What things can a 2 year old learn?

Question

hi. I live in rural okla and my 2 year old (barely 2) will be testing into a K3 program in December at a private school. He has been at home with us since Day 1 and we would very much like for him to attend the preschool program. If he tests in, he will begin June 09. As you might or might not be aware, private schools in OK have very long waiting lists and are few and far between. And the public school system is rotten. (you might have heard we also rank the second highest state in "daycare deaths") So I am really hoping he will get in. I would like to start him on some flash cards and some learning material that will help him excel. Does anyone have any ideas about what we can do or what we can buy as tools?

Thanks in advance.

PS- please don't suggest DVD's - we don't allow him to watch TV yet.

Answer 1

Sandy C  answers is spot on.

Talk to him , read to him,  play with him, singing to him , enjoy him.

The effort you put in now will be SO worth it when he develops into a well adjusted child

Answer 2

You might want to look into Montessori materials. They allow children to learn while playing, as opposed to using flashcards or worksheets. (I don't know about your son, but I work with toddlers and I don't know many/any who would sit still long enough to use flashcards because they're too boring!)

http://www.cabdevmontessori.com/index.cf...  Here's a website with some examples of Montessori materials. Some are pretty expensive but you can get some that are really inexpensive as well. Kids love learning how to do things that their parents do, even as small as pouring water, wiping a table or doing up their own velcro or snaps. You could do a lot of that sort of work. Or, there are many other things like blocks that you stack from largest to smallest, wooden puzzles to put together numbers, the alphabet or different animals, colours, etc.

Make it age appropriate. Don't push him too hard because he'll hate school. Kids will learn at their own pace and 2-year-olds need to have fun and enjoy learning.

Good luck. I'm in Canada and luckily we have a pretty good educational system, but I know how hard it is to get kids into preschools and stuff here. Hopefully he gets in!

Answer 3

teach him colors and shapes, ABC's too if he doesn't know that yet.... my daughter learned a lot from me teaching her , but she also learned things from watching Dora and the Sprout channel.... So don't make it seem like TV is bad because it's not.

Answer 4

I have a five year old and a two year old. When my five year old was two I did nothing at home with regards to "teaching" him letters, numbers etc apart from things in everyday life eg counting as you walk up the stairs etc. he started pre-school at 2y9m. He is now just finishing his 2nd year at school and is excelling, despite being one of the youngest in the year. His reading and maths are a year ahead of where it should be and it's all down to him and his excellent teachers with a little help from us at school.

Let him be a two year old and he will learn from what he sees around him and from watching you. And TV is not a big evil. In small doses it can be a great asset.

Answer 5

a 2year old can learn alot... you can start with his name... writing letters and numbers, playin sports with him, throwin and catchin a ball... my friends son learned how to play basket ball with 2 1/2 years of age...

just have him color and let his ideas flow... i wont want to over work him brain with all too much, and with the flash cards thats not bad.. .or like a book with pictures and have him tell you what where is and what not... thats what i did with my little sister a lot to help her learn english when she was about 3 1/2

Answer 6

i am a preschool teacher. but before i was, i was a parent of a first child with the desires to have the smartest kid ready for kindergarten. (i was so naive in my thinking). so i know where these parents are coming from. now i know that 2 and 3  year olds do not learn a lot from worksheets. they learn the most from play. the most important thing you can do is TO PLAY WITH YOUR CHILD.

1. build with blocks - it will develop control of small muscles. it will increase perceptions of weight, size, shape (math skills). it will help them learn cooperation and planning.

2. do art activities. they will learn to make choices, interact with a variety of materials, and learn to be creative and self - expressive. remind the parents that the process is more important than the product. it will help develop vocabulary, as the materials are described as: rough, soft, smooth, colorful, etc. also develops fine motor skills.

3. books. read, read, read to your child. they will learn that print goes from top to bottom and left to right. listening, paying attention, sequencing and thinking skills are all being used. new vocabulary words are learned.

4. play house and kitchen. the children will learn to use their imaginations and "try out" various roles from the adult world. it will develop their social skills.

5. puzzles and games. controlled movement of the fingers and hands enable children to master the muscles necessary for writing. working with colors and patterns help children to develop visual discrimination and memory.

6. science and math. count shells, sort leaves by size or shape, classify rocks, etc. ask questions - how are these alike, different; is this bigger, smaller?

7. take them to the park or play in the backyard. this develops large motor skills, and gives the child confidence.

8. music - children who are musical actually do better in math. it will also increase your child's self-confidence and imagination.

just PLAY with your child. they are learning so much.

worksheets and forced projects that don't really interest the child makes them bored, disinterested, and frustrated if they feel they cannot perform the task right. that is not a good beginning to enjoying school.

however, typically a two year old should be able to

dress with supervision and button some buttons

play interactive games such as tag

tell first and last name

use plurals, pronouns and prepositions in phrases

copy a circle with a crayon

understand such words as tired, cold, hungry

know where things belong and help put them there

follow simple, one-step directions

feed him/herself almost completely

be toilet trained

recognize and identify some colors

hope this helps.

Answer 7

why not try letting him be a child he is only 2 and will have plenty of time for formal learning when he is older