What are some good concepts that children should know?

Question

This is basically for children 2-4 years old. I already have numbers, letters, days of the week, but what are some others?

While trips out are a really cool idea, this is a library storytime I'm planning and the kids from the daycares are already on a trip out. I just need some ideas on basic concepts the kids should know (or be learning) so I can re-inforce that in the storytime.

Answer 1

You should teach them how to interact with other children the best way to do that is to take them to a park and see how well they react with the other children. Most kids are shy and will be wall flowers if they don't learn how to interact with other people at an early age. Teaching them to use the potty would be nice too :-D.

Answer 2

They're not too young to learn that certain letters make certain sounds. Singing the ABC song often, will get them to know their alphabet. Thinking back to when my youngest was at daycare (mainly for playing) they had "scribble control" time.. where the teacher drew a circle on a piece of paper (a largish circle) and the child colored in it, trying to not go out of the circle. Stories that repeat a sound are good for this age also. When I had a 3, 4,and a 5 year old in preschool, we covered a letter a week..recognizing the shape (making letters in the air), whether it was a large or small letter, and then having a time when we used words that started or contained that sound. I taught preschool at an ACE school, and mostly what we did was following curves with crayons and markers, helping with control of the fingers, learning letters, and numbers, being able to count 1 to 100, and learning about different things, like seeds grow into plants, trees are big plants, and some clothing is made of plants. And "things that go together" and things that dont. That age, towards the 4 year old, can do simple mazes, they sell books at Walmart that are geared for pre-school. I used those with both of my daughters, and letter and number flashcards. I also found the "counting bears" in a cup (4 different colors) they carry at Walmart to be handy for counting, and simple math. Hope this helps! sorry for the long rambly post.

Answer 3

Basic concepts of print are essential for kids this age. Read stories and emphasize basic skills: Preview the cover of the book and ask What do you think my story might be about? Point out the title of the book and say The title of my story is. Point out the author's name and explain that the author writes the words, illustrator's name and explain that the illustrator draws the pictures. Stop during the story to say What do you think will happen next? Be very dramatic and expressive as you read. Try to have a brief activity, such as a simple craft, that coordinates with the story.

Answer 4

Daycare caregivers may already be teaching thematically, so check with them first of all, and coordinate with what they are doing. It seems like you're working in a library, so you are aware of the many books available that would interest children of this age. Some concepts for children this age, in addition to the ones you've named, would include farm animals, pets, zoo animals, cars and trucks, the 4 seasons, colors, growing, healthy habits, seeds and plants, position words (such as in, out, on, under) size and relationships (big, bigger, short, tall, long, small, smaller) and many others. Think of all the things a young child is curious about or may misunderstand . . . explore your library, and go for it!

Answer 5

keep in mind they are only two and at the oldest four. The best thing you can do is teach them this little poem for your story time. Keep in mind they are young so for every 10 mins of reading for the 4 year olds you need to have them stretch and 5 mins for the 2 year olds.
Eyes are watching
Ears are listening
Mouths are closed
Bodies are still
Hands are raised when you want to talk.
If their is a problem with two children have them use their words and talk it out. The teachers will love you for this. A trick I learned when I worked at the Library.

Answer 6

animals.
the weather.
teeth
monsters

try mixing up the storytimes with a craft activity and a song and an active / motion activity in order to keep the kids interested.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com
is full of printable coloring pages for little kids, the millions of coloring pages should be enough inspiration to come up with tons of activities.

have fun!

Answer 7

Set up a game that will help them remember names, colors or things like: what color is this (points to a colored object)?, can someone bring me a crayon?, touch the color blue, what is the sound of a cow (show him a picture of the animal). They will learn faster if you do this. They'll be able to memorize the kinds of animals, the different colors and the different objects you point out. The most important thing, they'll have fun while learning. It will also keep their interest at bay.

Answer 8

Children at this age "absorb" concepts as long as the adults they interact with provide them with the experiences to do so. For example: when reading a story (fact or fiction) ask the child questions so they can "recall." Extend the story by asking them open-ended questions which will extend their learning. Choose books with appealing illustrations which are more likely to keep children at this age in-tuned to the story. They will feed off of your enthusiasm and their naturally curious mind will be well nourished!

Answer 9

I would suggest hands on learning. When you read a book to the children, incorporate a bag full of objects you are reading about. Let each one tell you how it feels, and which object they think they are holding. It really is a lot of fun and the children will learn more with hands on, and touchy feeling kind of games.

Answer 10

colours, asking questions, finding basic items, in the pictures, answering questions IE whats this?
what do you think happens next? what are they wearing? for books where animals are humanized. have you ever seen a .... wearing a dress, saying hello. etc. but just because they answer not like an adult it is OK.

plus if you can get the kids to help turn the pages, open secret parts etc it makes it more hands on for them