what should my toddler be learning from mom?

Question

i have a 3 year old who wont be going to school till he's ready for kindergarten.
i have taught him the abc's and the 123's, the number's he get's easily. but can you tell me what else he should be learning to prepare him for school.

teacher's and parent's comment's highly regaurded thank's

Answer 1

ABC's, numbers, shapes, colors, body parts, animal sounds, etc. I recommend the baby Einstein series...even if you don't want to buy the videos - look at the topics and go from there.

good luck!

Answer 2

my child also had to know simple physical tasks for kindergarten such as how to cut on the lines and color. I think that teachers would prefer it if your child also could write the letters of the alphabet as well as recognize them, and also, he should know the manners of school, raising your hand before speaking, following directions, sit still, and no hittingt. My 5 year old is having a problem with the last one right now, and although mentally he is mostly ahead of his class for knowing how to read and such, he still may be suspended or held back because he doesn't know how to interact nicely with the other children. Pitfall i didn't even think about.

Answer 3

Talk to your school district and see what they recommend. My 3 yr. old just started early Pre-K and I have noticed that the kids are all on different levels at that age. When my oldest, she's 8-3rd grade, started Kindergarten there's nothing that was initially expected......but I found that she fell behind because many other kids were already learning phonics. I wish I would have started her on a phonics program at around 3!!! She still is slow at reading and I really think it was because she had to catch up on this basic skill. Good luck!!!

Answer 4

I am taking this right off of my nephews first report card from last year.

He needs to know how to write his first name
Colors
phone number
How to recognize letters of ABC'S on paper
How to follow 2 step directions
how to count to 20
How to write numbers 1-10
how to use scissors properly
work on coloring in the lines
Draw the basic shapes
read sight words ( I,A,Am,See,The)
Sit Still while it is story time and no talking
tieing shoes is good to know but not required
Rhyming words (dog,log,hog)
counting by 5's

Answer 5

Colors, shapes, what the numbers look like, what different animals look like, what sounds they make, you can have them trace or color numbers and letters, just don't expect them to be able to write them on their own yet.
You can begin to teach them how to tie shows. Explore your possibilities. You can teach him how to add, by having him count an object that interests him, then adding 2 more and asking now how many are there, and so on...
You can google kinder garden lesson plans to get more ideas, just remember to take them down a notch.

Answer 6

How to count; identify letters; write his name; identify patterns; share; listen; follow directions; sit quietly and pay attention to story; identifying rhyming words; get along with peers and other grownups; used to being read to a lot; drawing, cutting, and doing other fine motor skills to be ready for writing. You do not have to formally teach him to read, but do read to him a lot and play word games like rhyming and finding words that start with the same sound, start talking about the sounds different letters make (especially consonants). If he's not in preschool, make sure he does other "drop off" activities with adults other than you, and plays a lot both with single friends and groups of friends.

Answer 7

You may be able to find out from your local school board what they expect a child to already know upon entering kindergarten but it soudns to me like you have teh basics covered. Try colors and shapes, then move on to word recognition if s/he is capable before school starts.

Answer 8

I stay home with my 2 year old as well. When at home we do lots of things: color, read, play with her toys, she "helps" me with household chores, art projects, etc. I try to take her to story time at the library once a week, schedule play dates with other mom's with kids her age, and I just started a playgroup that meets at my house once a week so she can have that interaction with other kids. Don't let people tell you that you can't give your kid a well rounded experience at home vs. daycare. Compared to other children her age my daughter is light years ahead of them developmentally and has never spent a day of her life in daycare! Just put the time and love into your child and he will flourish with you at home!

Answer 9

how to write his name - teach him only to write with first letter of name capitalized- all caps is a hard habit to break. He should know shapes and colors by sight. Your address and phone number. His full name and parent's full names. Teach patterns. Also sounds of letters.