Brains At Play

  I realize that playtime can be frustrating or tiresome, but leading scientist have discovered the playtime is vital to human survival.  So just in case you needed a reason to invite your kids friends over, other than letting them have fun, just remember we are talking about a basic human need.  Leading researchers have found that the instinct to play resides in a primal part of the brain - like eating or our fight or flight response.

Express Yourself

Painting is such and individual activity and the thing I love about it is:

Preschoolers really love putting their own stamp on things, they love getting to choose their own favorite colors and they love making a mess and having fun!

What skills are we working

on:

Well, don't tell them...

(they work on their small motor skills)

because

painting is just something we do for fun and the most important skill we can build is

Self Confidence!

All Alone!

Rotations are something pretty difficult for little ones to handle.

Why, you may ask?

Because these little ones have to Do It By Themselves.

That's Right.

ALONE!

And while most of them will cry, "I can do it myself!" all day long, they may actually be a little reticent when it comes to working by themselves.

What skills are we helping to build?

-focus

-focus

-FOCUS!

When little ones are asked to truly do something all by themselves, they have to focus on what is right in front of them, and that is asking a lot from a three-year-old. This skill will be critical by the time they are school-age because classrooms are notoriously busy and stimulating which can be Very confusing if it's your first school setting.
Unfortunately this is not something that can be practiced very effectively at home unless you have a large family and your child takes music lessons (which I don't recommend starting until age 7). 
So...send them to school and I'll help them
Get Their Brains in Gear!

Time to Enroll

Now Enrolling

Little Sprouts

Preschool

We Learn:

colors, shapes, letters, letter sounds,

sight words, cooperative play,

rhyming, memorization, writing,

science, music reading,

concentration exercises,

large muscle movement...

and so much more!

4-5 year-old

M/W

9:30-12:00

$75

3-4 year-old

T/TH

10:00-12:00

$60

Fun Fridays

1^st & 3^rd weeks 10:00-12:00

$12 a month for Preschool students

$16 a month for non preschool students

(space is limited)

Call or text Heather@

801-828-8729

Holiday Party

We had WAY too much fun at our Holiday Party!

Eat that snowman!

We threw snowballs at at snowman.

Nice Shot!

had a bow pick-up race.

Decorated Gingerbread Houses.

Some days, you just have to kick your heels up and have a lot of fun!

Share the Cuteness!

Every month we memorize a poem or two.  Last month it was "Santa, Santa".  I just had to share this one.  They are just too adorable!

Puzzle Me This

Puzzles   are an awesome way to enter into reading and math.  They teach pattern recognition and congruency. At Little Sprouts Preschool we start them out small with just a two piece puzzle, but some of our preschoolers have been able to put together a 24 piece puzzle all by theirselves!

  Marcel Danesi Ph.D., the leading researcher in puzzles and what they do for your brain has said, "puzzles are beneficial to brain activity", and "solving puzzles can thus be characterized as a blend of imaginative association and memory." He goes on to explain how doing puzzles makes it easier for children to learn how to read, remember what certain words look like, and decode misspelled words. 

So don't just sit there...

Get Your Puzzle On!

Play Time

Play Time

is something all adults can get behind.

There is so much out there for your kids to do now, every once in a while it's nice to just relax and play with a friend, but to a child playtime is more than just playtime. 

"Play is the work of children" developmental psychologist, J. Piaget said. 

I make time in my preschool day for the kids to just play with each other.  They learn so much from their interactions with each other.  So many of the connections they make in their brains are there before they even go to kindergarten - and social skills need to be fostered, not forgotten.

So 

Let Them Play!

Music Time

There is something so fun and rewarding about

Music Time.

This is one activity that not only is fun, but it makes you smarter too!

There have been many studies done about music and intellectualism. Here are just a few facts from a bunch of those studies:

1. Listening to classical music makes you smarter.

2. Learning how to clap/tap/keep a beat organizes your brain waves.

3. Playing a musical instrument will raise your intelligence level, give you higher scores in math, reading, and SAT/ACT and is a good precursor for weather or not you're going to finish college!

4. Practicing music organizes thought processes and makes you better at accomplishing any organizational skill.

So Get Your Groove On!

Thanksgiving Feast

We had such a fun time at our Thanksgiving Feast!

It is one activity I really look forward to every year, and not just because we all pig out!

...wait for it...

Because we get to practice our Manners!

You Bet!

I said it, manners!

I love it when I get to teach little ones to say things like, "Please pass the penguins" and "could I have some more juice, please."

Ladies and Gentlemen,

You're Welcome!

Color Me This

One thing we can all work on with our own children is...

Coloring!

Why, you ask? 

 Well, I'll tell you. 

Coloring works a child's small motor skills, and if that doesn't sound boring enough for you, then it is also good for their brains by  helping their focus and attention span.

There are just a few things to watch out for before you break out the Crayola:

1. Monkey Grip

A lot of little ones want to grasp their writing implement with their whole fist, while this may seem a benign habit, Please don't let them do it. Why?  Because we are trying to foster good habits now instead of trying to break bad habits later.  Have them hold their crayon/marker/paint brush with their thumb and first/second fingers.

2. Have them watch what they are doing.  It seems like something simple, but this is where focus and attention span comes into play.  Plus, they will be much more pleased with their outcome when what they have done looks recognizable. 

3. Have them try to make small movements.  I try not to tell little ones to "stay in the lines", something that is almost impossible for them, but to make smaller movements. They find that when they make smaller movements, they are able to color only where they want and it actually gets done faster!

So break out the crayons 

and

Color Your World!