Inside: What Are the Things To Teach to Toddlers at Home? Collaborative post.
Once babies start to crawl and then walk, their curiosity becomes more and more insatiable. You can see them grabbing everything and anything, trying to have a feel of its texture, figure out how it smells like, and even its taste.
As the parent, you can use this desire to learn to teach your toddler the basics before they start kindergarten. What’s more, this is also the best time to build their character. If you’re looking for ideas and activities for your kids to learn at home, we’ve got you covered.
Things You Can Teach Toddlers
Children taught at home learn more. As early as age one, you can teach your child many valuable concepts and values that will make them love learning even more. Here are some:
Good Manners
It may seem like they are too young to learn basic manners, but child psychology experts recommend that good manners be inculcated in children as early as possible. Here are some helpful discipline strategies to teach toddlers good manners at home.
- Model polite behavior.
Children learn good manners by copying the grown-ups. Thus, the best way to teach your child is to be a good role model. When your child sees you talking politely to other people, saying “please” and “thank you” whenever necessary, or asking for things with kindness, he’ll pick up on that.
- Start with the basics.
Saying “please” and “thank you” is usually the first part of teaching good behavior. Next, encourage them to say “hellos” and “goodbyes” and share their toys and snacks.
- Praise your child when you see him practicing good manners.
For young children, praises show that you acknowledge the great job they did. When doing so, be specific about what good manner they did. For example, say, “You did a nice job for picking up your toy and putting it into the basket.”
- Explain why they should behave a certain way.
Children are more likely to remember their manners when you explain why a particular behavior is considered rude. Try not to scold or lecture your child; do it calmly.
Kindness
Kindness can be a complex concept for children to understand, so modeling behavior is the best way to teach kindness. Since children are usually focused on what’s right in front of them, they may not realize the full effects of negative behaviors, like meanness or bullying. They are also naturally self-centered, so they aren’t always able to make a conscious effort to think about how others might feel.
To nurture kindness in toddlers, try incorporating these practices into your daily routines at home:
- Encourage kind words and smiles.
Get your kids into the habit of being friendly by saying “hi,” “hello,” “how are you?” and other similar remarks. Gestures like kissing and hugging their parents are also a good way to show kindness.
- Practice being gentle.
Teach your toddler to practice gentleness through slow, controlled motions, soft voices, and a gentle touch.
Patience
It may seem like toddlers are too young to truly grasp what it means to be patient, but it’s one of the most valuable skills children can learn. Patience helps young children develop healthy relationships, be more considerate, and excel in academic settings.
Here’s how you can teach patience to toddlers:
- Play waiting games.
Games like “Your Turn, My Turn” are a great way to encourage your little one to get used to waiting for long periods.
- Don’t resort to bribing.
Telling your toddler to sit still for a few minutes before they can get a cookie may not be a good practice. If you do this, they may think there always have to be a reward in return for waiting patiently.
- Don’t give in to all their requests.
When your little one asks you to buy him a new toy, it’s okay to say yes, but he must wait for a few days.
Creativity
Creativity will unlock the special skills of your toddler. Moreover, it will also prepare them for the future when they have to handle and solve things on their own. Here are some great activities that can boost creativity in toddlers:
- Painting
Use non-toxic and toddler-safe paints for this activity. Painting promotes sensory development, fine motor development, exercise, and color learning. At the same time, it creates room for your little one to express emotions and build self-esteem.
- Music
Teach your toddler one nursery rhyme each week. Aside from this, you can also perform other musical activities like making improvised instruments. For example, you can make a tambourine using a paper plate and bells or a xylophone using bottles with colored water.
- Science Experiments
You don’t have to turn your kitchen into a blast zone. Toddlers will enjoy simple science experiments like making DIY slime or lava lamps and combining colors to create new ones. They also love the fizzy magic of vinegar and baking soda.
Prayer
Values formation starts at home. One effective way to instill good values in young children is through prayer. Your child needs to have an example to look to, so it’s important that you or your whole family pray together.
Pray with your toddler, tell him the words, and let him add his own. You can ask him to pray about things he is thankful for. Through prayer, you can also teach your child to be grateful. Explain to them why we pray, read books about prayer, and make a daily routine for prayer and meditation.
It All Starts at Home
Intentional or not, children learn best at home. While there are so many things you can teach your child, the ones mentioned above are guaranteed to help them navigate life as they grow older. With these strong values as their foundation, they will have a better chance of developing into healthy and emotionally capable adults.