Category: Educational Activities and Learning Games

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 5: Social and Emotional Skills

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This will be my last post in this little series about school skills for babies and toddlers. Social and emotional skills often get overlooked when people are thinking about what it takes for kids to be successful in school. As a former classroom teacher, however, I can assure you that these are some of the most important skills a child needs to develop in order to thrive (both in school and in the larger society that awaits them after graduation). Being able to cooperate, work with others, obey an authority figure, and follow the rules (at least most of the time) will go a long way in getting your child through school in one happy piece.

Social Skills
People are social creatures. And, since babies are just little people, they are born as social creatures. Children need to learn how to get along with others from a young age because, let’s face it, they’ll never be alone. There will be many situations that your child will be in where they will need to use good social skills: sharing with a sibling, playing with a friend, or completing a project with a school mate. Here are a few things you can start doing with your budding socialite now!
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  • Socializing baby- Introduce your baby to others and include him in your conversations. Baby will feel included and start to learn how to behave in social situations.
  • Practice playing with others- Young children don’t really play together, and they are psychologically not yet able to share. So don’t put that expectation on them.  What you can do, however, is give them opportunities to practice playing (some day they will actually care that there’s another child there who wants to play with them). Have play dates with other kids who are about the same age (for young children, keep play dates small—1 or 2 friends at a time–so they don’t get overwhelmed) and let them each do their own thing while occupying the same space. If nothing else, they’ll learn that the world  does not solely consist of them nor does it solely exist for them.
  • Solving Problems- Your toddler will throw a tantrum (“But MOM, I wanted to cut the dog’s hair with those scissors! How DARE you take them away!”). If your toddler is like mine, he will throw a tantrum every 15 minutes or so.  This is good–it gives us lots of opportunities to practice problem solving. After he calms down from the tantrum, have him help you solve the problem (“Sorry, scissors are for grown ups. Let’s get a brush for the dog instead. Would you like to help brush her fur?”). Get those problem solving skills down solid now–you don’t want to get “that call” from your kid’s principal about the fist fight on the playground!
  • Obeying- Learning to obey authority figures (you, Grandpa, a preschool teacher) is an absolute necessity. Sometimes when I find David is not obeying particularly well we’ll sing a little song: (to the tune of “Farmer and the Dell”) “O is for obey. O is for obey. Obey is doing what you’re asked, right away.” It’s a little cue for him to listen up and obey (and he knows by now that discipline is coming next if he doesn’t). When I start singing he usually will stop what he’s doing and sing with me–a good sag-way into diverting his attention to some other activity, thus forgetting about the need to disobey in the previous activity.
  • Following Directions- This goes along with obeying. Play “Simon Says”, “Red Light, Green Light” or “Mother May I?” to practice. Cook together and follow the directions in the recipe. Tell your baby how you are following directions: “When I’m driving I put on my seat belt and always drive the speed limit because that’s the law.” (You’re welcome, officer.)
  • Teach them how to use manners: Say please, thank you, excuse me, and sorry. Even babies can learn how to say these words with sign language. As soon as your little one starts doing “bad things” on purpose, have them apologize.  Then, say “I forgive you” and move on. As the parent, you can also demonstrate apologizing to your little one when YOU’VE done a “bad thing” (“I’m sorry I yelled. Sometimes Mommy gets frustrated when you don’t obey. Will you forgive me?”). If your child has wronged another, have them apologize to them (I even make David apologize to the baby. He’ll give Jacob a hug and a kiss, and then Jacob usually tries to eat his face. I love it!).
  • Role Playing Social Situations- Does your child get nervous every time they meet a new person? Does he like to hit to get what he wants? Does she scream to get your attention? Whatever your kid does that drives you nuts, practice it. Do a role reversal and pretend that you’re the kid and he’s the daddy–and throw a little temper tantrum for him (he’ll LOVE this!). Then show him the right way to get dad’s attention. Switch roles, and let him show you how to do things right and wrong. Or, before you go out for a play date, “play”  play date at home. Practice how you might say hello to your friend, how you will ask to play with a toy, how you will help clean up, etc.
  • Have them help- Even toddlers can help with simple chores like putting away their toys, sorting laundry, and washing things (this is David’s favorite job! I give him a damp paper towel and he’ll spend the better part of an hour cleaning my cupboards, the walls, the floor, his toys. It’s fantastic.). This gives kids a sense of ownership and shows them that they can (and should) contribute.

Emotional Skills
Here are some ways you can help your baby or toddler get in touch with their feelings. Awwww, baby kisses!
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  • Acknowledge and name emotions- Tell your child what the emotions are that they are feeling in a given situation. When your child is kicking and screaming because you have to leave the park, tell him that you know he’s frustrated by leaving something he enjoys. When your baby is giggling at your silly faces, tell her that you enjoy making her happy. Let your little ones know that it’s okay to feel _____ (mad, sad, shy, etc.).
  • Sing a song-We sing our own version of “If You’re Happy and you Know It” using lots of different emotions. Each verse has an emotion and an action (or a face) that goes with that emotion: If you’re happy and you know it, then you smile; If you’re sad and you know it, cry big tears; If you’re mad and you know it, make a frown; If you’re excited and you know it, jump up and down; If you’re scared and you know it, hide your eyes….and on and on until I can’t think of anything else to sing about.
  • Showing empathy-Help your child to notice how others are feeling: “Your brother is crying. He’s sad right now, but he’ll feel better soon. Let’s give him a hug to help him cheer up.”
  • Find emotions in books- Most children’s books have characters who express pretty obvious emotions. As you’re reading, ask your child (or tell your baby) how the puppy or the princess or the dinosaur is feeling right now.

So, that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my little series on school skills this week as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. You’re well on your way to having one savvy little student! Feel free to leave a comment with ways that you like to incorporate learning into your days–I’d love to get some new ideas!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 4: Science

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Babies and toddlers are natural explorers and experimenters. Everything in their world is new to them and requires further investigation. Science, then, comes quite naturally to young children. Here are some ways I help guide my kids in their scientific discoveries!

Make Observations

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  • Note properties of objects in your baby’s world: the size, shape, color, feel, smell, taste (when appropriate. Which, for a baby, happens to be all the time) and sound it makes. For instance, when you’re feeding ducks at the duck pond you can say, “See the duck in the pond? It’s a small brown duck. It makes a quacking sound. Feel a feather. It’s soft and shiny.”
  • Compare objects and their properties- Which slide in the park is bigger? Which snack tastes saltier, the cracker or the grape? What shape is the cover of the book we just read? Which is softer, your blanket or the baby wipes case?
  • When you’re at the park, on a walk, or even in your living room just stop and make observations. What sounds can you hear (a bird, an airplane, the dishwasher)? How does it feel (warm, hot, cold)? What can you smell (a flower, fresh-cut grass, dinner cooking in the oven)?
  • Play peek-a-boo: your baby will be observing you like crazy!
  • Describe your food: “See this grape. It’s green and round like an oval. It’s smooth and shiny. Let’s taste it. Yum! It’s sweet and juicy, even a bit tart.”
  • Point out “same” and “different”: “See these two toys? They are both the same because they’re both blue and can fit in my hand. They’re different because this one bounces and this one makes a rattling sound when I shake it.”
  • Turn off all the lights when it’s getting dark out and play with flashlights. See if your little one can find objects with his light. Or, you hold the light and shine it over the floor–have your little one chase the light (toddlers really are a lot like puppies!)

Explore Cause and Effect

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  • Build a block tower (or soup can tower) and knock it down. Then build it back up and knock it down again. Repeat.
  • Play “Sink or Float”- Get a tub of water (or play in the bath tub). One by one, drop objects into the water to see if they sink or float. For your older toddler, you can have them make a prediction of sink or float before you put the object in the water
  • When your child does something naughty (what, YOUR little angel be naughty?) explain–in not too many words–the effect of their actions. When you hit, it hurts. When you throw your food, it makes a mess. When you scream that high-pitched whiny scream at the top of your lungs from the back seat of the car, it makes Mommy veer off the road. Then let your little rebel help make restitution for their “effects” (here’s a rag to clean up the mashed bananas in the carpet, Sweetie).
  • Note what happens when you blow air into a balloon. If your baby doesn’t startle too easily, let them see what happens when you KEEP blowing into the balloon (POP!).

Experiment and Investigate

David - 0034Kids naturally want to explore their surroundings. Set up safe boundaries to allow your child to explore on their own or with your guidance. And don’t worry if your toddler gets dirty–they can always take a bath!

  • Cook with your kids
  • Play in the dirt, a sand box, or a mud puddle
  • Make predictions- What do you think will happen if we put this cup of yogurt in the freezer during your nap? (Then eat the frozen yogurt for a snack when he wakes up!)
  • Make a “sensory box”- fill a plastic bin with sand, dry rice or beans (*Note* small beans can be a choking hazard for the little guys, so use your discretion here). Put some small cups, spoons, or even excavator toys in the bin for digging around.
  • If your baby wants to see what it feels like to smear pureed carrots through her hair, let her give it a go. If your toddler wants to help dress himself in mismatched boots and backward sweat pants, let him. Young children learn by doing, even if it’s something we’d rather they not be doing. As long as they’re safe, there’s no harm in letting them experiment.
  • Put baby in a backpack and go for a good ‘ol nature walk. Point out the plants, animals, sights, and sounds around you.
  • Explore static- Rub a balloon on your hair and watch it stand up
  • Explore friction- Rub your baby with her towel to warm up after a bath

Weather and Temperature

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  • Talk about the weather when you look outside in the morning, are driving in the car, or are playing in the park. Play meteorologist for your baby and name the weather: sunny, cloudy, foggy, snowy, rainy (or, if you’re from Seattle, you can use the fancy rain words: drizzly, showers, downpour, sprinkles, misty, monsoon).
  • Talk about day and night, morning and afternoon- note how it gets dark and night and light during the day. The sun (or, in Seattle, the light clouds) come out in the day and the moon comes out at night.
  • Notice temperature changes- it’s warm inside and cold outside (at least where I’m from. If you’re lucky, you live in a place where it’s cool inside and hot outside. Can you tell it’s winter in Seattle right now?)

Know Your Body

  • Sing and “play” “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”–point out the body parts on your baby as you sing or have your toddler point them out on himself.
  • Lay your baby on her back and gently touch a body part and say what it is. Repeat 3-4 times before moving on to another body part: “Where is your chin? There’s your chin! There’s your chin! There’s your chin!”
  • Use proper names when talking about your child’s body parts. You might feel weird saying the proper name instead of some other cutesy word, but it’s important for kids to learn the correct vocabulary.
  • Read body books- As you’re reading, have your child find the body parts that are in the book. One of my favorites is “Here Are My Hands” by Bill Martin Jr.

Have fun exploring with your baby–you will probably both learn a lot in the process!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 3: Math

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Now that we’ve got reading and writing under control, we’ll tackle math. I have found that most adults seem dislike math or think it’s too hard, but children LOVE it! Math is fun, and somehow as we grow older it becomes “work” and we forget how much fun it really is. Plus, math skills are so important, both in and out of school, as children and as adults. Since math skills build upon each other, it’s really important for kids to have a firm grasp on the basics before they can move on. Setting a firm foundation in math skills is one way you can ensure success, and not frustration, when your child gets to school. Learning should be fun for kids and part of your daily life–no flash cards or lectures necessary! You can start doing any of these things with your baby or toddler to help prepare them for their math days ahead.

Number Concepts:

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  • Count- Count everything-the numbers on a mailbox, how many apple slices your child is eating for lunch, how many buttons are on his shirt, how many stairs you walk up to the nursery. If you’re feeling fancy, count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s as well. Don’t forget to include zero sometimes, and count backward as well!
  • Ordinals- Talk about ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) as you see them in your world (“The tree is the first plant by our fence, the rose bush is second, and the shrub is third.”).
  • Represent numbers- Show your child with concrete examples of what each number represents. For instance, get a group of five objects and count them together: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You can then show them the number 5 and say “This is a five. When we see the number five, we can think of five ____.”
  • More or less- As you’re playing with blocks or Legos, make groups of objects that are obviously more or less (and towers that are shorter or taller). Talk about which group  has more and which one has less, or point out which tower is taller and which one is shorter. You can even throw in the words “most” and “tallest” for some added challenge.
  • Sing number songs and say number rhymes like “One, Two Buckle My Shoe” and “The Ants Go Marching”

Colors

  • Point out colors- Find colors all around you, and talk about them. Talk about the colors on your child’s clothes, the colors of his favorite toys, and the colors on his dinner plate. It’s also helpful to point out color variances (a light blue ball versus a dark blue train).
  • Sing about colors- We like to sing about the colors we see. As I’m getting David dressed in the morning we’ll sing a song to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”: “David is wearing his yellow shirt, yellow shirt, yellow shirt. David is wearing his yellow shirt, all day long.” and we’ll repeat the song with as many different articles of clothing as we can.
  • Do a color sort- Find an object that is a single color and have your child find other objects in the room that are the same color. Repeat with another object of another color. Start a collection of “green things” or “blue things” that you can add to throughout the day.

Shapes

  • Look for shapes in your world- Find circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and rhombuses (the official name for diamonds) all around you. Point them out on road signs, in the grocery store, in books and when you’re playing in the park
  • Name 3-D shapes- As you’re pointing out shapes to your little one, don’t forget to show them 3-D shapes like spheres (balls), cones (ice cream cones), cubes (square boxes), and cylinders (an empty oatmeal container or soup can).

Time

  • Talk about what you’re doing first, what you’ll do next, and what you’ll do last (“First we’ll take off your dirty diaper, then we’ll wipe your bottom, and last we’ll put on a clean, dry diaper”).
  • Point out things that you did yesterday (or this morning), and give your child a preview about what will happen tomorrow (or what will happen after lunch, after his nap, etc).
  • Show how things change over time- show your toddler a picture of him as a baby, point out his empty plate after dinner (where once there was food, now it’s gone!), let your baby watch–from a safe distance–as you boil water for tea (see how hot and bubbly the water got!).

Patterns

  • Find patterns around you- The stripes on his shirt, the lines going down the middle of the road, the spots on a leopard at the zoo.
  • Create patterns together- Pick out two colors of blocks, and lay them out in an alternating “AB” pattern (red, blue, red, blue…). Have your child help you continue your pattern.
  • Find patterns in books- Many stories have language patterns that are pretty easy to pick out. Find these patterns and talk about them. Also, many books that your child may be familiar with have patterns (For instance, many books have a pattern of 3’s: 3 pigs, 3 bears, 3 wishes).

Sorting and Matching
You can really sort anything. Just choose a property(size, shape, color, feel), and start sorting! You’ll have to do the sorting for the tiny ones, but your toddler can help out or even start doing it on his own.

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  • Have your toddler help you sort socks when you’re folding the laundry. Two birds, one stone.
  • Sort objects by type: crayons in one pile, balls in another pile
  • Sort objects by size: big sticks in one pile, small sticks in another pile
  • Sort objects by color: purple toys here, green toys there, and yellow toys over there
  • Sort objects by use: toys in one pile, clothes in another pile
  • Sort objects by feel: rough materials here, smooth ones there
  • Do puzzles
  • Match two halves: Cut a picture in half. Match the two ends together to complete the picture.
  • Have your toddler help you sort the silverware as you’re putting away the dishes.

Measurement

  • Talk about long, longer, longest; tall, taller, and tallest; small, smaller and smallest; big, bigger and biggest; and short, shorter, shortest. Find examples around your house.
  • Measure an object (or your child!) with “non-standard units”. How many Legos tall is the chair? How many toothpicks long is Mommy’s shoe?
  • Weigh produce at the grocery store. Which is heavier: the watermelon or the onion?
  • Record your child’s height on a growth chart and watch how he grows over time.
  • Pour the same amount of liquid into different sizes of containers to see how the surface area changes
  • Have your toddler help you measure ingredients while you’re cooking together
  • Hold different-sized objects to feel which is heavier and lighter

Math is all around us, and your baby or toddler will love learning with you!

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers, Part 2: Literacy

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My first topic for this exploration into school skills for babies and toddlers will be literacy (reading and writing). This is probably the biggest area of instruction in early elementary school, so we’ll start here. You can do any of these things with your baby or toddler. Even if they can’t tell you what they’re learning, trust me, they’re soaking it all in!

Early Reading Skills:

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  • Read- I’ve mentioned this before, but reading is so very important. Make it a priority, and a habit, to read with your kids every single day. For us, this means we have an “official” story time before nap time and Bible story time before bed. We also read at various points throughout the day, but this way I know we have a set time every day when reading will definitely happen.  If you establish good reading habits (and good reading memories) early on, it will be a lot easier for your kid to keep up those habits in school.
    **One other thing here. As you’re reading to your child, read slowly and with a lot of expression. Give your baby time to process what you’re doing. Also, repetition is key. Children love hearing the same stories over and over and over and over again–and it research shows that repetition helps young children learn and retain information. So indulge your little guy in reading “Goodnight, Moon” for the 5,000th time this week.
  • Talk about “concepts of print”- As you’re reading, point out different concepts in the book: the title, the cover of the book, the author (“the person who wrote the wonderful words”), the illustrator (“the person who drew the beautiful pictures”), where the sentence begins and ends (talk about different forms of punctuation–“Wow, see that little dot after this word? That’s called a period. A period is like a stop sign for readers.”), the author’s note at the end of the book. This may seem really silly to do all of this with a baby or a young toddler, but they’ll start to get it and they’ll start to become familiar with the language you’re using (so always use the proper names: author, illustrator, etc. and then explain them as necessary).
  • Point out details in the story- Rather than just reading the words on the page and calling it a day, take time to elaborate on the story on each page. Point out details in the illustrations, ask questions about what’s happened so far, and see what your child thinks will happen next.

Early Phonics Skills
Phonics basically deals with letters and sounds. Here are some things you can do with your budding linguist:

  • Find letters- Find letters and words in your world (on food packaging, road signs, the side of a bus, etc.) and point them out. It’s fun for young kids to see how letters and words are all around them!
  • Teach letter sounds- Letters are a confusing concept for young children, especially in the English language where our letters make so many different sounds. At a very young age, it’s best to not even teach the letter “names” (A, B, C, etc.).  Rather, focus on the sound each letter makes. For instance, when you see the letter A, say, “this letter says /a/ like apple, alligator, animal.” After all, when it comes time to read, your kid’s going to need to know the sound of the letter, not it’s name, in order to read a word.
    I told David that all letters make sounds, just like animals make sounds. We learned the names of the letters and the special sounds that they each made, then we even sing about the letter sounds in a song to the tune of “Old McDonald”. For instance, I’ll hold up the letter A (we have a foam set of letters that we play with in the bath tub) and sing: “Old McDonald had a word, e-i-e-i-o. And in that word there was a letter, e-i-e-i-o. With an /a/ /a/ here, and an /a/ /a/ there, here an /a/, there an /a/, everywhere an /a/, /a/. Old McDonald had a word, e-i-e-i-o.
  • Find sounds- Say a sound, and see how many things you can find that begin with that sound. You can even make a “sound box” where you put all of the things that begin with that sound into a box. Making things concrete will help your young child to learn the skill.
  • Practice rhyming- Find rhyming words in the stories you’re reading or things you see (“You’re wearing a blue shoe today. Blue, shoe. Those words rhyme!”). There are lots of fun nursery rhymes and songs that have rhyming words, too (“Hickory Dickory, Dock”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “Jack and Jill”, “Down By the Bay”, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”).
  • Sing- Singing is a great way to develop your baby’s language skills. You can sing about things you’re doing (you can make up the song as you’re going. It can be ridiculous, off-tune, and not make any sense. Your baby will love it). You can sing while you’re doing things–I like singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” during diaper changes. I use my fingers to go up the water spout (up baby’s legs), make the rain come down (tickle baby’s tummy), wash the spider out (rub baby’s tummy), and have the sun come out (trace a circle around baby’s face). You can also sing to teach (like when you sing the “ABC song”).

Early Writing Skills
Young children lack the fine motor skills to physically hold a pencil and write. There’s a lot you can do now, though, to help get them ready.

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  • Writing with fingers- Give your kid a chance to practice writing and drawing with something they don’t have to hold on to–their own fingers! Just get a large surface–a high chair tray, table, or a cookie sheet–and cover it with something they can write in. Some of my favorites are shaving cream, finger paints, pudding and whipped cream (just make sure if your baby is still in the puts-everything-in-his-mouth-regardless-of-it’s-level-of-toxicity stage that you give him something edible to play in). If you don’t like messes, put a bit of the “painting material” in a large ziploc bag and duct tape the edges. Your kid can still paint through the bag mess-free.
  • Pinching practice- One of the greatest hurdles to writing for young children is the simple fact that their bodies are not physically able to do it. Holding and controlling a pencil is a specific fine motor skill that takes time to develop. Pinching practice can help get those little fingers ready to grasp a pencil. We play a “pincher pick-up” game where I give David a set of tongs and a bunch of little things for him to try to pick up with them (small toys, crafting pom-pom’s, large buttons and beads). He still uses two hands on the pinchers most of the time, but he’s already able to control them a lot more than when we first started playing. A variation on this game is to play in a rice table (to make your own rice table, just fill a large bucket or rubbermaid bin with rice or uncooked beans). Bury the toys in the rice and let your kiddo dig around with the pinchers to find them.
  • Playing with clay and dough- Get those little finger muscles strong by letting your kids play with play dough and clay (clay is harder to use, so wait until they’re a bit older for this one). You can make your own play dough or even let them play with bread dough or pizza dough if you’re concerned they will eat it.
  • Hand-eye coordination–This is an important foundation to develop for both reading and writing. With a baby, have him practice grasping at toys that you dangle in front of him or reaching for toys that you shake on the floor. For older tots, you can play catching games with “slow” objects like scarves or balloons. You can even make a parachute out of a bed sheet and put soft objects on it to watch as you shake the sheet up and down (get another grown up to help hold the sheet, or invite your friends over for a play date and play parachute together).One of my favorite baby parachute games is “popcorn”. I fill up old socks or nylons with cotton balls, fabric scraps, etc. and tie them off into “popcorn kernels”. Then we make imaginary popcorn: lay out our pan (the sheet), pour our popcorn kernels (the sock balls) into the pan, add whatever flavorings we want (just shake our hands over the “pan” adding chocolate, salt, sprinkles, and cheese…yummmmm….), and then we hold opposite sides of the “pan” and give our popcorn a good shake until all of our popcorn balls invariably pop out of the pan. Repeat until you’re all good and full of popcorn.

School Skills For Babies and Toddlers Part 1: Introduction

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Back in the days before I had babies, I was a teacher. I got to enlighten the young minds of America for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year. Now that I’m a full-time mom, I’m not in the classroom anymore. It has become quite obvious, however, that I am still a teacher. Only now, I’m in teacher-mode 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with my own kids–no Christmas break or summer vacation, no sick days or off-site training days. Oh, yeah. And I don’t get paid any more. And I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

It is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities I have as a mom: to be my childrens’ first teacher. And, whether or not they know it, this is every parent’s role. Our children are always learning, and so every little thing we say or do is teaching them something. Babies and young children are like little learning sponges who soak up this wide new world they have entered. And, as the big people in these little people’s lives, we get to share in that with them.

Kids are never too young to start learning, so why not start teaching them? I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts about how I incorporate learning into our days. I don’t do anything formal or “academic” (c’mon, my oldest kid is only 2!) but I do try to teach them at every possible opportunity. For young children, play is serious business. When I “teach” my baby and toddler, then, most of it is done while we’re playing together or through little songs and games that we play.

Since I used to teach Kindergarten and first grade, I know a lot about what kinds of skills kids need to be familiar with before they enter school. I’m certainly not an expert on this matter– not by a long shot!–but there are lots of things I do every day that will help my kids be better prepared for the school years that lay in their (not-so) distant futures.  And if you have young children I bet you’re already doing a lot of these things, too!  I’ll do a post each day this week covering a different topic: literacy, math, science, and social/emotional skills. So, read on this week to find out how great of a parent you already are and maybe get a few ideas for some fun new things to try!