Children are born with a natural curiosity that drives them to learn.  We can either build that up and expand their young minds, or allow it to slowly wane away.

HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO INTENTIONALLY BUILD YOUR CHILD’S APPETITE FOR LEARNING.

{LIFESTYLE LEARNING, AKA CONVERSATIONAL LEARNING}

I recently wrote an entire post about this over on my blog (you can see that HERE) but in a nutshell, Lifestyle Learning is simply talking about the things around you in everyday life. For a toddler this means you would point out colors and shapes. You can count how many trees are in the yard, point out the robin and call it by its proper name instead of calling it a “birdie.”  Parents who speak to their children in full sentences (aka cutting out the “baby talk” thing), and point out details, will notice their child talk more intelligently when they are old enough to put their own sentences together.

{BOOKS & MORE BOOKS}

Even though we all know the cliche saying, “Readers are Leaders”, I think we still underestimate what can be learned from books–even board books. Keep plenty of colorful, eye-catching books accessible to your toddler. I remember when my eldest went through the stage that all children inevitably do, where he would pull all his books off the bookshelf at once.  There he would sit surrounded by a pile of books–way more than he was even going to look at– and would flip through the pages.  I remember being dismayed that he had made such a big mess, because I knew as soon as I put them all neatly back he would pull them all out again.

So I asked a mom of grown children, what she used to do to prevent her kids from pulling ALL the books off the shelf.  She said, “I let them do it!  As long as you teach them how to put them back, let your kids dump books all over the place. It’s great for them to read!”   I’m so glad she gave me this advice.  It may seem like a small thing, but anything that encourages your child to enjoy books is a huge plus. So even if they sweep their little arm across the bookshelf and dump all the perfectly organized books onto the floor, instead of following your toddler all day straightening up the messes they make, sit down in the middle of the mess and read them a story, or four, or ten. In doing so, you will encourage a love for reading. When your child is old enough to read words on their own, they’ll be able to take off and learn hundreds of thousands of things on their own through the power of reading good books!

{MAKE SPACE FOR CREATIVITY}

Have a place (or places) in the house that are set up for creative play. Give them access to things they can tinker and build with– or leave paper, crayons, and coloring books sitting out on a child sized table in their bedroom.

Be okay with that “creative” area being messy while your child busily scribbles and does the important work of a child, that we call “play.”

{CHOOSE MOVIES & TV SHOWS CAREFULLY}

Although I’m not a huge fan of screen time, my kids do still watch movies sometimes, and I understand that screen time is a way of life for many.  So assuming your children watch movies or kids’ shows, here are some things to remember.

Not all shows are created equal.  Pay attention to what you’re putting on for your baby or toddler.  Some shows are better than others!  What makes them better?  Here’s what I look for…

1) Characters that display good behavior and are not whiny, sassy, or snobby.  If you pay attention, you’ll notice lots of kids’ characters display these poor habits. However, there are also plenty of shows where the characters speak in pleasant tones and are respectful to adults, etc.

2) Shows that include good music. This is important to me, because I’m a musician!  There are lots of kids’ shows that have great music included.

3) Good vocabulary. Listen to the characters talk. Do they use intelligent sentences? Your child can pick up on how to use more words correctly, by hearing them in context with a story on a screen!

Daniel Tiger, Thomas & Friends, Curious George, Little Baby Bum (music video), The Hive, Kipper the Dog, Little Einsteins… are all good examples of shows that have one or more of these positive things I just mentioned!

The best teacher a toddler can have is their own mama! I hope this gives you some ideas of how to grow the mind of your toddler, and encourage a learning environment in your home!