Teaching Toddlers Part 2
Thursday, October 12th, 2006by Mimi Rothschild
Yesterday we learned about ways to facilitate toddler learning. Today we are going to focus on learning itself. Homeschooling toddlers can be very challenging, especially for new parents. I hope these hints will be useful to you in your homeschool experience.
1. Fill in the blanks: If your child says “Potty!” respond with “You have to go use the potty?” Filling in these blanks will help your child develop speech skills. If you don’t know what your child means to say, ask questions to find out more information. When they point to an object they want, encourage them to use words instead of gestures. Avoid using “baby-talk.” This will only encourage them to mispronounce words. Face your child and make eye contact.
2. Add some music to your day: Toddlers love singing. It encourages verbal skills in a fun way. Some songs have motions that you can perform with your toddler. Encourage clapping to the beat. Use soft music and sing lullibies to facilitate peaceful naptimes.
3. Spice up storytime: Add different kinds of puppets to liven up a story. Encourage the kids to jump in to the story-telling process. Have them fill in the blanks with their best guesses. Invite them to do a craft based on the story afterwards. Be dramatic and use different voices to represent each character. Use sound effects like splashes, bangs, and slurps to make stories come alive.
4. Explore Opposites: Learning opposites is a great way for homeschoolers to find out about the surrounding environment. Soft vs. hard, push vs. pull, off vs. on, and other opposites can be illustrated by touching, hearing, and doing. Sing loud songs and quiet songs. Run fast and walk slow. Hot and cold is an important safety lesson.
5. Label everything: Go crazy with labels in your homeschool. Use masking tape or index cards to mark furniture, doors, toys, foods, bathroom items, and more. Your child will begin to associate different objects with different words. Accompany this association by sounding out each object while reading the labels with your child.
6. Anatomy for toddlers: Teaching homeschooled toddlers about arms, legs, tummies, and more can be a fun learning activity. Show them each body part and ask them what they use it for. Don’t forget to tickle, pinch, and squeeze.