Improving Early Childhood Learning At Home

With love, we see all the potential our children have. They soak up every word, hug, and embrace each day with enthusiasm. We see every precious thing they do and see how fast they learn things. There is so much room for them to soar and grow.

Early childhood learning always sounds so structured but I don’t believe it needs to be. Your child starts learning from the time they are born.

Improving Early Childhood Learning At Home

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Listening, Reading, & Encouraging

As a parent, it is really easy to get in the habit of talking at our child than actually having a conversation. Life gets busy but speaking to our kids about what they want to talk about makes them feel special, important, and as a bonus, it helps their brain development and increases their vocabulary.

I love reading and everything to do with books in general. Just like having conversations with our kids, it is so key to take that time every day to read together to improve time spent together, their vocabulary, and creative thinking all at the same time.

Language

Language is a large part of our early learning. From the womb, we feel and hear sound from our mother’s heartbeat and the sounds and vibrations outside.

When it comes to baby and toddler years, they stare and watch us in everything we do, especially when we talk. I really do believe it is so important that I take the time to sit with them and talk with them. Eye contact and one on one conversations are extremely important.

Learn Through Play

Making learning fun is so easy for younger children. There are many hands-on activities and educational games that can make learning so much more fun. When my kids are little, I don’t like making learning an extremely structured process. I let them play and the games and activities I give them are educational.

Being active is so important for brain development. There have been so many studies about improved academics relating to sports and living an active lifestyle.

If They Are Really Interested, Teach Them

Every child is different and when they are ready to learn something, they will tell you. Whether it be baking, cleaning, learning how to read, learning how to jump rope. Encouragement is the best teaching tool. Having someone believe in you, even though it could be a small task is very important. Adults and children both want to feel like they are doing something that matters and it makes it even more exciting when it is something they are passionate about. If they are interested or not interested in learning something, in particular, listen to their cues.

Sign Language

Sign language has been a large part of all my children’s life. Sign language helps children learn how to speak before they can form words. My boys took a little longer to start talking but by signing and talking to them at the same time, they found a new way they could communicate without getting upset. As they grow older, signing the alphabet has great benefits in their reading. Seeing, hearing, and doing is a simple but very effective way for everyone to learn. So, signing the alphabet lets you see it with your hands, they hear you speak the sound and/or letter name, and have the physical act of signing. It gives them 3 ways to learn their alphabet and numbers.

Here is a link to another post I have about my experience signing with my babies. Here

Learning Through Questions

I try to make every experience a learning one. Children are always so curious and ask as we all know, sometimes a million questions. Embrace it and see it as a time to teach them about the things they are interested in. every once in a while, ask them a question or two for you both to think about. Let them see that even as an adult we can have questions and are always capable of growth.

Screen Time

Most parents have different views regarding their child’s screen time. Some believe no screen time, limited screen time, and some unlimited time. Love to every parent’s opinions and I respect all of them and see it from all sides.

For our house, I try to have everything that my kids come into contact with, be character-building and educational. This doesn’t stop with screen time. Little Einsteins, Creative Galaxy, Micky Mouse Club House, Brain Candy TV, and Signing Time are some of my kid’s favorite educational shows.

As far as I have seen from my kids, screen time can be a great learning tool. I like to use Amazon FreeTime to set a time limit (1-hour max) and lets me manage the content they watch and the apps they use.

Health

If your child is under the weather or just isn’t focusing as well in general, it can make it more difficult for them to learn.

I do believe eating nutritious foods for kids is just as important as it is as when we are adults. When we eat nutritious foods, we can have an overall feeling of wellness and alertness. It is the same for our kids. That doesn’t mean I don’t let my kids have fast food or some candy every once in a while. Just like us, moderation is key to a healthy active lifestyle. Learning doesn’t need to be solely educational, it is life lessons. Having a healthy relationship with food starts at home.

As picky as kids can get with their food choices sometimes, supplementing with a multivitamin is always a good option if you are unsure if they are getting all their vitamins from their food.

When it comes to focusing, mood, and supporting your brain, Omega-3 may be a great option. Many children and adults lack having enough Omega-3 in their diet. We have been using Kids Smart Fish Oil and my kiddos have been loving it. It doesn’t have a fishy taste and has a higher amount of DHA than other brands. We twist the little tale and the kids drink it. It can also be eaten as a whole.

Kids Smart High DHA Fish Oil Chewable Burstlets can be purchased on Amazon here. Save 20% when you purchase a 30-count bottle of Kids Smart High DHA Fish Oil Chewable Burstlets on Amazon with the promo code 20MM20KS. Offer ends March 14, 2020

Eyesight and Hearing

One of my little boys has some eyesight difficulties, and we found that after taking him to get his eyes checked, his language and attention span increased a large amount after getting him his glasses. Why? Well, before he had glasses, he wouldn’t look at us very long when he spoke with us. We found out later it was because his eyes would get tired and wouldn’t be able to focus on us for very long. So, it ended up making it harder for him to watch our mouths to learn how to form words or to have any type of attention span. After wearing glasses, he started increasing the words he spoke quickly, was overall happier, and was less frustrated.

So, I would encourage you to check your child’s hearing and/or eyesight if you notice anything that seems out of the ordinary or they are having difficulties with hearing you or having eye difficulties.

As always thanks for reading and love hearing from all of you.

IMPROVING EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AT HOME

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