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Early Learning Fun

Parents can begin early learning activities with their toddlers as part of everyday play.

Toddlers and preschoolers are constantly learning. Why not incorporate basic learning concepts into their everyday routines? Here is how some parents have done this:

‘Hooray for Red!’

To help my 2- and 3-year-olds learn to
identify colors, we play a game. We sit on the floor in a circle, and
each of us holds a stack of construction paper squares: blue, red,
yellow, green. The first player chooses a square, holds it up and names
the color: “I have red!” She places it in the center of the circle. Then
each player finds the matching color and places it in the center, too.
We cheer, “Hooray for red!” and continue until all the colors have been
named.

—Cassia Elder

How Many?

Here are a few ideas for helping your kids learn
to count:

Chubby fingers, chubby toes: I sang
the numbers forward and backward as I counted to 20 and kissed each
finger or tickled each toe.

Mommy’s little
helper:
When folding laundry, I taught my toddlers to roll
their socks and toss them into the clean hamper. . . . Score! Two
Points! We counted by twos together.

Share and share
alike:
When I have more than one child at home, I try to make
playtime a little easier by dividing the play figures between the kids
to make everything‚ÄÖ”equal.”‚ÄÑThen I ask:‚ÄÖ”How many people does each child
have? How many animals? How many cars?”

—Nicki Bishop

Teach With Sticks

Who needs expensive, high-end learning toys? Even sticks can be educational. Try these ideas:

  • Shapes. Find sticks shaped like a Y, L, F, N or W. Gather as many letters as you can find.
  • Order. Let children drop sticks from a footbridge into water and watch them float first, second and third under the bridge.
  • Numbers. Have children gather as many sticks as they can hold. Count how many sticks they have.
  • Size. Point out a big, medium and small stick, in descending order. Have children compare three sticks.

—Nancy I. Sanders

Left and Right

Begin teaching your child right from left each time you dress him or her. For example, say, “Let’s put your right arm in the sleeve. Now let’s slide your left arm in the sleeve.” You can also practice this during bath time: “Let’s wash your right foot. Now let’s wash your left foot.” Daily activities can be great teaching tools.

—Christine St. Jacques

Teach Creation

Point out things in your child’s artwork that God created — a rainbow, tree, bird, etc. Hang the drawing — along with similar pictures from magazines — on the refrigerator.

Say, “God made trees,” or whatever your child drew, and have your child repeat the line. Go through each item. Then say, “Now I want to show you what I like best that God created.” Hang a photograph of your child on the refrigerator, and give your child a hug.

—Esther M. Bailey

Learn Colors

Two-year-old Olivia loves to play with stackable cups during baths. Her mom asks for each cup by color and continues to ask for the same color until Olivia hands her the right one. Through this game, Olivia learned to choose the correct cup when prompted.

—Tammie Edington Shaw

Teach Shapes

“Can you find a circle?” Carry your child around the house and point to examples, repeating shapes and names of objects. Use a finger to trace shapes that are not obvious to your child. Repeat for squares and triangles.

—Christine St. Jacques

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