Math as easy as playing

Mathematics is one of the subjects that parents nowadays struggles more for their children to learn, however there is no need for you to force mathematics, remember that mathematics is a natural thing that we use in our everyday life, and should be teach as that, as something natural, fun and useful.
If you teach your child that mathematics is useful you can create a motivation and if you do it by playing it will be more easy and more natural for the child to learn it.
Educational games can help you with this duty, specially cards game that can be fun, encourage the multiplication skills in a very easy way and almost natural, this child learning game will provide hours of educational play time and it improves the brain skills and since it’s a game that has to be in company of others, you are also developing the social skill or if played in family stretch the boundaries giving you a special time together.

A nice Christmas gift.

Most of us are in a dilemma of what to give children for Christmas, we don’t know if the child is going to like it or not, but is necessary that before going to a store and buy a product that is the last toys of the season, you should consider how that toy is going to help or contribute with the development of a child, sometimes is so difficult since we usually think that educational toys are boring, however educational not necessarily has to be boring, for example, if you get a girl a Cake set is a great idea; Why? Because this product is considered a pretend play. Why? Because the child should create a dialogue or a scenario, she might play by herself or with friends, and the fact that they have to invent a dialogue or a situation helps with the development of brain skills, imagination, creativity and they’re playing, they’re not even aware that through that play they’re developing skills.
So next time you stop by a store consider this point before choosing a toy.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles provide brain food for young minds. Eye movement and eye-hand coordination help prepare children for reading. Experiences between the ages of 0 and 3 help "lay the foundation children need for lifelong self confidence and problem solving, and empowers them to explore, make mistakes and learn. Puzzles may be educational in content, helping children learn basic skills (colors, counting alphabet) and about their world (animals, transportation, careers). Well made, quality products combine these educational values with fun. The social aspect of working a puzzle may not be apparent at first, but in research done by Marlene Barron, head of West Side Montessori School in New York, three and four year olds were challenged with 100 - 300 piece puzzles, with surprising results. The "children shared strategies with partners" such as isolating colors, searching for particular designs or shapes. "Doing a jigsaw puzzle is a social literacy activity rich with conversations about the process, about the story represented by the picture, about the children's personal experiences connected to the picture" Barron noted. (Barron) Working on higher level puzzles is an activity that children can do at home as well, working on it over time to complete the project in progress. Nancy Joseph, owner of a store in Florida, "notes that puzzles encourage concentration, aid in fostering coordination and color matching, and still are fun." (Schulman) What more could we want! So this Christmas don’t forget to include jigsaw puzzle in your list and see your kids grow and learn.