Toddlers are curious little creatures with an urge to learn something all the time. They love it when they are involved in some kind of activity that helps them grasp and understand things around them. Making them sit in a place and teaching them alphabets, numbers etc are definitely not going to help. They need to move around freely, explore everything hands-on and experience it themselves to learn rather than someone telling them what to do and how to do.
It is important for parents to go by the flow and never force your kid to learn something. Always use different learning tools to keep their mind active without getting bored and make efforts to not to repeat those methods frequently. Using the same gadget or learning kit again and again may result in them losing interest in learning and the excitement to know new things may fade away.
Children of age 18 months to 3 years are generally attracted to bright colors, animals and birds, songs, water, building blocks, vehicles, stacking, paints, mixing things with hands. Teaching them involving the above said can help them learn things faster and with lots of fun. It is important for parents to understand that things may get really messy when teaching this way for kids and be prepared to face it and clean it!
Teaching them just academically is not sufficient. There are other qualities like sharing, caring, helping, being patient, time management, honesty, kindness and compassion should also be taught to them simultaneously. Certain characteristics can be inculcated in kids only when parents become live examples.
Socializing with other kids, visiting grand parents and extended families, travelling, meeting people from different cultures help kids understand this world better and this will help them grow into great human beings with amazing qualities.
I am no expert in childhood education. I am just a mom that helps my little girl feed her curious mind by involving her in various productive, constructive activities that she chooses and loves. The above said information are purely based on our learning experiences and I hope you find it useful. I would love to hear more from education enthusiasts and fellow moms more on this topic. Do let me know your thoughts and feedback in comments.
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