Some Facts:
--Preschoolers are inquisitive, curious little beings by nature.
--I am not a big proponent of workbooks or seatwork at this age.
--Little ones have a lot of energy and many find it hard to sit still for more
than a few minutes!
--I enjoy this special time with my child and leave the formal academics until
later.
The first two suggestions listed below are what many consider crucial to
ensuring a love of learning in your child.
First: Read-aloud living books aloud to your children DAILY from infancy.
A living book engages the child immediately with beautiful illustrations and
noble thoughts.
In short, even if it is not religious, it turns their hearts and souls to
God.
Start cuddling up with your child--first with board books, then graduate to
picture books.
Many preschoolers and even toddlers can enjoy short chapter books if they are
enthusiastically read aloud by a loving parent.
This helps the child to foster the habit of attention at a young age,
allows them a wonderful exposure to rich vocabulary and is a necessary
precursor to successful reading later on.
Don't be upset if your child can't seem to sit still.
If he likes to build with legos while you read from a chapter book,let him.
The only prerequisite for a successful read-aloud are good listening skills.
You don't have to be still to listen!
See my resource list for books with tons of good book lists to get started.
Second: When your little one starts getting wiggly, go outdoors!!
Begin exploring God's creation together as you dabble in nature study
(while at the park or on walks, even in your own back yard!).
Take along a ziploc bag and collect samples of leaves, rocks,
bugs!, sticks, etc or draw what you discover in a nature notebook.
An easy way to get started is to begin bird-watching.
It ís fun, easy and cheap!
Set up a simple bird-feeder in your yard near some greenery, purchase some
inexpensive seed, obtain a field guide to identify your feathered friends and
watch the birds come.
The rest of the ideas are listed below, in a random order.
These are some ways to help set a good foundation for home-learning in the
preschool years.
Have a sandbox and sand toys (sieve, strainer, shovel, bucket, sand-mill,
scoopers, etc.) readily available.
This play is important for reasoning skills, math, creative art,
liquids/solids and how you can change them (science) as well as FUN!
Cups, measuring cups, measuring spoons, funnels, are also important for water
play as they begin to learn cause and effect with both sand and water.
Make home-made playdough for creative sculptures.
When you can't read aloud to your child, utilize good audiobooks (lots
at the library). These can also be played in the car when you are running errands!
Attend your weekly storytime at the local public library, get your child his
own library card and let him select some books on subjects that interest
him.
Create an inviting play/learning area with accessible learning toys such as:
Tinker toys
Lincoln logs
Duplos
Wooden blocks
Wooden train
Stacking boxes
Big cardboard brick blocks
Baskets of board books
Wooden peg puzzles
Jumbo Cuisenaire Rods
and more!
Again, the items listed above are great for math skills, reasoning, eye/hand
coordination and cause and effect.
Make available felt boards, puppets, dress-up clothes for role-playing and
dramatic performances.
Play beautiful music for your young children to dance by, play by, sleep by.
Invest in good art supplies: crayons, paints, chalk, colored pencils, tissue
paper, construction paper, yarn, macaroni, scraps of fabric, glue, etc.
This allows for your child to experiment with color, and textures. Use many
art materials and even some that don't seem like art materials such as pieces
of wood and rocks that they find outdoors on nature walks.
These are important for several reasons, creativity, fine motor skills, and
reasoning.
Cook with your little ones--it ís science, math and yummy fun!
And teaching proper manners can all be included in these activities.
Encourage (!) help with small, simple household chores as it helps your future
students to understand the importance of cleanliness and order as well as a practice in patience and obedience when they'd rather be playing.
Play board games with your child: Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Boggle Jr.
are good starts...
These activities will bring about progress in much-needed learning skills.
Playing is learning and with some loving time and guidance from you, your
preschooler will realize that learning is fun.
You will have nurtured their God-given curiosity and inquisitiveness.
This will aid them as they head towards more ìacademicî learning in the
elementary years.
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