It seems that with motherhood you are always trying to soak in every moment that you have with your child right now but also cant help but think ahead. Oh I cant wait until he can sit up, crawl, talk, etc. (and yes I know it will all be here before I know it and when it does come I will be wishing he was not mobile and wanting some peace and quiet ha). But with all of that to say, the planner in me has already started thinking ahead to the days where I can watch Griffin learn his ABCs and 123s, colors, shapes, etc. Again, I do not plan on starting tomorrow or anything but I do want to get a jump start on the best resources to use out there, while I have some time ha!!!
My heart is that I want to start at a young age so that Griffin will ENJOY learning, build confidence and help stimulate his little brain. I have read and heard several people say that kids are like little sponges before the age of 4, as by that time 90% of their brain has already been filled. I am going to be his first teacher and maybe only teacher during that age and therefore I want to give him the very best. I am not out to make him a genius (as I know with our genes I am doubtful that would happen anyways ha), I just want him to enjoy learning and therefore I want to make it as fun as I can, as early as I can!
I know I have several readers that are moms of young children, as well as moms of older kids that have been there and done that so I am asking you to share your wisdom please :)
What books, websites, toys, etc have you found that help out the most? When did you start informally teaching? What other things should this first time mom know???
I am open to ALL suggestions, advice, and really any wisdom that I can gain from each of you. I know that the best people to learn from are those who are doing it already and have been able to see what works and what does not.
I thank you in advance for taking your time to share with me!!!!
7 comments:
The best and most important thing you can do for him at this age (and any age!) is to read, read, read read! They soak up sooo much this way and it instills an importance of reading in them! When he starts talking well (the age was different for all 3 of my kids!) then you can start out with flash cards and things for learning colors, shapes, ect. At this time you can also start teaching the ABC song and counting to him. And one of the best websites is Starfall.com! My kids LOVE the computer so we love this website around here! My youngest has been able to work on it since she was a little over 2! We also do nickjr just for some fun computer practice! This link is from an old blog post that I ran across and the writer compiled a great list (with the help of lots of moms) of websites for kids. Most of them are learning sites and others are just for fun but you can check it out and see which ones you like...I saved it to my favorites so I can revisit from time to time and get new ones as my kids learn different things! http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/05/holy-shmokes-th.html Hope this helped!
I agree with Denice... reading is the most important! There are several top books that all kids love ex:(Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Eric Carle. Paisley is fascinated with books and it is amazing to see how much she already knows! I think the interaction and stimulation are huge! Talk to him all the time, and sing to him. (I'm sure you do) We also started the Baby Einstein videos when she was about 14 months old. She was never interested until we put the dvd player in the car and now she loves them! They seem ridiculous, but she is learning quite a bit! Griffin is lucky to have a great teacher like you, don't worry!
Reading is so important. Avary loves Brown Bear Brown Bear. I read it to her while pregnant, as an infant, and now she's 2. She is now naming the animals and starting on the colors. I have learned as being a teacher and a mommy to a preemie that every child is different. They learn so much through play. Make learning fun. It is such an awesome feeling when they learn something new. You are going to love every second of it. Avary is really into Max and Ruby right now and will tell you when Max does something he is not supposed to. Don't get discouraged if you know kids who are his age doing things that he is not. It is so easy to do that. Avary was a preemie and is delayed in some areas but does great in others. Have a great time with Griffin. He is very lucky to have a mommy who is so concerned about the future for him.
I agree with everyone else. One of my big things has been scripture. My little guys can say the Lord's prayer, were currently working on Pslam 23 and I teach them relevant scripture. Like, when Isaac started to complain about everything it was "Do everything without arguing or complaining so that you may be pure children of God." Or when they started fighting alot they both learned "Be completely gentle and humble, be patient. Bearing with one another in love." When they start to fight, I have them remind me of what the word of God says about what they are doing and it's amazing what the very word of God will do to calm a 3 year old and a 5 year old. You're doing great! Read read read! and love love love! and pray pray pray! Im sure you all 9 ; ) of those! Much love friend!
I would have to agree with everyone else that reading is number 1. I would also recommend letting him listen to mozart and classical music. We really loved the baby mozart. Have you thought about that "My baby can read" I have seen it with a friend and it works really good. Singing the abc song over and over, especially while you rock him to sleep helps a lot. Hope some of this helps.
Lindsey,
The school-house rock series that came on on Saturday's has been purchased by Disney and you can order them, and they are very inexpensive. Caleb and even Georgia Kate have learned 3 is a magic number, and that is the multiplecation table of 3. I highly recommend those before he starts watching Nick Jr.
Hope this helps,
Robin
true- read to them. make reading exciting. Play with them a lot on the floor... colors are everywhere show them.. dont put to much pressure on them..let them explore and play and just talk to them a lot..
I have learned you can do a lot in the car as well.. talk about the colors and shapes you see and flashcards from the dollar store are awesome too.
I also think creative art and music just help... painting, dancing and having fun while doing it.
let them choose songs to listen to. colors of paint, etc.
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