Instilling good study habits at an early age will help prepare your toddler for one of the milestones of her life: school.
Prime your child for kindergarten by setting up her own work and play area with the right location, furniture, toys, and activities. It's a good way for her to discover the joys of learning.
Location
A clean and well-ventilated area is important but there are also other things to consider, like lighting conditions and the general environment of the location and, of course, comfort. A well-lit and relatively quiet area will help keep your pre-schooler more focused especially since she is free from distractions.
Virtually any place in your house can be a suitable area.
My mom uses a corner of our living room as my sister's study area. It's near a window, so there's natural light filtering in. Also, it's an open area large enough for a child, so it's quiet comfortable.
Furniture and Toys
Simulation is key when selecting the right toys, furniture, and desk accessories. Colorful toys of various shapes and sizes, such as balls and blocks, are fine examples. Jumbo-sized crayons and pencils will also enhance you child's fine motor skills.
Provide your pre-schooler with her own table and chair. It will make her know that the area is her own. Decorate the area in her favorite colors or with her favorite cartoon characters, and place her favorite toys in there.
Giving her, her own space for reading and drawing can help her become more focused. Set aside a paper tray and holder for her pens and crayons to keep her desk organized. You can also place a trunk, drawer, or cabinet for keeping her other stuff.
If possible, bring your child when you're buying the furniture and desk accessories and let her have a hand in selecting them. Getting her involved ensures that she will really use her desk.
Select toys and materials according to her learning style. If she is a visual learner, give her books with fun and colorful pictures. If she is an auditory learner, lay her fun and educational songs to listen and sing along to. For a kinesthetic learner, who requires a hands-on approach, provide equipment that she can touch and play with, such as kids' puzzles.
The list of activities to do and possibilities of learning through play are endless.
So when it's time for your child to go to preschool, remember that he's not expected to know the alphabet or be ableto count to 50 or name the 9 planets in order. He will learn all that in due time. But for now, just let him have fun while learning. And always remember that every child is unique and will eventually learn at his or her own pace.
