Children and Learning

Something that has bothered me since way before I had Addison, was seeing children in kindergarten who couldn't even hold a pencil, and didn't know what direction the pages of a book went. Yes, that is a kindergarten standard that children need to know, but honestly, shouldn't that be something that they know well before kindergarten? If you read to your children, they learn by about 3 years old (or way sooner) what direction a book goes. If you know how to hold a pencil, you can show your child the same. Things like this drove me nuts when I was in the kindergarten class. And yes, it's even worse now that I see what Addison has "picked up" and learned along the way. 

This is not necessarily geared toward people whose children are in daycare, because let's face it, many daycares are just that, babysitting. While there are some great daycares that teach children colors, numbers, letters, etc, they do not compare to the knowledge that children learn from their parents. It irks me even more when I see children who are with their parents 24/7, and literally know NOTHING. Being a teacher is not something you learn when you get your credential. My grandma believes that it is something you are born with. I agree to a certain extent. A lot of times, when people hear you are a teacher, they automatically decide that that is why your child is so smart. But honestly, no one taught me how to teach a child numbers, colors, letters, how to speak properly, how to hold a pencil, manners, etc. And of course, there are some teachers who find it easier to teach other children instead of their own.

I make bows on the side, and yes, they do often take a lot of time. For instance, the 20 Spiderman bows I just finished yesterday. But honestly, that doesn't mean that Addison goes off and fends for herself. She accurately measures different sizes of ribbon with the ruler, counts ribbon, tells me the colors, helps me count out the bows, pack them up, etc. Does she do this the entire time? No. But do I let her go off and do her own thing the entire time, or not interact with her (even as I write this blog)? No way. To me, if your child is with you all day long, especially if they are truly with you (you know, you can't go to the bathroom without them coming in), then there is no reason that every minute cannot be a teachable moment. 

Addison has known colors, counting 1 to 10  and 10 to 1, counting to 10 in Spanish, shapes (including octagons and pentagons), and much more, since right after her 2nd birthday. I would say, by two and a half. Did we ever sit down with flashcards and "drill" her? No. Did we talk about different shapes when we saw them? Yes. Shapes are EVERYWHERE you look. Did she know that red means stop and green means go due to the fact that we would talk about it while driving? Yes. But never did I sit down and do workbooks or try to teach her. For one, I didn't want her to be bored to death with classroom activities by the time she got to kindergarten. I imagine she will be bored enough since she has already mastered the kindergarten standards. 

To me, being home with your kids, even if you work and are home with them at night, always gives you an opportunity to teach them something. Count their toys in the bathtub. Talk about the shapes around them. Heck, if you have to, cut up paper into different shapes. Addison has awesome puzzles and games for learning, but if she didn't, there are still ways to get the information to her. The computer for one. And now with the Pinterest craze, there is no excuse.

I would rather have a messy house, not cook every meal, or have a pile of laundry that needs to be done, than to put that before "teaching" and talking to my child. There is always another day to do household chores, but your child's learning needs to be taken into account every single day!