The Mom I Want to Be

A development kit is a collection of items on a particular educational theme for your child.  They should include enough items to interest your cuild, but be compact enough to slip easily into a purse, backpack or diaper bag.

Each kit should include:

• a zipper pouch or resealable plastic bag big enough to hold everything
• smaller bags to organize the parts of the kit
• pencils or pens
• a memo tablet for notes, counting, games, lists, drawings

A math kit lets your child play with numbers and problem solving. You might include:

• a lightweight tape measure
• an assortment of items to count and sort—coins, beans, buttons, coupons, checkers, game pieces, playing cards, dice, dreidels, etc.
• a list of favorite fingerplays and action rhymes that involve numbers
• puzzles made from cut-up postcards or magazine photos glued to thin cardboard

An art and literacy kit encourages creative expression. A child can practice making letters, write and illustrate a book, cut out paper dolls, or play games like Tic-Tac-Toe. You might include:

• gel pens, washable fine-point markers, or crayons
• transparent tape
• stickers, stencils, or stamps
• colorful paper (such as bright magazine pages) for folding or cutting
• scissors—safe but not frustrating to use

A science kit encourages children to look at the wider world. You might include:

• a small, inexpensive magnifier
• magnets
• pipe cleaners
• sandwich bags for collecting specimens
• an assortment of items to study—keys, pebbles, seeds, etc. (NOTE: You can change the assortment from time to time.)

A music and sound kit helps you and your child investigate sound. You might include:

• small plastic containers with seeds or buttons inside for shaking
• a variety of rubber bands
• small scarves or 24-inch ribbons to wave
• a paper towel roll (for a mini-drum or a “voice changer”)
• a list of favorite songs and poems

You could make them very specific – science kit on bugs or space, a shape theme kit, and so on.  You can include books or activity cards. They can be tailored for very young children, or made more challenging for older ones.  Your imagination (and pocketbook) are the limit.