What to do with bright 2yo

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

My dd2(end of April) wants to learn, but I am not sure what to do with her. She knows her ABCs (song, the letters, and knows A is for apple, alligator for all the letters.) She can count aloud to 10, but also is recognizing and pointing out 2 apples or 4 babies. She can do up to 25 piece puzzles independently. We have done some science skills like measuring and pouring, telling me which things float or sink, and making colors. She knows her colors, shapes, body parts and animals/sounds.

I have LHTH, we are doing it at full speed but she needs more. If she gets bored she destroys the house! :glare: She can climb on top of the fridge, to the top of the bookshelves, and jumps on the top bunk of her brother's beds. We keep all the doors in the house shut and locked so she can't get hurt or destroy more things. We go outside for 2-3 hours everyday.

I tried Phonics Pathways but she wasn't interested in it. Is there a good phonics program with music? Should I not worry about phonics yet, and focus on writing? I mention music because she knows Latin from listening to her brother do Song School Latin.

Thanks for any advice.

[Storm Bay]

Does she have the coordination to write? I wouldn't do that unless she hs the coordination. OTOH, you may wish to try the first level of Handwriting Without Tears as you sing, use playdough, shapes, etc. It helps fine motor skills. There is a program that used songs and activities you could use, and I wish I could remember what it's called. We had it years ago. I just got a new computer and all my links are gone (they're on the one downstairs that's no longer online.)

 

Just found it here: http://www.singnlearn.org/khxc/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=catshow&ref=singspellproducts I haven't ordered from them for a few years ago, but always had good service from them when I did. It is probably sold elsewhere, too. At two, though, I'd be sure she wants to read and that her eyes are ready. Most dc that age don't have the eye development yet. This is one of the reasons not all gifted dc read at 2 or 3.

 

If these don't, work, you'll have to keep finding more things to do past what you've already done. Does your 2 yo get bored doing these things again? Most 2 yos like repetition just because it's fun.

[Laura Corin]

You may well find that she can't blend, even though she knows letters and sounds. Calvin knew his letter sounds by eighteen months, but didn't blend until he was four - it's a completely different skill and takes a certain level of brain connection. Some do it very early, but for many there is a hiatus.

 

My boys didn't have the coordination to write at that age - I wouldn't push it. I'd spend a lot of time doing other things that help with hand strength and coordination: play-doh, lego, painting, clay, threading, cutting, etc.

 

When Calvin was that age I read out loud to him for hours on end. We went for a lot of nature walks, and he would ask me to tell him about things: the moon, or the tides, or sand.... He loved me to sing nursery rhymes to him and learned to recognise large numbers from the page numbering of the nursery rhyme book.

 

Singapore Maths Earlybird is a good and cheap resource for mathematical play with little ones. You could, with no pressure, have a lot of fun picking and choosing activities from it. We also loved the Let's Read and Find Out Science books, which often include science projects.

 

Laura

[regentrude]

I would not bother with formal writing and reading instruction at this age. If she picks up reading so easily that she learns it by herself, great. If not, there are a lot of things a bright 2 y/o needs to learn before moving on to writing:

fine motor skills

gross motor skills

vocabulary and language skills

 

With my kids that age, we read a LOT of books; did stories, nursery rhymes, songs (important for sound recognition and a precursor to reading).

We went to the park every single day, played in the sand, on the slide, with balls. went hiking and climbing, collected leaves and stones.

We painted, played with playdough and legos and blocks, cut with scissors, colored etc - all great for coordination and fine motor skills and an important precursor to writing.

 

And of course, the most educational activity of all: answering thousands of questions and talking about all kinds of things.

[MissKNG]

With my kids that age, we read a LOT of books; did stories, nursery rhymes, songs (important for sound recognition and a precursor to reading).

.

 

:iagree: These are things I do with my bright 22 month old. She also likes to look at books herself so we have "book picnics" where I spread a blanket on the ground and put out books for the girls.

 

I also have math linking cubes that my small girls likes to pull apart and count. I also bought some of the colorful workbooks from the Dollar Tree for her to scribble in.

 

My small girl is also a climber. All the chairs are put up so she can't get on the counters!

[Oakblossoms]

Do you like Waldorf at all? You could do the pre-k program from Oak Meadow.

 

I am already surprised at my daughter. so much different than boys.

[kimo]

Your daughter sounds like my own. I ditto Singapore Earlybird Kindergarten. That has been the favorite with my little 3 year old. I've found other random, but good, workbooks to use with her now that she's finished it. She also likes the HOP stuff I used with her brother a couple of years ago. Family Math and Peak with Books have also been great resources for projects. I set up a 3 drawer system of projects for her to do while I'm working on lessons with the older brother (playdoh, beads, coloring, matching, games, etc). She is extremely active and only gets in trouble when she's bored, so I know how you feel. For some reason, water is extremely calming and fun too. I let her go crazy in her little kitchen and worry about the mess later. My opinion is work with her as long as she is interested, but don't push yet. Enjoy!

[kmacnchs]

I also have math linking cubes that my small girls likes to pull apart and count. I also bought some of the colorful workbooks from the Dollar Tree for her to scribble in.

 

My small girl is also a climber. All the chairs are put up so she can't get on the counters!

 

Did I get a bad batch of linking cubes or what? My 3 & 4 yos cannot pull apart or put together linking cubes by themselves! They are tough!

 

Oh, and for my climber - we started GYMNASTICS! (that's what my parents did for me when they found me on top of the fridge when I was 3)

 

One more thing - I am all for doing whatever your child is ready for - that depends on the child and takes some trial & error to find out. I started OPG with my dds when they were 2, semi formal math when they were almost 3 (and even that was a little early), and writing when they were a little after 3 (and that was a little early - like I said, trial & error)

Edited September 17, 2010 by kmacnchs

[zaichiki]

You may well find that she can't blend, even though she knows letters and sounds. Calvin knew his letter sounds by eighteen months, but didn't blend until he was four - it's a completely different skill and takes a certain level of brain connection. Some do it very early, but for many there is a hiatus.

 

And even if she can blend, she might not yet be ready to read. My current 4 year old could blend using refrigerator magnets at 3, but didn't have the attention span for more than a few words at a time until he was 4. It wasn't until that point he was ready to sit down with beginning readers (like Bob books).

 

Edited to add:

My current 8 year old would write words and short sentences phonetically at 3, but couldn't read them back the next day. Only adding this to show that the skills could come piecemeal and not necessarily sequentially and/or together.

 

Don't stress about it. If you want to try it and she is interested, absolutely go ahead, but be ready to stop or try something else if she's showing signs of not being quite ready.

Edited September 17, 2010 by zaichiki

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts. We do a ton of the stuff listed now. Her gross motor skills are above average, but I could definitely work on fine motor before writing. We don't do play-do because she eats it; the whole can if I am not looking. She does use crayons, pencils, watercolors and markers. I have some alphabet dot marker sheets that she does the dot marker herself. Her vocabulary is very high as well. She recites her name and age when asked. She knows what state we live in and where it is on the map.

Really, the reason why I asked about teaching her to read is that she is always asking me to write words for her. She recognizes her own name, her 2 brothers, mommy, daddy, papa and grandma. She also realizes that all the letters are put together to form the name. If I write a B, she tells me it is a B. Her name and her oldest brother both start with B and she can tell the difference between them.

I am not in a hurry to push her at all. I am a little concerned about holding her back being harmful. I am comparing my own experience. I went to K knowing how to read. The teachers wanted me to skip to 3rd grade, but my mother refused because she wanted me to have a normal childhood. It has had an impact on me, and I don't want to do this to her.

 

I actually looked at Singapore this morning, thinking she could definitely start it. I also have checked out SSWR. I will look and see reviews on the homeschool part of the hive. Thanks for the idea of OM. I have looked at it many times for my older boys, but I am stuck on the idea of not having many books to read. I also am not thrilled with a lot of crafty things. I can't cut a straight line or glue and not get it everywhere. :lol:

[Storm Bay]

Did I get a bad batch of linking cubes or what? My 3 & 4 yos cannot pull apart or put together linking cubes by themselves! They are tough!

 

Oh, and for my climber - we started GYMNASTICS! (that's what my parents did for me when they found me on top of the fridge when I was 3)

 

One more thing - I am all for doing whatever your child is ready for - that depends on the child and takes some trial & error to find out. I started OPG with my dds when they were 2, semi formal math when they were almost 3 (and even that was a little early), and writing when they were a little after 3 (and that was a little early - like I said, trial & error)

 

 

The only caution with linking cubes is that even some gifted 2 yos may want to put them in their mouths. I had to nix play dough for a long time because one of my gifted dc thought it tasted good and would eat it no matter what I said unless I sat there the entire time. Of course, that dc did that even over 3 and well past the stage of putting objects in the mouth (this same one used to like to put things in her nose & ears, too).

[give_me_a_latte]

Sounds like my kiddos!

 

Hooked on Phonics PreK might be a good fit. It teaches letter names and sounds, but it's cute and catchy. It includes DVD clips with songs and videos, and an online portion you can access with games and videos and more songs. I used it along with Letter of the Week kind of stuff and it was a lot of fun. My son already knew the letter sounds when we worked through it, but he wasn't ready to start blending, so it was a good fit.

 

HWT Pre-K has been a blast, and might be something to look into when she gets a wee bit older. It starts with crayon scribbling but progresses to writing pretty quickly. You could also go with their wood pieces and letter cards and teach her to "build" her letters. My son LOVED doing that, and I still bring them out from time to time.

 

If she needs more fine motor practice I can't rave enough about the Kumon First Steps books. They were the best thing EVER to help my son with fine motor skills.

 

The only other thing I can think of is Before FIAR.

 

And lots and lots of running ;-)

[give_me_a_latte]

Something else that came to mind....Signing Time. It does double duty of helping with language AND getting those little hands moving and working! Plus it's full of songs and music! We LOVE it here!

[mammaofbean]

sounds like a two year old! i love this age. music instruments are good, especially percussion. my 2 year old enjoys learning languages through a story/song format. loves leap frog videos and starfall. we are working on the concepts of rhyming and opposites. i just started counting by 10's with him, once he has that we will do 5's and then 2's. when we play tag i switch up what language he has to use to count. i have been reading longer stories to him, with chance for discussion. he loves pattern blocks and mighty mind. he loves painting. lately he has been running around the house with magnets to find out what they will attract. he likes to string beads onto pipe cleaners.

 

but none of this gets the energy out. for that i recommend swimming, for both of my kids it has always been a sure way to get completely exhaust them. i don't know why, but all day on the playground can't compare to an hour in the pool. :)

[Storm Bay]

but none of this gets the energy out. for that i recommend swimming, for both of my kids it has always been a sure way to get completely exhaust them. i don't know why, but all day on the playground can't compare to an hour in the pool. :)

 

 

Swimming is a great sport in general. Legos are great, but I'd use the Duplo ones at that age since they're easier to handle and not a choking hazard; even dc who appear to be past putting things in their mouths can start again at this age (have been through this with one of mine :).

[Bird Girl]

You might investigate whether there are any Suzuki-trained music teachers in your area. Two is a little young, but plenty of Suzuki teachers will start at three.

 

If you do television, you might enjoy Between The Lions, on PBS. It is a literacy show, and covers mechanical bits like blending and more large-concept stuff like genre. It's pitched at second-graders, but my DD enjoyed it by 2.5 or 3.

[LydiaG]

I have taught several children (and am in the process of teaching my 2 year old) to read by the age of 3. I used Glenn Doman's "How to Teach Your Baby to Read".

 

All of my kids have loved animals, so I made a huge stack of cards with animal pictures on them. I cut out pictures from National Geographics, Zoo Books, posters, and other animal magazines, glued them onto 5x7 pieces of poster board, and then laminated them. My 2 year old loves going through the stack. When I introduce new animals, I first tell him the name, as specific as I can get. Then, on subsequent times, I tell him whether it is a mammal, bird, fish, etc, where it lives, and other interesting facts. Later, we play games with the cards- he has to find the card I describe or he sorts them into piles of mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. I also use the animal cards to play games with the reading program.

 

I use the Right Start math games kit with my older kids. I have started teaching my 2 year old how to use the abacus, using the pamphlet included in the kit. He loves to count so we do a lot of counting, too.

[metrodorus]

If your kid is very bright, start to work your way through the Cursum Latinum on YouTUbe with them. the course progresses in Latin, using oral methods - taught in Latin - with props, glove puppets, etc, and if your child uses the course, they will end up being able to speak a bit of Latin, and read quite well.

The course is new - I only started loading it online 2 months ago, but I have been producing Latin audio courses for over 3 years.

http://www.youtube.com/user/evan1965

[Kates]

Have you looked into lapbooking? Hands of a Child carries several really good ones that are designed for preschool skills - a child can work with them at several different stages, but they make them think in "out of the box" ways. And when they're done, they have a book that's all theirs, that they can go back to and play with (review and teach back).

 

If you use cardstock instead of 24 lb paper, they're nearly indestructible to boot :)

 

And yep...to get the willies out, I'd look into gymnastics. Perfect for your little mover!

[LittleIzumi]

Dd just turned 3 last week, and we've been using a lot of dry erase workbooks and printable worksheets online for letters and numbers (she will trace/practice for HOURS if I let her). I also use MUS, connect the dots, color by number, simple logic problems, cutting/gluing practice, lots of art, reading, Signing Time, Bill Nye, Schoolhouse Rock, AAS, singing, devotionals, outside time, reading books (including chapter books) and she helps with chores. It's all on her schedule, but usually she DEMANDS worksheets :lol:. She also has 6 hours a week of a preschool that she adores, where they do more letters and tons of crafts, art, activities, and finger plays.