Learning Programs for My 2 Year Old!

I did it the cheap way. I made shapes out of construction paper with different colors. Reading out loud, no matter what it is can help with word recongnition later. I used the shapes and had my son glue them onto another sheet of paper. He loved it and it gave us something fun to do. Good luck.

First of all, don't push him. Studies show that kids who are pushed early in academics are really no better off than those who aren't by the time they reach kindergarten. But teaching him basics like colors and shapes is pretty easy. Get some books about shapes and colors and animals or whatever it is you want to teach him. I've found the best place in the library for things like that is the early readers section. They have books that are very good for learning, but the sentenses are short and the words are small and easy enough for a 2 year old to grasp. Coloring books are another good teaching tool. Also, when you are outside playing or at the park, or at the store even, talk about the different shapes and colors that you see. The orange leaves, the green grass, the trianle sign. Help him see those things in his every day life. But don't worry about him being behind in preschool. He'll most likely be just fine without any formal training.

I am also a teacher and the mother of 3...and you already got some great responses, but I just wanted to add my input. I would definitely steer clear of any "learning programs"...just because I think it's cheaper and more effective to teach them in the real world. Point out different colors that you see when walking outside. Point out different color cars and shapes that you see all around you. I also read my kids a lot of books. Use simple counting books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Ten Little Rubber Ducks, etc.) Use books that incorporate shapes and colors into the story. We read every single night. The one thing that I use with my children that I would recommend to ANY mother is the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD. My kids learned their letters and sounds before age 3, and I think a lot of it was due to this video. My friend told me that it worked for her daughter, too. She said within a week that her daughter knew her sounds. I didn't believe her until I tried it...it really works. I just bought my kids the Leap Frog Word Factory for Christmas. :) Hope this helps!!

Let her draw alot and I don't mean coloring books. Blank paper and crayons can be one of the best teaching tools. It improves hand dexterity and stimulates imagination. That way, by the time she's ready to start learning how to write her letters and her name, she'll have the skills to do it. Also, she may be alittle young for this, but my 3yr old loves boggle jr. and hullabaloo (by cranium)!!!!! Hey, these would make great christmas gifts too!!!! :)

The best thing offered is Early Childhood Family Education classes!! You can attend with both children and pay "as a family". It is for everyone, even people out of MN can attend. You and your children will sing, paint, work with different topics like colors, shapes, etc and play with various materials in the room. The best parts are interacting with kids their age, the parents getting to meet and visit and the kids LOVE to run in the gym at the end of each class. In Moorhead, it is offered through Community Education in the Probstfield Education Center on 14th St S and 24th Ave S. Check it out, you won't be sorry! :)

I really wanted to reitterate what one of the moms said here, you don't need programs, flash cards, movies anything for your child to learn and enjoy learning colors and numbers and shapes. The best gift you can give her is to show her how all those things are a part of her world all the time. Talk to your kids about things they see every day, what color her socks are, how many cookies are on the plate, what shape the cookies are. That way she sees all the great things she is learning are here in her life all the time- not just tv, computer or flash cards. Draw a number on a paper and have her color it, the alphabet magnets or bath toys are great they get to play hands on with these things. I am sure she has toys already with all the shapes adn you can help her talk about those shapes while she plays with them. Just my personal opinion but the world has gone too electronic, computer, tv focused, why plug our kids in so early they miss out on the world around them just as they are learning to explore it.
Best wishes
H.

Hi, M.!

I've found that one of the best ways to teach our children is through everyday activities. Being at home will give you the time to let your child explore everyday items. I find children learn best this way rather than sitting down and trying to teach them. For example, when reading a book, you can point out the shapes and colors. If she notices a school bus, ask her what color it is, etc. Then the child doesn't even know she's learning.

Congrats on being able to stay home!

I googled preschool learning activities and found a bunch of ideas to help me with my girls. I made flash cards and bought work books and worked with my oldest everyday. She knew her animals, shapes, colors, numbers, alphabet and could even recognize some letters. When she started preschool, they went over all that and she was a little bored the first year and now she is on the same page as everyone else in her class. So I don't know if all that work was 100% worth it. I had a lot of time with my first, now with my second and third we read and play games and just do non-structured stuff. When review things as we see them. Colors we see at the store, or sing songs during changing. Just use life experiences for learning.

We have a Leap pad, and LOVE it. At 3 years old my son knew all his colors shapes and bones ie clavical metacarpals, etc.

We have a DirecTV- Satellite dish that has a baby program/ Channel on ALL Day...at night it plays lullabyes etc.. my 2-1/2 year old daughter LOVES it, and she seems to learn quite a bit from it. She always wants to watch her baby channel at bedtime- or nap-time, and sometimes just to settle down for some quiet time.
We pay $9.99 for that specific channel + our cable etc. But i feel it's definately worth it- My 1 year old son also gets intrigued watching it, for the music, the colors, the animals, they read stories, have FUN math, shapes...on and on...we have ordered that for probably 9 months or longer.
"DirecTV" is possibley changed over to "Hughes Net" now. I'm sure they should have a yellow pages # or even a website. Otherwise the only other option would be to buy some Baby Einstein videos, or books, i even find the baby CD's with childrens' songs- they LOVE them!!!! could check your local library =) Good luck...wish i could afford to stay home with my babies, but i have 2 teenagers as well. 13 & 15. $$$

Hi M.. I have recently begun selling some wonderful learning tools for children!! We have books, puzzles, flashcards that are designed specifically to help these young children LEARN!! Please visit my website www.KathySellsUsborne.com and click on "babies and toddlers" or "preschool and kindergarten". There are many items out there that will help your child learn these basic things. Please email me if you need to have any questions answered! Good luck!

K.

If you are a christian family, I would recommend Boz the Bear. There are a few movies, that are very interesting to young kids, that deal with shape, colors, letters, and other things. If you bring up the website they have ideas on crafts and activities for some of the movies.
Otherwise you can't force a child to learn, because they learn best at play at that age. Just make sure you have learning toys around and take time out to explore with your child. It has been said they learn something new each time they play with a toy.
Have fun!!!

B.

Hi, I am a teacher and a mom and the one thing I would say, is make it fun!!! You don't want your little one dreading school so early or thinking that learning is boring, drilling, tedious work. Hide shapes around the room and go on "a treasure hunt", let your child play with his food! Spaghetti is great for making shapes, letters, etc. Most of all, don't push it. If the child is not interested, try something else or a different time. It will all come when needed. 2 is still pretty young for a lot of concepts, but it is great that you are working with them at home.
Good Luck!
R.

Oh the fun of your first little one learning new things. As for how to teach your child these things can be nerve bending with all the different options out there. The best thing for your child would be a good old book or some flash cards. I made the mistake of buying all types of games and learning toys for my first child. To say the least I was not impressed by anything. He is 5 now and he is exactly where every other child is learing wise. You can also make going to the store a learning experience by counting things in a basket or pointing out shapes and colors. Remember that all children learn at a different pace so don't be discouraged if your child does not seem to be where you think they should be right now. Make sure your child has good social skills and manners and they will catch on to all the other things. I know you have probably already heard this but don't make them grow up to fast. Before you know it you will be looking for the safest car to buy them when they are 16.

Good Luck!

There is some excellent software for toddlers that helps them learn shapes, letters, numbers, and all kinds of skills. My husband is a computer programmer, and our daughter was always so jealous of him, that we got a couple of programs before she was even a year old. By the time she was 18 months old, she knew her alphabet, her numbers to 20, and shapes (including an octagon. (Ironically, colors took longest, she learned those by the time she was 2, though.) It was pretty impressive.

There is good and bad software, for children, though. Much of it isn't really written with children's physical abilities in mind, so you have to be able to move and click a mouse button. The best I have found for toddlers is Reader Rabbit Toddler, because it doesn't require mouse abilities, and my daughter wasn't very dexterous. When she was really little, using that software, she could just use the keyboard, and as she got a little older she could move a mouse but not click the buttons. Now that she can move a mouse and click the button, Jumpstart preschooler has been excellent.

That being said, I wouldn't be too worried about what your little guy knows or can do before preschool. All children have weaknesses and strengths and they learn things at different paces. My "brilliant" little (now 4-year-old) daughter still scribbles all over her paper with both hands, instead of coloring in the lines like her preschool teacher wants her to do. I know her well enough now to know that she'll develop the skill when she's ready, and that all I need to do is give her love, encouragement, and time to practice. Make sure whatever you do with your son is fun for both of you, and that he doesn't feel a lot of pressure to perform.

Good luck!

Be sure to check with your local library....ours has a great children's section, and a local group that promotes early literacy has a variety of toys and learning packages you can check out to use at home, so you don't have to go out and buy things. Most offer storytimes, so your kids can be around other kids and you get a chance to network with parents, plus you'll probably learn more about what's offered locally that you can use. And there are so many children's books now that you can use to help kids learn in a fun way. Also, they may have books for you that will guide you through helpful steps or suggest resources. The best part is it's all FREE!

You are the best 'learning program' for your baby! I firmly believe that we put way to much pressure on our kids to start groups, classes, programs, etc. at such an early age, we may be doing more harm than good by forcing our kids to 'time-manage' before it's necessary. Being a stay at home mom is the best and I applaud you for making that decision. As long as you are spending time turning every day activities into learning opportunities, your little one will learn all of the basics, as well as the security and peace that come along with knowing that mom is always there. Sure, social skills are important, but they will come in time. Don't rush him.
~L.

Books, books, books....
We have books everywhere, all kinds, types and sizes. They love the books with lift the flaps and the ones with real pictures of items to name...also story books. I don't think you can read too much. Also, count everything and have them help you, when you button buttons, count..when you clean their fingers, count them, when you give them crackers, you get the idea. We never did anything formal at school and the girls attend a preschool that doesn't focus on scholastic learning, but social with bits of knowledge thrown in. They could both read going into kindergarten. Don't worry about "formal" learning, you and they could just end up frustrated. Make it part of everyday life.

You really don't have to spend any money on programs to help teach you daughter her shapes and stuff, when your out and about or just at home you could go "Payton can you help mommy find the red round ball" once she finds it you could reply with "oh how neat it's red and a circle" do these things enough and she will learn them without a structured setting.

Another idea is computer games, my kids by 3 are pretty computer profiecnt(sp) and a really good one is "Jump Start Adventures" it comes in a wide range of ages and mine have always enjoyed them, disney also has some good ones out there, it's also a good tool for hand eye cordination. In the beginning it involves some one on one with mom and dad but they pick up on the computer quickly. Just a thought.

Congratulations! Well I started in January this year when my son was 25 months old with 123 books and ABC books. I also made flash cards, bought wooden alphabet blocks that also had numbers on them. And I would sing songs to him. I had a goal to teach him the first half of the alphabet by the summer 07 and I am happy to say he mastered the whole alphabet by then. He also knows his numbers 0-10. I am just starting in the teens. At the same time I also started teaching him the primary colors, which he now knows. It also helps that he is into Thomas the Tank Engine. The trains are different colors and they also have numbers on them.

I even bought this Cookie monster alphabet dvd at walmart, which, I also believe has helped him. And this $1 (got in the $1 bin) dvd that teaches numbers and the alphabet. *I have to admit I would only spend about 20-30 minutes a day with him (teaching) most of the time I put the dvd's on for him.

Hope this helps. -T. d

Hi M.,
You've already received so many great ideas so I won't repeat those. Story Time Felts(www.storytimefelts.com rep 12597) and Discovery Toys(www.discoverytoyslink.com/dawnwood) offers great learning materials. Also a homeschool site called Letter of The Week offers a well rounded, free curriculum. It covers the basics as well as poetry, children's literature, sign language, phonics, art, and more and is broken down into different age/developmental levels. This site helps add a little "culture" into children's lives as well as learning from the environment around you.
~D.

Hi M.-
I had a son who will be three in December. I also taught preschool for five years. At this age, children learn best through play. My son knows all of the things you spoke of, and I've never sat him down for any kind of lesson. He picks it up as we go...a child's natural curiosity is the best thing! Just see where it takes you both! Enjoy!
A.

There are many great and fun ways to help your child learn. First off, find out what places have family memberships, like that children's museum or the zoo. That way you dont have to try to get it all in at one time and you can go as many times as you feel like it. Another great way to help is by playing Slug Bug Safety. Wait now, I am not crazy, I promise. We play this all the time, minus the hitting. What I do is I will call out Slug Bug Safety (whatever the color of the car is) No Slugs Returned. It has taught my daughter her colors. Its a funny game that makes us laugh. Mind you, if you dont have a lot of volkwagon beetles there, then use a type of vehicle that your son like, like maybe pickup trucks and so on. You can teach shapes with all the wonderful street signs around and numbers by counting his favorite things. My local library here in Sioux Falls offers reading times, where they read to the kids and play littles games and such with them. Check out that in your area too. Good Luck!

My 2 year old loves music ... so I put everything into song and just sing to him all day. Don't get me wrong, it's not like a musical around here (LOL - Julie Andrews, I am not!), but we have fun. I must be doing something right because he can sing his ABCs and count to 20 in English, 10 in Spanish and 10 in Hungarian. There is a watermelon song we sing along to that spells out watermelon (which he does), plus he shocks people when he says "I'm Johnny Cash" and sings the refrain to Ring of Fire.

If you go to a "teacher" store you can find a ton of helpful tools...but I think the trick is just figuring out how your child learns best.

I just have a quick note to add from the point of view of mother and kindergarten teacher. Do your best to teach your kids the correct names of objects. You would be surprised at the technical terms kids can pick up on, and it is harder for them to unlearn the wrong thing, then for them to be just a bit slower and learn it right the first time. For instance: a ball is not a circle, it is a sphere; Pumpkins are fruits not vegetables; etc.
Leap frog toys have been a great time for my kids.

You are so wise, M., to place your priorities in full time parenting at this MOST IMPORTANT time (not to mention fun!) in the development of your children.

I'd like to encourage you be MORE concerned and involved in the emotional, moral, spiritual, and psychological development of your children, because these are more often areas that show lack of parental involvement when children begin school, ESPECIALLY BOYS!

We do children a great dis-service when we skip the developmental age they are in RIGHT NOW in order to give them a "head start" on the next one. And it's far more fun to led THEM lead YOU into what they so clearly communicate that they need and want next, and believe me they do! (usually by their MIS-behavior! lolol)

Let your little boy be a LITTLE boy (physical, active, and competitive . . . and all the things that make you different from your husband) for as long as possible, while AT THE SAME TIME encouraging him to moderate his budding masculinity and to chanel all that busy energy into passionate concern for the least of all living things at a very early age.

Look for programs which promote the joy of giving and "surprising" others with small acts of kindness. Look for resources and opportunities to show him daily the interdependent nature of family, neighborhood, and community and that all members play a critical part. Enjoy with your whole heart that loveable if not quite capable helper you have now while you still have a cheerful one!)

In my 20+ years in early childhood and elementary education, M., I have observed that most children come to school with PLENTY of cognitive (intellectual) ability, and most of the ones who did not come with that would not have benefited from earlier preparation academically.

MANY children, however, do come to school numbed and dumbed by videocy, limited by a shocking lack of good boundaries, sadly lacking compassion, and so burdened by unmet needs in other areas that they cannot settle their bodies and minds and cannot listen to others well enough to learn as they could. They lack motivation to try in a group setting even if they might fail, and to do their best continuously even when a task is tedius or "boring".

Many come with a sense of arrogant entitlement rather than a humble sense of unique purpose within the family, neighborhood, community and nation they were born to serve. The world will not better for another calous genius. The world MAY be better for a few more intelligent givers.

These are the lessons my students and my children have taught me. And I wish someone had shared them with ME when my own were 2 years old. I would not have missed so much of the journey to be some other child's "teacher".

That is so exciting that you get to stay home now! Kudos to you. I am also a SAHM and love playing with my girls. We keep the TV time to a minimum, they color, we play outside and notice things around us. We do a lot of make believe play. Story Time Felts has a lot of products that we use all the time. Specifically for colors and numbers they have cute little quiet books, called toggles that we love. They are all washable and the figures are easy to handle plus they come with worksheets and learning extensions. You can check them out at www.funfelt.com/R..html if you'd like. But just spending time with your kids is the best thing you can do and talk to them like anyone else. Use a loving voice, but don't talk down to them. When they ask what is that? Tell them what it is in the correct terms. Good luck!