Toddler Learning

Want to know what the great thing about toddlers is? They’re naturally curious about everything. They want to see, do and try everything. You, as the parent, can think of it as a gift- after all, curiosity is the spark the flames of learning come from!

In this article, we’re going to talk about why our website is the best when it comes to helping toddlers and their parents get off on the right foot when it comes to preparing for preschool, kindergarten, and beyond.

You’ll find all kinds of ideas here about what you can do to foster your child’s natural curiosity and promote a love of learning. Let’s get started.

What To Know About Our Website

We are parents like you that want the best for our children. We want them to succeed in school and beyond. We want them to have a real thirst for learning and to take their curiosity and run with it.

As a result, we created this website to show other parents how we go about doing this. We decided to show off the best products and tips about helping toddlers learn because why not? After all, everyone wants their child to be smart!

What We Do

We mostly find products that we think kids will love or products that our daughter loved, and show them off to other parents. This is the easiest and fastest way to get the word out about toys that teach our kids their numbers, letters, language, and also help them develop problem-solving skills that’ll take them far in life.

We test the toys out mostly by having actual children play with them- our daughter Lily loves her job as the “guinea pig” along with her cousin, Teddy. The two of them try out the items we choose, and then we write about it. It’s easy!

Granted, we cannot speak for all children using a sample of only two kids, but we like to think having real kiddos try this stuff out can help parents decide to buy or not.

Why We Do It

As parents ourselves, we were inundated with suggestions about how to raise our daughter- everything from potty training to sleep training to preschool readiness was preached to us. Most of it was kind-hearted advice from well-meaning relatives but we soon realized that not all of it was what we wanted.

The same goes for toys, learning aids, and books for kids- you’ll get a different answer from every parent everywhere about what makes a toy, learning aid, or book better than the rest. This blog represents our opinions and thoughts on the matter, and the aim is to help parents make choices that will benefit them and their kids.

Every Kid Deserves A Shot

We also try to find items we think are relatively affordable. A lot of the things we review are not cheap – for example, the Hooked On Phonics sets can run you over $200- but we know that this price is cheaper than a private tutor for reading and language arts.

This leads us to another reason why we do this- because every kid deserves a chance to learn, to enjoy that thirst for knowledge, and to feel smart and confident in themselves.

By showing you our advice about toddler learning and the products we use to promote it, we feel that we can help more kids around the world get a head start in life.

So while we know that a lot of these items are not just things you can buy on a whim, we do know they could help children everywhere. This means those who do not have the same advantages as other children, such as those with access to nearby preschools, financial resources, or parents with lots of time to devote to teaching their children.

Toddler Learning Matters Because…

…Your child was born just itching to learn everything! By having babies, toddlers, and school-age kids use their brains, it gets stronger and develops (just like a muscle). An environment with lots of differing play/learning methods is just what your child needs to promote brain development.

Your little one learns the very best when they have responsive and engaged relationships with caregivers such as parents. As a parent, you play a key part in helping your kiddo during their earliest years. You’re the very first instructor they ever have, and they will continue learning from you, even after they go to school or preschool.

So how do children learn?

Especially young children, from birth to 3, learn using exploration and play. The environment through which this takes place should be safe and free of criticism, but it should also stimulate the child’s curiosity.

Relationships matter also. The relationships your toddler has with you, other caregivers, and family members, are the building blocks for their development and learning.

By spending lots of time interacting and playing with you, peers, and other adults, they learn vital life skills, such as problem-solving, communication with others, critical thinking, and what it means to be with other people.

Read our latest articles about helping toddlers learn…

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• 7 Best Piano Music Mats For Kids Reviewed
• 7 Best Sensory Boards For The Wall
• 7 Best Sensory Bottles For Toddlers Reviewed
• 6 Best Sensory Toys with Lights
• Math Activities For Toddlers
• Learning Colors For Toddlers
• Best Educational Shows For Toddlers
• Best Books For Learning To Read

Engage Actively With The World Around You!

One of the best ways for your child to learn is by partaking in her environment and what it has to offer. And when we say environment, we don’t mean nature (although it’s very enriching to take your child to the forest, the mountains, or a rural area and show them what life is like there).

What we do mean is:

Get Kids Involved In Learning

You can easily involve your child in learning, and it doesn’t cost a lot of money! You can do these simple activities with your toddler:

If you give your child the chance to try out several activities, you give them the chance to practice and internalize what they’re learning. Vary them up, too- take your child indoors, outdoors, introduce them to physical and quiet activities, structured activities and free play, and the like.

Make sure to offer your toddler lots of support. You might need to demonstrate the activity first for them. But, don’t give them the solution straight away! Let them use trial and error to figure things out for themselves. Finding out how things work, how we make and fix mistakes, and finding easier ways to do things are all part of how we learn.

Your best bet is to offer lots of encouragement and praise when they try- this will keep them excited and interested in learning, and help them feel confident in themselves.

What Is My Kid Even Learning?

It is not always obvious how such activities like the ones discussed above benefit their little ones. See below to understand what your child is learning and why your family is so important in your child’s well-being.

Handwriting, Music, Reading, and Numbers

You can help your kiddo learn number basics just by doing everyday activities – for example, counting the croutons that go on top of your green salad. You can also sing songs about counting, too.

Literacy skills are developed at an early age by telling stories, reading books, menus, instructions, and road signs, playing letter games such as naming objects in your environment that start with a certain letter.

Handwriting develops when we let our toddlers scribble and color with crayons and write freely with pens and pencils. If you are writing a check, give your child a strip of paper and have them write, too.

Even though your toddler isn’t writing perfectly, they are developing hand-eye coordination, fine-tuning their motor skills, and learning real-life activities such as check-writing.

Physical Well-being & Health

By playing active games with your toddler, and demonstrating the importance of physical activity, you set your child up for success when it comes to taking care of their bodies and minds.

Include your child in your exercise whenever possible. Go walking together, jump rope, play outside, or give them toy weights to use during a video workout. This shows exercise is not only great for your health but also a fun way to spend time with others.

 

Environment & Spatial Knowledge

Your child can learn about their size, shape, and how they “fit in” with the rest of the world. For instance, they can say, “I’m taller than the car tire but not taller than the car.”  They can also learn about how they impact their environment- for example, the trash was taken away because they helped bring it to the driveway for the rubbish pickup day.

Communication and Language Arts

When you sing, talk and listen to your kid, you are helping them to learn what it means to be a good listener, how to have conversations, and how we speak to one another. Involving your child in conversations with many people teaches them the different speech patterns and nuances others have.

Creativity and Imagination

By letting your child hold and play with various objects, especially ones they’ve never seen before, you promote imagination and creative thinking.

For example, you might give your child an old rotary telephone to see how they react to it. Unusual objects such as that open up discussions about why we use such objects, what life was like before they were born, and how technology changes over time. The objects can also be used for imaginative purposes- for instance, pretending to talk on an old handset promotes storytelling and role-playing.

Relationships and Self

From your care and their family, your child learns they have a place in the world, they matter, and they are loved. They learn what trust means – “I will help you climb the slide, don’t worry.” The child understands things they like and dislike, and what their own feelings and thoughts are regarding various matters. Relationships with family are the first steps to learning how to interact and get along with other kids, adults, and people you meet.

Advice/Activities For Toddler Learning

Want to know about some great activities you can do at home with your toddler to promote learning, creativity, and excitement about the world around them? Read on for a variety of activities that boost many skills and subject areas.

Activity 1: Soap Glitter Jars

Here’s something you can do to put an old plastic jar to good use. You will need the following materials:

You’ll begin by helping your toddler fill the jar halfway with water. Then, help your toddler squeeze in the food coloring. What could happen if you mix various colors in the same jar?

Now have your toddler squeeze in the dish soap. You can tell them that MORE dish soap means more bubbles- a great way to learn the concept of “more” vs. “Less.”

Then have your child add glitter if they so desire. This helps promote autonomy- You can choose glitter or you can choose no glitter.

Now put the lid on, gluing it shut if you desire (This would of course be a parent-only step).

Now, you can see how your child reacts. Do they enjoy the bubbles more, or do they like the glitter more? How can we make the jar activate? Can we roll, shake, or swirl the jar?

What if we make more jars of different colors? What if we add glitter to one jar and none to the other?

These are all great ways to get toddlers thinking critically while also teaching them how to recycle household objects.

Activity 2: Toilet Paper Tube Stamp

This is a fun way to help your toddler make art using household objects you might already have lying around. You can use an old toilet-paper tube or a paper towel tube to make your “stamp.”

After that, you just need some sturdy construction paper and some washable paint.

Here are the steps.

Assemble your supplies:

Lay the newspaper down on your workspace, and then set the paint out for the kids.

Press the toilet paper tube into a heart shape by making a crease the long way down the front of the tube.

Now dip the end into the paint color of your choice. You can use red or pink if making a valentine’s gift, or if you are making a Father’s or Mother’s Day gift, you can use the favored color of that parent.

Then have your toddler make stamps on the paper.

It’s as easy as that! You can then let it dry and frame it or give it to your recipient.

This teaches kids the fun of art, the joy of giving a handmade gift to another person, and is a great way to talk about colors. It’s also good for hand-eye coordination and fine-tuning of motor skills.

Activity 3: Magazine Rip-Up

Yes- entertaining toddlers is easier than you think, and if you’ve got some old magazines around, you might be surprised at how the kids enjoy tearing up old paper.

Start by setting out a wastebasket or container to catch the paper rippings.

Next, get some old catalogs, magazines, or newspapers you planned on recycling or discarding.

Then show your toddler how to do it! Rip a paper up and let them enjoy the sound, or help them enjoy a laugh.

Then demonstrate putting it into the container- cleanup is always necessary after such activities.

Why is this activity a good one?  Here’s why:

So, put that junk mail to good use by tearing it up!

Activity 4: Don’t Let It Touch The Ground!

All you need for this is a latex balloon blown up using just your mouth or a bike pump. We don’t want to use helium with this because it will float away. (This makes a great scientific point to discuss with your toddler).

Simply fill up the balloon and go outdoors if the weather permits. The goal is to keep the balloon in the air and avoid letting it touch the ground.

You can pretend the ground is lava if you want- our daughter likes doing that.

This gets kids running around and using their brains to figure out where the balloon is going. They have to react quickly to keep it off the ground.

Some children might benefit from a “paddle”. You can make these “balloon paddles” to keep it afloat by simply attaching popsicle sticks to paper plates.

It’s a very fun way to get youngsters up and moving about. By playing this game with other children their age, or anyone, the kids learn how to cooperate and communicate with one another.

We also find that this game is fun with older children to a certain extent- some kids I’ve seen play it create teams and keep score on whose team lets it fall, eventually deciding on a winner. This might be a bit advanced for toddlers, but could be a nice way to include and discuss numbers.

Activity 5: Type Your Name

This is a simple activity you can do using your tablet, computer, or laptop.

We recommend the use of a PC or laptop, as it helps kids imitate the activity of adults AND introduces kids to physical QWERTY keyboards.

Open up a Word document and let your child type freely. You may wish to make the font larger so they can see it.

Once they’ve had fun getting the hang of the keyboard, dictate the letters to your toddler of their name and let them type it.

They will love seeing their name- and enjoy learning how to use the keyboard.

Check Out Our Other Articles

If you’re ready to check out what else we have to offer, then see below for some of the best articles around. We’re crazy about helping our little ones learn, and it’s so satisfying to see them get excited about things around them.

Below you will find many great articles that center around toddlers and how they learn.  You’ll find ideas about what you can do around the house to help your child grow their brain, plus some of our favorite items for purchase that will get them a head start.

So whether your goal is just to enrich your toddler or make them the smartest one in the preschool room, we’ve got you covered. Happy learning!