Tutoring Your Tot??

I was intrigued to find that this morning's CBS Early Show featured a segment on tutoring toddlers.  Reporter Marysol Castro, who has a two- and five-year-old herself, visited a center in Stanford, CT, where parents take their children for private tutoring.  This center focuses on children under the age of five.

Advocate for the center Anna Dabrowski-Radcke insisted that the earlier a child enters the classroom, the better off he or she is for life.  Students at this particular center learn through the repetition of worksheets; they work on them with the tutors, and then again when they go home.

For me, this raises serious problems.  As was pointed out by another professional in the CBS segment, the brain and the body are designed to develop at the same rate.  By forcing a child into the classroom, a parent is asking him to accelerate the brain without stimulating the body.  I believe, instead, that children are far better off to learn through experience. 

This means that "a kid should be a kid" - and should be allowed and encouraged to explore the world around him.  Why don't we as parents help our children to learn by playing?  I know, I know, there's just so little time and so much to do!  But let's just take some of that precious time to engage our children in play. 

I've gone through just a small part of the current Discovery Toys catalog and come up with a list of favorites for encouraging learning.  In the Early Show segment, they gave a figure of $3100 as the average annual cost of tutoring per child.  I guarantee, these lifetime toys and games will not cost you anywhere near that, and they will develop a much more well-rounded child!

1. "Sounds Like Learning!" CD - includes soothing tunes that include everything from counting to language to manners.  We play it during lunch and snack, and alongside activities such as coloring. 

2. Giant Pegboard - an award-winning toy that focuses on colors, pre-math, and pre-reading.  It comes with pattern cards to help direct activities using the board.  Help your child stack and sort the pieces!

3. Measure Up! Cups, Pots, and Spoons - These can be used in the kitchen, on the floor, in the bathtub, etc.  I stick the cups in the diaper bag so my children have a quiet activity wherever we go.  Measure anything from rice to water - they are volumetrically correct to encourage understanding of math concepts.

4. Playful Patterns - Ask your child to sort them, and observe whether it is done by color, size, or shape.  Work on shape names while making pictures in progressively more difficult pattern cards.  Shapes can also be associated with letters of the alphabet.

5.  Busy Learning Set (Bugs and/or Farm) - come with activity cards, but you can also sort by color and bug or animal type.  These are pre-reading and pre-math without your child ever noticing how much he's learning!

6. Motor Works - building and taking apart 3 different vehicles encourage critical thinking and problem solving.  The reward at the end is a vehicle that works!

As I said, these are just a few of the items you could use to encourage learning with your child while developing skills for play.  If you are interested in these, or any other of our products, please let me know!