading achievement is actually very small, says Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., president of the International Reading Association, a professional organization for reading educators. When you look at its impact on language development and intellectual development, its impact is pretty wonderful. In that case, it seems, the younger we start the ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-ready-reading.html Copyright BabyClassroom Few things determine a child's success in school and in life as profoundly as his ability to read. And while mastering the mechanics of reading is important, a genuine love of reading is what turns an inquisitive child into a lifelong learner. Before a child can learn to decipher letters, words and sentences, the building blocks of language and literacy must be in place. As parents, we can help our little ones develop those building blocks, along with a love of books and reading, from birth. Not only do activities like the ones below encourage future readers to explore ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-motor-skills.html Copyright BabyClassroom Remember how helpless your baby seemed when you first brought her home? Well look at her now! After just a few short weeks and months, she holds up her head, shakes a rattle, and bears most of her weight on her legs as you hold her steady. If you're like most parents, you marvel at your baby's progress every day as she continues to develop control over her body. Motor development falls into two categories, both of which begin to develop from birth: Gross motor skills, such as sitting, standing, walking, and climbing, use larger muscle groups. Fine motor ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-motor-development-tips.html Copyright BabyClassroom Giving your baby ample opportunities to move and manipulate objects safely is the key to encouraging healthy motor development. If you forget about the milestones and think about what is the baby's developmental task in that first year of life, says Kristie P. Koenig, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy at Temple University, it's to get upright against gravity. Anything that helps that drive to get up against gravity is really important. Koenig stresses the importance of providing a safe environment for your baby to explore. After all, she says, Your baby is going to move more if you're not ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-tactile-fun.html Your baby's awakening sense of touch is a large part of their first year of life. Have some fun with your little one's fascination for all things tactile with these andquot;touchyandquot; activities from our friends at SoSmart.com. Touch Glove (younger babies) Developmental Benefit: This activity lets your baby experience various tactile sensations. Materials: Clean cloth glove Variety of textured materials, such as: corduroy corrugated cardboard satin feathers How-to: Sew a different textured material to each finger of the glove. Put the glove on your hand and let your baby feel each finger. Talk to your baby about each texture he/she is ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-early-bird-reader.html When children learn to read, they open the door to lifelong joys and opportunities. What's more, recent research suggests that children canand#151;and even shouldand#151;learn to read much earlier than they are currently being taught. See some inspiring examples and tools in the Your Baby Can Read video. Why is Earlier Better? So why should you teach your child to read as early as possible? Experts in the field of early childhood learning agree that learning to read early gives children the best chance for reading success. In 1998, a national panel of reading specialists and early childhood educators recommended that to ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-travel-tips.html Copyright BabyClassroom Remember when a weekend getaway meant one small suitcase and a couple of days to relax and unwind? Traveling with kids might mean the end of packing light, but it doesn't have to mean the end of happy travels. We surveyed parents who love to travel and compiled their tips for making sure family vacations are fun for the whole family! Enjoy the Journey If you're traveling to Australia or Hawaii, you're going to have to get on an airplane, but if your destination is a bit closer to home, you've got options. Some families prefer the relative speed ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-multi-sensory-play.html Copyright BabyClassroom Our senses are our guide through the world around us, and for babies and young children, they make every moment of every day a fascinating discovery. Gazing at a colorful toy, hearing a bird sing, smelling a flower, tasting something salty or sweet, and touching the softness of their favorite blanket are all part of learning about their world. Parents can help their children focus all that sensory input into a variety of learning experiences. Robert Titzer, Ph.D., an educator and researcher in the field of infant learning, provides Early Learning Workshops in which he encourages parents of babies ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-babies-tv.html Copyright BabyClassroom If you are the parent of a baby or toddler, then you've probably struggled with questions about your child watching TV. As with all of your child's activities, proper parental involvement is the key to making television viewing a positive learning experience for your child, says Alexandra M. Tornek, who holds an MS in Clinical Psychology and whose Doctoral work focused on Early Childhood Development. As the published author of numerous papers on Early Childhood Development, Ms. Tornek answers many questions regarding children and television viewing, especially from new parents. She and her husband, Scott Tornek, co-founders of Soandnbsp;Smart! ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-success-baby-sign.html Signing with your child is very easy and it is a natural process for your child. And teaching your baby sign language is also easy.When to Start Start signing when your baby is between 6 and 8 months and your baby holds your gaze for a few seconds. If your baby is 9-12 months, you can start right away. If you have a toddler, start signing right away. How to Start Begin with 3-5 Signs. Good ones to start with are MILK, MORE, and EAT. Sign Babies Flash Cards Set 1: First Words contain the best signs to start with. Talk ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-hints-baby-sign.html Here are a few tips to help you teach your baby sign language: Look for your baby's version of the sign. Babies will not always make a sign correctly the first time they sign it. Keep signing the word the correct way and your baby will soon grow more accurate. Praise any sign of a sign. When your baby uses a sign correctly, praise and support her. Don't just sign--speak every time you sign and emphasize the word you are signing. Sign anytime and everywhere. Signing with your baby works best when it's worked into your life as a natural means ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-playgroup.html When little ones get together for a playgroup, there's more learning going on than you might expect. According to Amy Chouinard and Cory Poland, speech-language pathologists and founders of Talking Child, LLC, a playgroup can help your child develop speech and language skills. Here they share their guidelines for selecting or creating a playgroup, with tips on making the most of the speech and language benefits for your child. What is a playgroup? A playgroup is a group of young children who meet regularly to play and participate in structured activities. You can create a playgroup at daycare, at church, with ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-holiday-kids.html Copyright BabyClassroom Everyone loves the holidays. After all, with music, lights, parties, presents, sweets, decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping, mailing, traveling, cleaning, relatives visiting ... how could you NOT have fun? If the thought of excessive holiday chores -- and even excessive festivities -- sends your blood pressure through the roof, you're not alone. As parents, it's important to remember that the holidays can be stressful for young children, too. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers thrive on consistency and routine. They like to know what to expect and when to expect it. When the holiday season hits, complete with loud music, bright lights, ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-art-appreciation.html Copyright BabyClassroom For many of us, the term art appreciation evokes images of darkened lecture halls, pompous professors, and tedious discussions of paintings and sculptures we may or may not find appealing. Hardly a topic for preschoolers, much less toddlers. But art appreciation doesn't have to be stuffy. Exploring the world through art comes naturally for most children, and learning about art can help them develop cognitive, social and creative skills that go far beyond a box of Crayolas. Creating Art Creating art is one of the richest experiences in a young child's life. When he scribbles with crayon, squishes clay, ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-educational-television.html Copyright BabyClassroom I have a confession to make: I let my kids watch TV. I know, I know. If you believe the hype, television is the root of all evil in the modern world, from childhood obesity to Attention Deficit Disorder to a rise in violent crime. But if you ask me, television has gotten a bad rap. Children's programming -- including television, videos, and movies -- can be an excellent educational tool, and as parents, it's our job to make sure we use it as such.According to the National Institute on Media and Family (www.mediafamily.org), several studies have indicated that ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-children-literacy.html Copyright BabyClassroom There's a lot of talk these days about television's harmful effects on children, about the importance of limiting the time they spend in front of video screens and even of turning off the television altogether. But not only is banning TV unrealistic and unappealing for many parents, some experts say you'd be doing your kids a grave disservice in the process. We live in a world where kids are surrounded by screens, says Tessa Jolls, President and CEO of the Center for Media Literacy. It's television. It's cell phones. It's internet. It's games. There isn't a place these kids ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-music-smarter.html Copyright BabyClassroom Does your baby love to play with musical toys? Does he clap, rock or bounce up and down when you put on a familiar CD? Can you feel him relax in your arms when you sing his favorite lullaby? Music is a universal language and most children, like most adults, respond to it with joy. But music also provides powerful stimulation for infants and toddlers, fostering healthy intellectual, physical, social and emotional development with long-ranging effects. The Mozart Effect A widely-publicized study published by Nature in October 1993 set off an explosion of programs and products claiming to enhance ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-music-home.html Copyright BabyClassroom Parents are a child's first and best teachers, and nothing is easier or more enjoyable to nurture than a love of music! Focusing on variety and activities in which your child can participate are key, says Linda Page Neelly, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. andquot;Through singing, playing, moving, listening and other experiences,andquot; she says, andquot;you can stimulate children's thinking and decision-making, and encourage creativity.andquot; Here are some ideas to get you started: Foster your infant's love of music by singing, humming and chanting to her throughout the day. Don't worry if your voice ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-language-second.html Copyright BabyClassroom Unless your family is bilingual or bicultural, you might not have considered exposing your little ones to a foreign language before they've mastered the basics of English. But consider this: Many experts believe that introducing children to a second language as early as possible fosters healthy brain development, encourages positive social skills, and lays a solid foundation for effective communication skills that will last a lifetime. The Benefits of Second Language Learning In addition to being able to communicate with people from other countries and cultures, research has shown that learning a second language enhances intellectual development and improves ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-learn-play.html Copyright BabyClassroom Watch a young child at play. Sure he's having fun, but take a closer look and you'll find there's more to the picture than meets the eye. Through play, children develop the foundations they'll need to succeed in life, from problem solving and social skills to basic literacy, math and science. Playing with blocks is how young children learn about shapes and measurements, says Alan Simpson, Communications Director for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Playing with other children is an important part of social and emotional development and learning to negotiate and to share. Playing ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-baby-talk.html According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, by the end of 2 years of age your child should be able to: Point to object or picture when it's named for him Recognize names of familiar people, objects and body parts Say several single words (by 15 to 18 months) Use simple phrases (by 18 to 24 months) Use two- to four-word sentences Follow simple instructions Repeat words overheard in conversation Babies and toddlers have the ability to sign even before they can speak. Studies show that this type of stimulation helps with your baby's language development. In addition to signing with ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-early-learning.html Copyright BabyClassroom Children learn so much during their first three years, but few developmental processes are as exciting to watch as an infant's first steps toward communication. And like so many fundamental skills young children acquire, learning about language begins from day one. Defining Speech and Language That's not to say you should start teaching your child to speak before she learns to crawl. In fact, say the experts, speech and language are two very different things. Language, says Rick McKinnon, a pediatric speech language pathologist in Olympia, Washington, and author of Talking with Toddlers: A Handbook for Parents of Children ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/signing-time-story.html The creation of Signing Time! was a labor of love, born out of the desire to teach children everywhere how to sign basic words in order to communicate. After all, this is precisely what sisters Rachel de Azevedo Coleman and Emilie de Azevedo Brown spent much of their time doing with their young children. In December of 1996 Leah was born to Rachel and her husband Aaron. At the time, Rachel was writing music and performing with her band. Rachel and Aaron would take young Leah to band practices and concerts, and to their amazement, she was able to sleep in ... http://www.babyclassroom.com/article-phonics.html Copyright BabyClassroom For decades educators have debated the most effective way to teach beginning reading. Some embraced a whole word or whole language approach while others stood firm in their devotion to phonics. After years of research and shifts in educational fashion, however, most educators now agree that phonics plays a vital role in successful reading education. That's not to say that phonics instruction alone will create successful readers, only that phonics is an integral element in effective early reading programs. Research has shown that phonemic awareness the awareness of specific sounds in words is a key predictor in reading success, ...