You would think a millennial mom would be writing about some super cool app you can download on your smartphone, or tablet to help your toddler get excited about learning. NOPE! This is about a good old fashioned #2 Pencil and workbook. Blake is in pre school and has been learning to write. Learning apps are cool, but improving fine motor skills while learning letters is even better. The BEST part about this post is I bought this work book for a dollar. Yes moms, you read that right, ONE DOLLAR! I visited my local dollar tree and was shocked at all the options they have for learning materials for kids. Blake LOVES Mickey and the roadster racers. Finding this book actually helped get him excited to learn his letters. What makes this particular book really cool is after writing his letters in the top section, they have a fun activity at the bottom of the page to keep your child engaged in learning. Blake gets excited while writing in anticipation of the fun activity he gets to do.
Every day when I get home from work, I sit him down at the table and we tackle 2 letters.
Now ladies, lets be realistic shall we. Your toddler might not always run to the table excited to become the next Charles Dickens, so a little incentive goes a long way.
I use TV time as an incentive. If Blake completes his 2 letters properly without whining or fussing, he gets 1 hour of TV time for the evening. However, sometimes the incentive just isn't enough. Its super important to stick to your guns mama. If he gives me a hard time, or does a lot of whining or complaining while writing, I let him know that because of his actions, his TV time is now 45 mins. The longer he acts up, the less time he gets with his incentive. Sometimes when he apologizes its hard not to melt and give into just giving him the entire hour. But sticking to your guns shows your toddler who's boss. Not only that, it also teaches them that if they do the right thing, they'll be rewarded.
Once he's all done, I rely on the help of my best friend in our house. Her name is Alexa. I yell "ALEXA! Set a timer for one hour". Once his hour is up, the alarm goes off and he knows that means his time is up. If you make this a routine, eventually they'll go with the flow and wont even argue for more time with their incentive. When Alexa sounds the alarm, blake says "time for bath time" and turns off the TV. Its amazing!
Give it a try! Let me know what incentive you used for your toddler. Try it for 1 week and see if it helps to get your child in the routine of daily learning.
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