So, you want to give your child a head start. You want to help them learn and be the best they can be. You want to give them a leg up before starting school.
That’s fabulous. I’ve got the easiest and best solution for you.
PLAY! PLAY! PLAY!
That’s right. No need to buy fancy toys or curriculum. Just play, read and talk to them! It’s that simple. Really, it is.
Never fear! You are your child’s parent for a reason. God chose YOU to lead, guide and direct your child in the best way possible. No one else will love or desire the absolute best for your child except you and your family.
I once saw a quote that said something to the effect of, “The FBI cannot match the determination of a mother seeking to help her own child.”
Having said that, I have learned over time that researching about teaching your child at home is totally overwhelming and exhausting.
I used to spend hours and hours on Pinterest and websites copying elaborate lessons and activities for my children. I bought a laminator and laminated everything under the sun! I paid for expensive gadgets and games and activities that preschools used. I tried to reconstruct what I knew from my school experience to do the same thing in a home environment….circle time, songs, paperwork, etc.
I was discouraged only to find out the activity was too old, or it was too messy or too involved etc.
Enter the “Stick in the Sand.”
Then, I was introduced to the “Stick in the Sand” method. This is a method used in classical education circles. In particular, Classical Conversations use it to teach and models it well. This means everything should be able to be taught with a stick and sand – written or drawn.
In short, we can learn a great deal about teaching our children through the methods Jesus used to teach in the bible. He told stories, asked questions, used objects and visual illustrations, continued to use repetition, He created experiences and time to be creative, and He modeled behaviors for us. See 9 Teaching Methods of Jesus.
So, let’s get to it. How do you play with your toddler?
Tip #1: First, you want to follow their lead.
Watch their interests. Set just a few toys out and see what they gravitate towards. Do not ask questions but instead narrate what they are doing.
Tip #2 Imitate what they are doing and narrate too.
Speak in a normal adult voice. Don’t use baby talk.
This is great for speech development and for building confidence and self awareness. The more your child hears you speak normally, the more they will eventually pick up that speech themselves.
Tip #3 Begin sharing. Trade toys.
At 2 years of age, they will most likely do what is called “parallel play.” Playing side by side but not really with you or their friends. They are just exploring and doing their own thing. However, you do want to start prepping them for playing with other children. So this is a good time to get them used to sharing. Only do this when they are willing and don’t force the option. Model the actions so they can see how you trade nicely. Follow it through with lots of praise.
Tip #4 Focus mostly on Gross Motor Skills.
Gross Motor Skills are skills that use the whole body and typically your core muscles.
At this young age, your child will focus on gross motor skills. Things like climbing, jumping, kicking grabbing items picking up and moving items. As they grow into their 3’s and 4’s, then you will want to start focusing more on their fine motor skills like a pinch grasp, holding a crayon or pencil, squeezing clothespins etc. See gross-motor-skills for more information.
Put it all into action:
Break out the pots and pans and wooden spoons. Bang on them. Say “bang, bang” or whatever other sound you want to, but this will help with speech development to narrate what you are doing. Take your band on a parade around the house. These are some of the best memories we have with our littles.
Get the muffin tins out. Find anything you have around the house to put in all those little spaces. cotton balls, craft pom poms, blocks, strawberries, rocks, bottle caps etc. You don’t need to run out and buy fancy items. Just look around your house. Count the items, line them up in a row and then put them back in the holes.
Colander or Parmesan canister – take some dry spaghetti and poke it through the holes in the colander. Better yet, use pipe cleaners. Straws are fun to put into old parmesan containers with holes too.
Old wipes boxes. have the child practice putting cloth, scarves, or kleenex or small cars into that fun slot. Then shake the box and you can get them all out for him to do all over.
Sensory bins are fun but messy. I used to make one every month. I would get a square container and add rice or rock salt or sand or pom poms. Then I would make a theme from our toys – cars, valentine’s day, green items for St. Patrick’s day, trucks and rocks, colors or letters from their name, etc. Bury the items and sit them at the table with a scooper spoon and let them have fun while you make dinner. Check out this website for more ideas and how to: Sensory Bins.
Cardboard boxes and totes – got any amazon boxes lying around? Give them to the kids! They LOVE this stuff. Build it into a car, sit in it with your blanket or dog and watch your favorite show. Put your stuffed animals in there and push them around the house. Tie a string to it and now it’s a sled for your animals or even your trucks or baby dolls! Break out the crayons and scribble all over them. My husband even used an old cool whip container lid to attach a steering wheel. Got a kid who likes to fly? Forget the car and build an airplane! Who can forget the best part….flip it upside down and play hide and seek! You will hear giggles on end for hours and hours of entertainment.
Exercise at the playground or in nature. Remember that stick? Draw in the sand or the mud. Make shapes and lines. Jump over your line, splash in the mud puddles, climb the boulders, climb over the fallen tree branches. Explore the ground, what kinds of rocks and leaves did you find? Any bugs? How does it feel? What floats in that puddle? Where does the water flow to?
Depending on the child’s age, you can add in some crayons and scrap paper. I wouldn’t even consider coloring books at this point. Just simple scrap paper. Get some big fat crayons and simply model how to scribble. Lines are good for this age. See if they can copy you.
Other artsy things to do are to get a tray with shaving cream and add a few cars to drive around. This is a mess, but most kids love it unless they are experiencing some sensory issues. My oldest son didn’t want anything to do with making his hands dirty.
Playdoh is fun and at this age, you don’t need any tools. Just simply squeezing it and tearing it apart and stacking it and building mounds are fun. Remember, you can sit right next to him and model the same things so he has an idea of what to do. don’t forget to talk about what you are making. Narrate, narrate narrate. This will build up his vocabulary and get him to talk eventually too. copy his noises and sounds and what he is building as you play.
Tip #5: Finally, Read Read Read!
I cannot emphasize this enough. Read the same books over and over several times a day. Look at picture books together and talk about them. Point to things ask them to find certain items in the pictures. or simply ask, what do you see? Read all kinds of books 5 minutes here, 3 minutes there, 10 minutes before bed. ALL DAY LONG. Books will help develop vocabulary, help the child to learn the beautiful real language, and in the correct intonation. It will even help build their future love of learning and reading if read to often and if they see mom or dad reading for fun themselves too.
Looking for more? Check out these resources:
4 Fabulous Resources to check out:
Read A Loud Revival – Sarah Mackenzie has some of the best reading advice under the sun. She has a light-hearted podcast I love. She has numerous book lists for all ages, even toddler picture books. Definitely add her to your toolbox!
This Reading Mama – Becky Spence has walked me through some great lessons and activities with my pre-K children. She has great FREE printable and games, but also several curriculums and packages to purchase. I’ve bought plenty from her site.
Pam Barnhill – This could be geared a little more toward the pre-K years and beyond, but it’s still worthy of a good listen or read. She focuses on “Morning Time.” It’s a simple way to start the day with truth, beauty, and goodness. She creates her own curriculum for morning time and has a wealth of resources in other areas. I’ve been following her for years and have purchased many products from her.
Teaching your Child Life Skills By Age – This list of age-appropriate skills will help prepare your child for each stage of life as they develop from preschool until the day leaves the nest.
5 Encouraging Parenting Podcasts:
I LOVE podcasts! But when does a busy mom ever have time to listen to anything encouraging, herself? I have found that I really enjoy listening to podcasts on my phone while I get ready in the morning. This is MY TIME. It usually lasts only about 30 minutes, but that’s better than nothing, right? I turn on my apple podcast app, pick the episode that interests me the most and hook up my blue tooth speaker so I can listen while I take a shower and get dressed. It does my heart good to multi-task and get some encouragement and ideas early in the morning. I often do the same thing while I’m making lunch for the kids in the afternoon. I consider this my little slice of peace while doing all the mundane chores of motherhood. Have a listen and be encouraged too.
Read Aloud Revival – The Lowdown on Reading Aloud to 3 Year Olds.
Simply Charlotte Mason – Preschool Activities.
Heidi St. John – Off the Bench – Got Toddlers?
Your Morning Basket – Reading to Toddlers and Preschoolers
Be encouraged, mothers and fathers! God gave you your toddler for a very specific reason. He chose YOU to lead and direct your child. Relax, have fun and enjoy learning along side your sons and daughters.
