There are so many tools available to help kids learn! Videos and songs, apps, workbooks, books, websites, toys… I love having a variety of ways to engage my kids with learning and seeing what sticks.
These are some of our favorites!
Websites
Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Pay Teachers helped me get started with teaching my kids! The site is full of amazing resources, including worksheets, activities, lesson plans, and more. Just type something into the search and see what amazing things other people have come up with to teach that theme! I’ve used the units/bundles in a farm theme, dinosaur theme, and more. If you’re looking for ideas to teach and engage on a theme, you should definitely give this site a try. (And while you’re at it, you can check out my TPT store, too!)
I love Pinterest. Love it. Need an idea for… well… anything? Pinterest it! Pinterest is my first go-to for everything, from recipes to learning activities to decor to book lists! It really doesn’t need any introduction at this point. If I have five spare minutes, I’m probably on Pinterest looking up something.
Videos and Songs
I didn’t believe how important songs and videos were to teaching young kids until I saw it in action myself. I took my kids to a couple of Mommy-and-Me practice preschool classes, and I was astonished at how the songs really resonated with them. So, reluctantly, I started incorporating the songs and videos into teaching my kids, and… well, I’m great at admitting when I’m wrong. And I was SUPER WRONG about avoiding songs for so long. Thanks to songs and videos, my kids (2 and 4) learned how to sound out all the letters in the alphabet, the days of the week, the months of the year, and even all the planets in the solar system.
Here are some of our favorites:
Leapfrog Letter Sounds
THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING VIDEO EVER! My kids learned their letter sounds because of this song. No joke. I would love to pretend I taught them, but it was this video.
Days of the Week
Could this catchy (and familiar!) tune be any more kid-friendly? I don’t think so. My kids run around singing it all day.
Months of the Year
My 2 year old, especially, loves singing this song. And they love turning around at the end of each round!
The Planet Song – 8 Planets of the Solar System
Want to teach your kids the planets in the solar system? This is the way to go. I used a solar-system puzzle to reinforce each planet as it introduced itself. Big hit.
Clap It Out – Learn Syllables
This is such a fun video with such a catchy tune! I think I like it more than my kids do. And I’m not going to say I do an embarrassingly-bad imitation of the dance, but… hopefully my neighbors don’t look in my windows when we’re listening to this.
Apps
Both my 2 and 4 year olds have Amazon Fire Tablets for Kids. (These are amazing, by the way. I love that I don’t have to worry about what content my kids are being exposed to because it’s all kid-friendly. They also can’t buy anything without the passcode, so I’m not constantly watching the bank account to make sure they didn’t spend all our money.) I’m not one to shy away from screens in any way–I was always on my computer growing up, and my husband is an avid gamer and also on his computer all day at work. So I don’t mind my kids watching TV or their tablets (although I do monitor how much time they spend on them and what they’re engaging with).
Here are some of my kid’s favorite educational apps:
ABCmouse
The ABCmouse app/website is packed full of amazing learning activities. Kids can learn their letters and counting all through fun games! I love watching my kids put together puzzles or pop letter bubbles. If I was still in the business world, I would love to work for this company to help with this app/website. It’s that’s good. If you haven’t tried it, yet, I highly recommend giving the free trial a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen
My kids love Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen (goes to Bing search so you can find your own download). I often find it up on their tablets. I love that it introduces the kids to letters (via cookies!) that they can decorate and then have Elmo and Cookie Monster eat.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Shapes & Colors
My 4 year old started out playing The Very Hungry Caterpillar Shapes & Colors, and after watching him, my 2 year old insisted on having it, too. It’s been amazing with my 2 year old, especially as I’ve struggled to teach her shapes and colors. It teaches shape matching and color-sorting in increasingly-difficult levels. It’s been awesome to watch her get better and better at it over time.
Pinkfong Tracing World
My 4 year old has been playing with the Pinkfong Tracing World app for forever. He now breezes through tracing each of the letters on his tablet. I love how they make tracing the letters fun with cute little pictures (like connecting the stars on the app picture you see above, or running an alien through the lines). Great way to introduce your kids to tracing letters!
KC Aubin 