This post was in partnership with Noggin but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
We have all surely heard the term that it takes a village to raise children, but in 2022, the concept of a “traditional” village is out the window. As your biggest cheerleaders at The Everymom, we are here to provide you with a wide breadth of parenting resources to empower you to thrive as parents.
To add to your parenting toolkit, below are five engaging ways to get your kids excited about reading and math. In the process, we also hope to relieve some of the pressure and stress you may feel when trying to educate your child. We want to make learning fun for your kids and inspire you to be involved in their development too!
1. Use Screentime for Learning Fun
Noggin is our family’s go-to app for my preschool-age child because it brilliantly combines entertainment and learning in one engaging digital experience. It has been especially useful on days when I have back-to-back meetings and am without child care. I know I can easily turn on Noggin and have my son learn and laugh without me feeling any tinge of mommy guilt.
Source: Carmen Garcia-Shushtari
What is Noggin?
Noggin is the learning platform from the experts at Nick Jr., bringing over 30+ years of preschool edutainment experience into a smart and fun tool for kids ages 2-6+. Noggin is the only subscription service where learning is led by the Nick Jr. characters your kids know and love. When you subscribe to Noggin, you’ll get access to an ever-expanding library of educational games, e-books, activities, and exclusive shorts developed by curriculum specialists. With 1,000+ ad-free full episodes of preschool favorites like Noggin Knows, PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig and Bubble Guppies, kids can go on fun learning adventures and explore math, science, literacy, music, manners, and more!
My son is Peppa Pig-obsessed, so he likes to learn and play with Peppa and friends. It brings me joy to see him smile as he learns about shapes, numbers, and colors with his favorite pig. The diversity of learning opportunities feels endless, with interactive games, videos on social and emotional intelligence, and education-packed lessons including an entire themed-based curriculum through their Smart Schedule. Sometimes, my child just wants to watch episodes of Peppa and I can simply turn on Noggin and know he’s enjoying his favorite show on a safe and secure learning platform.
Where can I use Noggin?
The Noggin app is currently available for iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle as well as supported Roku, Android, Fire, and Apple TV devices. The broad availability of Noggin makes it convenient for busy parents who are always on the go with their kids.
Is Noggin safe for kids?
Noggin is 100% designed with preschoolers in mind. Because of this, it is completely safe and delivers only brain-boosting, age-appropriate content. Oh, and the best part is that there are no ads—ever!
Source: Carmen Garcia-Shushtari
How much does Noggin cost?
New users can sign up for a free 30-day trial to start using Noggin—what’s better than that?! After 30 days, you can subscribe to Noggin for only $7.99 per month, which will automatically charge the account you subscribed through at the end of your free trial. Your subscription will then auto-renew on the same day each month. One subscription gets you access to Noggin on multiple devices—big screens, small screens, and everything in between!
Who developed Noggin?
Noggin is developed by an impressive team of experts and advisers in early childhood development and education. They’re parents, teachers, pediatricians, and researchers with illustrious backgrounds that include curriculum design and educational technology.
Noggin
Start your free 30-day trial today. Plus, Noggin's only $7.99/month after the free trial ends.
2. Use Hands-On Learning Games
Every person, regardless of age, has preferred learning styles that maximize their ability to comprehend, analyze, process, and retain information. For our little ones, hands-on learning allows them to explore the world around them at their own pace in their unique way. It’s also really fun for them to use their cute fingers to feel, stick, glue, and move objects all while learning concepts throughout the process. Consider using magnetic alphabet letters to practice literacy and a simple addition center to explore beginning mathematical concepts.
JoyNote Classroom Magnetic Alphabets
Wherever your child is on their learning-to-read journey, this double-sided magnetic board with alphabet foam letters can help your little learners master identifying letters, sounds, and even spelling!
Lakeshore Learning
This features hands-on boards and counters to teach simple addition. Kids simply grab a preprinted board featuring an addition problem 1 through 10, attach the corresponding number of counters to match each addend, then count the counters to find the sum.
3. Give Them “Homework”
Homework can be a triggering word for many parents, but “homework” can be engaging and without pressure if it’s age appropriate, simple, and connected to their interests. “Homework” can also provide some independent learning time when they can use their favorite pencil to “complete their assignment” and, subsequently, feel a sense of pride. For example, you can give your child worksheets about ocean animals where they can color dolphins and whales while practicing saying the first letter of the ocean animals they are coloring. Another idea is giving your children fun counting worksheets that contain a series of trains they can label. Brain Quest offers the best worksheets and decks with a variety of literacy and math lessons, which can multiply the “fun” homework factor instantly.
Brain Quest
With a wide range of curriculum-based learning activities, games, exercises, and challenges, Brain Quest offers educational opportunities for a variety of ages for kids to learn literacy, math, and so much more!
Plus, their cards are perfect for on-the-go.
Source: Cottonbro | Pexels
4. Point Out Math Concepts in Real Life
Everyday life can inspire the best math lessons. With a little ingenuity, you can create easy and entertaining opportunities for your little mathematicians to learn math concepts. Cooking provides many delightful lessons for your kids to practice counting, learn addition and subtraction, and even begin to understand the higher level concepts of fractions. Take advantage of the amount of time you are in the car with your littles by having them count objects they see while you are driving, like the number of American flags and houses with Christmas lights. A little friendly competition can also increase the engagement! If your child is in kindergarten or older, the Race to Planet X Number Bond Game is a wonderful math game to play with the whole family.
Amazon
This easy-to-learn STEM board game offers multiple game variations for your little mathematicians to learn addition and subtraction with numbers 1 to 20 while strengthening and reinforcing number bond concepts.
5. Have Reading Time Together
My children’s teachers remind us that the best way to teach our children how to read is to read together for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. Reading directly affects a child’s language development and can introduce a variety of lessons beyond reading, such as math, culture, and science. When you read with your child, you are helping them create an appreciation for reading that can set them up for long-term success in their academics. It also provides that special bonding time with just the two of you. If you are looking to diversify your bookshelf and make reading special during certain times of the year, add books about special holidays and traditions to always keep it fresh and engaging.
This post was in partnership with Noggin but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
