I run a small home day care. (I call it Kreative Kids - and I kinda named this blog after it.... :) )
For the past ten years I have cared for children from infancy to school age - but primarily for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. I love watching the brain development of a small child - it never ceases to amaze me how much children learn in their first couple of years of life! And what I've found is that this learning is completely natural, if we surround the child with tools for learning.
What tools for learning does a small child need? Flash cards? Electronic toys? Videos? Computers? NO! I don't allow any of these in my day care (with a couple of very carefully selected exceptions). The way children learn is through two basic activities: interaction with adults, and playing. And this is so much more fun than flash cards!
Provide your child with some basic toys, puzzles, and books; sit with your child and read, do puzzles, and talk about what you are doing together; and watch your child's knowledge and understanding grow.
Toys: Try to choose primary colors so it's easier for the child to learn colors. Provide rattles, teethers, and textured toys for an infant - baby "gyms" are great! They usually have a variety of visuals, sound making toys, and textures to stimulate the baby's curiosity. For toddlers, be sure to have nesting cups, shape sorters, easy stacking blocks (like "Duplos" or "Mega-blocks"), and first puzzles. Two-year-olds will begin fantasy play, so they are ready for toy animals, people, trucks and cars (be sure they are safe for kids under three!), play kitchens, and simple dress-up outfits. Two-year-olds are ready for harder puzzles, although they will still be playing with many of the toddler toys.
Books: Reading to a child should start in infancy, and continue....well, there's really no stopping point! Some of the children I have cared for were read to from early infancy by their parents - and they ended up loving books. These children knew many letters before the age of two - and they would pick out the letters in the books as I read to them. To have joy in books, and to recognize the importance of letters and their connection to what the adult is reading to them is the beginning of a strong reader - and a life-long love of books and learning. In my day care, I have books readily accessible in a small book display shelf for the kids to pick out themselves, as well as "special books" that are kept aside for me to read to them. My read-aloud collection always includes alphabet and number learning books, as well as books with plenty of rhyming and rhythm. The one-year-olds always love the shape and color books, as well as any books where they can name the objects familiar to them.
A word about puzzles: I have a strong belief that puzzles are important for developing mathematical abilities. They also teach patience and perseverance. I have many levels of puzzles available, and most of my kids can work puzzles far ahead of the "recommended" age. A plus are puzzles that also teach colors and shapes.
And while you are using these "tools" (otherwise known as "toys") with your kids, don't forget the adult interaction part: talking. Talk about everything you are doing together. "What book shall we read? The puppy book or the bedtime book?" "Can you point to the blue cup?" "Try turning the puzzle piece around." Your child is listening to you from early infancy. Many parents may not be aware of this, but I've observed that most babies understand much of what we are saying by the time they are ten months old. Understanding language precedes speaking it - so it's important to talk, talk, and talk some more to your very young children.
So there you have it - a quick primer for primary learning! Knowing me, I'll probably think of more to say about this in future posts - so stay tuned!
PS: Here's an interesting article about reading to your kids! https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/science-proves-reading-to-kids-changes-their-brains_us_55c26bf4e4b0f1cbf1e38740
Note: add approx ages for specific toys - or write another article
No comments:
Post a Comment