Aside from my desire to potentially homeschool in the future, I'm very motivated to make learning a part of our lives with our kids. Mostly because, hello, who else is going to teach them things but me? I'm their primary caregiver, which is marginally terrifying because what if I forget something? Like, oh, sorry Judah, Mama forgot to teach you your own middle name and what a circle is and you're about to start kindergarten and now you won't get into MIT. Something like that, ha! ;)
For me, learning at home has to be organic and is all about providing opportunities for us to engage. I'm not the mom who does worksheets or formal sit-down time, and we're also not into tablets for our kids apart from rare occasions.
Books are the springboard for so much learning, and we also use toys, puzzles, and our surroundings to discover together. I'm not a teacher by profession, and Judah isn't really a "sit down and color" kind of kid, so I'm challenged to keep it active and interesting!
Some of my favorite teaching toys that are not screens:
50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups: a terrific manipulative for counting 1:1, color identification, sorting, and motor skills like pouring.
Alpha-bots: these are a family favorite! And I really do mean it- everyone except the baby plays with together with them. They're like transformers in alphabet form. They've made learning letters SO MUCH FUN.
Instruments: drums, tamborines, this trumpet and saxophone, a recorder . . . anything that helps you teach loud/soft, fast/slow, and rhythm.
Magnetic Drawing Board: another versatile teaching tool that we use for so many things. The instant gratification of erasing everything with the pull of the lever is also an added bonus, haha.
Target Dollar Spot: I check this area almost every time we go to Target, especially during Back to School season! So many gems to be found here- flashcards, dry erase boards, games, activity books, etc. Almost all of our little board books about animals, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. were purchased here for $1/ea.
And of course, there's always BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! I'm interested to know what other parents out there are using to make learning natural and fun.
I think I'll soon be sharing what we're taking home from the local library on our weekly trips. We've been discovering so many good books to share together this summer, and I'm excited to talk about our favorites!
For me, learning at home has to be organic and is all about providing opportunities for us to engage. I'm not the mom who does worksheets or formal sit-down time, and we're also not into tablets for our kids apart from rare occasions.
Books are the springboard for so much learning, and we also use toys, puzzles, and our surroundings to discover together. I'm not a teacher by profession, and Judah isn't really a "sit down and color" kind of kid, so I'm challenged to keep it active and interesting!
50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups: a terrific manipulative for counting 1:1, color identification, sorting, and motor skills like pouring.
Alpha-bots: these are a family favorite! And I really do mean it- everyone except the baby plays with together with them. They're like transformers in alphabet form. They've made learning letters SO MUCH FUN.
Instruments: drums, tamborines, this trumpet and saxophone, a recorder . . . anything that helps you teach loud/soft, fast/slow, and rhythm.
Magnetic Drawing Board: another versatile teaching tool that we use for so many things. The instant gratification of erasing everything with the pull of the lever is also an added bonus, haha.
Target Dollar Spot: I check this area almost every time we go to Target, especially during Back to School season! So many gems to be found here- flashcards, dry erase boards, games, activity books, etc. Almost all of our little board books about animals, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. were purchased here for $1/ea.
And of course, there's always BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! I'm interested to know what other parents out there are using to make learning natural and fun.
I think I'll soon be sharing what we're taking home from the local library on our weekly trips. We've been discovering so many good books to share together this summer, and I'm excited to talk about our favorites!
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