Toddler doesn't want to learn?

Question

Amazingly at 21 months old my son could recite his ABC's, recognize them on paper, and was able to write 2-3 letters on his own. Also he was able count to 40. Now at 24m he seems bored with learning in general. How do I stimulate him?

Answer 1

2-year-olds have lots of learning to do that you might not be recognizing as learning. They are working on things like cause and effect when they're building block towers and playing in water or sand. They're learning that some bath toys float and some sink. Their vocabularies are growing at an incredible pace just from hearing conversation around them (without any formal attempt to "teach" them). They are learning how to negotiate sharing toys, and what the other kid (and your mom) is likely to do if you hit them over the head with a shovel. :-) They are exploring what their bodies can do, both in terms of gross motor skills like running and jumping and in terms of fine motor skills like holding a crayon. They are learning every time you show them a new toy or "grownup" object, and every time you take them into the backyard or to the mall or whatever. It's true that you can teach a 2-year-old some formal "academic" skills if you work on it hard enough. As someone already mentioned, kids who learn these skills early are not necessarily at an advantage later on, and are in fact at a disadvantage if they feel so pushed that they come to hate formal learning. If you really want your child to love letters and learn to read, read to him. You can read whatever he seems ready for, it will be fun for him, and he will be learning the whole time. You can also stimulate him by taking him places, talking to him, singing songs and making rhymes, counting blocks in a playful way, looking for ants in the backyard, going to a children's museum, going to the grocery store and exposing him to lots and lots of conversation. There's no harm in saying "let's see if we can find a sign with an "A" on it as long as your son is having fun, but when your son is more interested in the way the dew is sitting on the grass, it's time to talk about that, instead. What will really help your son when he gets to school age is a big vocabulary (from listening to you talk and read about lots of things), lots of experience to draw on to help him interpret what he reads, and a love of reading and discovery.

Answer 2

i don't save song with a itemizing or something of what words my infant says. My rule of thumb is that if i will comprehend what she is asserting then she is conscious the interest. For 18 months she speaks very of course and is in a position to place jointly 5-6 word sentences so it fairly is uncommon that i don't understand her. the only word she at the instant says that doesn't sound something like the certainly word is Mok, that's Milk.

Answer 3

I noticed the same thing with my 2 year old son, although he's not as advanced as your son. I just gave it a rest for a few weeks. During the course of our 'learning break' every once in awhile I would incorporate a few things into our play time. If we were outside, for instance, I would ask him what shape the tire was on daddy's truck. Or what color is this ball we're playing with.

I admit, I was concerned that backing off the teaching would cause him to loose interest altogether and/or he would forget some things. But I decided even if he lost a little ground, it would better than causing him to dislike learning because I ignored his signal to me that he needed a break.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

a toddler's "work" is PLAY! DOn't push him- it has been proven that kids who are "taught" as babies and toddlers and kids who don't learn until they go to formal schooling are virtually on the same page by the time they are in 2nd grade. Just keep offering opportunities for learning, but in a FUN way! Point out letters and numbers at the store or on outdoor signs, let him help pick a certain number of apples and help him count them out- there are a million ways for kids to be "learning" without it all being so "formal".

Answer 5

your sons doing good. My son is barely talking and he is 2 1/2, of course he had a little problem that is now fixed so he should be a little jabber jaw soon enough. I'd say that he is probably bored with whatever he has been doing. Maybe you should give it a break for awhile and then one day start him on colors or something he hasn't yet learned.

Answer 6

Well, don't push it, kids learn at different speeds. Use paints, books, recognizing the letters and numbers on the street. Play games with him. At 24 months he's already doing really well, I wouldn't worry!

Answer 7

Leave him alone. He's only two, quit trying to turn him into a "baby einstein". He isn't interested because YOU are pushing.

Answer 8

he is already advanced for his age. Let him be young. he has plenty of years ahead where he has to learn and study. we are only kids once