A toddler’s world is centred around learning how things work, playing, having fun and exploring their senses where their curious minds lead them. There are some skills that we would love our toddlers to master to get them ready for a smooth start when they go to school. We would love for our kids to be able to:
- Sit and listen to a story.
- Know their colours and shapes and identify them in their environment.
- Sort objects.
- Learn the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds.
- Identify numbers 1-10.
- Learn some social skills like how to say “Please” and “Thank you.”
- Take turns when they play with others.
- Listen to and follow simple instructions.
- Engage in activities for 15 mins or more.
- Hold pencils, crayons and scissors properly
- Write their names.
- Develop some level of independence
As a mother and an educator, let me state that all children are unique and learn at their own pace. Mastering the above skills, among others, before entering school is not an indicator of what a child’s journey in school will look like. Again, children grow and change emotionally, physically, cognitively and socially at their own pace, and we should never compare our children negatively. However, from study, observation, and experience, I can attest to the positive impact an educationally stimulating environment plays in the overall development of children. Therefore, I have embarked on a journey of providing an educationally stimulating environment for my twin toddler girls. Creating such an environment can be inexpensive as we can incorporate the home environment and find creative ways to repurpose toys that are no longer popular with the kids. Yes! At this age, they are curious, and their imagination is alive and well. A world of possibilities awaits our children in their very homes!
These are the 4 educational activities my toddlers and I have been engaging in with the hope of giving them the best start when they are ready for school.
Reading
I love reading and had all intentions of passing on my love of reading to my children from an early age. It is my personal opinion that if a child can read, they can accomplish anything. When I started introducing books to my girls, they were just able to look up at me. Their stares did not discourage me. I persevered, and after a while, my girls started showing interest in books. When they started moving around, they would take their beloved books to me. I gathered up all the enthusiasm I had in me and read the books filling our home with laughter. I ensured that books were associated with happiness. I would point at the objects in the books telling them the names and then identifying them in our home environment, helping them to make a real-life connection. Over time, I noticed that they were beginning to display the following Emergent Literacy behaviours.
- They were attentive.
- Looking at the pictures waiting for me to engage in discussion.
- Turning their books the right side up.
- Opening their books from the front cover.
- Looking at images and touching them left to right.
- Browsing the pages of books independently.
- They would cry when we got to the last page of a book because they knew that was the end of their story.
My Toddler girls now love books and enjoy our daily reading time. A good book is now like a prized toy. There are days when I have to read a book over and over until my only option to get a break is to remove it from the bookshelf. We are now on our journey that is preparing them for a life of learning, and their love of books will be constantly nurtured.
Identifying Letters In The Environment
When we had no choice but to lockdown because of COVID-19, there were many days we chose not to go outside. We were also in the middle of winter and there were so many uncertainties surrounding how the virus was contracted. I made a promise to myself that I would not allow my toddlers much screen time but based on the circumstances; I had to change my plans. In order to get a break, I would allow my girls to watch some educational videos. After a while, they started counting from 1-10 and identifying letters wherever they could find them. I can remember taking them to a window where they could see a stop sign outside, and they were identifying and saying the names of the letters they could see on the sign. They were super excited to share their new-found knowledge, and my husband and I were equally happy encouraging, entertaining and supporting by bridging the gaps in their learning through repetition.
We looked for letters:
- In books
- On clothes
- On household items
- Anywhere there was text basically
At times, when I was writing they would come over to my table, and I would stop to write letters on paper for them to identify. We decided to get them these foam Munchkin Letters and Numbers Jumbo Bath Toys that we incorporated into daily play and bathtime. They now know the names of the letters and most of the sounds. I have repurposed the letters by creating a puzzle that we work on daily, and they seem to love it.
Playing with blocks.
Keeping twin toddlers inside can pose a significant challenge if they are not kept occupied and engaged. My girls started fussing with each other over books or toys that we had only one of. I was looking for an activity that I could use to teach them to share and work as a team. At first, they struggled to pull the jumbo blocks apart but with daily practise, they were able to manipulate the blocks and started building in no time. While we worked together, I would intentionally talk about the colours of the blocks we were using and overtime they were identifying the colours of the blocks they were using while showing them to me. They were then able to touch objects in our home telling us what colour they were. We have now gotten them smaller blocks with letters and objects printed on them from Leapfrog.
Using blocks have helped with their development in many ways.
- Their motor skills are being developed.
- Hand and eye coordination is being developed.
- Their learning of colour is concrete.
- Their vocabulary is widening daily.
- They are learning social skills by working together.
Music and Movement
On days we were not able to go to the playground because they were all closed, we started having dance and music sessions inside. I got them a set of musical instruments. Some days we danced and sang. I have noticed over time that;
- Their movements are more coordinated.
- They are more expressive.
- They are learning new words and their meanings.
- They also know their body parts.
These are some of the activities we have incorporated in our days so far. There are many other Educational activities I have in mind, and I am sure we will stumble upon many others through spontaneous learning. I will be sharing others as we grow and develop and change because Life Is Better Shared!
