Teaching Tinies at Home

There is a large buy-in to the busy culture of educating young children. Parents spend money on books, DVDs, and courses trying to teach their children anything.

My greatest reminder for parents of children 0-5 is that every experience is a learning experience. 

When your baby turns the faucet on and off and on and off and on and off (x1,000) he is not mesmerized, or bored, or being silly; he is learning. He learns cause and effect. He learns how water sticks together and runs quickly down a drain. He experiences the sensations of the water splashing on his pudgy little tiny hand. He is learning! Allowing him to explore processes is a great part of learning. Sit with baby while he does these things. Give him vocabulary for what he is learning. On! Off! Splash, splash, splash! You are not wasting time, you are teaching. 

Create opportunities for new learning as your tiny grows bigger. Add new, exciting objects to play that your child has already created. For example, if he is playing with the water in the sink, add a spoon and a cup. Now your tiny is learning volume, capacity, developing fine motor and pouring skills. He may practice stirring, and observe how water swirls around when coaxed.

Play is an innate way to learn. There are many ages and stages of play that your tiny will move through automatically as he is ready. The best way to "get him ahead" is to provide several enriching opportunities to encourage more play--that's right--more play.

What are some ways you witness your own tinies learning through play?