Parents are a child's first teacher. Does this statement scare you? It shouldn't. Making lesson plans for toddlers isn't hard — they don't have to be formal like in a school but should reflect on skills that will help your little one develop.
Now, I must admit that I was an early childhood teacher and was required to submit lesson plans per week, but you don't have to go to that extreme at home. There are simple ways to plan activities that will only benefit your child in his development. Please realize that play is a child's work and through play children learn. So, if you engage in fun games and projects, your child will grow in motor development, language, and thinking skills.
An easy way to prepare your plans is to write stimulating activities in the boxes of a calendar. It could be as simple as a nature walk to artistically making a masterpiece with your toddler. Using themes is really helpful, too. Maybe this week is all about farm animals and next week is about the color red. Next, use your weekly plans to assemble or buy your supplies beforehand. You can even plan special activities for your babysitter. This will let your sitter know that it's not okay to just watch television during her stay. Last, make a list of things that are fun to do anytime you can fit them into your schedule. It's alright to substitute ideas spur of the moment, as long as they offer some sort of educational focus.
So, think of these plans as your way of homeschooling before your child is ready for the big school. The stimulating learning environment you do now will only help your child along the road.
Here is an example of my lesson plans for toddlers that I have used with my kids and now the grandkids. Our theme is rain.
Monday: Play a game of "under the umbrella." Let your toddler crawl underneath an opened umbrella. Make it like a peek-a-boo game, but emphasize that being under the umbrella keeps us dry from the rain.
Tuesday: Glue cotton onto construction paper to make clouds. Together draw raindrops coming down from the clouds.
Wednesday: Recite and do the actions to Eency Weency Spider. What happened to the spider?
Thursday: Hang a glass prism in the window. Look at the rainbow colors when the sun shines on it. Have you seen a rainbow after it rained?
Friday: Play outdoors in the sprinkler (weather permitting).
Saturday: Visit the library and look at books about rain.
Sunday: Put a few squares of fabric on the carpet and jump from one square to the next, just like puddles in the rain.
I hope this gives you an idea of theme planning. I'm sure you can think of many more ideas and then look forward to next week's lessons.
What activity did your toddler like best from your weekly plans?
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