Preschool aged children are amazing. They are full of wonder and excitement over everyday activities. They are at the perfect age to begin teaching them more about essential skills and learning topics that they will take with them throughout their lives. Create a fun learning environment by embracing opportunity and activities as they come. Be strategic in your efforts by showing kids that learning is enjoyable for everyone. Please keep reading to get started today.
Letter and Numbers
The foundation of education and growth are the letters and numbers your preschoolers will learn while they are young. These figures represent the building blocks of everything going forward in their education. While it may seem that you must begin teaching your child what equates to quantum physics before they even enter into their formal education years, know that you have time. You can start the learning process now, but make it fun and exciting versus stressful and competitive.
Incorporate these ideas into your preschooler’s day for high-impact and low-stress ways to learn about letters and numbers.
- Sight Words – When your child learns their letters, the world opens up for them. They feel pride in their ability to recognize the letters they see in their bedtime books out in the real world. Help them step up to the next level toward reading by introducing easy sight words for preschoolers. These words are simple and often found in everyday life. Without force or pressure, naturally point out words on billboards when you are running errands together or letters on their favorite box of cereal.Associate the words with actions, like the word jump to make it even more fun.
- Numbers – Numbers are just as important as letters but are often put on the proverbial backburner when it comes to introducing them. Begin showing your preschoolers numbers out in the community as you go about your day together.
For example, point out the numbers on an elevator panel and count them together as you ascend floors toward your destination. Count the birds sitting on a telephone wire (and talk about how cute they are) or the bagels in the display case as you wait for your breakfast order. There are endless opportunities to showcase numbers and count every day to get children comfortable with counting.
Social and Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning is just as important in your preschooler’s life as the traditional learning model. Knowing how to act and interact within society and be confident is essential for little kids to begin practicing. While they may not have full command of their emotions or understand the nuances of conversation, starting small now will help them later.
Here are some little steps that will have a big impact.
- Eye Contact – In today’s world, many teens are not great at eye contact. They are accustomed to conducting so much of their daily lives from their phones. While it is unlikely your preschooler has a phone yet, the instruction still applies. Whenever you are at a restaurant or the doctor, encourage your little one to look the waiter or healthcare provider in the eyes as they talk with one another. This helps build confidence.
- Sharing – The topic of sharing is a big one for little kids. Teaching them how to share and show kindness towards others is a valuable tool that will serve them well in their lives. It is an inroad to making new friends and sharing their life with others as they grow.
However, sometimes adults tell kids they have to share everything. Would you share your diamond necklace with a relative stranger you have only had a few lunches with? Translate that to a playdate for your kids with a new “friend.” If your child has a favorite toy they treasure, leave it at home or put it away before the playdate. Teach them that it is okay, and they can bring it out later if they want to share. Otherwise, keep it where it is.
The Basics
Every preschooler should begin learning some vital information and add a few new skills to their burgeoning repertoire. They may not be earth-shattering, but these things lay a foundation for building their skill set and adding to it as they age.
Here are a couple of important skills to begin with.
- Home Address and Phone Number – Knowing their home address and key phone numbers is crucial for a preschooler. If you think that will be too much for them to learn, take a step back and consider all of the theme songs from their favorite shows or songs on the radio they sing along to. Kids can and should memorize the cell phone numbers of their caretakers.
Create a sing-songy way to learn the phone numbers with area codes and sing them here and there with your child throughout the day. Post the phone numbers and home addresses on notes in places such as the bathroom mirror and on the fridge. And teach them your full name, too!
- Zippers, Buttons, and Laces – The bane of many rushed mornings are zippers, buttons, and laces. Parents are rushed, and kids do not know how to quickly put on their clothing, coats, and shoes on their own. They do not need to, nor will they, master these fine motor tasks immediately. But, if they do not start, they will become frustrated every time.
Plug in 10 extra minutes before leaving the house to give them space and your patience when zipping jackets. The same goes for when they need to practice one of these tasks. Eventually, they will build the dexterity and ability to do it by themselves.
Watch this cute video for a tutorial on shoe tying. (Note: This task may take a few years to fully master.)
Foster a love of learning, confidence, and life-long essential skills in your preschoolers by finding fun and innovative ways to help them grow. From learning sight words to memorizing important phone numbers, they will become more confident in everything they do. Kids enjoy learning. Inspire them by creating a happy and fun environment for them to do so while making precious memories together.