Tag Archive | "toddler education"

How To Help Kids With Homework


Does your toddler have a hard time concentrating with his homework? Does he procrastinate, complain and throw a tantrum each time he has to sit down and answer his assignments? Here are some tips to help kids with homework without doing it for them.

Set A Regular Time

Having a specific time for homework helps children finish assignments. This is the most commonly broken rule of homework. The best schedule is one that works for your toddler. He may study after school, after an hour of play or after dinner if your toddler is the type who needs to disburse some energy before he dives back into the books. Be consistent about the routine and through repetition, good study habits will be attained.

Feed Your Toddler First

A child’s brain burns a lot of energy, hence, consistent fuel is necessary. Always make sure that you offer your little one a light snack before he starts his task. Eating is crucial for homework to be successful. A child who does brain work on an empty tummy will not be focused and productive.

Choose A Spot

Find a place where your toddler can do his homework. A desk in his bedroom, the kitchen table or the coffee table in the living room works just fine as long as the study area has lots of light, well-ventilated, all homework supplies are within reach and there are no distractions (e.g. television, radio, family members, etc.).

Give Your Toddler A Break

Never force your toddler to finish his assignments in one sitting or else his brain will go into overdrive. Give your toddler at least 30 minutes to have a snack and unwind. He can use that time to read, take a nap or do any relaxing activity he wants to do as long as it does not involve anything with a screen – TV, computer or video games. Keep Friday nights homework-free. Let him play, watch his favorite show or help you cook. He will be able to function better with a refreshed mind and body.

Show Interest

Ask your toddler how his day went, what he learned in school and his homework. Ask questions like “Do you understand the assignment?”, but try not to be overly helpful to the point that you are spoon-feeding the answers to his homework. He has to learn how to do assignments on his own. Only help him if he asks for your help. But do it in a manner that will allow him to work out his own solutions. Instead of saying, “You counted it wrong. There are ten apples in this picture.”, say “What do you think honey? Let us count the apples again.”. When your toddler is finished, check his assignments but do not make corrections. After all, his teacher needs to see whether he truly understands his homework.

Pile On The Praise

Always praise good efforts. Stick samples of homework on the refrigerator or on his bedroom wall. Your appreciation and encouragement will do wonders for his self-esteem and go a long way toward motivating your toddler to complete assignments.

When it comes to homework, always support your toddler and offer assistance, but never do the assignment yourself.

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Getting Your Toddler Ready For Preschool


Starting preschool is a major phase in your toddler’s life. It is a big step and he is afraid of not knowing what to expect. Ease out his frustrations and help him get ready for preschool with these tips.

Increase Social Interaction

If your toddler has not spent much time interacting with other kids or was not enrolled in a day care center, then most likely, he will have difficulty getting along with other children once he starts preschool. Let your toddler get used to being a part of a group by arranging play dates and other social opportunities where your little one can learn basic social skills such as respect, cooperation, listening, sharing and taking turns. Enroll him in a music class. Join a summer workshop. Organize a swimming party. Make afternoon visits to the playground more frequent.

Adjust Your Child’s Daily Routine

Mimic the schedule of his future preschool class to his daily routine. This will help him get accustomed with the changes. For instance, if he is used to eating lunch at 11:30, yet his class does not eat until noon, adjust the time he eats lunch at home. Train him a few weeks in advance and do it slowly so he will not get shocked with the changes.

Practice Independence

His fine motor skills are still developing so everything is a struggle for your toddler. Opening his lunchbox can turn into a frustrating battle and lead to a meltdown. Avoid this outrage by training your toddler how to do things on his own. Let your little one eat his breakfast and drink water by himself. Mishaps may happen at first, but eventually, he will learn it and this will help him adjust to preschool more smoothly.

Practice bathroom skills. Ease your toddler’s fears of not being able to control his bladder by training him what to do each time he needs to use the bathroom. Inform your toddler that it is okay for him to ask to go anytime. Role play it. At home, act as the teacher and have your toddler raise his hand each time he needs to go to the bathroom. Constant reminders can also help your toddler remind himself that he needs to use the toilet. He will get used to these reminders which will act as his warning signals that he needs to pee especially in the middle of class activities.

Hone Your Child’s Skills

Indulge your toddler in creative activities like drawing, coloring, finger painting and clay molding. Give him basic jigsaw puzzles and connect-the-dot picture books. These activities help hone your little one’s visual and motor skills which helps enhance his writing skills.

Read books to your toddler every day. Preschool classes have at least one reading period each day. Setting a reading time (at least 15 minutes) every day will help make this a familiar routine even before school begins. Since he is not yet an independent reader, he needs to learn how to listen. Read out loud to help improve his listening skills. Question him in between pages, ask him what he thinks will happen next or how he thinks the story will end. After which, ask him about his thoughts. This will help your toddler express his views openly.

Visit The School

Visit the school with your toddler a few weeks before he starts. Have him to take a look inside his future classroom. Introduce him to his teacher. Stay for a few minutes so he can see what goes on, who his classmates are and so on. This will help make him feel more comfortable and less anxious to start his first day of school.

Acknowledge His Fears

Talk to your toddler. Give him a sense of what to expect and ask him what he feels. Most often, the thought of starting preschool scares toddlers. The best way to ease your toddler’s fears is to be honest. Let him know what to expect - where he will be going, what he will be doing and who will be in class with him. Try watching a video together about a little boy starting preschool or read a book about it. Share your experiences. Assure him that you were also nervous at first but everything turned out to be exciting. Information will help calm his fears.

Finally, when the first day of class starts, allow extra time to get him ready. Walk him to his classroom and do not just sneak out. Give him a hug, kiss or a high five as a sign of reassurance. Tell him you will see him later and most of all, to have fun.

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Starting Preschool - How You Can Help Expand Your Toddler’s Vocabulary


A toddler who is starting preschool require knowledge of basic words, and as a parent, you are also responsible in honing your child’s vocabulary skills. Help your toddler learn new words by following the tips listed below.

Talk

Converse with your toddler every day. Carry out conversations about everything, from his new toy to the food you are cooking. Simple conversations are one of the most effective ways in increasing a toddler’s vocabulary. Ask him questions like how his day went, what games he played with other kids in the playground and so on. Correct improper usage of words but do not interrupt your little one while he is still talking. Instead, wait for him to finish and repeat what he said back to him. By doing so, he will be able to recognize his mistake and make sense of the word without bruising his ego. Never underestimate the power of conversation and information to the development of vocabulary.

Listen

Talking and listening go hand-in-hand. When having a conversation, make sure the both of you maintain eye contact. This lets him know that he has captured your complete attention. After which, you can discuss what he said. This small act builds self-confidence encouraging your little one to talk.

Read Out Loud

The best way to expose your toddler to words is through reading. Read aloud to your child during his playtime and before bed time. Read books with characters and plots, but avoid books that contain too many words your toddler is unfamiliar with as this will only make it difficult for him to understand the story. Point out pictures in the book. After every page, stop and explain new words to him and ask him what he thinks will happen next before reading the next part. This allows him to link the words he hears with what he sees in the pictures.

Use Alternate Words

Replace common words with alternate words. For instance, if you see a spider, instead of describing it tiny or small, use the adjective minuscule. Describe a mansion as gigantic instead of big or call the car an automobile. Talk to him about what you are doing. For instance, if you are preparing food, instead of using the word “frying”, use the word “sautéing” or replace the word “chopping” with “mincing”. Explain to your little one that both words have the same meaning. In this way, you help your toddler identify similarities in words which will help him develop his vocabulary to a whole new level.

Minimize Baby Talk

Converse with your toddler the way you would talk to an adult. By doing this, you help him learn new words which he can add to his vocabulary list. Learn new words and share them with your toddler. Do not forget to explain the meaning behind each word so he can understand them.

Play Games

Games allow a toddler to get creative. Make use of his playtime by holding games that can enrich his vocabulary. Unnamed games like “I Spy” and “What Sound?” are very effective in expanding a child’s words. Another favorite is the “Show and Tell Game”. Every time you go out with your toddler, have him collect something as a keepsake. It can be as simple as a flower, shell or stone. Once you are at home, encourage him to show to everybody the items he collected and tell everyone about them.

Build A Learning Environment At Home

Create a space for learning in the area where your toddler spends most of his time. Take a good look of your living area. What do you see? Are there books, board games, puzzles, art supplies, audio CD’s and a radio present aside from the PlayStation, TV and computer? Limit TV viewing since it does not allow your toddler’s brain to create his own images of the words he hear. Building a rich learning atmosphere at home can help all aspects of a toddler’s education, especially vocabulary.

Language is an integral part of preschool education and the only way your toddler can learn is by listening to the people around him. The richer and more abundant your words are, the more well developed his vocabulary will be.

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Toddler Learning - Why Toddler Boys Struggle More In School


On an average, many toddler boys have difficulty in school than toddler girls. Because of this, poor performance in school plus minimal exposure to physical activities occur which can hinder toddler learning.

The Reasons Behind The Struggle

Developmental Differences

While many toddler boys are excellent students throughout their school years, the language center of a boys brain develops later than girls. Because of this, toddler boys cannot talk as quicker and as clearly as toddler girls which makes them acquire reading and writing skills at a later time.

Toddler boys also interact differently especially in groups. For instance, a little boy alone may be content finishing a jigsaw puzzle, looking at a book or watching television but once he spots other boys around, competition and action usually erupt leaving the activity he was previously attached to behind.

Boys Are More Active and Aggressive Than Girls

Toddler boys are generally more abstract thinkers than girls. Meaning, they strive best when they are active. Compared to girls whose common notion of being active is sitting down and listening, toddler boys are spatial learners. Little boys feel the need to unleash their energy, hence the reason why they can never sit still during a class discussion and do things repetitively. They always crave for action and movement. Recent studies conducted in a preschool in the United States have proven this theory. Among the 70 students enrolled, a good 45% of the toddler boys in that preschool pay more attention to subjects that involve hands-on interaction and they are more likely to participate during playtime and other physically demanding activities.

Different Style of Learning

Research show that boys and girls rely on different parts of the brain when it comes to learning. Toddler girls rely on speech, either oral or written as their main source of information. While boys on the other hand have a sensory approach to learning, which means they comprehend and process information better when they can manipulate the material or when things are demonstrated. For instance, when a teacher gives a demonstration to the class, boys are more likely to understand the information better than if the teacher began the class by giving verbal instructions.

Ways to Support Toddler Boys

Timing Is Everything

Never push your little boy especially if he is not yet ready. If he gets nervous when you mention the word school, do not pressure him. Take it slowly. Prepare him by talking to him about it and ask what scares him. Visit a preschool around your area so he can see what goes on,  the people around and the things he can do. Let him watch shows about kids starting school. Once he sees how great school can be, he will be ecstatic to start his first day,

Look For Literacy Programs

Inquire about various hands-on learning and problem-solving opportunities that are part of the school day. Look for a school with literacy-based computer programs to ensure your little boy can actively participate, enjoy, learn and thrive at the same time.

Show Moral Support

Be your son’s cheerleader. Give him lots of hugs, kisses and encouraging words. Talk to your little boy. Ask him how his day went, his favorite things about preschool, his friends and if there are any problems he would like to tell you. Commend him for doing such a great job in school. By diverting the attention to the good things, you erase the pressure he feels and encourage good behaviour instead.

Boys are not better than girls and girls are not better than boys. But boys and girls are undoubtedly different. Parents and teachers need to be aware of these dissimilarities to give toddlers the best advantage in learning.

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Different Types of Home School Programs For Toddlers


The decision to educate your toddler in a home setting depends on the family’s lifestyle and your toddler’s personality. Home schooling is a great way to bring out the best potentials of your little one. Thus, knowing which type of home school program suits your toddler the most is imperative.

There are various home school programs you can choose from. You can either select a single curriculum or combine two or more programs to further maximize your toddler’s development.

Calvert Home School Curriculum

Offered from kindergarten until grade 8, Calvert offers an excellent introduction which helps children nourish their education especially in the academic aspect. It is a home school program that is designed to deliver traditional yet modern teaching techniques which benefits toddlers regardless of their geographic location. Calvert is one of the most flexible home school programs that can adapt to any toddler’s specific needs. Its primary focus is on honing your child’s arithmetic, reading and writing. Once your toddler has mastered these 3, he can move on to study arts, history, music and science. Hence, he becomes physically, intellectually and psychologically ready by the time he starts grade 9.

Center For Learning

One of the most popular home schooling programs is the Center For Learning. This curriculum is available whether your little one is enrolled in a parochial, private or public home school from kindergarten until grade 12. It offers an excellent learning material that predominantly focuses on honing your toddler’s Language Arts, English, Drama and Social Studies skills. Religious materials are provided as well. This home school program is set-up as a conventional home education system with the added benefit of getting print and online classes.

The teachers are well-experienced. They can accommodate you and your toddler’s queries at any given time. Plus, a wide range of resources and different ideas of class execution (drawing exercises, audio lessons, online assignments, science projects, etc.) are available so you can be sure your little one will is well entertained throughout the course.

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason concentrates on 3 points – atmosphere, discipline and life. Education by atmosphere is the home setting of a toddler. Education by discipline is the implementation of good moral habits. Education by life is the academic aspect of a toddler with a strong emphasis on topics like English, Fine Arts, Literature, Music, Poetry and Reading. Method of learning is by having a toddler read something and then give an outline of what he has read using his own words.

Curriculum Associates

Publishes decisive and flexible learning materials that are based on a regular school’s curriculum. It has a computerized coach that can automatically identify the needs of every student and deliver more precise instructions. Focuses on arts, language, math and reading. For every lesson plan completed, your toddler is given a test preparation kit to help him prepare for his assessment exam via a diagnostic online test. With this modern program, you can track your toddler’s performance instantly. Curriculum Associates’ home school program also offers special education to children with special needs.

K12

K12 is an online public and private home school directed to suit the lifestyle of most American families. It is one of the largest sources of home based education that is tailored to fit each toddler’s needs and wants from kindergarten to grade 12. K12 has a 24-hour assistance feature and a combined online interactive learning and offline hands-on activities making it an award winning home school curriculum.

Montessori Home School Program

This type of home school curriculum is suitable for toddlers between ages 3 to 6. It is a good illustration of showing what life is. It uses the Montessori methodology and philosophy that is patterned to increase your toddler’s overall growth – his cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Rather than focusing on specific areas of academic learning, it teaches general life skills that are very valuable in helping students adapt, adjust and succeed in a world that is rapidly changing. Montessori program offers your toddler not just learning materials but a support group which helps him build a strong foundation throughout his kindergarten to preschool years.

Saxon

Saxon curriculum is centered on early learning like math and physics. It provides very detailed educational materials specifically in Math. Saxon home school program is recommended for parents who prefer their toddlers to excel in this field as it offers a step-by-step program – from instructions, to training, down to assessment which ensures retention of indispensable math skills.

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Top Five Lesson Plans For Toddlers


During your child’s toddler years, it is important to keep his mind active. As a parent, you need to cultivate and motivate your toddler’s thirst for learning. Hence, you should always be on the lookout for fun and stimulating educational activities. Finding a good lesson plan will help you keep your little one entertained while at the same time stimulate his mind in preparation for preschool.

Being exposed to various lesson plans for toddlers will greatly benefit your child. These lesson plans are directed towards a structured and natural advancement of skills that is imperative to his learning process. Choose lesson plans that are appropriate for his age. Optimize his strengths, work on his weaknesses. And, focus on the most important parts of learning. Here is a list of the five best lesson plans for toddlers.

Lesson Plan # 1: Toddler Daily Lessons

Toddler daily lesson plans practices your little one’s skills by doing activities that he normally does on a daily basis. Also known as a daily life skill plan, this lesson plan is an excellent introduction to help your toddler easily adjust minus the pressure.

Simple activities such as washing of the hands, sweeping the floor, wiping the table, transferring one toy to another box helps him improve his motor and fine motor skills. Popular children songs and nursery rhymes involving finger play are incorporated to make your toddler dance and sing along to the music improving his sensory and retention of the alphabet, numbers, body parts and so on. Interactive books with music and foldable picture flaps are used to make your toddler read along with you enhancing his vocabulary, grammar and reading skills.

Lesson Plan # 2: Creative Resources For Infants and Toddlers

A well-loved book of toddler lesson plans by Judy Herr and Terri Swim. It centers on building a strong base for the interrelating, learning and thinking progression of children. This is a lesson plan that provides tips on how to spot your toddler’s developmental characteristics on a weekly and monthly basis along with fun and easy-to-do activities to help nurture your little one’s traits. This book also holds advanced recommendations (e.g. website links) to help you improve your teaching style.

Lesson Plan # 3: Itty Bitty Bookworm

A lesson plan that is focused on enriching toddler’s literacy and language skills to help boost other skills. Itty Bitty Bookworm is an easy, structured, teach-yourself lesson plan. A different book is used every week and all the exercises and projects done are focused around the story. Because toddlers function best with a book, the activities done boosts his creativity and allows him to play and discover things on his own.

Lesson Plan # 4: The Complete Resource Book For Toddlers and Twos

A book by Pam Schiller, this is a lesson curriculum that touches each part of your toddler’s development. In here, you will find 100 daily lessons about arts, crafts, songs, topics and activities all equally divided into different projects he can work solo or with a group. This will surely catch your toddler’s interest and will keep him busy and entertained for hours.

Lesson Plan # 5: Total Learning: Developmental Curriculum For The Young Child

A lesson plan created by Joanne Hendrick, it is a book that is aimed to help parents come up with their own lesson plan using the countless projects and topics found in the book. Instead of the book instructing you what to do, it assists you in creating an organized lesson plan based on your toddler’s budding interests, his needs and necessary improvements. Plus, it uses fill in the blanks, multiple choice and true or false self-exams to test your toddler’s learning.

With the help of lesson plans, your toddler’s learning and growth expands. Hence, it is essential that you make sure the lesson plan you pick for him fits his personality and needs perfectly.

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How Online Home Schooling Affect Toddlers Education


As a parent, you only want to provide your toddler the best especially when it comes to his education. Quality is the number one factor you need to look for in a school. Because of their outstanding benefits, online home schooling has become the number one choice of parents. But, the question still remains. Can online home schooling fully optimize a toddler’s potential?

Yes, online home schooling is an effective means of educating toddlers. With a variety of teaching styles and courses available, parents can surely find a curriculum that fits well into their toddler’s lifestyle. Because learning is done in the comforts of your home, your toddler will be able to easily adapt and adjust to the changes as compared to a regular school. Here are some ways how online home schooling helps toddlers with their education:

It Blends With Your Toddler’s Lifestyle

If your toddler learns best in a home setting, online home schooling helps him focus and maximize his capabilities. Just like a regular school, an online school has a certain curriculum students need to follow. The only difference is that it is a residential and technology based scholastic program. The online school’s program adjusts with your child’s learning style instead of your toddler adapting to the curriculum. Your toddler gets maximum education at a time that is convenient for him. Hence, the flexible and structured curriculum meets his needs and wants.

Help Is Always Available

Since online home school is done through the internet, your toddler’s online teachers and the staff are always available. If in case your little one has trouble understanding a certain topic, an assigned teacher can easily assist him. Or, there are pointers outlined in the online home school’s website which your toddler can easily refer to for guidance.

More Lessons Are Accomplished

Online homeschooling adapts with your toddler’s preferred learning style. Plus, it offers various teaching techniques. Your toddler is able to give 100% of his attention which results to a speedier accomplishment of lessons. What typically takes up a week for a regular classroom to discuss, online home school can complete in just a few hours.

Uses More Attention Grabbing Learning Materials

Online home schooling does not rely on blackboards and endless lectures. Instead, it provides a hands-on experience for your toddler. There are audio books which helps him easily identify the numbers, colors and shapes. Taped language lessons allow him to follow the recorded voice making it effortless for him to pronounce words correctly. Colorful online activities are given which makes it easier for your little one to solve simple math problems. Even science projects are given.

Easy Lesson Retention

Your toddler can participate in online discussions that provide him extra information about certain topics. He gets to rehearse and relay all his learning’s with other online home schooled students as well. This allows him to retain all his leaning’s which efficiently helps him study, finish his homework and readings. Because lessons are easy to remember, he will no longer have a hard time answering his tests.

With the choices available, online home schooling is able to accommodate your toddler’s preferences. He gets the best quality education outside the classroom sans the pressure.

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Ways to Improve The Learning Styles of Children


Each person learns differently. For your toddler, a certain learning style may work on his playmate but may not work on him. He may learn best when lessons are orally done, through visual representations, auditory lectures or through hands-on activities. Knowing which type of learning style your toddler can easily adapt to can help him engage better in the educational process which in turn increases his development more proficiently.

The learning styles of children must be able to work with them fittingly. Hence, implementing various techniques to help lessen your little one’s burden and increase the effectiveness of his learning style is essential. Here are some tips to help you improve your toddler’s preferred learning style.

Improving Your Toddler’s Learning Style

If your toddler’s learning style is…

Auditory

Since your little one functions best with sound, involve his playtime with audio learning materials. Read books aloud. Afterwards, you can hold discussions and lectures to help him internalize his learning’s better. Use nursery rhymes and songs to help him identify the alphabet, the different sounds of animals and so on. Because he is an auditory learner, music will help him retain what he has learned better. Instead of regular books, go for audio books with taped lessons. Encourage your toddler to compose his own song. Discuss his lessons with him. This will boost his retention skills and help him remember his lessons well.

Kinaesthetic or Tactile

If your toddler is a very bouncy tot who cannot sit still in one place for a period of time, what he needs is a hands-on experience. Utilize his short attention span with a lot of physically demanding activities. Cook his favorite food together. To practice his writing, let him write and rewrite his lessons. Use a whiteboard to make problem solving enjoyable. Go outdoors. Visit the park, the zoo or your town’s local science museum. Incorporate demonstrations by holding experiments. Give him a plant and assign him to grow and tend it. As the plant grows, he learns how it develops which makes him understand things better.

Visual and Nonverbal

Pictures, charts, maps and graphs are his best companions. He has to have a quiet space in the house where he can study peacefully. Buy coloring books or use flashcards to help him determine and visualize animals, numbers and shapes better. Print printable pictures and let him color it. Let him make his own visual aid (e.g. flow charts) to help him recap what he has learned. Go to toddler websites which have downloadable videos. Or, why not go out and see a child-friendly movie. This will surely entice him and satiate his wandering mind.

Visual and Verbal

If your little one learns best through verbal or written representations, maximize children’s books and textbooks. Let him write his own notes in an index card. The more written information he sees, the more likely he will memorize it. Install a blackboard at home or make a PowerPoint presentation filled with pictures and words. Give him a colorful marker which he can use to underline important parts of a book.

The secret to making the most out of your toddler’s learning style is to incorporate fun activities. The learning’s he will acquire not only helps him with his education but with his personal life as well.

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How to Make Your Toddler Ready For Kindergarten


Your toddler is old enough to start school. But, is he ready? To make learning effective, it is essential that your toddler is physically, mentally, emotionally and socially prepared. Getting your toddler kindergarten ready can be done by doing small things. As always, consistency will help him adjust and adapt easily to this new exciting stage in his life.

Starting school is one of the most imperative transitions in your little one’s life. Since school is a new environment for your toddler, he might still feel wary and anxious. Hence, it is your responsibility to ease his worries. Here are some easy tips you can apply to help your toddler get ready for kindergarten.

Preparing Your Toddler For Kindergarten

Boost Basic Skills

Your toddler must be physically prepared for kindergarten. Now that he knows basic skills, you need to exercise them to help improve his abilities. During his playtime, hold educational activities. Encourage him to draw, paint, write and read. Give him blocks and puzzles to help boost his problem solving skill. Incorporate physical activities during his playtime. Perform activities that let him practice how to climb the stairs, hop, jump, run, and walk with control.

Assign him to do simple household errands like putting his dirty clothes in the hamper, opening the mailbox, putting his toys back in the chest or setting the table. Make the most out of craft materials. Use clay dough, crayons, coloring books, paper, scissors and so on. This will build hand-eye coordination and increase his motor and fine motor skills. To make it extra fun for your toddler, do these exercises together. With your assistance, he will be able to learn more efficiently.

Exercise Basic Lessons

By now, your little one knows how to count, read the alphabet and distinguish shapes. Expand his mind by doing fun indoor and outdoor exercises. Each time you go to the grocery store, let him assist you in putting the items in the counter. Tally the items together. When outdoors, go to the park and let him enumerate the things he see. Hold a car counting contest. At home, use his blocks to identify colors or let him arrange it in size order.

Practice Independence

Your toddler needs to be aware by this time. Train him to memorize his basic information (e.g. his full name, age, address, name of parents and contact number) in case of any emergency. If he finds it difficult to remember all these information, leave your calling card in his bag or pocket. Teach him to clean up on his own. Train your toddler to do simple things without any assistance like reading his own name, dressing himself, tying his shoes, going to the bathroom, washing his hands and blowing his nose.

Improve Social Interaction

Your toddler will interact with a lot of children his age in kindergarten. Hence, introducing him to different people will prepare him to socialize well with his peers. Encourage your toddler to play outdoors. Invite his playmates over. Have an afternoon of movie marathon. Round up your neighbors’ kids and do fun-filled activities such as a puppet show or an arts and crafts workshop. Divide them into teams. Or, you may enroll him in a sports class or summer camp. This will train him to be comfortable working with a team. Plus, he learns how to socialize and deal with different personalities. He learns the value of giving, sharing and listening.

Visit The School

To ease out the fear of your toddler, take a tour of his soon-to-be school. Visit a couple of weeks before his school starts so he is able to get a good feel of this new environment. Introduce him to his teachers. Attend the orientation seminar together. Let him play in the school’s playground so he gets to socialize with other toddlers. Stop over classrooms, libraries and other parts of the school building.

Have a Heart to Heart Conversation

While yes you are also anxious for his first day in kindergarten, never express your anxiety to your toddler. This will only scare him and increase his panic. Share your own happy kindergarten memories. Explain to him why he needs to go to kindergarten. Tell him about all the fun activities he can do every day, the friendly teachers, the friends he will make, his Justice League school bag and the supplies he will be using and finally, the food he wants to eat for lunch and snack time.

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Tips For Effectively Homeschooling Children


School for children consists of a uniform, classmates, teachers, canteen and the playground. But, what if your toddler is being home schooled? Will your little one still be able to get the same education? Can he balance learning and play with all the free time he has? Yes, indeed he can. By having a method and using the right techniques, you can ensure your toddler gets the best education and even more.

Homeschooling children is very different from going to a regular school. For parents, it is not an easy decision to make. It may or may not suit the family. But, if your toddler needs special care or you feel being home schooled is best for your little one, making it work is easy. To help you out, here are some tips gathered from moms whose kids are home schooled as well.

Be Ready

Before starting off homeschooling your child, first, you need to prepare yourself. This is a big role and a huge responsibility to take. Realize that what is most important is for your toddler to get the best education he deserves. Second, as your little one’s teacher, being capable in handling his problems and in giving lessons is necessary. Homeschooling your toddler is like a full-time job. You need to be 100% free from any commitment to make sure you can give all your attention. Third, you need to mold it into your family’s lifestyle to help avoid any conflict.

Next, you need to know the legalities of homeschooling. Figure out what your state requires, what the rules are about homeschooling. Determine if you need to register yourself as a private school. Check if your state obliges you to take tests to gauge how capable you are.

Determine The Best Learning Style of Your Toddler

To help you recognize the best home school teaching method for your toddler, recognize your toddler’s needs as well as his strong and weak points. Here are some examples of home school teaching styles:

  • Complete Online Curriculum Package. Best for parents and toddlers who are still new to homeschooling. The package contains books, activities, reviewers, test papers and a teaching guide. Packages may also require you to e-mail your toddler’s work to an assigned teacher who will correct and grade your toddler’s work.
  • Charlotte Mason. This teaching style lets your toddler learn by narration or telling back what he has learned. You use the best books, art and music as your teaching aid. Charlotte Mason has a unique style in educating your little one how to correctly pronounce and spell words. Tests are done through an essay-style examination.
  • Montessori. Focuses on immersion of different cultures. More of an experimental learning instead of the standard classroom teaching approach. Hands-on activities are used in teaching toddlers which is good in helping toddlers retain their learning’s.
  • Waldorf. Focuses on the overall development of your toddler by using the head, hands and heart. Boosts your toddler’s artistic, mental and spiritual skills.

Collect School Materials

Just like in a regular school, you need to have all his learning essentials ready. Buy books about different topics, read along Cd’s and a headphone. Papers, pencils, scissors, crayons, coloring books, blank canvases, paint, clay dough, flash cards, puzzles and blocks. To add formality, have a medium-sized blackboard hanged in the wall, a table and a chair so he feels comfortable.

Have Variety

Test papers, recitations and reading exercises can be boring for your toddler. Look for hands-on activities. A science project, cooking or gardening lessons or even hosting a field trip will help your toddler enjoy. Or, you can also hold an outdoor class. Use his favorite toys as school materials. These are excellent tools to make him easily understand his lessons. Plus, this will keep him interested.

Do Not Eliminate Playtime

Since he is home schooled, your toddler’s time depends on your hands. Do not consume all of his time learning new lessons. Have break time’s in between classes. Let him eat his snacks. Allow him to take a nap in the middle of the day. After his lessons, let him play outside. This prevents your toddler from shying away from his peers and from becoming a loner. During weekends, spend the day out. He needs as much social interaction he can get. Lastly, at the end of each day, talk to him as a parent not as a teacher. In this way, you give him breathing room to relax and enjoy.

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