Tools For Motherhood Resource Guide: 1000+ School Readiness Activities Moms Can Use With Their Young Child 0-5 Years of Age To Build Toward School Success

This book is full of creative ideas and shows that Dr Duncan loves to help mothers enrich their children’s numerical and literacy skills before they enter kindergarten.Tools for Motherhood is the fruit of Dr Duncan’s thirty years of gathering research and best practices. She earned graduate degrees (masters and doctorate), but doesn’t come across as an academic stuffed in a ivory tower. She is warm and caring. Reading her book is like having a chat with a friend over coffee.A nice feature about this book is that Dr Duncan shares some of her experience as a mother; for example, what she and her son learned together about science from the time he was two years old until he was five by having an aquarium at home (p. 100). Examples like this one shows that she practiced what she teaches.The book is organized well. There are five sections. Each section prepares a child for a specific skill: math, science, social study, writing, and reading. Each section has six chapters with each chapter focusing on activities relevant to a particular age group: 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6.The activities use what’s around the house; for example, cornstarch, food coloring, cookie sheets, and plastic knives, forks, and spoons (p. 203). There’s no need to blow up a tight budget buying fancy or expensive stuff.The book is full of gems. Here are some of them:When a baby is born, the brain is the only organ not fully formed. There are literally 100 billion brain cells just waiting to be connected, with the greatest brain growth happening in the first five years of life, p. 12.A child can begin to develop math concepts as early as eight months, p. 42.Youngsters whose mothers were involved in preparing them to enter school show a significantly greater gain on their IQ tests during their kindergarten years than children with no maternal involvement, p. 136.When a child lives with parents who believe in him, he instinctively holds a higher view of himself and his brothers and sisters as well. Everybody’s sense of worth is enhanced. Howard G. Hendricks, p. 147.Writing begins long before the marriage of pencils and paper. It begins with sounds, p. 183.Reading is the heart of education. Without question, the single most important and helpful thing parents can do is to set aside fifteen or twenty minutes regularly, daily, if possible, to read aloud to their children, p. 210.——————Highly recommended. Five stars out of five.

“As a young mom, what can I do to make my child’s future in school more successful?”“How do supermom’s consistently prepare their youngsters for the new demands of school?”This book is truly written from the heart with love from author Mary Duncan to moms and kids, as she guides learners and parents through the course of growing together. Filled with fun tasks and activities kids and moms can learn together, Mary really has the know-how to help YOU and your KIDS become the best versions of yourself.In a fun-filled 15 minutes a day, this masterful Resource Guide provides you with a treasure chest of 1000+ School Readiness activities you can pick from to play with your 0-5 year old and help them reach toward their full potential!Learning always begins with us at home, so a child ready to learn in school always begins with the right quality time and teachable moments as soon as you can. Spend every precious second you can with your kids to help them grow, learn and expand beyond their horizons.But dads can get into this as well. Implement the strategies and games, and your family will love you for the empowering gifts this book promises to deliver. Thank you Mary Duncan for all that you do in making this world a better place!

This book is such a great resources for moms (or any caregiver) of kids age 0-5. It encourages spending time with your children and fosters learning. There are SO many fun activities to do with your kids. The best thing about this book is how accessible it is. You don’t have to be a “Pinterest perfect” mom to do these activities. Anyone can implement these wonderful activities with their children. One of my 2 year old daughter’s favorite activities has been identifying and counting the groceries as we unload them together. Sometimes we even sing as we count, “one potato, two potato, three potato, four, etc.” It’s fun, it’s simple, we are spending time together and she’s learning. This book has helped me turn everyday activities and things into fun learning opportunities. I’m delighted with this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to foster an environment of learning at home.

As I began to skim through "Tools for Motherhood Resource Guide", one word kept popping into my head--"delightful". I quickly found myself reading entire sections. This book truly is a delight. Filled with great activities, it's also a practical and informative primer on child development.As a mother and grandmother, I found myself smiling and nodding in agreement with various content, yet I also learned new things and experienced more than one "Aha" insight. I loved the "Books Alive" tips!No matter where you are on your path as a parent, you will find this book to be an invaluable reference tool and a source of great ideas. Dads will love it too. I've just purchased a few hard copies to give as gifts (and one to keep in the house for me)!

This is the perfect book if you enjoy entertaining and challenging your child with activities geared towards their development. I constantly look for new activities to support my children's growth and offer them new input and opportunities to learn and I am so happy to have found this book. I enjoy trying out the activities and finding reassurance if I find some that I have already done with them. This book is "serious fun", my kids enjoy the activities and I know I am supporting their learning. Highly recommend it to other parents, grandparents or whoever is interacting with children.

This book is a great resource with lots of activities to do with your preschool child that are both fun and educational. You don’t need any special equipment or even long blocks of time, so they are easy to do and fit in. We all want the best for our children and the author explains why the way we interact with our children in these early years is so vital.

An insightful look at early years education. The suggestions provided and activities are thoughtful and easy. A very good resource for professionals and caregivers alike.

Certainly plenty of tools in here for mothers wishing to do it correctly. The guide contains many useful ideas and tips.