Whether you plan to homeschool or send your child to a private or public school, as a parent, you play an important role in your child's education. Especially in their younger years. Babies, toddlers and young children soak up information quickly and easily. If you would like to encourage a love for learning in your child, you need to start early. Thankfully, it can be simple and fun to do.
4 Easy Steps for Teaching Your Child
1. Play
Children can learn so many important skills and lessons while playing. Encourage your child to use his/her imagination during this time and join in the fun.
Educational toys, puzzles and games can be great tools in aiding you to guide your toddler's playtime. Some of our current favorites include a shape sorting cube, stacking rings and nesting blocks.
Also, playdates with other children are important as well (especially if you have an only child) in order to develop social skills to properly interact with others. These don't necessarily have to be formal settings. Getting together with friends or allowing your child to play in the nursery at church can accomplish the same thing.
2. Read often
There is overwhelming evidence that reading to your baby or young child will help improve there performance in school. Reading to your toddler is a simple and enjoyable way to help your little one learn and improves his/her language and critical thinking skills.
3. Sing
What toddler doesn't like music? Singing songs with your child is a great way to help build their vocabulary. Add in a few dance moves to aid their motor skills development and make it more fun. The sillier the better! Also, music makes things easier to remember. When age-appropriate, you child can sing the ABCs, favorite Bible verses and even the multiplication tables.
4. Use routine tasks
While this take a little more memory power, it is a simple enough task. Teach your children life skills and character lessons through their daily routine tasks. For example, when my husband and I put our daughter's shoes on, we also tell her which foot we are doing. "First the left foot... Now the right foot."
If you get creative you can find ways to turn everything you and your child do into a lesson of some sort. Learning doesn't have to be in school, at a desk or from a textbook. Learning is a lifestyle. The process can (and should) be fun and rewarding.
How do you make learning more enjoyable for your child?
About the Author: Jenni is blessed to be the wife of a godly man and a stay-at-home mama to a spirited, red-headed little girl. When she's not chasing her daughter, cleaning the house or cooking dinner, Jenni can be found writing at Live Called, where she passionately inspires women to live for the glory of God in every season of life. She is a fan of run-on sentences, decaf lattes, and deep conversations. She would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter.
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