Welcome to this year’s A to Z Challenge! This year I’m talking Child Care. I’ll be blogging topics related to my many years in the family home daycare profession. I hope you can find a tidbit of information that is useful in caring for children whether you’re a parent, grand or another important person in a child’s life. And to end each post, I’ll share a bit of my creative side/relaxation time. Taking time for yourself is good for your health–both yours and your family’s 😉

In preparing for kindergarten, counting is a big deal…at least to 20, but better if they can exceed that. Recognizing numbers is also much appreciated by teachers. And the ability to count ‘dots’, for instance is the icing on the cake. So let’s name some ways you can prepare children and make it fun in the process.

First off, (small rant) ditto sheets are helpful, don’t get me wrong. But you have to trust me when I say these are not “The Way” (too much of the Mandalorian). Children NeeD to use hands-on activities to grasp counting. Daily ones are great. For instance, Counting bibs I’ll need for meals/snacks as well as napkins, forks, and how many children are in attendance for the meal. It gives them a concrete connection to numbers.

Keep the games coming! Rolling dice to move the game piece–Perfect. Whole body as the game piece in a sidewalk board game is a whole new take and gets their brain connecting in a new manner. Just get (or make) a giant dice and a bucket of sidewalk chalk and you are all set.

Calendar time is a daily ritual they’ll remind you of especially if you get in the practice of taking their photo with a calendar.

At birthday parties, we play a parachute game asking each child “How many do you wanna be?”(years old). We toss the parachute up with each number counted aloud. It is one of the rights of passage now with our birthday celebrations.

Learning to count is not meant to stress. Just do a little reflection on your own daily routine. How many houses do you pass on the way down your block or how many red cars? Who’s first and who’s last to get to the front door? Count while washing hands and count all the hand and feet. How many steps to the bathroom? And lately, how many square of toilet paper did you tear off? Whodathunk??!!

• 

• 

I began Fat Cat in my crochet last night. I am using a baby yarn instead of the Baby Velvet it calls for. If I can get this to work, I’ll order some baby velvet yarn–or use this Homespun my youngest daughter thinks will work. I agree with her. I mean aren’t fuzzy kittens the Best??

Hope you’ll take time to check out other A to Z blogs in the month on April. Click here to find the list. Click here for the Official A to Z blog. Have a great day and stay safe!!