Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Activities for My Toddler

Me too lol


I converted half of our basement storage room into a table top studio. I do a lot of editing in Photoshop that makes up for less than ideal lighting. I also have a 5D (yay Canon! ) with a fabulous full-frame sensor (HIGHLY recommend going full frame). The experienced pro stock photogs stress that proper lighting is critical (which it is, really) but I've done ok by choosing subject matter that I can edit. For example, minimal blues (the noisiest color) and still life subjects with clean edges so I can isolate.

My two kids have point and shoot cameras and I loaded my Photoshop on all the computers in the house. They'll each get on a computer (DD9 has her own laptop and DS8 uses the family PC) and they edit their own pics in Photoshop. It's hilarious. I go back and forth between them - I feel like I'm teaching a class ;p

It takes longer to make money at stock than it does at assignment (like, portrait shoots), but the beauty is that your schedule is 100% your own, so it's very compatible with parenting

Yes!! My kids both LOVED their magna doodle The only drawback is you can't save their art, but that's easily fixed if you keep a camera handy. I took lots and lots of magna doodle pics, lol

Let's see. I worked between full and half-time when my DD was young. It was challenging since I often had to take her TO work with me. It was easier to have her at home, by far, because my lab work first involved heavy metals, and later involved biohazards and radiation. Yes, I know-- but it really (truly) was okay, and she was well-supervised and far far safer than she'd have been at preschool. (See recent thread re: food allergies in 2e).

She's always been a fairly sedentary child-- so no crawling or climbing into things, necessarily, which helped tremendously. She was also very curious, which meant that being at work with me was a lot like being in a candy store at times.

On the other hand, I also had to take her to meetings with me, and that was often interesting, particularly when she was 2-4yo and not yet reading independently. I would coach her to be SILENT during those times when I truly needed her to be invisible; I then provided her with a LeapPad (not even sure they make them now) and headphones, so that she could "read" books by herself.

I second the big magnadoodle. I had a big bag of 'tricks' that included dollar store toys when I needed something novel in a hurry, a couple of jigsaw puzzles that she could do at my desk, and a set of those magnetic building toys (DD never mouthed things-- ever-- this would't be appropriate for many 2yo, though), and some computer games like Reader Rabbit which she could play at my desktop computer while I was nearby in the lab. This left her absorbed enough that she would generally not bug other people working nearby, but it was always a bit of a tightrope act, and I thought I'd lose my mind sometimes when she was really little.

She loved to draw and read; I could leave her in a pack-n-play with a stack of board books when she was a toddler. I often did, too, so that I could grade or work up lecture notes at my desk.

I hate to sound like I keep giving the Apple I pad free advertising, but it sounds like you need one. The IPad is by far the best "thing", for lack of a better word, that I ever bought my children. I have three children. All of which are probably gifted, at least two of them for sure. My first two did not have an ipad as toddlers, but my youngest one has had it since he was 2. He has learned more than both of his older simblings knew at his age. He may even know some more things than they know now. I know he knows his countries better than anyone in the family. He has been using it since Christmas of 2011. I cannot begin to tell you all the things that he has learned. From his states and capitals; all of the countries in the world; how to spell all of his states; how to spell most of the countries; his planets; how to write; I can go on and on. He was already reading by the time he got his IPad. So I think that he was probably pretty smart to begin with. However, his knowledge of the world has just exploded since he began using it. There are hundreds or maybe even thousands of educational apps. Apps that can teach writing, spelling, reading, math, anything you can think of. My son will be 3 in October and can write words that he spells on his own with upper and lower case letters. Some of these words are 13 letters long, like Massachusetts. The amazing thing is that he learns most of this from his IPad. My wife and I don't teach him much of anything. Not to sound like a bad parent, but any kind of acedemic knowledge that he wants to learn he can learn from the IPad. I too would feel guilty leaving my children in front of the television. The IPad solves this problem. In fact I don't allow my youngest one to watch videos on his iPad. Although, he sometimes tries to go on YouTube and type in his own movie titles. Like Blues Clues or The Fresh Beat Band. However, I never leave his IPad connected to the Internet. Which is another great feature of it. You can download any app you want and always have access to it without being connected to the Internet. I have a great protective case for it. My children have been using it since last December and have not damaged it one bit. It is still like brand new. It is the most versatile, educational tool that our family has ever experienced. I would reccommend it to every single child out there. If you get one, you will see what I mean. I am absolutely sure this will solve your problem.
Good luck.

Mind sharing your favorite apps?

I've been looking for an excuse for days now to tell someone outside of my immediate family that Starfall finally ported the "Learn to Read" section of their website to an ipad app! Previously, they had only ported the Alphabet part. I downloaded it a few days ago, and so far it's great. Slightly better organized than the website, and of course, a tap-able interface.

I so wish they would have had this done for my daughter to use when she was learning to read. It would have saved me a lot of trouble, as she forced me to click everything for her for months. Eventually I grabbed a USB mouse and told her she was going to learn to use it. She immediately started using the touchpad like an expert, having apparently learned perfectly well how to use it without ever having touched it.

Other great apps include matching games, puzzles, Bob Books. CandyCount (color sorting and counting) and a shape matching app from technolio (which also speaks the names of the shapes in English or Chinese, maybe other languages, too). There are a few Montessori inspired apps that are nice as well (some that are not as nice).

I have been so busy and not around much this summer, but what a timely thread. DD1 has just started a half day Montessori program, and I am in grad school. She was previously at an all day daycare.

I need activities she can benefit from while I am on the computer in the afternoons. She loves TV, and I admit to having let her watch more than I usually would, though I limit her choices (she is enjoying Frannie's Feet and Pinkie Dinky Doo right now)...

I do have an iPad but haven't updated apps much since she was a 2 yr old, and many of those are pretty easy for her now. I will be looking for the apps DAD22 mentioned, and any others - please keep them coming. As well as any ideas for other activities. She is very into painting right now and we are going through paint like crazy. She asks to do it nearly every day, which we do. I also take her outside for a while, especially while it's still summery and nice. And I want to take her to a local museum/kids place/etc once a week or so.

Of course, in a few weeks time, when she has settled into the Montessori, maybe she'll be content pouring things. Who knows. But more ideas are great!

My almost 3 year old has over 40 apps that he has been using for about 8 months now. He started Last Christmas. He was 26 months old. Here is a long list of them starting with the ones he started with, up to where he is now. I hope you find this helpful.
1)English Plus flash cards
2) First Words Delux
3) Amazing First Words
4) Shape O
5) Little Reader ( three and four letter words )
6) Toddler Teasers
7) monkey Preschool Lunchbox
8) Little Speller
9) Dr. Seuss books. ( They are great. Interactive. )
10) Educreations ( a drawing board)
11) Animal Puzzle
12) My First Words
13) Word Wagon
14) Spell
15) Kids Puzzles
16) Caterpillar
17) Montessouri Intro to Math
18) Montessouri Crosswords
19) Write Words
20) Coloring
21) Umi Numbers
22) Teach Me 1st and 2nd grade
23) My Name
24) Kids English
25) Montessouri 100 board
26) Write On
27) Cursive
28) Montessouri United States
29) Montessouri US Capitals
30) Learn the World
31) Spell Music
32) Wonders ( about the Universe)
33) Solar Walk ( the Planets )
34) Stack the States
35) Stack the Countries
36) Spell USA States
37) I Spell Countries
38) Bone Scan

There were a few that I missed here and there, but this should keep your children busy. It's all about what your child may be into right now. For example your child may be into Dinosaurs. I'm sure there are plenty of dinosaur apps. Whatever subject you can think of there is probably an app for it. Good luck and enjoy.

By the way I would love to see some ideas from anyone else out there who has some good apps for children. Thanks in advance.

Also Teach Me Kindergarten. I forgot about that one. There's a similar more playful app called (or starring) Bugsy.

Monkey Mathschool sunshine (terrible name... fun, educational app)

Hooray, thanks! love this list. I think I have only 2 of these, so this is great!