Children

I love children and their ability to be little sponges when it comes to learning. Yet there are times when it can take a lot of persuasion to get them to take time out of their busy play time to learn new things. Everyone seems to have different, very interesting ideas as to how to draw children to the table to work on education. Would love for this blog to be the discussion table for great ideas to share.

One way I catch my grand daughters attention is by speaking in German when I know the words. They will instantly stop what they are doing, look at me and either say, "What?" or "What did you say Omah?" or "Omah, that's not right!" I get a chuckle out of it everytime. So I explain that I gave them two language versions, one in English, the other in German; oh, and I occasionally throw in Spanish, which I know very little of.

The great part of it is they will then ask what I said and either shake their heads and say, "I can't say that. I try to encourage them to try to say it. I'll give them the meaning when I don't use the English version with the German and/or Spanish. I think it's good for kids to experience different languages and life styles of others. I know our kids sure appreciate the fact that they were able to experience other countries. We too are thankful for that.

Right now it is hard to work with the 4 year old, as I have her 4 mo. old brother to care for as well, who is apparently teething and is very demanding of constant attention, although he is getting better. This is mostly due to mommy holding him most the time that she is with him. Aughhh! :) But when we do get the time, she is starting to give in to the learning process. Yesterday, I had a hard time getting her to quit! That was exciting. We kept going as long as she had the desire. The more she learned, the more excited she became.

I'm even doing flash cards with the baby. So far I only have numbers and letters. I plan on making some from material so that he can also use the touch method of different textures. This will mainly be done with shapes and colors. I figure they are never too young to start learning. There are some great work books out there for the children to use. I have some for each category. We also have fun doing arts and crafts. Sometimes it is hard to hold their attention through it though. When they finish a project it is so neat to see their excitement!

Kids are sponges. They love to learn. They love to be challenged, some more than others. Never hold them back from those opportunities. Get them away from the T.V. and video games. Get them up to the table or sitting in chairs or on couches or what ever and learn with you. Take them on excursions to learn about the great outdoors, or museums. They'll love you for it, and you will be grateful when you see the results. I'm kicking myself for not having kept up with my oldest grand daughter. We started out great, but then fell backwards with all the learning processes. Now she is struggling a little in school. Don't let this happen to you.

By all means, please share your thoughts and ideas. I know there are many talented people out there that have a love for children as well, and have great teaching abilities. Thanks and have a wonderful week!