Your child’s educational development is very important. That’s why here at Lullaboo, we’re very proud of our preschool program, where we encourage all to participate in both large and small group activities. These include dramatic, play, arts and crafts, sensory experiences, cooking, woodworking, small and large motor activities, outdoor play and special field trips.
That being said, learning can’t end when your child goes home at the end of the day! Young children are like sponges – they’re soaking up the world around them, learning incredibly quickly. The first few years are exceptionally critical for the brain’s organizational development – they learn fast, and what and how they learn effects their social, emotional and educational abilities later in life.
That’s not to say you suddenly have to become a credentialed teacher at home or anything of that nature. Children tend to be naturally inquisitive, and fostering and boosting those instincts can pay massive dividends down the road. That can be as simple as turning a trip to the store into an opportunity to practice reading the grocery list or counting change, or doing arts and crafts like fingerpaints at home to boost creativity and fine motor skills.
You can play simple games with your child to help them continue to develop. Simple recognition games – as simple as “spot the red car” or “which flower is yellow” helps them develop and learn. Indulge your child’s creativity by giving them crayons and papers; toddlers are naturally inquisitive, and you can best help them learn and develop by letting them lead the way. Their play will show you what they’re interested in, and you can use that to develop learning skills; encourage them to use toys in new and creative ways, incorporate ‘real life’ activities into their play and foster that creativity and curiosity in the world around them.
Learning isn’t something that only happens in a classroom. Your toddler and preschooler are learning all the time. By encouraging and fostering that sense of creativity while they’re still developing and learning, you’re helping give them a major boost going forward.
