Preschool Lesson Plans

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When, What & How To Teach Your Preschooler

A while back LeeAnn from Las Vegas asked my opinion on just when is the right time to begin teaching her 2-year-old daughter. She has already begun teaching basic concepts such as alphabet, colors, and numbers, but some members of her family feel that she is pushing her little girl.

In my opinion, the easiest way for LeeAnn to test whether or not she is pushing her daughter can be found in this quote: "Is it too soon, or should I let her keep going as long as she is interested and is having fun?"

If LeeAnn's daughter is interested in the concepts that she is learning and having fun while learning then it is definitely the right time to teach her.

 

Activity preschool education
Preschool lesson plans

Hooked on Phonics 

Build On Their Interest 

Young children are interested in the world around them and they are interested in what their parents know. Building on that interest to teach basic concepts (just as LeeAnn is doing) is not pushing your child - it is meeting your child's needs. One of the most important things you can do for your child is to offer an environment rich in learning opportunities. If you give your child the opportunity to learn then he will learn - it really is as simple as that.

Remember, young children are learning a great deal about themselves, their family and caregivers, and their world ever day. For most of those lessons you are the teacher. By the time your child has reached the age of 2 you have already taught hundreds, even thousands, of important lessons about how to function in the world and society. Indeed, many of the everyday activities you perform with your child also have academic implications. For example, the books that you read to your child and the songs you sing with your child have a lasting impact on literacy. It is no great stretch to add other concepts into your repertoire and this can make a great deal of difference in how prepared your child is for preschool and kindergarten.

Click N Read 

3 Things To Remember 

There are really only three things you should remember:

~ Keep it fun Making learning into a game and your child will always enjoys what you have to teach her.

~ Keep it light Educational products and activities that are actually games are wonderful but don't force your child into spending time each day with flashcards or the like. They'll most likely learn faster and more meaningfully if you have an alphabet scavenger hunt at the supermarket.

~ Embrace the teachable moment but don't schedule lessons and force educational activities on your child. When the opportunity presents itself (and it will countless times in a day!) take advantage and use it for a lesson. For example, simply putting on socks can be a lesson in right and left, colors, or counting!

Preschool Program 

How To Teach 

So how do you teach your preschooler without scheduling lessons and forcing them to pay attention? You embrace the teachable moment!

What is the teachable moment? It is simply an opportunity that springs out of normal, everyday life or as children become older and more verbal a timely question or comment.

Time when you and your child are in the car, for example, is a wonderful teaching opportunity that many parents overlook. If you are reunited after a day's separation then you can share stories about your day-and in the process work on vocabulary and literacy skills as well as teach your child about the world around them. You can also use cars and trucks to teach colors, road signs to teach shapes, and so on.

Mealtimes are also wonderful teaching opportunities. Counting is easily worked into almost any meal, such as telling a child they can have two cookies or giving them five tater tots. Shapes and colors can also be brought into mealtimes. For example, my son likes to choose the shape for his sandwiches-triangles or squares? As a child grows older you can also do letter sounds with the various foods, such as milk starts with "mmmmh".

Photo Memory Books 

What To Teach 

Skills you should work on with your child fall into eight basic categories, according to early childhood educators:

~ Social/Emotional Skills, which will be the greatest predictors of success in life.

~ Self esteem, which is crucial for all learning.

~ Physical Skills

~ Communication Skills: listening, speaking, singing, drawing, gesturing

~ Basic Concepts such as colors, letters, numbers, vocabulary

~ Categorizing Skills, what is the same and different

~ Compare and Contrast Skills, which is the higher order level of Categorizing

~ Experiences on which to draw. These are perhaps the most important of all, as they provide a frame of reference for future learning. The more experiences from which a child can draw, the better s/he will understand both learning and the world.

These are all literacy skills and they are all key to your child's future success. If you need still more help identifying concepts that your child should master then study the developmental milestones for your child's age at http://PreschoolersLearnMore.com.

So rest easy, LeeAnn, you are doing exactly the right thing for your daughter!

Great Preschool Books 

Big Preschool Workbook

Amazon Price: $7.91 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills, Preschool (Comprehensive Curriculum…)

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Brain Quest Preschool

Amazon Price: (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

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Questions or Comments About Teaching Your Preschooler? 

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  • Reply
    Brehaut Brehaut Sep 25, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
    This is a great site. I too use hooked on phonics for my daughter and she is picking it up very quickly. She is also taking piano lessons, her "second language" if you'd like to call it that. She is picking it up pretty quickly. it's amazing how much preschool kids can learn.
  • Reply
    only1bub only1bub Sep 17, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
    Great lens! Just the info I've been looking for!
  • Reply
    DiscoveringSpanishwithChildren DiscoveringSpanishwithChildren Aug 20, 2009 @ 8:06 am
    Thanks for the encouraging lens. Oftentimes, parents of preschoolers get so hung up on when's the right time to teach them, what to teach, and if they're doing it right. And it's funny because we've been teaching them all along: pointing out colors, describing what we're doing, showing them the letters of their names, etc.

    I would also like to recommend exposing preschool children (even from infanthood) to a 2nd language. Their brains are ready for it and it's amazing to see just how much of the 2nd language they pick up.
  • Reply
    ChineseKitesforKids ChineseKitesforKids May 27, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
    I love how you always break it down for us so simply. You really have a heart of gold to take the time to teach other people how educate their preschoolers. Thank you for being such a doll. An easy 5 stars and usual for you.

    Lensrolling this to Daycare School Activities lens.
  • Reply
    ChineseKitesforKids ChineseKitesforKids May 27, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
    I couldn't agree with your advice more. Keep the children entertained and involved. Be enthusiastic about learning and they will be too. Great lens! This is why you are one of my favorite lensmasters! You have a great writing style and you engage the reader. I love all the resources you offer in addition to your advice. 5 STARS!! Lensrolling this to my Daycare School Online lens and my Daycare School Activities lens. Thanks for sharing. All the best of luck to you!
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by rwoman

As a mother and an educator I am very interested in helping young children learn and grow. Teaching preschoolers is one of the most rewarding and most... (more)

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