Preparing Your Toddler to Succeed in School

All parents want their children to do well in school, and beginning education at home early on is an excellent way to help insure your child’s success. Here are some activities to consider doing with your toddler to begin preparing them before they get to kindergarten.

Read, read, read, and then read some more. Find educational books with bright, captivating pictures. Not only will consistent reading help expand your toddler’s vocabulary, but it will prepare them to teach themself. When your child knows how to read, there are essentially no boundaries to what he can learn. Reading to your toddler frequently will also help them develop a better attention span, an invaluable tool once he reaches school age.

Make or buy flash cards. Tutoring your child using flash cards, you can help your child learn all sorts of topics–colors, numbers, letters; the options are endless. You can make it even more fun by turning his flash cards into matching games. Not only will he learn the content of the cards, but he can develop his memorization skills as well.

Converse with your toddler. Make a point of talking to your toddler like he’s a real person. Explain to them what you’re doing as you go about your day together. Ask them questions and listen when he answers. Help them learn how to properly phrase his sentences and teach them the polite ways to ask questions and respond to others. Learning conversational skills early on will help set your child up for success later in life.

Allow for independent play time. While interacting with your toddler is important in preparing them to succeed in school, setting aside time for them to learn how to entertain themself is very important as well. Have a variety of educational toys at his disposal, toys that make them think, and let them have at it. Step in and help if he gets frustrated and can’t figure something out. When you select quality toys for them, he is able to learn even when he plays by themself.

Encourage them to interact with other children. For a child, adult company is certainly important. However, there is much to be learned from interacting with other children. If you aren’t sending your child to preschool, make it a point to set aside time for your toddler to spend with kids his own age. With a little help from you, he’ll be able to learn invaluable skills like sharing and conflict resolution.

Teach them to take no for an answer. It is often easy to give in to your child’s every request, but learning to accept no for an answer when necessary and to joyfully submit to those in authority is an absolutely essential skill for your toddler. The earlier he learns it, the better.

The early years of your child’s life are very important in the development of his character and setting them up for success in school and beyond. As a parent, you play the biggest role in that, so be sure to use his toddler years wisely.