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Community Helpers – Overview

February 14, 2014 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Illustrated community helpers — a police officer, teacher, and dentist — stand smiling in front of a black-and-white background pattern of tools and objects related to community helpers. A bright yellow box at the top reads: “Community Helpers Overview.” The image is branded with LoveToLaughandLearn.com at the bottom. — Start Here for our Community Helpers Series: A kid-friendly introduction to the people who keep our communities running.

Community Helpers – Overview

Teaching your child about community helpers can help them understand and feel more secure in their ever widening world. Learning about workers in our community can help them realize that they don’t need to be afraid when they hear sirens in the neighborhood or in the car. The sirens are signaling that there are people out there to help take care of them. Police officers are there to help us when there is an accident. Firemen help us if there is a fire. The doctor and dentist help keep us healthy and the school teacher helps us learn new things.

When I taught preschool, we studied community helpers in the three year old classroom. At home, you might want to introduce some of them even earlier; for instance, the doctor. Children have to go to the doctor regularly, from birth, so reading books and talking about the doctor may help put them at ease. Before my children went to their first dental appointment, I read books to them so they would understand what was going to happen.

What You’ll Find in This Series

In the following posts you will find book suggestions and crafts to do with your children to help make learning about their world fun. Enjoy playing pretend with your children as they become the doctor and you are the patient.

If you enjoy the activities, you’ll be glad to know that there are even more community workers your child can learn about. On the blog, I’ve shared ideas and free worksheets for doctors, dentists, police officers, and firefighters. But that’s just the beginning! I’ve created a set of Community Helpers Fun Sheets in my Teachers Pay Teachers store that includes 10 different helpers, all in one convenient set. It’s a great way to explore a wide variety of jobs while keeping everything organized in one place.

Celebrate Labor Day by Honoring Workers in our Community

If you are wondering where a unit about Community Helpers might fit, Labor Day is the perfect time. Labor Day honors the workers who make our daily lives better and safer, and many of those people are the very helpers your child will be learning about—doctors, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and more. Taking a few moments to connect the holiday with the helpers around us can make the meaning of Labor Day more personal and memorable for your family.

Doctors: Love to Learn about Community Helpers
Dentists: Love to Laugh and Learn about Community Helpers
Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Firefighters: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

📌 Find the complete set of Community Helpers Fun Sheets in my TpT store: Love to Laugh and Learn

Teaching Shapes to Preschoolers: An Overview of Fun Learning Activities

April 28, 2013 by Mama Carmody 15 Comments

When I taught preschool, I always introduced colors before shapes. I did the same thing at home with my own children. Looking back, it makes sense. Children seem to notice colors first. So, I followed their natural curiosity and used it as a guide.

Just like with colors, our first lessons on shapes weren’t formal. My kids learned about them during everyday routines—like getting dressed or playing with toys. I made a habit of talking to them throughout the day. Throughout our routine, I would point out circles, hearts, or stars and describe what we saw together. Sometimes I’d say, “Look at those colorful stars on your socks,” or “This strawberry looks like a heart!”

Whether your child is just a few days old or a curious three-year-old, talking to them consistently helps. It builds vocabulary, observation skills, and a strong foundation for future learning. Their understanding of the world will grow faster than you expect—especially when it’s grounded in love, play, and shared discovery.

Learning Through Play

Most early learning should come through play and conversation. Read books together, do simple crafts, play on the floor, and talk about what you’re doing. These small moments are powerful teaching tools.

In the posts below, you’ll find shape-themed book recommendations, craft ideas, fun snacks, and hands-on activities that introduce common forms in playful ways. You can explore one shape a day, mix and match, or follow the full series—it’s completely up to you. Just remember: the most important thing is to have fun. When children are having fun, they’re learning!

Teaching Your Child Colors

November 6, 2011 by Mama Carmody 20 Comments

Teaching Your Child Colors

Learning colors is a concept that can start at birth. Just by talking with your child you are teaching them. As you get them dressed you say things like, “Let’s get this red shirt over your head.”

A lot of the teaching of concepts to young children does not have to be in a formal setting. That is one of the things I love so much about teaching preschool. The learning comes through playing and it should be the same way in your home. Don’t stress about teaching formal lessons, just have fun playing and talking with your child. You will find out that they are learning through your playtime together.

A suggestion for a fun time with your child would be to have a special color day. Use part of the day or the whole day and dedicate it to one of the colors. I start with the primary colors. Although I didn’t teach the term “primary colors” until they were in pre-kindergarten, I like to start with the basics so I begin with red, blue and yellow. By the way, always be watching for signals that your child is ready for the next learning concept. For instance your child may ask, “How do you get the color green.” That is your clue that you can introduce the learning concepts of primary and secondary colors.

In the subsequent posts I will give different ideas of activities you can do for each of the colors. Use all of them in one day or use the different activities over several days. Just enjoy the time with your child and the learning will follow.

The Lessons – Overview
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apple
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts
Learning Activities for the Color Red
Learning Activities for the Color Blue
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow
Learning Activities for the Color Green
Learning Activities for the Color Orange
Learning Activities for the Color Purple

Learning Activities for the Color Red

November 12, 2011 by Mama Carmody 19 Comments

Learning Activities for the Color Red

Here are some learning activities for the color red. Remember to have fun learning and laughing together.

Clothing

Dress you child in something red; a red shirt, red pants, etc. Join in the fun and wear red too.

Toys

Go through your child’s toys and pick out the red ones to play with; red legos or duplos, red wooden blocks, a fire engine, Strawberry Shortcake, Elmo etc. Use these toys for playtime today.

Make or buy red play dough. Play dough is great for sensory play. If you have plastic colored cookie cutters to use with your play dough, just get out the red ones today. Click the words, play dough, to find a couple of recipes to make your own play dough at home.

Craft

Torn Paper Apple Craft

Materials Needed:

1. Red & green construction paper
2. Small white paper plate
3. Glue
4. Foam applicator or paint brush
5. Scissors

Instructions:

1. Give your child a small white paper plate and a red piece of construction paper.
2. Have him/her tear the red construction paper into pieces. (I just used 1/2 piece of construction paper.)

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Torn Paper Apple Craft

3. Squirt some glue onto the small paper plate.
4. Give your child a paint brush or foam applicator to apply the glue to the plate with. (My favorite is the foam applicator. It covers large surfaces quite a bit easier than a paint brush.) Have your child spread the glue all over the plate. Make sure to get the edges.

5. Then apply the torn pieces of red construction paper one piece at a time. Cover up all the white.

6. Have a stem and a leaf cut out and ready so your child can glue them to the top of the apple. If your child is a little older let them cut out their own stem and leaf.
7. Some of the red construction paper was sticking over the edge of the plate so I trimmed that off to give the apple it’s circular shape back.

Learning Activities for the Color Red: Completed Torn Paper Apple Craft

Red Foods for snack or meal time

Strawberries, cherries, watermelon, raspberries, red pepper, apples

Finger Play

Ten Red Apples

Ten red apples growing on a tree
(hold both hands up and out to make a tree)
Five for you and five for me
(shake one hand, then the other)
Help me shake that tree just so
(act like holding tree trunk and shaking it)
And ten red apples fall down below
(lower hands while fluttering fingers)
One, two, three, four, five
(count fingers on one hand)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
(count fingers on other hand)

– Author Unknown

Story Time

“Apples Here!“ by Will Hubbell
Reading Level: Ages 3-8
I would encourage you to read this to your child before you do the Torn Paper Apple craft. It gives a very simplified story of how apple trees and apples grow. The simple theme is that “there are apples here”; whether looking at buds or blossoms or tiny little knots on the branches, there are apples growing there.

“Clifford The Big Red Dog” by Norman Bridwell
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Several generations of children have fallen in love with Clifford the Big Red Dog. Norman Bridwell has written many different adventures for Clifford and Emily. I’m sure that you will find plenty of adventures that you and your child will love.

“The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (Child’s Play Library)” by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
Reading Level: Ages 5-8
The Little Mouse wants to save his strawberry from the Big Hungry Bear. Do you like strawberries? Maybe you can help the Little Mouse. Read this cute story for some smiles and expect to have a craving for strawberries.

Music and Singing

Little Red Caboose

Bumping Up And Down In My Little Red Wagon

Colors – Overview
A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apple
Pumpkins are Orange; and Other Learning Concepts
Learning Activities for the Color Blue
Learning Activities for the Color Yellow
Learning Activities for the Color Green
Learning Activities for the Color Purple
Learning Activities for the Color Orange

Learning Should Be Fun

October 7, 2011 by Mama Carmody 22 Comments

Learning Should Be Fun

“A joyful heart is good medicine…” -Proverbs 17:22

I love exposing children to new learning opportunities. I believe that learning should be fun and hands-on.

Children’s learning activities should be enjoyable and interesting. Repetition of a concept will help secure it in the mind of the learner. I do not suggest repetition as in using flash cards over and over in some sort of old school torture. I mean using the same concepts in several different learning environments.

I share, through this blog, many fun learning opportunities that you can experience with the children in your life. You will find detailed ideas as well as general concepts that you can mix and match in different learning situations.

At first most of my concepts will be for younger children. Although, I did teach 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders for a couple of summers, most of my expertise comes with young children.

Along with the different learning concepts, I want to research and post different attractions with family friendly activities that are going on in our community. At first these activities will be centered around Indianapolis because that is where I currently reside but my dream is to expand the resources well past Indiana. Although I will be posting specific activities that are going on in the Indianapolis area, I will also suggest general activities that make good learning opportunities that you can look for in your area.

My real vision for this blog is that it can help families have fun learning together but there will be information that will be interesting to teachers too. I am so excited about having this opportunity to share with you.

Most Sincerely,

Mama Carmody

Community Helpers – Overview

Community Helpers – Overview

What You’ll Find in This Series

Celebrate Labor Day by Honoring Workers in our Community

Related Posts

Teaching Shapes to Preschoolers: An Overview of Fun Learning Activities

Learning Through Play

Teaching Your Child Colors

Teaching Your Child Colors

Related Posts:

Learning Activities for the Color Red

Learning Activities for the Color Red

Clothing

Toys

Craft

Red Foods for snack or meal time

Finger Play

Story Time

Music and Singing

Related Posts

Learning Should Be Fun

Learning Should Be Fun