BabyWhispererForums.com
ACTIVITY => Activity Time & Toddler Activity => Topic started by: ~Emma~ on December 04, 2011, 19:09:47 pm
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I've been thinking alot about how I spend my time with B and the fact is I am utterly rubbish with the whole imaginative play thing. Thats not to say I wont keep trying at it but after alot of though I have decided that B and I are at our best when I am teaching and he is learning. He gets a great sense of achievement from learning things and getting things right and he enjoys it for the most part.
I really want to teach him letter and numbers. Is he way too young for that? If not how do I start? I want it to be VERY basic and most of all FUN! Something that will engage him for a little while each day, I'll just be going at his his pace so it could be 5 mins or it could 2 hours! Who knows?
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Does he like stickers? There are good sticker books by Galt which are fun and will tech him the letters and numbers.
Have you thought about teaching him other things as well? If the goal is merely teaching then you could do a kind of project every week - learning about the fire station, for example, or doing a nature project.
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Hi
I've been thinking a lot about this too recently with my son (he's 2.5) because a friend of mine mentioned her LO's nursery had started teaching him number 0-5!! and he's 2y10months)...I was like 'wow, maybe my DS would take to that as he's pretty forward and loves learning new things....
So anyway I have this book called 'I can do it' by Maja Pitamic...it's all ideas of things to do with your toddler-preschooler that teaches them skills. There's a whole numeracy and literacy section in it with ideas of how to introduce numbers then developing the knowledge then sequencing etc. There are too many activities to go into detail about them all but essentionally introducing numbers she suggests writing the numbers big on cards then give your child the cards with the numbers 1 and 2 on then trace the number 1 with finger saying 'this is hiw we write 'one'' then they do it then same for 2''....after that trace them saying '1' or '2' then say 'show me 1' 'show me 2 then mix them up...'which is 1?' 'which is 2'?...she also says not to teach more than one or two new numerals in a day....you can do things like putting the number card next to an empty cup and counting that number of pasta/beans/marbles etc into that cup
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Maeve has known her numbers forever. Letters I haven't bothered with upto now but am sure if I put effort in she would get those too.
With numbers I taught them quite incidentally. writing them and telling her about them. Recently we've done those number sticker books and she loves them. Before she started nursery we started doing a number project each week. So I made a workbook and first page would practically write the number and tracing it. Page 2 would be counting objects and matching them. Page 3 was a big number which she would colour and stick glitter and stuff on. Page 4 couting and writing the number and so on. She loved it!
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Oscar learned his colours and then his numbers from his Thomas the Tank toys.....
I just bought this for my niece -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141339675/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
and this -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141501960/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
who is just over 2.5 - for her stocking. Emma is really good at counting, much better than Oscar - at counting reliably up to 5 items - so give me 4 napkins, three spoons etc but is not as good at recognising numbers as she's a much more "practical" person who HATES to be taught, has to get there herself!
S x
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It is interesting, because at 2, M was speech delayed, but knew the whole alphabet. I hate to say it, but Sesame Street helped a lot, since he watched it every morning as we were trying to get out the door. My babysitter at the time also got us a Leap Frog thing for our fridge that had letters and it played sounds.
we also always read before bed and discussed letters and sounds. Now my 18 month old, will try letters and sounds with us. M is 3.5 and knows all of his letters and numbers up until 10.
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It is interesting, because at 2, M was speech delayed, but knew the whole alphabet.
Kara that is sooooo ironic that you say that. Same here. And at 2y3mo he could count the sequence from 1-10 and recognize the numbers as well as group objects and use the numbers that he knew (ie get me three, what is bigger 3 or 7, etc) and since about 2y5mo has known most of his letters by sight and name and is starting to recognize certain sight words. But the kid still can't say his own name ::)
Anyway, numbers - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. One watch of Mickey the Cowboy rounding up the escaped numbers was all it took. We have a large EVA foam puzzle mat with numbers and we used to play hopscotch on it, which he loved!! He plays the kneebouncers website and loved the game to pop the number bubbles, so that helped as well.
He learned most of his letters just form an alphabet story book that we had and read before bed - no special focus on it just one of the many in rotation. At 2 or so my DH started getting DS to match upper and lower case letters when they were reading the story and he learned his letters pretty quickly that way!! But it was a game to him and it was just a matter of something they did over and over and made it fun.
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Anyway, numbers - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. One watch of Mickey the Cowboy rounding up the escaped numbers was all it took.
Us too!! 'We're going to round up all them number 10 to 1, 10 to 1'!!!
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We have some giant coloured posters up on the wall of Cadan's room with numbers 1-20 with different things in each of the quantities and he loves to go through them and "count" one car, two cows etc. He can already say the numbers 1-10 in correct order and has some recognition of what 1 and 2 and 3 actually mean. He is always asking to stand in front of the posters and point the various things out. We also have ones for colours and shapes.
He has a touch and feel ABC book which he loves reading too.
I often ask him how many of something I have (like books or pencils etc.) and help him count them.
We also count things like stairs and jumps on the trampoline.
His cousin has foam letters for the bath and we often ask him to find a C for Cadan, an M for mummy etc. although he hasn't quite got the hang of that yet but B is quite a bit older so would probably pick it up quicker.
Fridge magnets would also be a good one and I like the stickers idea too.
I think it's really important to just incorporate these things into your day so he hears them lots but doesn't feel pressured to learn or get bored.
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I didn't read all the posts here but my Dad started counting the stairs every time he carried the kids up or down, both could count to 13 very early... 13 stairs!
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Oh he can count alright! He can count to 25! Sometimes he messes up and sometimes he just cant be bothered but he can do it. He also knows the alphabet song BUT I'd like for him to be able recognise the numbers and letter.
Thus far we have nailed 8....its looks like a snowman. And the number 1! ;)
I have ordered one of those leapfrog fridge magnets for his Christmas too. And my goodness, some of oy have little genuises on oyur hands by the sounds of it! ;D
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Yes am convinced LJ could count 1 to 3 even tho she's only 8 months - if she could talk. Ever since she was born we've always told her what we are going to do and counted to 3 before we picked her up.
Also count scoops when making bottles so think she's well on her way to 8 lol xx
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I used to be a teacher (in my prior life...before kids) and upon the recommendation of every single other kindergarten teacher I purchased this movie.
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Factory-Roy-Allen-Smith/dp/B001TKUXUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323713084&sr=8-1
When I sat down and watched it with my son it seemed like every other alphabet movie out there, but for some reason it works! Read the reviews. It's amazing. By 18months my son knew every letter and sound! We obviously reinforced them at home and "worked" ( I use that term VERY loosely because he's so young, that all we do is play, but it's education play) with him, but I attribute a lot of the results from this movie!
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Ever since she was born we've always told her what we are going to do and counted to 3 before we picked her up.
Ahh, Tracy taught us all that one! ;)
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Some of the things that were listed in our school handouts for parents helping children at home (so talking 5yo's more so, but same ideas KWIM)
* show house numbers when going on a walk (odds & evens when older)
* look at signs & ask them to see if there is a "P" (give the sound not the name)
* play matching games with letters or numbers (then on to words) rather than pictures
*show them words in things around them & get them to look for one that is the same as the one you point to
* READ READ & READ to them, children who are read to do learn to read faster than those who aren't
* count steps, count out food, count cars
* being able to count to 10 or know the alphabet by memory isn't the same as actually understanding how they are used, so just saying lets count to 10 or singing the alphabet song is more about memory of a pattern than understanding of letters & numbers, so it is good to physically talk about there being 8 with one more now 9, rather than 7,8,9 KWIM
*cook, measuring
Children generally learn best when it doesn't feel like they are (even at older ages) & learning isn't linear, often it is a combination of exposure & timing.
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She did indeed RachelC :) x
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Sorry, not read the whole thread as I don't have much time (just browsing ;)) but I think I'll come back later to read about these little geniuses here.
Meanwhile... I bought 3 sets of these wooden alphabet blocks when DS was about 6 months, they are LOVELY
http://reviews.asda.com/1440-en_gb/000736374/asda-play-and-learn-26-piece-wooden-blocks-reviews/reviews.htm
(£3.50 per set)
What I love about them is that they are not 'just' letters. The letters can be talked about and introduced whilst building towers (physical activity helps learning and there needn't be a huge focus on the letters but just fun building), the blocks can be used for adding up and counting too (although they do not have numbers printed on them, just use as blocks).
Each block has 2 different letters on. Now I bought 3 sets thinking they had one letter on each and the only way to make the word 'mummy' would be to have 3 sets, I was wrong, 2 sets would do it, but as they are so cheap I'm still pleased to have the extra blocks and extra letters (I'd like even more to be honest, and make whole phrases!)
Each block also has 4 pictures on, pics of objects that begin with those letters. So these are a lovely addition to looking at and working with the letters.
I was looking for inspiration for gifts on 'notonthehighstreet' and came across this
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/e-side/product/tell-me-a-story-set
which is 3 blocks, no letters, just pics on each side, it's a game where you throw the blocks (dice) down and make up a story to include those objects. The site explains the game in more detail. It's £32 and whilst it looks lovely you could play exactly this game with the cheap Asda blocks too. Whatever letter or picture is thrown then that must be incorporated into a verbal story/sentence. What fun! I can't wait to start this with DS.
My own little genius can now pick out all the letter 'd's from his big plastic letter set. He mostly chews on them but at 11 months old I am v v proud that he recognises a shape and links it to me saying the 'duh' sound. He has no idea which way up the letter is supposed to go (and he still think they all belong in his mouth) and we are a long way off literacy but such fun fun fun!
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Also just wanted to jump on & say for those with younger LOs who want to start teaching letters & numbers, we got a basic plastic shape sorter from mothercare with shapes on 2 sides, letters A B C on one side and numbers 1 2 3 on the other.
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Shape-Sorter-Cube/dp/B002P9ABB2
Its great b/c while we play with the shape sorter I tell my 16month DS the sound that goes with the letter shape & in the last month he's learnt to recognise & say them all by himself.
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Just want to add something from a parent of a 6.5yo who is 'gifted' & was reading at 4yo. DS2 was fortunate he had a teacher who was willing & interested in offering opportunities to extend him, BUT DS2 was not interested in being "different" to the other children at school, he didn't really like having extension work & so rarely did it & that did impact his overall motivation in the classroom, because he had learnt (self taught) reading at an earlier age he went to school reading, but I can't say it was helpful, sure he did his classwork/homework quickly & easily & he isn't a child who would misbehave when bored (& I don't actually think he was bored) so he wasn't a challenge to the teacher in class, but he did spend lots of time running errands/taking others to the toilet or even helping other children, in itself not a bad thing BUT despite having opportunity & ability, he didn't want to & as they say "you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink".
DS2 will be in year 1 next year & the class he has is a 1/2 but it won't be challenging for Ds2 as he is already at 2+ level academically, but I know the teacher & she will offer him challenges, that still won't mean he will take them up.
DS2 has always been a child who does things when he chooses (cruised furniture for 6months, but ran the week after he walked) & does them without 'error'. At 6y5mo he HATED writing & spelling, the last 3 days he has written 3 pages in a journal of his Holidays, I'm talking on 1cm lines (writing more neatly than half the children who were in DS1's year 2 class), & it started like this "On day 1 of the holidays I woke up at 6:00 I sat down to watch TV and I watched Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes the hurricanes got all out on 140 the Scorchers needed 141 the Hurricanes win by 31 runs then we played Monopoly..." He used the computer & all manner of things around the house to work out spelling, & he didn't have a spelling mistake (punctuation needs some help LOL) It seems with DS2 that 6y 6mo was the point at which he "clicked" with writing as now he is loving it, but he would hardly write a sentance for the teacher, even when she asked him to tell her what he wanted to write so she could give him the hard words (she knew he hates to spell things incorrectly)
Not that I would be able to stop DS2 teaching himself to read, because I didn't teach him BUT I know if I had my time over I think I would be trying to limit the school type learning & get him learning in a different direction because with a child who wants to learn being an early reader is a great thing, but with a child who is happy with their status quo, even if it is well advanced he hasn't had the chance to experience a joy of learning the same way I see it with my DS1.
Just wanted to give some food for thought there... early readers in some personality types isn't an advantage.
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Emma - I started early with H too. We started with writing his name - his nickname 'H'! Then we moved onto each of the letters in his name - always just playing and stopping the minute he lost interest.
But that's the only thing I've consciously taught him. We've bought books and cards etc but mostly I've just made use of every letter/number we see in everyday life - on toys, food packets, tv, road signs etc etc etc. I would point out his favourite letters in bed time stories, get him to look for them in the words - just any opportunity. He can say the whole alphabet, sound out the phonetics for each letter and put simple every day 3/4 letter words together with help. Re numbers we're working on double digit numbers (helped by his advent calendar). I can't take all the credit - he sits with the older children at the child minders when they do their school homework and Nat gives him 'work' to do as well.
I was worried I'd started too early but as long as he's interested teach him anything he wants to know I say! And I'm the same - pretty rubbish at imaginative play!! Just can't do it!
A little tip from my childminder re writing practice - instead of dots for making letters or numbers for them to write over, she uses highlighter pens, then they have to keep inside the 'lines' and write over them. H loves this and will do pages of it.