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Encouraging 2yo without being pushy


nycmama
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Hi, everyone!

 

This is my very first post here (I'm a huge WTM fan and occasional lurker on this board)...

 

My daughter just turned 2 this past week. I have no interest in trying to brand her as "gifted" per se (and certainly even less so at this age)but she seems to be pretty advanced in certain areas: she already recognizes about eight letters and a couple of numbers, can count up to fourteen or so (and can concretely count five or six objects), seems to be way ahead of others her age in many gross motor skills, is extremely empathetic for her age, etc.

 

I'd say she's bright, for sure, and casual acquaintances and even strangers often comment about this, as do family & friends. (My husband & I were both marked as "gifted" in our own school years, and that brought with it all the regular struggles that being labeled as "gifted" bring...)

 

A little more background: for now, we have her in a very modest (just a few hours per week) traditional preschool with a play-based curriculum. We may wind up homeschooling down the road or doing afterschooling--we're not 100% sure either way yet for several reasons. On our own, we do tons and tons of stuff together at home & out and about: arts & crafts, exploring, visiting new places, etc.

 

Anyway, my question is what (secular!) materials might you suggest that would keep her engaged? She LOVES to learn new things, we read constantly (constantly!),and she is continually pointing out the letters she knows already to us (in books, on signs, on cereal boxes, etc. etc. etc.).

 

Our favorite local librarian pointed us towards some basic phonics books, but I'd love to find some other materials that keep learning fun and are still more or less emotionally/developmentally appropriate for her age. Any ideas?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Anna

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You sound like you have quite a precocious little girl. As you describe her, I think of my boys....and, well...there's no comparison (LOL).

 

I am not one to recommend any formal teaching materials for your dd, but I would encourage you to keep reading a lot. Perhaps graduating to a mix of picture books, poetry and just listening books (longer chapter types) might be a nice variety to keep her challenged.

 

How about a nice book on tape during quiet/nap time. Something like Little House on the Prairie. Even if she isn't quite keeping up with it, it may offer beneficial teaching for her vocabulary and comprehension skills. You could also play those Classical Kids CD's featuring well-known composers to give her an ear for music.

 

Have her work with you around the house as much as possible, describing thoroughly what you are doing. That way, she'll learn those necessary skills, fellowship w/ momma, and further vocabulary.

 

That's all I can think of at this time.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Blessings,

Camy

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Have you looked at Ambleside Online? I think their Year 0 booklist is very nice. Some of these I had just happened to start with my dd when she was around 2, like the original Winnie the Pooh and Beatrice Potter. I think you are very wise to stick with the literature. My dd is 6 now, also an early starter. We never went through any kind of formal phonics, just read to her for enjoyment. She is an excellent reader now and has a huge enthusiam for learning.

 

Take care!

Suzanne.

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I would say keep doing what you are doing!

 

Do you know the C is for cookie song from Sesame Street? Well, we modify this for a bath game. We have the foam bath letters and my ds will pick one up and put it on the tile and my dh and I will sing a song to go with the letter (i.e D is for daddy, that's good enough for me, etc.).

 

We also sing another song for letters:

 

apple, apple, a,a,a (a =the phonetic short a sound)

baby, baby, buh, buh, buh

cookie, cookie, kuh, kuh, kuh etc.

 

I make board books for my dc based on their interests. I use card stock, a hole punch, and metal rings (they are definately not fancy). I buy adult books with lots of good pictures from the bargain bin or thrift store and then I cut them up (which I know seems sacrilegious to many) paste the pictures in and write my text under the picture. My ds is interested in trees, so I recently made him a tree book that has the names of trees, as well as a little information on them. I need to make him one on fish next.

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My DS#1 started reading right after he turned 2 and a big hit with him was large magnetic alphabet letters for the refrigerator. He'd spend hours rearranging the letters into words for me to read. We'd also, for example, put the word BOX on the fridge and say "Can you make it say FOX?" and he'd happily change the letters around. You can do this while making dinner, doing the dishes, etc.

 

Also, he loved Wedgits www.wedgits.com There's a set that doesn't have the really small white octahedrons.

 

HTH

~Jen

 

P.S. You'll know when you are "pushing". I think most 2 year olds will just refuse to do something unless they want to do it!

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My favorite for pre-reading is Montessori Read and Write. It has games and activities which are age appropriate and lots of fun. I've used many ideas from this book with dd and will probably start with ds soon. Our favorite is the Sound Game, which teaches kids to distinguish the separate sounds in words and to take words apart and put them back together. Both dd and ds enjoy using the math manipulatives that we have. Their favorites are Funtastic Frogs, a bucket balance, geoboards, and pattern blocks. I also encourage them to learn mathematical knowledge through everyday tasks. They help me bake and set the table. We match socks and sort out laundry. We divide snacks equally between us. We add and subtract simple amounts in everyday tasks (mostly just me talking through it as I'm doing it but older dd has started to join me with this).

 

As others have already suggested, have her help you around the house. She can learn to do many simple tasks, like making beds, drying dishes, doing laundry, sweeping, mopping, etc. We also try to spend as much time as possible outside.

 

HTH

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A sincere thanks to everyone who's taken time to respond and make recommendations. This past week turned unbelievably hectic, and today is the first chance I've had to come back to this forum!

 

I'll definitely look into all these recommendations. Camy, I should have added that my DH & I are both very involved in music professionally and personally--including classical music--so our little one hears good music (of all kinds) constantly!

 

We also love taking nature walks and going to museums and concerts--actually, we're off this afternoon to a local museum that is participating in the Smithsonian Institution's free museum admission day today. Hope someone else is able to take advantage of this program, even at this late hour:

 

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

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We liked the Leapfrog letter thing that you put on the fridge, you put a letter in and it says the letter and sound. We also really like the wooden pieces for the Handwriting Without Tears set - just with the pieces we can make letters but also lots of shapes etc. Someone else recommended Before Five in a Row, that program has a lot of ideas that are great for this age that you can apply to other books as well.

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We also used puzzles for an older age group along with the other things you are doing. My dd used to sit on my husbands desk and he'd print out full page alphabet letters for her. I think while learning the alphabet you could teach the sounds along with them. Have fun. Good luck keeping up. :)

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Are the Five in a Row materials very (evangelical) Christian-focused? We are an interfaith family, and we'd prefer to find sources that don't use that frame of reference. I see that they have some add-on materials that are specifically Christian, but I'm curious about their basic curricula.

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We are a (very) secular family and don't have any problems with the Christianity in the Five in a Row books. For each book recommended, one bible enrichment is usually included, which we just skip. A couple of books about prayer or whatever are also easily skipped. I have to say we are just starting the Before Five in a Row books but I am pretty picky about overt religion and don't have any problem with these books so far.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whatever you're doing - it's working!

 

Keep it up!

 

Go to the library

Talk to her

Share with her what you see

Follow her interests

 

My 3 year old has started reading and people will say - isn't he smart? He should go to school!

 

??

 

Why should he go to school? What would they do for him? He could already test out of kindergarten. He would be BORED to death there! (Academically).

 

Whatever we're doing, is working for him.

 

Mostly what we're doing is teaching the older kids and he's absorbing it through osmosis! :)

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All the librarians know her by name and point out new books she might enjoy. I should have mentioned that! And concerts--we go to lots of concerts, and listen to music constantly. She adores all kinds of music.

 

I have to say that she also LOVES the (play-based) preschool program she's in now. She asks me every time I pick her up how soon she can go back, and she burst into tears last night driving by her school because she wanted to go right then. On school mornings, she wants to go as soon as she finishes her breakfast (while she's still in her pajamas, LOL). So for us, "school" is working more than just fine, at least for the time being!

 

 

Nearly every day now, she tells us she wants to learn four things: piano, violin, soccer, and how to ride a bike. (Always in that order!) All going on my to-do list... :D

 

Anna

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