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Color Sorting and Learning Activity

March 29, 2020 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

Color sorting and learning color names is one of the first skills we teach our toddlers. It was one of the first activities I created for my oldest way back when he was my only child. I loved being able to teach him at home. He thought we were spending quality time together, playing a game. We were! We were color sorting and learning color names...and more too. This … [Read more...]

ABC Seek and Find Letter Learning Activity

March 1, 2020 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

ABC seek and find letter learning activity for preschool to help preschoolers get prepped for kinderarten.

Getting your preschooler ready for kindergarten is on the minds of many parents. It certainly was a focus for me. We did not stress too much about structure during our homeschool preschool time. Even if you are not homeschooling, this ABC Seek and Find Letter Learning activity for preschool kids is simple to do at home. Preschool at home was fun. Just think of all the money … [Read more...]

Preparing Your Preschooler to be a Creative Writer

February 22, 2019 by Jaimi Erickson 3 Comments

Post by Lisa Brown Preschool age children can learn to develop writing skills even before they know how to read and write. Preparing your preschooler to be a creative writer happens with pretend play, books, drawing, and expressive language.  Following are several learning activities that you can do with your Preschool child on a daily basis to help them become a … [Read more...]

Less Book Clutter, More Reading for Kids with Skybrary

March 15, 2017 by Jaimi Erickson Leave a Comment

The kids book clutter is no fun, but kids reading is really important. Get less clutter, more reading for kids, with Skybrary Family one month free trial! #sponsored

This post is sponsored by Reading Rainbow Skybrary Family. All opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure. I look around my house and see multiple little bookshelves filled with great children’s books. The reality is my kids want to read the same 5 or 6 books over and over for months at a time. At bedtime when we read together as a family, all the kids pile up on … [Read more...]

Letter of the Day Activities for Preschool

March 3, 2017 by Jaimi Erickson 6 Comments

Letter of the day activities for preschool and a preschool at home curriculum that won't break the bank or take a lot of time to prep.

We don’t buy fancy supplies for our homeschool preschool work. I want to teach my children to use what they have first so they do not always think they have to buy new. It certainly has made our budget as a one-income household work much better to live this way. It was easy enough to put together letter of the day activities on a budget. My oldest daughter was a kid that … [Read more...]

Calendar Time in Preschool at Home

October 27, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 5 Comments

Implementing Calendar Time in your preschool at home curriculum (or preschool classroom).

Calendar time or circle time is a great way to start the day in preschool at home. It also allows for some repetition that is necessary for preschool age children. This is a time for learning big concepts in little bites. Preschool at home was a great experience for my daughter and me. I really enjoyed the extra time we had together and since I was a teacher before having … [Read more...]

Pre-Reading Skills ABC Book Word-Matching Game

September 28, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson Leave a Comment

Pre-reading skills will soar with this 2 item activity that teaches children to read the beginning letter in words with a hands-on word-matching game.

Children do not have to be reading to be exposed to reading skills. When my kids are in preschool we start looking more at the initial letters of different words. All that means is when I read the word "dog" in a book, I ask my child what letter is first. It is a simple way when we are reading together to connect reading with letter identification. This gives preschoolers … [Read more...]

Easy ABC Poster and Alphabet Learning Game

June 2, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 1 Comment

Easy ABC poster and alphabet learning game activity for preschool and toddlers.

This ABC poster and alphabet learning game is an easy one to create with your children so that they can see you writing each letter and work on pre-reading skills. You do not have to be an artist to do this. How often for your kids ask you to draw a picture for them, or add a special drawing to their artwork? My preschoolers have always enjoyed when I would draw something on … [Read more...]

Teaching Children to Care for Books

March 18, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

Children can be hard on books. Teaching children to care for books is important because part of good reading habits is teaching how to handle and treat books. This idea helps children learn that books can be repaired when they are damaged. It's a great Spring Cleaning task for kids to do too!

It can be nerve-wracking letting your child 'read' books since many pages get ripped, pulled out, and chewed.  I tried my best to supervise my children when they were infants and toddlers to help eliminate the need for constant book repair.  We keep the board books lower on the shelf so the younger ones can't reach the books with paper pages, but this does not always work out … [Read more...]

DIY Books for Babies and Toddlers

January 28, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 11 Comments

DIY books for babies and toddlers that use an item you may already have in your kitchen! Clever books to encourage a love of reading in babies and toddlers with personalized books that are easy to make.

Creating DIY books for babies is a simple way to introduce babies and toddlers to reading and books while creating an infant activity they can play with for months and years. I made DIY books for my oldest daughter (baby #2) when she was less than a year old and we still have the book I made for her 4 years later! They are pretty sturdy , but you should always supervise. … [Read more...]

7 Tips to Encourage Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children

January 20, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 6 Comments

7 tips to encourage reading and writing skills in young children. These simple tips can start at birth to encourage reading and writing throughout early childhood.

[Guest Post by Janis Cox] With 7 simple tips, you can encourage reading and writing skills in your children. Studies are showing that the earlier children are shown words, the earlier they will make the connection between symbols and language. Early squiggles from children are important – … [Read more...]

Learning Animal Names with Name Tags

August 8, 2013 by Jaimi Erickson 7 Comments

Toddler activity for learning animal names with simple animal nametags.

My kids were playing with their toy animals a lot. I noticed that my toddler already knew the animal names, and my oldest was nearly at reading age. In the midst of one of their pretend play sessions, I asked them if they wanted to make name tags for the animals. They are usually game for a fun activity! With items we already had at home, I made some simple name tags for … [Read more...]

Books on CD Recorded by You

January 23, 2012 by Jaimi Erickson 3 Comments

Record books on CD for your child with free download audio software,. Great for kids whose parents travel or as a family involvement activity in preschool.

My husband deployed for a year back when my oldest son was 6 months old. It was a job of mine to teach my son about his dad. Without the daily interactions of a parent and an infant, that memory of "dad" would not be established. It is a reality for families whose breadwinner travels a lot. Our solution was to do a few things to keep my husband present in our daily life and one … [Read more...]

Exposure to Print: Make a Word Wall

November 28, 2011 by Jaimi Erickson 3 Comments

How to create a word wall at home for toddlers, preschool or school age kids. Simple ideas to encourage pre-reading and reading skills at home.

This post contains affiliate links. Please view my disclosure. A word wall is an activity that I start when my children are toddlers. It is part of our homeschool preschool activities, and I know that it helps my children learn to read with confidence. Play does matter in the lives of young children, but we can also teach them along the way. A word wall is a great way to use … [Read more...]

Instilling the Love of Learning by Reading

November 1, 2011 by Jaimi Erickson 7 Comments

Starting in infancy, when your child is home with you, you are able to devote so much one-on-one time to them and with them.  They learn that they are important; they learn that they have something to contribute to you. I feel important when another adult takes the time to talk with me and focus on what I have to say; it is not different with children. They relish the focus … [Read more...]

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They were posing nicely, but I said make some funn They were posing nicely, but I said make some funny faces. They did. 🤣🤣

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All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus. 

He is risen! ☀️ 

Happy Easter / Resurrection Sunday from the Erickson clan. 💕 

I pray each of you seek the ultimate truth and know God is working through you. You are significant, loved and appreciated. 🤗 

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I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having m I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having my babies. I have learned so much from all my children but having my girls is a blessing I never knew I needed. 

Want to eliminate mean girls? Raise daughters to do the opposite.

Want to teach women to better communicate with each other? Raise daughters to listen and articulate.

They are my own little girl group and I am grateful for it. They love me on my bad days and give me compliments I do not even deserve. 

I do love being the mom of girls (and boys). They both teach me so much. 

What are the top lessons you wish girls would learn before becoming adults? 

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Will you be spending time with family for Easter? Will you be spending time with family for Easter? 

My husband’s parents have arrived - adding one more big dog to our house and lots of crafts and fun. We have not seen them since June. Everyone is excited to spend time together.

Both of my big kids have birthdays and we will all get to spend time at the beach this month. Our school work will morph into field trips so we soak up every day we can being present with family. 

I am looking forward to making memories, soaking in time together and celebrating two milestone birthdays - one happening tomorrow. 💛 

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“Never underestimate the healing of a quiet mome “Never underestimate the healing of a quiet moment in the garden.” 
-Unknown

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🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all t 🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all the kids actually goes well!!! 🌟 

Ice cream after helped of course. 😂

All prepped for my in-laws coming to visit us after not seeing them since our move last summer. Looking forward to some fun events ahead that will make my kids think they are on spring break but they will technically be field trip days. Check, check. 

Are you guys on spring break this week? What do you have planned?

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Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, fill your mind with encouragement and just keep moving forward. 

Recovery days are not just for working out. They are for the mental state we walk around with too. Yesterday felt heavy. My God is a power lifter and takes the burden away. 

Today will be better.

Today we will rest and refocus.

Hooray for comfy jeans, motivational graphics and the Word to focus on through it all. 

(Faith fashion: @choseninchrist use code Jaimi to save.)

#faithmama #faithmamas #intentionalmotherhood #inspiredmotherhood #homemakerlife #homeschoolmoms #thisismotherhood #mindsetiseverything #faithiseverything #faithblogger #momblogger
🌟That Face!!🌟 That little boy is soon to t 🌟That Face!!🌟 

That little boy is soon to turn 13, guys! I mean in a few weeks. 😅

This is a throwback but brings back so many fun memories. 

—————————————

I love creating activities and crafts on the fly. Always have even before my kids were here.

I noticed that my son did not have a lot of little toy people to play with while he was pretending one day. We have a few cylinder blocks in a set. We never used them when we built. I thought we could turn them into little DIY toy people. 

They were so cute and easy to make. It was a preschool art project for him. We made them together.

If you don’t have wooden cylindrical blocks at home, you can use pieces of wood dowel or even a few square blocks glued together. You can even make DIY toy people out of toilet paper tubes. 

🌟Full details through Blog link in bio 🌟

——————————————

I am so excited and yet in complete shock by how fast these little lives grow. I have never missed moments and I am so so grateful especially as we approach the teen years in my house. 💛 Soak up even the hard days of being a mom. TOTALLY worth it. 

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👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out the 👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out there. I try to ignore a lot of them. 😂 

My kids stay up later than most recommend, but so did I when I was a kid. 

She loves to read. She loves to write. Abby writes plays, journal entries, songs and on a bad day she will write her feelings about it all, in depth, no holds barred. 

This night she was trying to finish up a play - setting, character details, order of lines - for a play she made for her younger sister. 

I am so thankful that we can count her love of writing in her free time as school work. I am so thankful that how we do school allows this passion and talent to thrive. She has stacks of drawings, plays and writing blurbs. They are all precious to her.

There are days I question whether this choice or that choice is right or “approved,” but it does not matter when I see my children dive deep into the things they love. 

#realschool #teachermom #homeschool #homeschoollife #lifeisgood #findjoy #teachthemyoung #teachyourchildrenwell #neverstoplearning #parenting #parentingopinions #motherhoodinspired #inspiredhomeschool #unschooling
Give me my people any day. Family time this Sund Give me my people any day. 

Family time this Sunday was a 5k fundraiser race. We helped raise 💵 for the spouses’ club scholarship fund. Scholarships will be awarded for post secondary education to military kids and spouses. 

If you can choose any action in life, choose to help others. Side bonus when it involves fun family time together.

Best day yet. 💛💛💛

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💛 Friday Introductions💛 It has been a while 💛 Friday Introductions💛

It has been a while since I did a good run-down here to give ya the cliffs notes (are those still a thing) version of me. 👋 

💛 Detroit-born a few blocks from where Eminem lived. The city is still my hometown despite moving away as a kid.

💛 I am a big believer in traditional values, but with a modern woman twist. My husband drives his career and I drive this household.

💛 We live in eastern NC 30 mins from the beach. I want to stay here forever, truly, but military life will come to an end some day...still don’t know specifically when that will be.

💛Born and raised to be a planner, Type A personality, having 4 kids beat that out of me 🤣 and I am very “day at a time” now. 

💛I was a teacher turned stay at home mom turned blogger turned entrepreneur that had to set it all on the back burner a bit to focus on homeschooling my kids. I can only have so much on my plate and complete it successfully. (When we listen, God guides and is loud and clear with His direction. 💛)

💛I believe I can be humble and confident; I can be fully present with my kids and make space to rest and rejuvenate; I believe the biggest successes I will achieve in life will not have a paycheck as its valuation. 

💛I believe that true peace, value and love all come from Jesus. 

You will find me sharing the ups AND the downs of motherhood, wife life, homeschooling and being a Christian woman with the modern day pull to fight what that can mean. (There is def a force trying to convince us to push those values aside, my friends.)

👌What is the cliffs notes version of you? What do you want people to know/realize most of all?

#happyfriday #fridayintroductions #thisisme #gardenathome #homeschooling #naturalliving #motherhoodjourney #stayathomemoms #militarylife #Faithmamas #cliffsnotes #motherhoodsocial
🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟 Often our c 🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟

Often our children learn hard lessons when they have to move to a new state or school. 

My kids have become all too familiar with this through military life. Every three years they have to make new friends.

It is not always simple.

As a child, my family moved a lot. We were not military, but in junior high I moved to a new state and had to make all new friends.

This was a challenging and even to some extent a traumatic time of life.

Being the new kid, is a humbling experience. Suddenly you are hoping that your peers will want to get to know you and like you. It creates some self-consciousness.

Reading is such a beneficial way to teach children about life lessons. It teaches much more than that. It teaches self esteem through the cuddle time. It teaches language skills, and it teaches children to use their minds to be creative.

As they have grown and navigated more friendships, books are a resource for us to discuss tough challenges. I have found a great series of books that present friendship challenges and help children learn to navigate them.

It just so happens that the author is my neighbor too! How cool is that?! Moms are amazing.

These books will be treasured by your family for their quality values. The @stingrayjelly series teach children how to make friends and navigate friendships to love others well and support them through shared similarities and recognized differences.

Author, Lauren Giannella is a military wife and my neighbor! Anna Perdue is the illustrator and also a military child. 

Read my blog post for details on each book and links to purchase through @barnesandnoble 

We love our military community and all they do to give back.

What are your favorite children’s books that teach children how to make friends or help them maneuver through tough life challenges?

#books #booksforkids #militaryspouse #militaryspouses #militarywife #militarylife #militarykids #teachingkids #goodbooks #readtokids #readingtime #homeschoolreading #homeschoolmoms #eastnc #usmclife #marinecorpsfamily #motherhoodsocial
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