Regarding Lesson for a 3.5Yr Old Child

At this age it is less about the academics and more about he ability to be independent and social-this means she follows directions well, feeds, toilets, and dresses independently, can sit and listen to a story, follows 1 & 2 step directions and can interact well with children around her age. I wouldn't worry so much about the academics until after she has these skills-they are what she needs to ba able to learn the other things in the way they will be presented. I teach 3-5 year olds and have for 10 years. I would rather have a student who can do these things and not know a single letter than one whos knows all the letters but can't follow directions or listen to a book.

The best way to help a young child learn is to make it fun! Sing songs about numbers, read books that are fun and talk about shapes, numbers, colors, and letters (chica chica boom boom is an awesome book about letters by john archembault jr.). The library also has some theme kits that will help to make learning fun! Good luck!

Do with her what preschoolers do in school.
They play, they paint, they color, they sing, they listen to stories and songs. They spend time outside, they build things with blocks, they sculpt with clay. They play with sand, water, and sometimes even dry rice, beans, and noodles. They cut paper or felt with safety scissors and paste it down with non-toxic glue sticks. They interact, they imagine, they create, they learn through doing, and they are not given many limits (let her color the leaves blue and the sky yellow if she wants to).
I agree with everyone else. She doesn't need to be sitting at a desk and "studying" right now. Don't force it or she will forever dislike learning! Let her enjoy and experience, not sit at a desk and work.
As you play with her, you can count the items, such as blocks, so she learns her numbers, but do it yourself--don't make her do it until she chooses to do it herself. Sort them by color and ask her to "help" you--but again, let her decide. Sing the alphabet song to her, make it fun and silly.
In preschool and kindergarten, she will be introduced to letters and numbers, anyway, so she won't need to know it all before she gets there.
HTH!
--A.

Hi S.,

You don't need to give any lesson to your little one.Just play with her, that is the best way children learn at that age. For instance, at bath time play with letters and numbers, and say each of them aloud and stick them on the wall in the tub, make this every time you bathe her, and make her to repeat this to you by singing a silly song or something. At the "putting toys away" time, count them with her while you are putting each toy in the bin or basket or whenever they should go. Every moment in your daily life counts; speak aloud about what color is something she is playing with, or just find together how many cheerios on her plate she can find, or cups or balls or dots in her pajamas she can see. Read to her as often as possible, and show her letters, numbers, drawings. You can find so many cheap books in stores like Wal-Mart or Target to read to her and make her being more aware of things. (Target has many cheap stuff at $1 at the entrance, so may be you want to try them!) It does not have to be something you must buy, make some home-made cards and draw balls or flowers or sticks and write in each page a big number with the quantity of things there are in there. Songs help a lot too. When you are D. with this, you may want to get fancier stuff like books, flash cards and teaching her BY PLAYING and make this teaching something FUN and COLORFUL, but do not overdue like "studying" the whole afternoon, just minutes in the morning and minutes in the afternoon or at bedtime. Do not forget to praise or reward her every time she accomplishes something( a sticker, a "good job", "good try" - if is not completely OK, or a little book, etc...) Take her to the library, to the Zoo, to the park and count things, talk about what she is seeing: colors, shapes, similarities with something else..etc. Make it fun!
I hope this helps a little bit, just ideas that may help you. I am sure there will be other moms with wonderful ideas as well!
Alejandra

S.-

Make your 'lesson's fun ones!! Sing songs that encourage learning to count and say your ABCs. Play with shaving cream and draw circles, lines, etc. Use playdo to do the same thing!! Take her outside and count how many steps it takes to get to a tree, a flower, etc. Take her on a walk and talk about what you discover (see the blue truck, the red flower, etc). Ask her what color things are. Even if it's wrong, that is okay!! Ask her to count out a number of things (rocks, pieces of candy, etc). READ, READ, READ!!! Ask her to help you in the kitchen measuring things, counting out items you need (and in the grocery store). Let her help you pay for things by counting out the money. Use real life examples so she doesn't think of it as a 'lesson' but instead a way of life!

sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, read with her daily, teach her the names of things (flowers, trees, animals, birds). All of the academics go along with out much pushing.
math skills can go with sorting and folding socks, helping counting cups of flour. Look at the things she enjoys doing and try to find a lesson within it. The more you try to pressure her to learn the way you want to teach her, the more she will fight it. Make it fun so she will develop a love of learning.
Good Luck

If you are trying to teach her to sit and do something for awhile, try puzzles at the table, crayons will help her learn to hold her pencil right, you can guide her some by asking her to copy something you draw, circle letters or just lines. Colored blocks can be used to learn counting and categories- colors, shapes. She is too young to "study" but structured play is fun for you and her, just remember at this age she can't do this by herself, she needs your direction. Another thing you can do to facilitate reading is to label things in the house and say the words as you pass or use the item. Her biggest learning right now is still language, use bigger words with her, so she has a bigger vocabulary, maybe use the dictionary and choose a word every day that you incorporate into your conversation with her so that she learns how to use new words and both of you can expand your vocabulary. Remember to have fun with her and spend that quality time, she will learn.
A five year old starting school isn't really expected to know much more than the alphabet and their name, maybe know somewhat how to spell their name. You might start teaching her your phone # and address so she would know these if she were lost. If you get them too far ahead of their classroom they will be bored in school and that will lessen their enthusiasm to attend. Good Luck, it's nice to see a mother who is anxious to see her child excel!

good gosh....your child is only 3.5! Relax....& seriously, good for her if she's strong enough to stand up to your need for her to "study"!

This age group is all about social skills, an ability to adapt, & developing problem-solving skils. It is NOT about academics. You will find that she will learn more if you simply incorporate "little" lessons into daily activities. Count the buttons as she dresses, count the grapes/peas/etc placed on the plate. Group like colors together, blend different colors of paint to create new colors. Sing songs, do finger plays....& most importantly read every single day....

At 3.5 years, she should only be able to sit & focus for <5 minutes....that's "why" the time-out rule is "one minute for each year of age"....that's all you can expect! If you truly do need help, contact your local Parents as 1st Teachers. They have a curriculum/age expectations available for parents.

Incorporate counting in your daily play, it doesn't have to be something separate. When outside say something like look there's 2 dogs playing or lets find 5 rocks. Something like that.

Kids learn best through play.

Good Morning S., Giving a child that age lessons isn't necessary. Having fun and playing word games or letter games with her is a lot more fun for her. Singing the Alphabet song, Old McDonald had a farm teaches animal sounds. Getting coloring books with ABC's helps reinforce letters, shapes & colors.
You need to make it fun for her S. not something at the age of 3 1/2 she thinks as work or hard stuff. You can read to her to help with language skills.

Some preschools only require them to know their names.
Example: Corbin is 4 now but was in preschool at age 3 for maybe 5-6 months. He knew all of his letters, colors, shapes, understood and spoke like an older child. Knew every child's & teachers names and used them. He is very inquisitive, asks good questions and wants honest answers...lol Well he got bored as he know all these things already, and would want to do other things. What he needed was more interaction with other children ( had just been Nana, mom & dad since he was born etc), sharing, following directions of non relative adults better etc.. Structure.
They labeled him a problem child, said they couldn't handle him, to active. Had to hire another teacher just to be able to get through the day. She admited he was very intelligent, on higher level from the rest of the class ( some weren't even speaking clearly yet). She said in her 14 yrs she never had a child like Corbin. Balderdash!!

So call your preschool and ask them what they require a child to know before attending school.

God Bless you S., make her learning a fun time
K. Nana of 5

S., I wouldn't worry about sitting her down to study right now. At 3.5 they just don't got it in them to sit and study. Just read to her each night. Sing the ABC song (that's how we taught ours). Also, a friend of mine would put words on objects (like door, chair) so that her kids could see the letters for that word. You may also consider en-rolling her for preschool the year befor she starts kindergarten. That will help get her ready for school. But I don't think that you are going to get one that little to sit still long enough to study. Good luck!!

I am a preschool teacher. The things that we work on the most in my classroom (headstart) for children that are 3 yrs old, are the social emotional skills. If they master social skills ( using words, and not taking stuff or hitting or just crying) then everything else will come easily. I beg u, if ur not able to put her in preschool, take her to places where she can learn social skills. I gaurentee (sp?) that Kindergarten teachers would rather have children who have no idea how to count or what the alphabet is but have social skills, rather than children who are smart acedemicaly, but have no idea how to get along with others or know how to use their worlds to get what they want.

good luck
rawemo

I believe she is too young to have structure lessons. Her attention plan is very short at this time and everything must be entertaining to be interesting. I suggest getting with the local PAT educator at the local elementary school. Parents As Teachers have a lot of activities to improve cognitive skills in children from birth to Kindergarten. Make up a song to teach her your address, phone #, how to spell her name etc. You can even make up dance moves to go with it. Best of luck. God Bless

At this age I would hope that she would be reluctant to 'study' - she has the rest of her life to do that. I would just encourage free creative play time. This does so much more than sitting down and working with her. My son didn't know all his letters at age 5 and now going in 1st grade reads at a 3rd grade level. Relax and enjoy this time with her!!

I agree w/ Kristina. All you really need to do is take your kid outside and teach him all about what you see out there, or do it inside. My 2 yo just lined up a bunch of balls on the floor and I asked him how many there were, and he counted them for me. Little things like that really teach kids and I think kids probably learn better w/ their parents instead a stranger. Also read, read, read, to him too.

I think you would have to make a game out of it to get the child interested. There might be some preschool things you can do on the computer. Does your daughter like to play on the computer? I think I learned my numbers and alphabet from shows like Sesame Street. Kids that age have a short attention span so it has to catch their attention.

Everyone should have "Parents as Teachers" come out to your house. It's free and they will show you where your child could be with the right direction. I know it's in Missouri. They only stay about an hour a month so it's not real intrusive. I was really apprehensive about it at first but they show you things you may not even think about. Call your school district.

L.

3.5 is too young for formal lessons, especially since she'll be sitting in classrooms for days on end soon enough. Do fun things with her, read books that involve numbers and letters, sing the ABCs to her and with her. She'll pick it up. It will get so that she will want to do those things with you, because they are something else fun she gets to do with mommy. My son actually counted backwards from 10 before forwards because he likes rocket ships, so we did countdowns. We also would do things like give him "as many m&ms as he could count" and so on, so he was motivated without feeling pressured. Go shopping with her and buy pillows in the shape of the letters of her name. Get the alphabet fridge magnets, let her arrange them, then make a game out of trying to pronounce the words she comes up with, so she understands that letters = sounds-- but she also gets to have fun listening to you speak gibberish!
The key is to have fun and make her feel loved, not "schooled." You want her to love what she's learning, not just learn it because she has to. Good luck!

You have to make it fun or she won't want to do it. And, don't push her--you will teach her that learning is not fun if you push her. Sing songs about learning. Read her books. Draw pictures. My daughter loves the Leap Frog videos like the "Letter Factory." She learned all of her letter sounds from that video and then we would just practice, when she wanted to. I would bring it up to her and if she was interseted, we would play. When she lost interest, we would do something else. YOu might also think about preschool this fall.