What to do with a TODDLER (21 months)?

[MuslimMama]

From what I have read, most of their learning at this age comes through copying, play, etc. But did anyone have specific goals for their toddler (ie: shapes, colors, etc?)

What types of activities did you do with them> Arts and crafts? outdoor stuff? did you let them show you how they wanted to play or did you try and direct it??

ANY input would be great! I ordered a kit from Berry Best Preschool, designed for toddlers, but I havent received it and the phone numbers are no longer working

Thanks!

[BellinghamCrunchie]

At that age we focused heavily on sensory exploration. You might enjoy checking out the Montessori materials for that age group (just google montessori materials toddler or sensorial).

We also worked on things like puzzles, fine and gross motor (playdoh, fingerpaint, jumping, swinging, etc), and the basics of using the computer mouse. Don't really think you can go wrong at this age. If its fun, do it.

[Lillian J]

Things like shapes and colors will just come pretty naturally in the process of everyday activities - you won't really need goals with a toddler. As far as play, there will be lots of self motivated play of all kinds which is an end in itself, and you can join in from time to time to bring a little extra sparkle into imaginative play. Sometimes children don't have an idea of how to imagine things, but once they get going, away they go! If you scroll down beneath the list of articles on this preschool page I put together, you'll find a long list of links to websites that have fun ideas, and fun is the goal at that age, encompassing exploration and all the rest.

Have fun! Lillian

[lach]

I've heard good things about the Berry Best.

21 months seems very young... and I'm usually the lone person on here doing stuff with my very young kids.

When DD was about 2.5 we started on the Kumon workbooks for age 2, and the Brightly Beaming Resources preparatory curriculum. I recommend both.

There's a book called "A Survival Guide for the Preschool Teacher" that is so chock full of activities you won't even know where to start. It's mostly for ages 3 and 4, but definitely designed for a range of abilities. It's obviously designed for classroom use, but it has a lot of good ideas that I transferred to the home.

At 21 months, though, I'd really just concentrate on letting them explore the world. Lots and lots of tactile things: playdough, painting. Lots of reading aloud. Lots of playing outside. That sort of thing.

[shoefairy3]

we play and read. Alot

[MuslimMama]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

If you scroll down beneath the list of articles on this preschool page I put together, you'll find a long list of links to websites that have fun ideas, and fun is the goal at that age, encompassing exploration and all the rest.

I just started to read through these articles. Some very interesting stuff! Thanks for putting that together!!

[zjande]

Another vote for playdough & fingerpaints.

[MuslimMama]

I am curious- for the parents who read to their toddlers... does your LO actually listen? DS does not sit and listen to a story. He is more interested in flipping the pages LOL!

[lach]

Originally Posted by MuslimMama

I am curious- for the parents who read to their toddlers... does your LO actually listen? DS does not sit and listen to a story. He is more interested in flipping the pages LOL!

My first child yes, my second no way. WHich was very annoying after my super docile little girl who would sit there and insist I read 10 books in a row... my #2 gets bored after one page and tries to throw the book. It's double frustrating when DD is sitting there listening and DS tries to throw the book: then she screams and he shrieks and everyone is annoyed. I just do what I can and stay patient with him, and do a lot of reading aloud when he's playing on the other side of the room

[meetoo]

Goal- learn not to throw everything off the table.

Seriously though, the only "goal" I would have for a toddler would be to develop speech. Ask your local librarians for a list of good toddler books. If your child gets wiggle flip faster . It is ok to just talk about the pictures, you don't have to read a book word for word at this age. Look for short rhyming books and read a lot of nursery rhymes. Sing songs and fingerplays together. Talk to your child. You don't need to be the insane woman who is always rambling on, but take time to talk to your toddlers vs at them.

The only other thing i would do is provide a wide range of QUALITY toys. Things like puzzles, wooden blocks, duplos, dress ups, small cars, train sets, lacing beads, peg boards tricycle, balls.... Toys that will encourage his motor skills, problem solving skills, imagination, and inner speech.

edited to add some books my fairly wiggly 18 mth old enjoys
Barnyard Banter By Denise Flemming
The Very Busy Spider By Eric Carle
Walking Through the Jungle
Big Green Monster By Ed Emberly
Any books based on a song (isty bisty spider, head shoulders knees and toes, etc)

She is currently very into rereading the same books over and over and over and over and......you get the idea

[cappuccinosmom]

My toddler sort of satellites around his brothers when they do school. Sometimes he's at the table practicing cutting, other times he's playing with his 'shopping basket', other times he's doing "computer school" (educational sites). When he was interested in reading some words and seeing how their letters went in order, I sat down and showed him, but when he lost interest, I let it be.

So, essentially no "goals" or formal schooling. But he's learned enough that if he had better motor control, he could do his brothers K5 work pretty easily. At that young age I just don't think it's necessary to do formal work. In an environment where parents and family interact with them, talk with them, answer their questions, etc. they will learn everything they need to know and more without a formal curriculum.

[sapphire_chan]

http://whatdidwedoallday.blogspot.com/

Has activities divided by age group. From that list, there are two blogs I really like because they divide things up by age in the sidebar (although dd is generally about 2 months behind their kids ):
http://montessorimum.blogspot.com
http://montessoribeginnings.blogspot.com

DD's most favorite activity from those is the fishing game. Attach a magnet to a string, string to a stick. Make some paper fish (easy way: print fish pictures on computer), attach paper clips.

[tankgirl73]

Dittoing the idea of Montessori-based activities. That's what we did with DD. I've talked about some of it at my blog www.motherbynature.ca.

At that age, you really don't need to worry about "academics" at all, but instead you can focus on "Practical Skills" (that's the Montessori term for it). Things like pouring water, transferring objects from one container to another with a spoon or with tongs, sorting objects, helping with cooking (toddlers can help chop cheese with a dull knife, for instance, as well as pouring and stirring ingredients, etc), serving food, setting the table, cleaning/sweeping/washing, using buttons and zippers, etc.

It's not just about particular activities either, but about a mindset of enabling toddlers to try and do things independently without over-babying or "rescuing" them all the time. At this age they are naturally exploring their abilities to do things for themselves, and hunger for it in fact. Often, we unintentionally interfere with this normal development out of excessive fears for their safety or just the notion that they're "too young" and should only be playing with toys all the time.

If you try the "Practical Skills" activities with your toddler, I can almost guarantee that they will LOVE them, they'll be totally absorbed and focused and fascinated.

The Montessori model is based on following your child's natural developmental drives... when they are ready to learn about letters, they will gravitate towards activities with letters, they will seek out those opportunities, we just have to learn to recognize them. Rather than teaching "at" them, we respond to their natural drives.

[RiverSky]

At that age, I think just play is way more important. Join a moms club and become very active. Go to all of their field trips, play dates, craft days, etc. Try out some of the one-time-free classes available in your area for things like Gymboree, Kindermusik, Music Together, My Gym, etc., and see if your 21 month old enjoys any of them. Go to the library story time every single week, and consider adding in some book store story times (they generally all have them, on different days, once per week). Go for daily walks around your neighborhood or take turns going to various area parks and playgrounds and just explore, answer any questions your little one has, take along a picnic and a ball so that you two can play catch, run around, eat, watch the birds, etc.

[crunchy_mommy]

Interesting thread!!

Originally Posted by MuslimMama

I am curious- for the parents who read to their toddlers... does your LO actually listen? DS does not sit and listen to a story. He is more interested in flipping the pages LOL!

Yes... DS loves loves loves stories... but we keep it 100% on his terms. We get a stack of books and he hands me the ones he wants to read. Sometimes he gets bored or changes his mind after the first page, so we read a different book or do something else. More often, he will sit & listen to every last page of every book in the stack. He prefers familiar books (so sometimes I have to read a new book through very quickly once or twice when he's in a calm mood before he'll really sit & listen to it). I also make it overly dramatic (learned that from my sister, he loved her reading!) so if the character sneezes, we sneeze dramatically, if there's a 'thump' we thump hard on the floor, etc. so he looks forward to those parts of the book. Sometimes we don't read the book, we just look at the pictures and talk about them. (Sorry if this all sounds like obvious stuff but some of it I never really thought of, I used to read just linearly and not as expressively as I could've.)

As far as goals etc. we haven't gotten to that point... DS is 16 mos & I think he just really needs to play & explore right now. It's on his terms for the most part... I do often choose the activities but he chooses how he does it & how long he wants to do it.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by MuslimMama

I am curious- for the parents who read to their toddlers... does your LO actually listen? DS does not sit and listen to a story. He is more interested in flipping the pages LOL!

DS listened intently to us reading to him (stories, picture books, newspaper, whatever) almost from birth. By four months of age, he would turn his board books upside-right (and we had dozens and dozens) if we tried to trick him by giving them to him upside down. We also read to him before every nap, and before every bed time, several books each time.

The tradition continued after we had DD, but she didn't focus or pay quite so much attention and would dance around, play with toys nearby, climb on us, etc., but surprise, surprise, she was actually listening. Her activity level while being read to continued all through her preschool-aged years, but now at 8, she is the most focused, dedicated reader, and reads chapter book after chapter book, loves to read, will read everything, and reads far above her age level.

(BTW, DS loves to read, too)

There are always a few kids at library story times who spend much of the time playing or not focusing as intently on the story as others, but children's librarians are generally so good at engaging the children, keeping it lively, interesting and switching from activities, songs, stories, felt board activities, etc., so that the longer and more frequently your take your child, the more they get used to the entire circle routine and the more they start to love it.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

There are always a few kids at library story times who spend much of the time playing or not focusing as intently on the story as others, but children's librarians are generally so good at engaging the children, keeping it lively, interesting and switching from activities, songs, stories, felt board activities, etc., so that the longer and more frequently your take your child, the more they get used to the entire circle routine and the more they start to love it.

YES! A few weeks ago I brought DS to a different story hour & he was walking all around and not paying attention at all... Well the very next day when we went to the playground he got in one of the toy cars & pressed the horn & said "Beep Beep!" (This was from a story they had read at story hour, he'd never done it before & we hadn't thought to 'teach' him either.) So he was absorbing everything (and I've seen more & more signs of him absorbing it even when he doesn't seem to be paying attention, though at home he is pretty content to just sit & listen).