Sneaky Snacky Squirrel’s Top 7 Secrets for a Super New Year

EI Editor Posted On Dec 23, 2020 | Learning Through Play

It’s a brand-new year and the 10th anniversary of The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game!®, EI’s best selling game for preschoolers. In honor of our furry friend’s birthday, Sneaky is sharing his top 7 secrets for a super new year. Check out his advice below and be sure to share his tips for a fun and fabulous year with your kiddos!1. Take TurnsThis year will be far more fun if everyone has a chance to play! An important step toward making – and keeping – friends, turn taking also teaches kids the back and forth rhythm of everyday communication and activity.

2. ShareIf we share what we have with others then everyone has a chance to enjoy, together. Plus, when we share, odds are our friends will share, too. This means more games, more toys, and more fun for everyone in 2021!

3. Be PatientGood things come to those who wait, even when it’s hard! Waiting while everyone else has a turn can be tough, but your turn will come and boy, will it be worth it. This year help your kids find ways to enjoy the wait – like cheering for other players’ successes and supporting them when things go wrong.

4. Be a Good Winner in 20-20-WON!It’s true that nothing feels quite like winning. It’s okay to celebrate your wins but be sure to do it in a way that makes everyone else feel happy, too. In fact, sometimes it’s more fun to celebrate a fun game played than who actually won or lost.

5. Be a Good LoserIt’s disappointing not to win, but this year let’s focus on being happy for the player who did win, so everyone feels good. There will always be another chance for you to come in first.

6. Try AgainWe’ve got a whole new year ahead of us with plenty of time to play. Plus, the more you play, the better you get, so when things don’t go your way, give it another go! Instead of focusing on your loss, focus on what you’ve learned and put that into play next time around.

7. Have FunPutting the emphasis on having fun, rather than the process or the outcome, helps make sure that everyone has a good time. It’s not about whether you win or lose – it’s how you play the game. Let’s make this new year fun!

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EI Editor | Posted on Jan 13, 2021

Wake Up and Play!

Spending time with your preschooler strengthens your family bond, encourages positive behavior, builds communication skills, boosts self-esteem, and so much more. All good, right? So next time you have a morning free, surprise your sweetie and spend a few straight hours playing – together! Below, the Play Experts at EI share some of our favorite games, activities, and songs perfect for whiling away the winter hours with your little one, like:

Games to Play Together:

I Spy with My Little EyeSnuggle up and see what you can see – together! Spy things that are big, small, short, tall, square, circular, soft, hard, things that are certain colors, things with wheels or paws… you get the idea! This is a great way to build your little one’s vocabulary and introduce early math skills like shape and size.The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game!Spin the day away with everyone’s favorite preschool game! Celebrating its 10th anniversary as one of Amazon’s best-selling preschool games, The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game! helps kids master colors while building fine motor and pre-handwriting skills.

Bean Bag TossStand close together and see how many times you and your cutie can toss and catch a beanbag or balled up sock. Add a bit of a challenge by taking a step backwards every so often, taking turns tossing your beanbags into a laundry basket or mixing bowl, or balancing a beanbag on your heads while you play. A fun way to develop those gross motor skills!

Activities to Do Together:

Sensory BinsPreschool teachers trust these bins to build their students’ brains, including developing nerve connections, building language skills, enhancing fine and gross motor skills, and encouraging problem solving. Start by filling a large bin with Playfoam Pluffle, the mesmerizing, mixable, can’t resistable, feel-good fluffy stuff that never dries out. Then add a variety of objects for you and your little one to find, feel, describe, sort, match, and more. Find some fabulous Sensory Bin ideas on our blog and our Sensory Play Ideas Pinterest board.

ColorWho doesn’t love to color? Grab some printer paper and a new box of crayons and let your inner artists loose or print some of our free, downloadable coloring pages featuring your kiddo’s favorite EI characters. The trick here is that you need to color, too. Talk about the colors you’re using, give your creation a name, and make up a backstory – where does this creature live? What does it eat? What does it do all day?LearnLearning is more fun together! Our free, downloadable preschool packet includes colorful and engaging early literacy, math, and art activities perfect for sneaking some learning into your together time.

Songs to Sing Together:

I’m a Little TeapotTeaching your kiddos a new tune is always a blast. Here are the words, in case you need a refresher (or didn’t know there were actually two verses!). Don’t forget to show your little ones how to make their handles and spouts!5 Little MonkeysWarning – this little ditty may lead to some jumping on the bed. But it’s a classic every kid should know. Find the words here and encourage your kiddos to act the story out, complete with 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown on their fingers.Itsy Bitsy SpiderThis sweet sing-along story has a happy ending – and helps develop those fine motor skills with specific hand movements, shown here. Sing the song a few times, then see if your little one can remember the words – and the moves!

Photo Credit: pre-kpages.comIf You’re Happy and You Know ItGet ready for some hand clappin’, palm-tingling good times! Show your sweetie how it’s done, then take turns calling out what to do if you’re happy – clap your hands, stomp your feet, nod your head, shake your tush, etc.

Whatever you choose to do together, time spent playing with your preschooler has a host of benefits – for you both. So get out there and play, sing, dance, craft, read, tickle, snuggle, and love on your little one right now!
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EI Editor | Posted on Jan 6, 2021

Wake Up and Play!

Little kids wake up rarin’ to go! Race into the day with them with these delicious breakfast ideas that pair perfectly with their favorite preschool games:

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel goes nuts for muffins and your kids will, too! Start the day by whipping up a batch of these fun, fantastic finger foods – together!Ingredients:• 3-4 ripe bananas• 1 ½ cups flour• 1 tsp baking powder• 1 tsp baking soda• ½ tsp salt• ¾ cup white sugar• 1 egg• 1/3 cup butter, melted• ½ cup chopped walnutsBake-It-Together Instructions:1. You - Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Your Little One – Place a paper muffin liner in each cup of your muffin tin.3. You – Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together and set aside.4. Your Little One – Use a fork or potato masher to mash up the bananas in a plastic bowl.5. You – Use a mixer to blend the bananas, sugar, egg, and butter; slowly add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.6. Your Little One – Use a plastic spatula to blend the walnuts into the muffin mixture.7. You – Fill your muffin cups ¾ full and bake 25-30 minutes (10-15 minutes for mini muffins) or until muffins spring back when tapped.While You Wait:Enjoy a round or two of The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game!®, practicing colors, building fine motor skills, and enjoying some special together time with your favorite early riser.Benefits:Bananas help build lean muscle, fend off diseases, support healthy eyes and vision, promote a good night’s sleep, and help your body fight stress, anxiety, and depression. And the riper the banana, the stronger its powers, so dig into these muffins and reap those ripe banana benefits!

Fun-loving Frida can’t get enough of her favorite fruit salad! Check out our list of kid-friendly fruits below and let your little one help rinse, chop (butter knives only, please), scoop, and arrange your family’s own version of Frida’s Fruit Fiesta!Fruits for You to Prepare:• Strawberries – Remove the tops and bottoms, then quarter.• Grapes – Let your little ones pull them from the stem, then you cut them in half.• Pineapple – Slice off the top and bottom, trim the skin and remove the eyes, slice into small chunks.• Peaches – Halve the peach, remove the pit, and slice.Fruits for Your Kids to Prepare:• Bananas – Kids can slice whole bananas into pieces using a butter knife.• Melon – Let your little one loose with the melon baller!• Blueberries – Rinse and pat dry.• Raspberries – Rinse and pat dry.Once you’ve chosen and prepared your fruits, let your little one dump them into a large plastic bowl and mix – you may want to add yogurt or sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. Serve and enjoy!When You’re Done:Challenge your fruit-fueled little friends to a round of Frida’s Fruit Fiesta Game™! Spin the spinner, find the matching letter, use the squeezers to pick it up (and build those fine motor skills!) and place it in your nest. As you play, remind your kiddo of the fruits they just ate that match the letter sounds they’re finding – B – buh - banana!Benefits:Fruits, especially berries, can improve brain function and memory, build strong bones, aid in digestion, protect the body from disease, lower cholesterol, heal wounds, and even revitalize the skin!

Kids with crazy energy love the Pancake Pile-Up!™ Relay Game! Fuel their physical fun with a homemade pancake breakfast that you make together.Ingredients:• 1 ½ cups flour• 3 ½ tsp baking powder• 1 tsp salt• 1 tbs sugar• 1 ¼ cups milk• 1 egg• 3 tbs butter, meltedInstructions:1. Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Let your little one slowly stir to sift the ingredients together.2. Make a hole in the center of the ingredients for the milk, egg, and butter and mix until smooth.3. Heat your griddle or frying pan and prime with a bit of butter or cooking spray.4. Scoop ¼ cup of batter out of the bowl and pour onto pan.5. When you see bubbles forming on the up-side of your pancake, flip it over and cook the bottom until browned.6. Stack your pancakes on a plate, covering with a dish towel to keep them warm until ready to eat.Serve with your family’s favorite Pancake Pile-Up Relay Game-inspired toppings! Choose from butter, syrup, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or even chocolate chips and get ready to chow down!When You’re Done:When your family is all fueled up, burn that breakfast off with a round of Pancake Pile-Up! Divide into teams and turn over an order card to see the order of your pancake pile. Then race to the other side of the room, use the included spatulas to scoop the correct pancake onto your plate, and race back to pass off your plate to the next player. The first team to correctly complete their stack – and top it with a pat of butter – wins!Benefits:The Pancake Pile-Up! ™ Relay Game helps kids develop important gross motor skills, balance, and coordination and teaches kids to follow a pattern – a key early math skill! Eating breakfast has big-time benefits, too, like providing energy to start your day, improving behavior, increasing the ability to learn and focus, and promoting weight management. It’s the icing on the (pan)cake!

EI Editor | Posted on Oct 20, 2020

Stay Connected…to Fun!

Sometimes these days can feel like all work and no play… for you AND your kids! Help your kids escape the screens and stress of at-home learning and get back to the business of play with these awesome, hands-on, activity ideas perfect for after-school playtime!Hands-On Fun for Big KidsThere’s a reason recess is built into the school day – big kids’ brains need a break! Hands-on play improves behavior, develops imagination and creativity, helps kids express their emotions, and so much more.Busy builders can blast into hands-on, building play fun (with a circuit-building STEM twist!) with EI’s brand-new Circuit Explorer sets! Kids follow the arrows to connect the pieces, at the same time connecting circuits that activate lights, sounds, and moving pieces. Get started with the Rocket set, complete with light-up nose cone and nozzles, Space Rover with light-up headlights, and Landing Pad with color-changing lights. Progress to the Rover set and build a Communications Station with a rotating Radar Dish, Power Station with Rover Charger, Powered Space Rover and Freewheeling Space Rover, both with light-up headlights. Then surprise your 3-D, circuit-building sweetie with the Deluxe Base Station, a Deluxe Base Station with circuit-powered Towers, Spinning Diner Sign, Planetarium with color-changing dome light, Voice Synthesizer Station with 10 space sounds, Communication Station with rotating Radar Dish, a Powered Space Rover and a freewheeling Space Rover both with light-up headlights. The perfect holiday gifts, the pieces in each set work with the others for a totally interconnected circuit system, and each set includes pretend play figures perfect for imaginative play. The only circuit-building set with buildable, 3-D pieces, Circuit Explorers are available exclusively on Amazon.com.Puppet shows are another great way to light up your kids’ imaginations! Put those cardboard delivery boxes to use and create a homemade puppet theater following the simple instructions at AskaGranny. Let your big kid decorate the theater using paints and markers, then pull out your puppet collection – or make your own sock puppets or tube puppets - and act out your kiddo’s favorite book or let them freestyle with a story of their own making. Also, for the ultimate time-saving way to have fun, check out this super simple creative video featuring ways to make puppets out of regular household items and foods! They'll never look at their orange the same way again!Hands-On Fun for PreschoolersUnplugged, hands-on playtime is a must in every preschooler’s day. Hands-on play engages all of a preschooler’s senses, building critical fine motor skills, and exercising problem-solving skills.Design & Drill® Bolt Buddies™ are perfect for hands-on preschool playtime! Kids use snap-together pieces to build the bodies of a Rocket, Racecar, or Recycling Truck, then use a real, working, kid-friendly drill to bolt them together. When the hands-on construction fun is done, use the included driver and pal figurines to play out various pretend play scenarios, encouraging creativity and imagination, too!

Slime is also a great hands-on activity for preschoolers! Perfect for sensory stimulation, slime is calming, promotes mindfulness and focus, encourages independent play, and helps build fine motor skills. Find all kinds of easy slime recipes, including MomDot.com’s edible slime, sand slime, rainbow explosion slime, and more, on our Easy SlimeTime Pinterest Board! Or create a homemade batch of party slime to give as an adorable birthday gift or party favor! Add glitter, Playfoam, pool noodles or whatever you fancy to make your batch colorful and textured!

Photo credit: MomDot.comHands-On Fun for ToddlersEven though they’re not in school, toddlers are clocking more screen time than ever during this unusual year at home. Hands-on play is a great way to practice basic concepts including shapes, colors, letters, and numbers, develop language skills, and introduce early math concepts like bigger and smaller, shorter and taller, counting, sorting, and matching.The hands-on fun really stacks up with EI’s Bright Basics Nest & Stack Cubes! Kids as young as two can build a 3-foot tall tower by stacking 10 cubes featuring animals, shapes, numerals, quantities, and sweet starry scenes. When they’re done stacking, toddlers can nest each cube inside the next, building visual discrimination, spatial reasoning, fine motor, and early math skills as they play.

Sidewalk chalk is a highly-satisfying, hands-on activity perfect for toddlers. Let them choose the colors, then go to town designing their own outdoor works of art. You can join in the fun, drawing everything from rainbows to hopscotch courts, cats, and clouds. Sidewalk paint is a slippery twist on sidewalk chalk and you can make your own! See how at our Home's Cool video tutorial.
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