Toddler Curriculum

Curriculum for an 18 month old? The best curriculum for this age is non-directive play, exploration, and lots of reading and singing with Mommy. Use every day expereinces to point out letters, label objects, and count. Just have fun -- learning is natural at this age.

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H.,

Especially at this age, you don't need a curriculum.

Make sure you read to him (a lot!), sing to him, count to him (and have him count), name body parts (on your and his bodies), point to the "green tree", and use words that are typically above his current language knowledge.

Learning for kids is very intuitive (for all ages) and you sure don't want to bog him down already with a set curriculum. Believe me - learning the "fun" way will beat out a structured system ANY day!

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I am using this curriculum with my son. I found it online and it is all free. It has weekly lessons, coloring sheet, crafts, etc. http://www.letteroftheweek.com

T.
Helping Moms Work From Home
http://www.workingfromhomewithmyson.com

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Try www.ittybittybookworm.com. My daughter isn't there yet, so I don't have any firsthand experience with it, but a couple of mothers I know rave about how much they and their little ones enjoy it. Hope you find something that works for you!

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At this age I would start with flash cards for colorsw, numbers, shapes and letters. Start him counting and reciting the alphabet. If you would like to move him to where he is not the oldest child, I am a nat home mom that keeps children. My kids are 4, 2 and 9 months. I also am homeschooling. give me a call ###-###-####.

One of my son's favorite books and the thing that has helped him in learning and speaking the most is the Roger Priddy books: First 100 Words, My Favorite Animals. These are great books because they allow them to identify the objects and you can elaborate on them in a teaching method. My son is one of the youngest in his class, but he has the best identification skills of objects. You can get them at any book store or on Amazon.

I'm planning on starting this with my boys in the spring
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/Preparatory.html
They will be 29 months or so.

Teaching your little one is the one of the most exciting experiences a mom can have. As an early childhood educator, the curriculum I have often seen recognized as the best is the Creative Curriculum by www.TeachingStrategies.com
They have books of learning activities based on your child's age. The title is Creative Curriculum Learning Games by Joseph Sparling.
Another good book with activities is Mommy Teach Me by Barbara Curtis
Also, a free book from the US Education Department can be seen at http://www.ed.gov/parents/earlychild/ready/preschool/pres...

I used to teach 18-2years old at a daycare and we did ALOT of art. Not just for pictures- but to develope the skills required to make the pictures. Dexterity for eventual writing skills, creativity for all parts of life and following instructions. We also did our alphabet- corresponding a letter to an animal/object. Make sure that you always use the same animal/object each time. Getting an alaphabet that a teacher would put on the wall helps because there is also a picture to go with the letter. Also we did our numbers and colors- in English and Spanish. They can say all the shapes with some practice....even hard ones like trapezoid- and it's sure funny to hear them try to say it:) If you could learn baby sign for words like- eat, more, milk, all done, juice, cookie and cracker- it helps since verbal skills can be hard to understand when tired/ cranky or very excited. Story time is also another great thing to try. Teaches patience and sequence of events. Talk about what you see in each picture. Praise when THEY point out something.

If you need any more advice feel free to private message me :) Hope I've helped you out some.

The book " Slow and Steady Get Me Ready" by June Oberland It has one activity to do per week from birth through years to help develop the skills needed for kindergarten. Most of them are easy, you may do them naturally already, usually with common household items. It is an excellent resource to give you ideas. That is as close to "curriculum" as I would get.

I recommend the ABEKA curriculum. It focuses mostly on reading and writing for Pre-K ages. If you haven't taught a child to read, the process is simple and with this curriculum, easy to follow. I'm fairly certain they have a "home school" type curriculum.

At this age, there are many ways to go about giving your child the educational experiences now that will really help as he enters school. The main thing is, do not let this window of opportunity pass. If your child is eager to learn, make sure you take advantage now so he does not become disinterested. Even without a curriculum, you can teach him his letters, beginning with the vowels, then consonants. Teach him to write these and verbalize their sounds as he's learning to recognize them. Then, teach him to blend single consonants with each vowel, etc. Teaching numbers and math is important, too, but secondary to reading. Also, readiness skills (shapes, drawing, following simple instructions, etc.) Good luck, and keep it fun!

Flashcards (baby Einstein has some great sets) and the Baby Einstein videos. I say these because you sound like you work during the day and these are things you could do WITH your child. Also read to him everyday. Make this part of your "Mommy time." Once he is old enough let him "help" you in the kitchen, help you with laundry. Simple things like sorting clothes (dark, white, lights),or matching socks will help him in pattern recognition. These are all things we did with our daughter starting at 18 months. She is now 6 in kindergarten and the teachers go to the 1st grade class to get work for her. She has been reading on her own since she was almost 4 years old, she has know her alphabet since she was able to talk and recognized letter sounds by age 3. Her math skills are amazing! She already know basic fractions, addition, subtraction, and ruler skills. She learned all this from everyday interaction with her father and me.

D.
SAHM of three; 20, 19, and 6