At our enCourage Preschools centers in Hillsboro, Oregon and San Antonio, Texas, we know that learning begins at home whether or not caregivers prompt it. Preschoolers, ages two to five years old, are naturally curious. At this age, their vocabulary is rapidly growing and they are excellent at asking questions. Lots of questions! Learning is effortless to them at this time and happens most naturally through play and exploration.
Appropriate learning goals for preschool-aged children include:
- Fine and gross motor skills
- Early academics such as letters, shapes and colors
- Problem-solving and creativity
- Social and emotional regulation
- Life skills
While learning does come naturally for very young children, parents and caregivers do have a role to play in learning at home. First, parents need to create structure and set up an environment that is conducive to learning that allows children to engage in learning activities throughout their day seamlessly. Engaging in conversation, avoiding baby talk, encouraging independent play and alternating between types of play throughout the day are more things parents can do to encourage learning at home.
Here are a few other tips for making learning at home fun for your preschooler.
Follow Their Interests
If you want your preschooler to be excited about learning, start by incorporating things they are already interested in. If your child loves dinosaurs, use that as an outlet for learning! It could look something like this:
- Math: How many dinosaurs do you have? Let’s count them together.
- Curiosity: I wonder what this dinosaur likes to eat. Let’s research and find out!
- Language: Let’s go to the library and pick out some books about dinosaurs to read.
- Social Emotion Skills: This dinosaur doesn’t like it when the other dinosaurs knock him over. What could he say to ask them to stop?
You know your child best and know what they will likely respond to and engage with. If your child is energetic and physical, incorporate movement into learning. If they are creative, use crafts as a way to learn.
Lean into their interests, follow their lead and you will see how naturally learning opportunities arise in their world.
Make Learning a Game
Children learn primarily through play, so take advantage of that! A quick search on Google or Pinterest will provide you with plenty of ideas for educational games. The good news is that you can put as much or as little effort into creating games as you would like! Even something as simple as a game of iSpy can be an excellent avenue for learning by helping children recognize colors, spy letters, build vocabulary, increase their attention span and more!
While it is not necessarily a game, do not underestimate the power of reading books! Reading is a fantastic way to incorporate learning with your preschooler since reading is a source of entertainment to them. Reading just a few books a day not only develops vocabulary, it also improves comprehension, memory and empathy, to name a few.
Incorporate Learning Into Everyday Activities
While play is an excellent outlet for learning, inviting our preschoolers into everyday activities is just as engaging and important for them in their development. Part of learning at this age is developing life skills and growing more independent.
Children want to be involved with their parents, so instead of doing things for your preschooler, invite them to do things with you!
Things like:
- Cooking: pouring ingredients into a bowl, mixing, pulling grapes off of the stem
- Self-care: brushing teeth, combing hair, getting dressed and undressed
- Chores: sweeping, matching socks, pulling clothes out of the dryer, spraying and wiping counter tops, washing windows, feeding pets
- Grocery shopping: identify foods, spying colors and letters, counting produce
Don’t forget to coordinate with your child’s teachers to find out what they are learning at school and hone in on those things at home too. Our enCourage instructors would be more than happy to talk with you more about ways to develop a love of learning in your child.
If you are looking for a preschool for your child in the San Antonio, Texas or Hillsboro, Oregon area, we would love to talk! Learn more about our preschool centers.