If you have children you are their first teacher, whether you mean to be or not. Today I want to explore some ways to be their teacher on purpose. I’m not talking specifically about homeschooling, although that certainly fits in, I’m talking about taking responsibility for what your children are learning and creating an environment in your home where it is encouraged.

This is probably my favorite installment of this series. I love being a parent and I’ve enjoyed creating an environment that encourages learning and creativity for my daughter and nieces. It’s a work in progress for me but also something I’m committed to.  Regardless of what type of schooling your children receive or you plan to enroll them in, your place as a parent cannot be matched.

The following story was recently recounted to me by a friend who had been talking with someone else about the daycare their children attend. The moms were talking about how much they liked the daycare because they incorporate learning activities in their program as opposed to just babysitting. The other mom sighed and said to my friend, “I know, it really helps because now I don’t feel like I have to read to my kids.” That mom has really misunderstood the idea of parenting … in my humble opinion.

Parenting is loving and caring for a child in such a way that he/she will be best equipped to enter adulthood. Of course parenting continues once your kids leave your house but the relationship changes. Keeping this view of parenthood in mind, I’d like to share several traits and values that I believe parents should model and begin teaching as early as possible.

• Honesty. How many times did your parents say, “You’re in trouble because you lied, not because of what you did.”
• Kindness. Being nice to someone without being asked.
• Manners. Beyond please and thank you. Hats off, hand over heart, open doors, etc.
• Humility. Putting others first.
• Sincerity. Mean what you say.

The chances of these values being strongly instilled in your child outside of your home are slim. The best way to teach them is to model these characteristics yourself and encourage great behavior.

I’m sure you’ve met plenty of super nice adults that were as smart as sawdust. So, there’s a balance to what we emphasize. Parenting involves nurturing strong character traits and brain power. Before your young learner heads off to kindergarten here are some things worth introducing.

• Reading. Don’t freak out. I’m not telling you that your 2-year-old needs to learn to read but I am telling you that it should be a normal and important part of his life. Again, in my humble opinion … reading is the single most important thing your child should learn to do well. Everything depends on it. Read to your child.
• Letters and Sounds. Teach her to sing the “ABCs” and that A is for Apple, etc. Being familiar with letters and their sounds is great for reading readiness.
• Numbers and Counting. Count things constantly and they’ll catch right on.
• Shapes and Colors. Once they get them try asking, which circle is bigger?
• Fine Motor Skills. Teach things like holding a crayon, then a pencil (be sure to let them choose which hand). Learning to “write” and cut things also fit here. Lacing, zippers and puzzles are great too.
• Coordination and Self Help. Take the lid off the sippy cup if you’re brave. Let them pour things, dress themselves, help with chores.

I’ve done a few things to incorporate purposeful learning into our day. I made shapes on the computer then printed, colored, cut them out and laminated each one. I use those to teach colors and shapes and I don’t have to worry about them being destroyed. They can also count and arrange them. Right now I’m working on making a felt board to work on letters and numbers a little more. We just did lacing for the first time the other day and that went really well.

Are you overwhelmed? You shouldn’t be. These are just some ideas to work on. The point is that you do what works best for your family. You don’t have to take on a full preschool program at home for your child to be ready for kindergarten. You just need to be mindful of what they’re learning.

Do you agree with my definition of parenting? What can you add/subtract from my lists?

Check out the entire series.

January 7 – Sewing

January 14 – Knitting & Crocheting

January 21 – Cooking From Scratch

January 28 - Growing and Preserving Produce

February 4 - Purposeful Menu Planning and Grocery Shopping

February 11 - Being Your Children’s First Teacher

February 18 – Home-making

Why I do what I do ~ Today while I was buckling Chloe into her car seat she scooped some dirty snow off the bottom of her shoe and put it in her mouth, proudly declaring, “Look Mom! I’m eating snow!” Gross, but I had to smile.

Related posts:

1. What Will My Children Value?

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Tagged as: Family Life, Parenting