You want your child to grow up healthy, strong, and smart, right? Well, there is one simple way you can help in your child's development and it can make a massive impact. Their diet! One of the best ways to ensure that they get all the vital nutrients they need is by incorporating fruits and vegetables into their meals. This can be pretty tough when dealing with picky eaters so what fruit and vegetables can help our kids?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "children who eat a healthy and balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables are more likely to have a healthy weight, be physically active, have good mental health, and avoid chronic diseases later in life". There are a lot of children who don't consume enough fruit and veg. This means it can lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals that are crucial for their development.
Let’s look at three vegetables and three fruit that can help with your child's development:
Best Vegetables for Children's Development
Broccoli
Broccoli is a great vegetable for children because it is packed with nutrients that are essential for their development. Rich in vitamin C, this helps boost the immune system, and vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting! Broccoli is also a great source of fibre too. This helps with digestion, and it contains antioxidants that can help prevent chronic diseases later in life. Wow! Discover some yummy kid-friendly meals here that have broccoli in too.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are another great vegetable for children. They are rich in beta-carotene (which is essential for healthy eyesight!) and they are also a good source of vitamin C and potassium. They have a low glycemic index, which means they won't cause a nasty rapid spike in blood sugar levels. There are so many recipes you can make with sweet potatoes, have a look here.
Spinach
Here at Teach Your Monster HQ, we can’t get enough of spinach! It is an excellent vegetable for children because it is rich in iron, which is essential for healthy blood cells. It is also a good source of vitamin K, which is necessary for bone health, and it contains antioxidants that can help prevent chronic diseases later in life.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that children who consume more fruits and vegetables have better academic performance. By incorporating spinach into your child's diet, you can help improve their cognitive development and support their academic success. Here are some recipes to try!
Best Fruits for Children's Development
Blueberries
Packed with antioxidants, blueberries can help prevent chronic diseases later in life. They are also a good source of vitamin C and they contain fibre too.
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that children who consume more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Try adding some blueberries to your kid’s diet, you can even try to make these together.
Oranges
Oranges are another great fruit for children. Not only are they rich in vitamin C and fibre, they also contain folate, which is essential for healthy cell growth and development.
A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who consume more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of developing heart disease later in life. Try these fruity kids recipes here.
Bananas
Bananas are an excellent fruit for children because they are rich in potassium, which is essential for healthy heart function. We love this banana bread recipe that you can make too!
Fruits and vegetables are essential for a balanced diet for children. Adding a banana or some spinach into their meal can help ensure that they get the essential nutrients they need for their development. So, the next time you plan your child's meal, make sure to include a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to support their growth and development.
Do you have a fussy or picky eater? Teach Your Monster Adventurous Eating can help! Children can use all their senses to explore fruit and vegetables in our game and make them a little braver next time they try different foods. It’s free on our website so, why not give it a go?
Good luck, and have fun exploring fruit and vegetables together!
From Teach Your Monster HQ
Phonics education is all about teaching children the sounds that letters make, and how to combine those sounds to form words. It's a crucial foundation for building strong literacy skills. It has been shown to improve reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension, and overall enjoyment of reading. Have a look at the National Literacy Trust and what they have to say here!
Why is phonics education so important? Well, research has shown that children who learn phonics in their early years are more likely to become confident readers. They're better able to decode and understand unfamiliar words, which allows them to read more complex texts. This helps them gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.
That's where Teach Your Monster To Read comes in! This game is specifically designed to make learning phonics fun and engaging for kids. With colourful monsters, exciting games, and a variety of levels that gradually increase in difficulty, children can progress at their own pace. This helps them feel a sense of accomplishment as they learn and not become overwhelmed. Additionally, the game is designed to be fun and engaging, so children are motivated to continue playing and learning!
The best part? Teach Your Monster To Read is completely FREE to play online! So, whether you're a parent, teacher, or homeschooler, you can easily incorporate this tool into your child's learning routine. Whatever device you have, Teach Your Monster To Read works on a variety of devices and platforms.
How else can you promote early literacy skills? Imaginative play, arts and crafts, and outdoor learning activities are all great ways to help children develop their creativity. It also helps with problem-solving skills, social-emotional development, language, and communication skills, which are vital for reading and writing.
That's why Teach Your Monster encourages you to explore a variety of tools and resources to help your child become a confident and successful reader. Whether it's playing with educational toys and games, engaging in outdoor activities, or simply reading together as a family, there are so many fun and effective ways to promote early literacy skills and overall development.
If you're looking for a way to help your child improve their reading skills and develop a love of learning, check out Teach Your Monster To Read. With the right tools and resources, you can help your child become a confident and successful reader while promoting their overall development and well-being.
Good luck, and happy learning!
From Teach Your Monster HQ
Teaching a child about money is an important responsibility as a parent and a teacher. It’s never too early to start teaching your child the value of money. Things like how to save and how to spend wisely are brilliant skills to have early on in life. By teaching them at a young age, you can help them develop good financial habits that will stay with them throughout their lives. As a parent, you might wonder why it's important to teach your child about money at such a young age. After all, they are just starting their journey in life, and there will be plenty of time to learn about finances later on, right? Wrong.
Studies have shown that children who learn about money management at a young age are more likely to make better financial decisions later in life. They are less likely to fall into debt or struggle financially as adults. By teaching your child about money early on, you are setting them up for financial success in the future.
Let’s have a look at ways we can help children be more money savvy:
Play Money Games
Playing money games is a fun and interactive way to teach your child about the value of money. You can play games like “Grocery Store,” where your child can buy and sell items using play money. You can also create a “Piggy Bank” game to teach them the concept of saving. Encourage them to save their money and count it periodically to show them how their savings are growing. Remember to give them praise when they are adding the numbers correctly or, help them when they make a mistake.
Set Up a Savings Jar
Setting up a savings jar is an excellent way to teach your child the importance of saving money. Get a clear jar or container and label it “Savings” or maybe even their name so they can see how much they’ve managed to save! Encourage your child to put their spare change in the jar and watch it grow over time. You can also set a goal for the savings jar, such as saving for a toy they want or a family trip! Don’t have a jar at home? Then make your own together! Here are a few ideas for you to do together.
Play Shopkeeper
Playing shopkeeper is an excellent way to teach your child about money and math. Set up a pretend shop and price items, then have your child use play money to buy them. You can switch roles and have them be the shopkeeper, too. This imaginative play helps your child learn how to count money, make change, and understand the value of different coins and bills.
Allowance and Chores
Giving your child an allowance can be an effective way of teaching them about money management. Set up a weekly allowance and give them tasks to complete, such as cleaning their room or doing their homework. This activity teaches them the importance of hard work and earning money. Encourage them to save a portion of their allowance and spend the rest on things they want. Talk to them about what they may want to spend it on and how close they are to getting it!
There are also books that can help your kid start their money journey, check them out here. Did you know that our game, Teach Your Monster Number Skills, can also help? Building number confidence means they are able to recognise the numbers and help with counting, addition and subtraction.
Good luck, and happy learning!
From Teach Your Monster HQ
Did you know Teach Your Monster Reading for Fun is jam-packed with over 70 FREE books? Plus magazines and more from the Usborne range, as well as Okido, Otter-Barry and Teach Your Monster, too.
In Teach Your Monster: Reading For Fun, kids can earn books in return for completing tasks. Your child will love earning book rewards for completing a number of reading-focused tasks, activities and quests, such as following recipes, instructions, signposts and dialogue.
Every book collected can be added to a virtual bookshelf — available to pick up and read at any time! Below, we have included descriptions of some of the books on offer within the game.
Play Reading for Fun today: https://bit.ly/3p4Bbp4
FREE BEDTIME STORY BOOKS
Badger’s Happy Feeling - A story about finding happiness within.
Dog and The Balloon - Dog wants someone to play with - but where can he find a friend?
Little Bear and the Clock - How can you make the clock go faster so that grandma will arrive? Little bear finds out the answer.
Little Lion’s Roar - Little lions can’t roar, but all his animal friends are determined to teach him. How can he learn to do it?
Little Rabbit and the World - Little Rabbit wants to explore the big wide world, but how can she climb high enough to see it?
Little Tiger and the Island - Little Tiger wants to go to the island, but he’s scared of swimming. How can he get there?
FREE BOOKS OF POEMS
Can You Do The Robot? - A poem encouraging children to mimic fun dance movements.
Dum-Diddy Dum - Children read and hum along to this musical poem.
Four Little Seeds - Follow the journeys of four little seeds in this read-out-loud poem.
Imagine if the World was just one Colour - What colour would you choose to paint the world? A poem about colours.
Jitterbug Ball - Join the mini-beasts dance their Jitterbug ball.
Monster Poems - Roger Stevens paints pictures of the village with words. Find out more about the characters who live there, places to go and strange and unusual events in this book of poems.
There’s a Whole World in my Park - A poem about the wonder of nature in the park.
FREE BOOKS ABOUT ARTS AND CRAFTS
Dinosaur Fun - Learn a range of methods for crafting dinosaurs.
How to Make a Star - Learn how to make a folded star out of paper.
I Can Cut and Stick - Use simple materials such as cardboard and old envelopes to cut and stick a truck, a caterpillar, an octopus puppet and lots more ideas.
I Can Draw Animals - Grab your crayons and follow these simple steps to draw a lion, a rabbit, a monkey and lots more animals.
Make Paper Plate Animal Masks - Learn how to make paper plate masks.
Make Your Own Plasticine - Learn how to make your own plasticine and mix colours together.
FREE EDUCATIONAL BOOKS
My First Dinosaur Book - The history of dinosaurs and their many names.
My First Cookbook - A range of recipes designed for children and adults to cook together.
Messy Monster Architecture - Messy, Zoe and Felix learn the best way to build a house.
Messy Monster Coding - Messy, Zoe and Felix find a secret message.
Messy Monster Mammals - Messy, Zoe and Felix learn what it’s like to be a mammal.
My First Book About Food - What is pasta? How is bread made? Where does milk come from? Find out in this book and have fun doing quizzes and puzzles.
My First Book About How Things Grow - How do peanuts grow? Where do seeds come from? Which flowers bloom in the spring? Find out in this book and have fun doing puzzles and quizzes.
The Sun and Moon Rendezvous - Find out what happens when the sun and moon try to meet
THOUGHT-PROVOKING FREE BOOKS
Immi - A beautiful, watercolour-illustrated story about friendship and change.
The Emperor’s New Clothes - The classic story with a moral, focusing on not allowing pride to stop us from speaking up when we know the truth.
FREE BOOKS THAT ENCOURAGE FOCUS AND OBSERVATION
Little Red Riding Hood - The classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, with a little yellow duck to find on every page.
Night & Day - As the sun sets, many animals are going to sleep, but lots are just beginning to wake up. Go on a journey from dusk to dawn, to see some night-time animals. Then, say good morning to chirping birds and sunbathing lizards.
On the Beach - Beaches and the surrounding sea, from sandy, tropical shores, to those covered in snow and ice, are home to an incredible variety of plants and animals. Explore a rock pool brimming with creatures, find out about hunting penguins, and see how baby turtles hatch from eggs buried under the sand.
Ponds - Ponds are packed full of life. Discover the bugs, birds and other creatures that live in and around ponds, from dragonflies swooping around above the water, to beetles diving deep below.
Robot OK-1 - Observe differences between robots and humans and learn to tell them apart
Seasons - This book takes you on a journey through the seasons, looking at the changing wildlife and landscapes.
Which book has caught your eye? We’d love to hear your favourites, and do let us know if there are any books you’d like to see in the game!
Play Teach Your Monster Reading for Fun
You may have noticed that we have a new look!
A new website and a slightly different name
When we launched Teach Your Monster To Read over 8 years ago, we had a mission to improve the literacy of young children with a game that was both super-fun and designed to meet stringent standards by educational experts.
Now, over 2 million children per month play our games on our website and apps for iOS, Android and Amazon.
It’s been quite a journey!
And for 8 years, being known as “Teach Your Monster To Read” has suited us just fine.
Along came Reading for Fun and Number Skills!
While remaining true to our core mission as a non-profit charitable foundation, we want to make more games across different areas of learning.
Whether those games are focused on literacy, mathematics or other topics, we’ve built a wealth of experience and know-how to allow us to make magical, fun-filled games focusing on other areas of childrens’ education and well-being.
However, as we’ve launched new games - Teach Your Monster: Reading for Fun and Teach Your Monster: Number Skills - being known as “Teach Your Monster To Read” made less sense.
So welcome to the world, Teach Your Monster!
A slightly tweaked brand name and a beautiful new, more modern website that allows us to give you access to all of the games that we’ve made - and will make in the future.
Not much has changed really, we’re still the same people with the same passion for children's education - we just have more than one game for you to enjoy now.
Welcome to our new world!
Please take a look around and let us know what you think at [email protected]
Related Links
Designed by the creators of Teach Your Monster to Read in collaboration with educational experts from Roehampton University, Teach Your Monster: Reading for Fun gets children reading more, boosts their confidence and inspires a lifelong love of reading!
Your Monster is back again! This time there is a huge, magical new world to explore full of fascinating facts and amazing stories. Help the villagers with their jobs to earn over 70 incredible real-life books to put on your monster’s bookshelf. Some of these books will even help you bake cakes, find treasure and make the villagers laugh and giggle.
Trouble is never far away though. Your monster will need to use all its wisdom, skills and bravery to stop the book-eating goblin causing chaos in the village and eating all the books!
To play the beta (early test version) of Reading for Fun today, login at teachyourmonstertoread.com.
To hear when the app version goes live later this year, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Get your free app and spooky colouring treat this Halloween!
Have a fa-boo-lous time making your monster's world a little more colourful, with this spooky printable colouring poster!
Then get the BAFTA-nominated series of games completely free for a very limited time!
Teach Your Monster to Read is always free to play on laptops and PCs via the website, and the app is also completely free for a very limited time. Download for free and there's nothing to pay, even after the free promotion ends.
Do you want to play on multiple devices? If so, then you'll either need player login details (which you can get from a teacher if the game is used in school) or you'll need to set your own account up.
Ready to go on an adventure? Download Teach Your Monster to Read from your app store today!
or point an iPhone / iPad camera at this QR code to download from the app store...
Want to help the Usborne Foundation? As a charity, we need your support to spread the word about our award-winning educational games. We'd really appreciate it if you could let people know how beneficial our games have been for you.
You could send a message like this:
We use #TeachYourMonster to help kids learn to read. The app is free from Fri Oct 23 for a very limited time on Apple apple.co/2V92VL5, Amazon amzn.to/2VgOwfR & Google bit.ly/2cohkeR @monsterscanread. Get a free account at teachyourmonstertoread.com
Thank you
The Teach Your Monster team
PLUS: PLANS REVEALED FOR LAUNCH OF NEW GAME THIS YEAR!
Charitable organisation, The Usborne Foundation, announces that Teach Your Monster to Read, a series of three free online reading games to help young learners further develop their reading skills, has reached more than 20 million children worldwide and has been played 200 million times!
With children across the world learning at home due to Covid-19, and parents looking for additional resources to support home learning and encourage children to read during the lockdown, Teach Your Monster to Read has attracted record levels of users since the outbreak.
Peter Usborne MBE, who established The Usborne Foundation, and is founder of world-renowned Usborne Publishing, said, “Since its launch in 2012, our Teach Your Monster to Read series of games have proved incredibly popular with children, parents and schools; helping young learners to further develop their reading skills. Today the game has reached a staggering 20 million children worldwide, and has over 200 million plays; an incredible milestone for our team to celebrate.
Peter Usborne MBE with his daughter, Nicola Usborne (MD of Usborne Publishing)
Digital resources that support home-learning play an important role in a child’s education, and Teach Your Monster To Read is a fun and exciting way for children at different reading levels to learn, whilst also helping parents and schools during these unprecedented times; it is a very successful formula. The significant uplift in users during the pandemic shows our love for reading is stronger than ever.”
The game series currently includes Teach Your Monster to Read: First Steps; Teach Your Monster to Read: Fun with Words; and Teach Your Monster to Read 3: Champion Reader.
A ground-breaking new game, Teach Monster: Reading for Fun is currently being worked on by the team.
A brand new game (currently in development) will enable children to meet wonderful new characters, explore a brand new magical world, and earn entire books that they can read anytime and keep on their monster’s bookshelf. Every child will have the chance to create their own free library with more than 50 books available to collect, read, and listen to. The goal is to ignite a lifelong love of reading and make books accessible to every child.
Play in a world of reading and books
Visit Goldspear in the village library and browse the bookshelves for your next book
Collect books for your monster's bookshelf. Read along with villagers and help them solve mysteries
As a result of school closures and disruption due to coronavirus, we’ll make Teach Your Monster to Read completely free across the world, in order to help children learn to read whilst at home.
We want to help out as much as we can, so we’ve made Teach Your Monster to Read completely free until Monday March 23rd on Apple (today) and Amazon (from Thursday) as well as at teachyourmonstertoread.com. It’s also just 0.99 on Google Play Store*.
This means if anyone downloads it to their device for free this week, it will cost them nothing and it will be free to continue to use on that device thereafter.
It’s easy to get kids playing at home. There are 2 ways:
1) If you don’t want to track students’ progress:
Simply share this page with parents. Kids can then get playing straight away, with no passwords required.
You could post this message to parents:"We use Teach Monster to help kids learn to read in school and it's been made free to use at home due to coronavirus disruption. Download free this week on Apple: apple.co/2V92VL5, on Amazon (from Thurs) https://amzn.to/2VgOwfR, or 0.99 on Android: bit.ly/2cohkeR"
2) If you want to track students’ progress:
Login or sign up at teachyourmonstertoread.com. Set up every child as a player on our website. Print off and send home their password cards (which can be downloaded from your dashboard). Kids can then log in to their player accounts on our website or app. You can see their progress on your dashboard.
Our app (featuring all 3 extensive games) is free on Apple app store now (Tuesday March 17 2020) and Amazon (from this Thursday) and also laptops and PCs at teachyourmonstertoread.com. It's just £0.99 / $0.99 on Google Play Store*.
It is usually £4.99 / $4.99 and it has no in-app purchases or adverts. It will now be free to download until Monday March 23rd on Apple and Amazon stores. Once downloaded, it's free to continue to use on that device thereafter.
Download links here:
*Due to Google Play Store policy not allowing a new sale to start within 30 days after the completion date of the last sale, we’re unable to give our app away for free on Google Play Store because we just recently ran a free promotion. For this reason we've priced it at £0.99 / $0.99.
(UPDATE: This offer has now ended, although the app may be available at a discounted rate below the standard $4.99 / £4.99 price point)
As a result of school closures and disruption due to coronavirus, we have decided to make Teach Your Monster to Read completely free across the world, in order to help children learn to read whilst at home.
Our award-winning phonics and reading games have been played over 160 million times and are used by thousands of teachers as part of their phonics and literacy education.
The app has recently been approved by the UK Department for Education’s Hungry Little Minds campaign to help parents find high quality educational apps for kids.
With children learning from home due to school closures and self-isolation cases, as a not-for-profit, we want to do what we can to mitigate the disruption and help children continue learning. Millions of children use the app every month and we want to make sure every child can access it at home.
Our app (featuring all 3 extensive games) is free on Apple app store from Tuesday March 17 2020 and Amazon app store from Thursday March 19. It's also free to play on laptops and PCs at teachyourmonstertoread.com and just £0.99 / $0.99 on Google Play Store*.
It is usually £4.99 / $4.99 and it has no in-app purchases or adverts. The special offers will run until Monday March 23rd. Once downloaded, it's free to continue to use on that device even after the promotion has ended.
Download links here:
*Due to Google Play Store policy not allowing a new sale to start within 30 days after the completion date of the last sale, we’re unable to give our app away for free on Google Play Store because we just recently ran a free promotion. For this reason we've priced it at £0.99 / $0.99.
