≡ Menu
≡ Categories
STEM Challenge: Easy Minute to Win it Games for Kids post image

Have you tried Minute to Win It Games for Kids at school? It is a fun way to engage kids in learning in a group setting, such as a classroom party or family holiday party. These STEM Minute-to-Win-It Games are easy to set up and easy to play, each activity has STEM learning elements. You can adapt rules and difficulty levels for different age groups. Fun STEM Minute To Win It Games for Kids Scuba Diver: create a scuba diver… Read more

Double Cross Geometry Puzzle Game Testing Visual Perception Skills post image

I had always enjoyed visual perception and illusion games. After my research on the relationship between STEM career success and spatial reasoning skills, I realized visual perception is essential for spatial reasoning, which is a higher-order thinking skill, thus I started looking for exercises that can improve visual perception skills. Recently I saw one on social media that not only requires visual perception skill but also out-of-box thinking, as well as some geometry. Since it is very interesting and easy… Read more

Geometry Games Improving Spatial Reasoning Skills post image

Spatial reasoning skills, which are critical higher-order thinking skills, come to attention for their role in STEM career success in recent years. What are spatial reasoning skills? Why are they important for science and technology careers? Are spatial reasoning skills trainable? If yes, how can we improve our children’s spatial reasoning skills? Spatial Reasoning Skills Introduction Spatial reasoning is the ability to think about and manipulate objects in three dimensions. Spatial thinking allows you to understand the location and dimension… Read more

Coding Game for Critical Thinking Skills post image

Thinking from a different perspective is a critical thinking skill that is essential for kids to learn computer coding. In fact, it is essential to many jobs. There are many ways to help kids develop the skill. Today we share a coding game we developed that can get you started on training kids the critical skill of thinking from a different perspective. Today’s game is an extension of the Hot Dog Coding Game. The story behind the game is the… Read more

Daisy the Dinosaur free app

I have introduced several apps teaching kids computer language and coding, including some free apps. Each app has pros and cons, and each app has its target users. Today I have another free coding app teaching kids coding. It is called Daisy the Dinosaur. It is designed by the same developer of Hopscotch, which is also a free app teaching kids coding. What are the differences between Daisy the Dinosaur and Hopscotch? First they both are very intuitive to use… Read more

State Bingo and Crossword

Does you family like to travel? Travel time is a perfect time for kids to learn and practice their geography knowledge. Those boring city names will come to life for kids after they have actually experienced the various different locations. We shared some tips on how to turn travel time into learning experience a while ago. Today we are going to share the best geography apps we have found. These are fun apps kids will love to use. Best Geography Apps… Read more

Best Coding Toys Teaching Kids Computer Programming post image

Learn computer programming with coding toys. What a fun idea! Have your kids started learning computer programming? Computer coding or programming is basically the language we use to talk to computers. Since computers will be an essential part of the future world our kids going to be in, it is important for today’s children to have fundamental knowledge of how to communicate with computers. For some very basic concepts, they can learn coding through cool activities without using a computer… Read more

Coding Game for Kids Teaching Design Thinking post image

This is our last Hot Dog Coding Game in the series. The focus of this game is to help kids understand when and why you need backward thinking, or thinking the end result before starting your coding project planning, or the design thinking process. In the previous coding games, the objective of the game is singular, just one objective. However, in real world projects, there are usually more than one objectives. Sometimes these objectives are even intertwined together. This is… Read more

Practice Morning Routine to Learn Coding Skills post image

We talked about how learning computer coding skills can improve kids’ executive functions, such as organization and staying on task. Decomposition is an important skill for a programmer, and it is also an important building block of executive function. We used a coding game to demonstrate how to break down tasks into smaller actionable steps. As an extension, we will showcase an example how to help kids practice decomposition using everyday life activities. All tasks have processes. With the Hot… Read more

Hide and Seek Vocabulary Game for Toddlers post image

Helping young children learn animal names is always fun. I still remember when my son was 2 or 3, we started showing him the pictures and saying to him “this is a cow”, “this is a cat”. When I saw this new app teaching toddlers and preschoolers animal names with a hide and seek game, I was reminded the fun years when we were doing similar things with my child using picture books and cards, except this app help kids… Read more

Splash Math

A while ago, we put together a list of 10 reading programs that continuous offer free books. Today we have a list of free math learning websites and programs that continuously offer free math practice games and lessons to kids. All programs are available online on computers, and also work on mobile devices like iPhone and iPad. 9 Free Math Learning Websites If you want to learn more about each website, click on the website name for more information. 10Monkeys… Read more

fraction math games

Math is an important subject in school and everyday life. It not only helps us understand and calculate numbers, but also helps us on logical thinking and referencing. Sometimes math can be boring. It is great if we can make math fun for kids, so they will enjoy learning this important subject. Luckily there are many fun math games available, be it online, or an app. How to choose math games for your kids? Here are some good math games… Read more

Jigsaw Puzzle App for Kids of All Ages post image

We like jigsaw puzzles. It offers many benefits in childhood development. Through playing puzzles, kids develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor and gross motor skills, shape recognition, problem solving, and patience. It is a good quiet activity to help kids to calm down. I recently find a good puzzle app. What I like the most about the app is the ability to adjust the difficult level, so everyone at home can play. You can create a puzzle for a 3-year-old, and… Read more

Family Night Ideas – Good Family Movies and Games post image

With all the school activities, family and work responsibilities, it is hard to fit family night into our busy schedule unless we intentionally plan for it. Do you have family night? What do you do? I have been looking for family night ideas, and find some good family movies and games that are educational and fun. I’d love to hear your ideas. Please do share. We love to play family games. This is the time every one interact with each… Read more

20 Interactive Nursery Rhyme Activities for Kids post image

Nursery rhymes are great for children’s language learning, as well as memory, physical, and emotional development. Young children all like nursery rhyme songs. It is a great way to start kids on literacy. There are quite a few nursery rhyme apps for young children. Today we are introducing HooplaKidz Nursery Rhyme Activities. It is different in a way that in addition to playing nursery rhyme songs, it has learning activities built upon those nursery rhymes. Currently, the app has 20… Read more