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The “Why” Behind These Gift Ideas
I refer often to my teaching philosophy, which I call the M&M’s of learning. Children {really, all ages} learn concepts and skills through multiple and meaningful exposure. For me, the multiple and meaningful go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. Kids need to have multiple exposure through meaningful experiences. This way, they are able to make meaningful connections with concepts multiple times, enabling concepts to “stick” better.
The gift ideas* I’m sharing today are those that have been tried and true for me as a classroom teacher of young children, but also of my own four children at home. Before “formal” preschool instruction ever began for my own kids at home, I exposed {and still am exposing my youngest} to the various aspect of literacy by using the M&M’s of learning. For young children, that means being intentional about providing daily time for them to explore and play with literacy through meaningful text, toys, and manipulatives, such as the ones in this list below.
*Please be sure to keep your child’s development in mind when purchasing and using these products. Always supervise your young child if the product has small parts or pieces.
Gift Ideas for Pre-Readers and Pre-Writers
1. No Mess Writing Tools– I’m not a huge fan of messes. My youngest learners get lots of exposure with no mess writing tools. Our absolute favorites are: MagnaDoodle, AquaDoodle, and the GloDoodle. The MagnaDoodle and GloDoodle are probably my kids’ favorites. I also like them because the writing tool provided is smaller in diameter, which encourages the conventional tripod grip.
2. ABC Stamps– I love using letter manipulatives, like letter stamps, to introduce kids to spelling before they are ever able to hold a pencil and write the letters themselves. Plus, what kid doesn’t like to play with stamps? 😉
3. Magnetic Letters– With my youngest pre-readers {for example, NSis, who is currently 21 months}, I use the jumbo letters to spell her name on a cookie sheet. We “cook” her name in our little kitchen set and just play with “her” letters. She also likes me to put them in a mixing bowl as she pulls one out at a time, holds it up to me and I say the letter name/sound. Simple. For older pre-writers, like my 3 year old, we use the smaller magnetic letters and spell names of people in our family or objects around the house.
4. Collapsible Lap Desk– I cannot say enough good things about these adorable lap desks. My favorite thing is that they open up and kids can store things inside. We’ve taken them on car rides and used them to explore and write/draw about nature outside. In my opinion, these lap desks are better than the cheaper ones you see at craft stores because they’re very sturdy and they are collapsible…meaning you can store them in such a tiny space! LOVE these!
5. Fine Motor Toys– Pre-Writers might not be able to hold a pencil and write, yet…but that doesn’t mean they can’t work on the fine motor muscles needed for writing in a fun way! I have seen these cute scoops, and this year our youngest is getting these for Christmas. I know ALL my kids will enjoy scooping and playing, while strengthening those finger muscles needed for writing. There are TONS of other toys that strengthen find motor skills, like these pegs, lacing beads, or Pop-Art Beads (contains small pieces).
6. Dress Up Clothes– My kids love to dress up. And dress up time is such a great time to play with storytelling. Storytelling prepares kids for the structure and features of fiction reading as they get older. In other words, is GREAT for teaching comprehension in a fun and hands-on way!
7. Toys that Foster Visual Discrimination– In order for kids to be able to tell one letter from another, they have to be able to discriminate between them visually. Puzzles and games like Memory Match do just this. You can purchase wooden puzzles {I like Melissa & Doug’s puzzles} or foam puzzles {I found some at our $1 store}. Puzzles that feature the alphabet are great {this one is currently my youngest child’s favorite} or themed puzzles to suit the interests of your child.
8. LeapFrog Products– We have many of their magnetic fridge toys. Kids are expose to letters and their sounds in a playful way. The fridge DJ is probably my kids’ favorite and I love the way it integrates music into learning {They’ve really gone up in price, so I would try to buy one used if you can}. For my older pre-readers, Leapfrog’s Alphabet DVDs have been a hit.
9. Easy Open and Close Scissors– By far, the Maped Koopy Spring Scissors are my favorite for younger learners. We have two pair {My kids started them around age 2.5 cutting straight lines}. You can seriously cut down on the frustration level of using scissors with these. Scissors are also a fun way to strengthen those fine motor muscles used for writing.
10. Fun Writing Utensils– Sidewalk chalk, crayons for the bathtub, fun markers, crayons, colored pencils…any kind of writing utensil you can find that makes writing fun…USE IT!
11. Music CD’s and DVD’s– The rhyming patterns found in songs increases a child’s phonological awareness, a foundation for reading and writing! Play, sing, and dance together. Point out the rhyming words in the songs as you sing. I would say the top favorite CD’s for my younger learners {including those in the classrooom} are Greg & Steve with Raffi coming in a close second.
12. Big Spaces to Write and Draw– Pre-writers typically do not possess the fine motor skills to trace letters or even write letters on those lined pieces of paper. Instead, they need to be given bigger spaces to explore with writing/drawing, like an easel {ours is from IKEA}, blank drawing paper, and/or the driveway.
13. Kids’ Laptop– We have an older laptop one similar to this one. My kids, as young toddlers, liked toys that had buttons. So I figured I’d give them something that would enforce letter names and sounds at the same time.
14. High Quality Picture Books– Pre-readers and pre-writers need exposure to high quality books {books by well-known and well-loved authors such as Margaret Wise Brown, Donald Crews, Dr. Seuss, or Eric Carle} . Pre-readers and pre-writers need to be read aloud to. They also need time to explore the books for themselves. Reading aloud to kids is beneficial in SO many ways: book and print awareness, appreciation of books, comprehension, and reading for enjoyment…just to name a few!
Looking for More Gift Ideas?
- 50 Gift Ideas: No Batteries Required
- 10+ Activities for Toddlers: Before the Small Manipulatives
- The ABC’s of Learning Toys and Manipulatives: you can find hundreds of ideas in this 5-day series
- Educational Toys Pinterest board– Here is where I collect ideas for educational toys.
~Becky
Great list of ideas. We have many of these for our 4 year old. An easel is on my want list for him for Christmas and I had not seen the IKEA one yet. Do you know if either of the sides is magnetic? Would really like an easel that has at least one side magnetic to make and write works.
No, it is not magnetic on either side. Sorry.