Making LEARNING enjoyable for your kids.

Since starting this blog 2 years ago, I've received several emails where Mums have asked me for tips & ideas on making 'learning' more enjoyable for their kids. Most of the Mums who emailed me, were referring to young children {under 5}, who they stayed home with fulltime.

The teaching of children is NOT solely a 'teacher's' responsibility. Learning starts from birth & is built upon over time by parents, teachers, Grandparents, child care workers, family members, babysitters, community members, the media, technology & even TV. Hey...what's that saying? It takes a whole a village to raise a child!

With a background in teaching primary school children, I find it quite natural to 'teach' my own children. But, in saying that, you DO NOT need to be a teacher to give your child a good start to the world of reading, writing, counting, singing, imagining & learning. The more exposure they get to 'learning' at a young age will result in them feeling more confident once they start school. And it's not about being smart or dumb! And it's not about boys & girls. My theory is to have fun with your kids. Enjoy them while they're young. Embrace their talents, work on their weaknesses, and basically expose them to a wide variety of stimulations & materials. Teaching children doesn't need to be a timely task {trust me I know how little time there is in each day whether you're a working mum or a stay-at-home mum}, most teaching & learning happens when integrated into everyday tasks or activities.

Here's a few ideas how you can 'teach' your kids....

• Read to them from a VERY young age.....even from birth. Getting into a routine of books before bed is fun, soothing & educational. Get them interested in pictures, words & characters.
• Take a trip to the library ever few weeks. Most local libraries offer Baby Story Time or Rhythm Time. Our local library also offers activities for toddlers & school aged children in the holidays. Just by surrounding your child with books from an early age can have a positive outcome towards their learning attitudes.
• Count! Count toes & fingers, or sultanas or plastic dinosaurs. Count peas at dinner time or how many steps you walk up. Just COUNT :) During play, simply find the opportunity to count. As they get older, start counting further & talking about 'taking some away' or 'adding more on'.
• Study numbers. This can be done during everyday activities. For example, when we're out driving, I ask my 4yr old to find the speed signs. When she sees one, she has to tell me what number it was. Over time, we have talked about the numbers & what they mean. Number study can be done at home or when out shopping. Simply going on 'number hunts' can be fun and embed in them a very basic understanding of simple numbers & their pace value.Walk up your street and get your child to read out the letterbox numbers.

• Get them involved with cooking & baking! Cooking can be a great chance to 'teach' your children without it being stressful or too focussed. Measuring, weighing & counting are big parts in cooking, as is reading recipes & following instructions. Not only is fun, but educational too.
• Do some art & craft. I know some people cringe at the idea of crafting with their kids....and that's ok. But some simple activities can really support & develop your child's fine motor skills. Plus it's allowing them be creative. AND...they feel success when they see a finished product of something THEY'VE made! If you're not a fan of painting or working with clay, simply do some cutting & gluing & drawing activities. When Ella was about 2 yrs old, she LOVED when I drew an outline of her name or a number or a shape on some card. She would then smother it with glue & decorate it with sequins, rice, pasta shells, paper etc. Little things like that can 'teach' them, trust me.
• Weave their interests into learning opportunities. Sometimes, mothers of boys say they have difficulty teaching their sons, because their child lacks interest in learning.....If your son LOVES dinosaurs or cars or Lego...then find a way to use this. Sort the toy cars into colour categories. Set them a challenge to build something with Lego using only a certain amount of pieces. Hide the dinosaurs around the house, tell them how many there are, and let them go hunt. Be creative & you can sneakily be 'teaching' them skills without them knowing :)
• Write their name on card & get them to trace it, or stick string along the lines, or copy it onto other paper, or cut it out etc. Cut up magazines or catalogues - hunt for certain letters or sounds or pictures.
• Play a board game. Introduce them to the concept on dice & counters, and taking turns.

• Do puzzles together. Start with the basic wooden ones where they place the shapes into the moulds, then slowly move up to jigsaw puzzles. You can even make your own jigsaw puzzle by cutting a photo of them into pieces for them to put back together.
• Playdough is great for fine motor skills. AS it allows them to squeeze & cut & roll. They can make shapes & letters & let their imaginations go wild. Get my easy playdough recipe from here.
• Invest in some educational books, toys & technologies. Most people these days have a computer in their home or a Smart Phone or iPad. With supervision, let your children use them! There are so many great apps & websites out there that truly do educate & develop your child's skills & knowledge.
• When out shopping explain to them amounts & change, and the concept of money. As they get older, get them to pay for something using some coins. Let them experience the fun side of shopping. 
• Take a 'learning activity' to a different location. Throw a picnic rug down in your backyard, and sit with your kid/s. Enjoy some books, puzzles or games that you'd normally do inside, have some yummy snacks to enjoy too. Sometimes a change of scenery can inspire them, or maintain their concentration for longer.

• Talk about position words. Words like under, over, next to, right side etc. Get your child to demonstrate these positions, or draw objects to represent each meaning.
• TALK TALK TALK! I truly think the best way to expand your child's knowledge & vocabulary is to talk to them. Explain things clearly. Tell them why and how and where. Explain the 'who's' in their life and the reasons for certain things. Answer their questions and encourage lots of conversation.
• Go on a shape hunt. Draw some shapes on a piece of paper and go hunting around the house or garden for objects that are the same shapes. Keep a list or get your child to draw them.
• Make a photo story. Let your child use your camera {or invest in a kid's digital camera...I saw some at Big W for $30}. Allow them to take photos of their surroundings. Seeing things through a lens can really give them a different perspective or view on things. Something I really want to do with my 4yr old soon, is create a photographic ABC book. I can't remember where I first saw this idea, but I think it's brilliant. We're going to create a photo album of the Alphabet {with Ella being the photographer} using objects around our home & local community. Stay tuned....I'll let you know how we go :)
• Let their imagination run wild. Make up stories that involve them as the main character and then listen as they tell you one. Join in with their dressup games......role playing is a great way to learn & interact & have some fun with your kids. 
• SING YOUR HEART OUT!!! Sing to your children. Nursery Rhymes are a great way to grab your infant's attention or soothe them when they're unsettled, but they're also fun to sing along with your toddler. As they get older, find some more age appropriate music to suit their likes. At the moment, Ella LOVES listening & watching old Peter Combe songs on YouTube. I sometime buy 'Barbie' or 'Disney' songs from iTunes for Ella to listen to during her play or quiet time. And in the car, we play a $2 CD of kid's songs :) Singing to your kids....believe it or not....is another way to 'teach' them!!!

So, there you have it!!! There's a few {or a lot} of suggestions on ways you can TEACH your young child some basic skills.

Teaching & learning doesn't need to be stressful....especially with young children {save those stressful learning moments for when they're teenagers & they tell you their 1000 word essay is due the next day, which they haven't started & have no idea what they're going to write about!! haaa Mum, ring any bells?}

HAVE FUN with your kids, get involved and before you know it.....they're learning & achieving!! And, I know every child is different & every child learns in their own way. Some LOVE the idea of learning & actually search for it....whereas other's show no interest & shy away from education. Don't stress....they're only little remember :)

Do you have any other ideas or suggestions to add to this list? Please share!!!

Until next time....

Comments

[Amanda]

What an AWESOME post Claire!! I have a guest post I'm writing at the moment about 'play at our house' so will have to link to this post of yours for sure for some great ideas people can use. I often wonder if it's just because we're teachers that ideas of how to involve learning within play comes naturally but your suggestions above prove that ANYONE can help their child learn at home and make it fun. Your ideas also show that things parents deem as 'playing' are actually wonderful learning opportunities. Grace LOVES cooking, LOVES play dough, LOVES art etc. so I'm really glad I'm able to share these experiences with her. We actually just borrowed a Disney songs CD from the library this week to play in the car as a change from our Play School one. Love the digital camera idea (Grace was having fun taking photos last night on Paul's phone) and would love to see Ella's ABC photo book when it's done. Perhaps you could share some great sites/apps for children's learning online in a future post? Thanks for sharing all these great ideas Claire, you're a gem!!

Enjoy your weekend lovely xx

[Leesa]

What a great post! I am constantly trying to think of ideas to keep my two year old entertained while teaching her at the same time. It is good to know every day tasks can be used as learning opportunities! They take in so much around them so I love the idea of consciously feeding her little mind with knowledge while she is having fun! I read about the importance of talking to babies and children as much as possible while I was pregnant and I have done so since she was a newborn....could be why she is a little chatterbox! Thanks for your ideas! :-)

[Kasey]

I just started a photographic ABC project with my 4 year old! As I was reading your blog she was telling me "I don't know what to do right now..." So I suggested making our own alphabet project. She wrote/traced the letters as she found objects around the house, then took a picture. I'm not sure what the final project will be-- a photobook, an alphabet board, a placemat, flashcards.... so many options!! Thanks for the idea, and thank you for sharing so much of your life in your blogs! I love the honesty :)

[Claire]

Great post! I already do most of those activities with my 20month old son, but I still get lots of inspiration by reading what others do with their children. I learnt long ago that children are only little once and a little mess with crafting/outside play or any other activities can easily be cleaned up, but those skills and the memories will last a lifetime :-)