The Magical Years

By Marlene Lerer Over my 40+ years of teaching in preschools, I've read from hundreds of books for the enjoyment and enrichment of my youngsters. The list below includes some of the best of the best books and stories that I've used. These stories are all listed (and accompany the activities) in my book, THE MAGICAL YEARS ; 101 Activities to help your Infant, Toddler or Preschooler Grow and Thrive. They are arranged as they relate to the chapters in the book, but any and all of them are wonderful as stand alones to read to your child. Here is the list: 👉 Great Books and Stories for Infants Part I: Crash Course Parenting Baby’s Animal Friends by Phoebe Dunn Corduroy’s Toys by Don Freeman Egg in the Hole Book by Richard Scarry The Touch Me Book by Eve and Pat Witte Baby’s Big and Little by Jan Pienkowski Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet Little Baby Books by Helen Oxenbury The Little Quiet Book by Katherine Ross “Knock, Knock, Who’s There?” by Anna Ross Part II...

The Suzuki Method has always been important in my approach to working with young children. I want to share with you a few details about it, since it informs a good deal of the content in my book, THE MAGICAL YEARS ; 101 Activities to help your Infant, Toddler or Preschooler Grow and Thrive. The method was developed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki 50 years ago. It's used to educate young children are based on 12 concepts that are applied in the classroom. They are: 1. Repetition, praise and reinforcement Dr. Suzuki revolutionized the way that young children are taught music. He recognized early on that children had incredible natural talent and ability that would blossom in the right learning environment. He found that an environment rich in repetition, praise and reinforcement fostered achievement and a love of learning. We incorporated this concept at our schools through a spiral (process) curriculum that provides repetition and reinforcement, along with the nurturing process to build a c...

THE MAGICAL YEARS ; 101 Activities to help your Infant, Toddler or Preschooler Grow and Thrive  contains droves of fun, engaging activities for youngsters. Below you'll find the activity, Ribbon Flutter, for use by parents and caregivers of babies.   Activity 4: Ribbon Flutter This highly enjoyable engages your baby’s ability to focus by having him or her reach for a ribbon. Talk to your baby while you are waving the ribbons. This activity focuses primarily on developing movement. Objectives: 1. Introduce and stimulate movement 2. Introduce new positions 3. Build security and trust Materials: 1. Ribbons 2. Fingerplays/songs 3. Infant Books *Prepare: Cut the ribbons to short lengths. Tie a bundle of 4-6 ribbons together at one end with more ribbon. Hang the ribbons or hold them, but they should be placed where the baby cannot reach them. Procedure: 1.       Give the baby the colored ribbons. 2.       Wave the ribbons...

by Marlene Lerer It’s a New World Due to the pandemic and the many recent social and political changes we've seen in our society, many children now spend significant time at home, which presents parents with a number of challenges. Most of all, how to engage their children in productive, fun, and growth-oriented ways? My book,  THE MAGICAL YEARS , 101 Activities to Help y our   Infant, Toddler or Preschooler Grow and Thrive offers help. In The Magical Years I present a collection of learning and discovery activities that will build structure in a young child’s day while encouraging the healthy growth of important developmental skills. It is intended for children from newborns through five-years-old.  Work with Your Child Daily  I group the activities into these categories: -  Infant  (newborn-18 months) -  Toddler  (18 months-3 years old) -  Preschooler  (3–5 years old) Doing these activities will become an important and enjoyable part...