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25 Best Learning Toys for Preschool Children

 

25 Best Learning Toys for Preschoolers

Toy shopping for young children is quite overwhelming. There are so many choices and it is difficult to know just what toys are the best learning toys for preschool children.

I used to be a teacher and part of my studies included early childhood education and I taught preschool for two years in college. Then I worked with preschool-age children that were struggling while I was a special education teacher.

Yes, this gives me the inside scoop! Oh and I forgot to mention, I have two sweet, sticky-faced preschoolers living with me! My sons are ages three and five and attend junior kindergarten and preschool three’s respectively.

With all this inside info, it will be easy for you to find the best learning toys this year. Yes, it is great to have that cool action figure or doll your son or daughter adores, but in this gift guide, you will find the best learning toys for your children so you can give them something you feel good about.

Furthermore, I will describe why the toys I picked are useful and beneficial for growth and learning in young children.

After teaching for thirteen years, I’ve concluded that all parents want the best for their children. No matter where we come from or what age or stage of life we are in, we are all pulling for our children and want to do right by them.

This is why it is crucial to have some preschool age play-based learning toys under the tree this year, instead of the same old toy that your child loves for one day and then throws in the closet and never uses again – parents, we all know that toy! So this year follow along and let this be your number one toy gift guide!

Keep in mind, there is something for every budget and you do not have to spend a lot of money to help your child learn.

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20 Ridiculously Useful Teacher Gifts For Any Budget


Teacher gift roundup

I often have people ask me, “What does a teacher want for Christmas.” Why would they ask me this? Well, I used to be a teacher. For thirteen years I worked as a special education teacher with kids from preschool up to middle school. So today you get the inside scoop! I can definitely give you some thoughtful ideas that your kid’s teacher will love and appreciate.

Let me start by saying, I never expected anyone to give me a gift at Christmas time when I was a teacher. I worked in a low-income school district and gifts for teachers were not the norm. I also taught middle school, so at this age, it is difficult to buy all five to seven of your kid’s teachers a gift. I think teacher gifts are more common in preschool and elementary and lucky for you, I taught all the above.

I find one easy way to stick to my budget during the Holiday’s is to shop early and make a list with my budget included! Below you will find gifts that fit any budget and I suggest buying your teacher gifts first because you will be giving these out before Christmas. All of the gifts below will also work for the end of the year or teacher appreciation gifts.

If you are stuck on what to give your kid’s teacher this year keep reading and there will surely be something you can buy and feel good about to thank them for all of their hard work.

Life Lesson

It is so nice to teach your child the value of giving instead of only wanting “stuff” during the Holiday time, and this is surely one way to teach it. Kids like to give and it makes them feel good about themselves. One of my son’s favorite parts of visiting the firehouse over the summer was giving the firefighter donuts! Also, every time we gave my older son’s teacher a gift, I allowed him to hand it to her and see the smile on her face. This put a big grin on my son’s face too and kept warm fuzzy Holiday feeling alive!

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Best Money Quotes to Build Your Wealth Series – 3

Money Quote - Thomas Edison
Money Quote – Thomas Edison

I am back today with another money quote and this one by Thomas Edison is a good one! There are so many opportunities in today’s world and there are more ways to make money than ever before. We are in the age of technology and the Internet. Hence, the opportunities are endless. We often hear people talk about their “Side Hustle” and how they work so hard to get ahead.  However, there are the people out there that miss out on these opportunities because they are afraid of pulling up their overalls for a hard day’s work.

Did you know in the United States alone there are $10.8 millionaires (CNBC.com article)? This number struck me as HUGE but the most interesting part is that many of these millionaires are self-made. No, they did not grow up with money, my friends. They got out of bed every morning and hustled! They found opportunities to create wealth and did not give up. Many millionaires failed over and over! But the difference between the millionaire mindset and the average Joe is perseverance and learning from failure.  Just look at Bill Gates. He started out with nothing and became one of the richest men in the world. There is something to be said for the self-made millionaire and work ethic!

Check out my Money Quote #1 and Money Quote #2

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How to Fix Your Morning Routine with Kids

How to fix your morning routine with kids

Are you struggling with your morning routine? Are you having a tough time getting the kids out the door? Is there panic, yelling, and even though you try your best, you are still late for school or work? If this is your morning, you want to keep reading.

Up until now, my son went to afternoon preschool. We enjoyed lazy mornings snuggling on the couch, watching cartoons and then casually getting ready for the park before school. Then he started Junior Kindergarten with a start time of 8:00 A.M. WOW – That first week was rough! But, I have developed a system in our house that has made this transition so much easier and we are all happier as we drive off eagerly early on our way to school!

I used to be a teacher so I am no stranger to getting up early; however, it is a different story when you have two little ones in tow that depend on you for everything. You have to shift gears a little, lower your standards and then lower them a little more! After you try my tips, you will be CRUSHING your morning routine with your coffee in hand and a smile on your face.


Suggested Reading:


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How to do Your Housework in 25-Minute Sessions Without Going Crazy

How to do Your Household Chores Fast Without Complete Overwhelm – Cleaning Tips

Clean your House in 25 Minutes

How many of you LOVE housework? I’m picturing all of you with your hands down!

I’m right there with you? After having my second baby, I felt like my house was chronically messy and although I truly believe everyone that says we should leave the house messy and play with our children, I was having a hard time coping with the overwhelm of messiness! I realized I needed a plan to keep a clean house and it needed to be something I would be able to keep up with. However, with a toddler and a baby household chores seemed so overwhelming.

The Science Behind House Cleaning

Woman’s brains perceive clutter differently than men’s. A study from the January Issue of The Journal of Neuroscience from The Princeton Neuroscience Institute states, “Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.”

In everyday terms, the more stuff and clutter you have in your home, the more stressed out and less productive you will be. As a result, it is more difficult to focus because clutter is competing for the brain’s attention. This means as a mom, you can never truly relax. Before I read the research, I knew I felt this way often. Now I know why.

So even though I spend a lot of time with my kids, I’ll opt for a clean house too which will help all parties involved because we will save my sanity! You can follow suit with this fool-proof method! Also, the best part is that will only take 25 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. That is just 45 minutes a day, broken up into small accomplishments.

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