Toddlers
Ah.... The sweet innocence disguised in never-ending movement. Toddlers are quite the busy bunch!! They are so very curious, and they really want to explore everything (by explore, I mean many times taste, tear apart, or sit on). They want to pretend to be like big brother or big sister if they have one (or many). They want to engage you nearly constantly.
At this age, It's all about exploration. I don't recommend formal teaching at all. Read books. Play games. Hold them. Let them touch what is appropriate. Show them the moon and the clouds in the sky. Let them tear apart a flower, or squish something. This is what they love and learn by best. Provide simple toys that require some imagination. I do strongly encourage teaching them to play by themselves for short periods of time. If started in baby days, this can help immensely when you're needing to really focus with an older child for a bit in learning a new concept or accomplishing a project or experiment!
Here are some things that have greatly eased our time in homeschooling with a toddler on the loose*:
Books, books, and more books.
Really. Stock up on the hardy board and picture books. Read to them often, and you may find that's how they prefer to entertain themselves!
Little People
Oh, how we love Little People in this house!!
Many of ours are second hand, so I am linking to similar items currently offered.
At this age, It's all about exploration. I don't recommend formal teaching at all. Read books. Play games. Hold them. Let them touch what is appropriate. Show them the moon and the clouds in the sky. Let them tear apart a flower, or squish something. This is what they love and learn by best. Provide simple toys that require some imagination. I do strongly encourage teaching them to play by themselves for short periods of time. If started in baby days, this can help immensely when you're needing to really focus with an older child for a bit in learning a new concept or accomplishing a project or experiment!
Here are some things that have greatly eased our time in homeschooling with a toddler on the loose*:
Books, books, and more books.
Really. Stock up on the hardy board and picture books. Read to them often, and you may find that's how they prefer to entertain themselves!
Little People
Oh, how we love Little People in this house!!
Many of ours are second hand, so I am linking to similar items currently offered.
Trains
The wooden train tracks are quite durable, and even little ones can learn how to make their own tracks!
Here is a small sampling of what I would recommend.
The wooden train tracks are quite durable, and even little ones can learn how to make their own tracks!
Here is a small sampling of what I would recommend.
Simple Puzzles
Basic puzzles can be a lot of fun, but not every child is interested. Having at least a few around is a good idea. The storage racks are handy.
Basic puzzles can be a lot of fun, but not every child is interested. Having at least a few around is a good idea. The storage racks are handy.
*many links on this site are affiliate links. This helps to support our family and homeschool (and this site) through a small amount of income, at no extra cost to you!