Parents of preschoolers don’t need to be told that their little ones are curious. It just comes with the age. But who can blame them! Through their little eyes the world is full of potential and a new adventure is around every corner. So how can you use this curiosity to build a strong foundation and a love for learning?
1. Find a Curriculum… or Not.
Each child is different, so finding something that interests them is important. If you can manage to find some extra time and love to be creative, you can create your own fun games and lessons to do with your kids. But, if your like many of us and extra time is nowhere to be found, that’s ok too! There is an abundance of free preschool resources all over the internet. Pinterst is a great place to find activities and crafts that you can do with your preschooler. We recommend you create a board for different themes and subjects so they are easy to find. Just make sure that you keep it simple. Remember that preschoolers learn best through play.
2. Have Realistic Expectations
Research shows that children ages two and three have an attention span of around 3-4 minutes. By the age of four this increases to about 5 to 10 minutes. Why does this matter? You need to make sure the actives you are planning to do are appropriate for where your child is developmentally. Don’t force your little one to focus on an activity for longer than they are capable. Trying to do too much can often end with frustration for them and you.
One way to extend an activity that may be taking long is to change the physical location. Here are a few examples.
- Start reading a book on the couch and them move to the floor.
- Start singing a song on the carpet and then march around the house.
- Make a fun snacks in the kitchen and eat it together outside on a picnic blanket.
Changing your location within each activity is a simple way to gain attention and your preschooler will be more likely to re-engage.
3. Have FUN!
The ultimate goal is to make sure that your preschooler is having fun. Learning should be enjoyable for you and your child. If you find that one of the activities isn’t working, stop doing it. You want to be modeling and establishing a love for learning. At this point in your child’s life, enthusiasm for education is a much higher priority than mastery of a particular skill or completing a craft.
So go do some research, pick a few activities and have some fun learning and growing with your preschooler!
October 12, 2015
