Homeschooling with Toddlers

Although I'm not into pushing formal education early on, toddlers tend to get "schooled" along with older siblings simply because it's difficult to teach when you've got a short person wandering around bored and wanting attention. Some people have special activities for their toddlers that are only for school time. Others create an actual schedule and curriculum. Like the rest of my life, my solution is eclectic and piecemeal.

Puzzles

Nothing beats them. Biruk (now 3) taught himself the alphabet at age 2 using an ABC puzzle. Then he dismantled his auntie's laptop keyboard, apparently trying to put the letters in the "right" order. A good puzzle can keep a toddler happy for quite a while.

Bean Counting

For safety, this needs to be done where you can supervise the kid well (in case he decides to shove beans up his nose or try to inhale them). But a kid with a bowl full of beans to sort and count and send them clinking into a metal muffin tin is a happy kid indeed. If you don't like the bean idea, use mixed cereals. That way he gets a snack, too.

Scissors, Glue, and Paper

Cut out a few shapes, hand the kid a gluestick, and let him practice his pasting skills. This morning Biruk was happily occupied "making Valentines Day" happen by gluing construction paper hearts onto another sheet of construction paper. (Who cares if it's almost August. Hearts mean it's Valentines Day). Kid-safe scissors will hold the interest of most toddlers, and they will add a fringe to anything they can get their hands on.

Clay or Playdough

Again, this has to be supervised so you don't get surprised with neon poop the day after. But there's nothing like brightly colored squishy stuff to entertain a toddler.

Paints and other Arty Stuff

My younger ones have always participated in art projects that the older one is doing. They don't produce great masterpieces but they might as well paint at the same table as their older brother because why should they miss out on the fun? While I'm doing an actual art class with an older child, a younger one can be happily occupied with paints.

TV and Computer "School"

Yes, my children's innocent eyes have gazed at the Evil Screens at tender ages. My youngest started messing with the computer at age two, and I figured better to show him the right way to use it and take away the "forbidden" factor than have him sneak around and mess things up. I can guarantee 30 minutes of quiet from him if I put him in front of PBSkids.org. With TV, I do limit the amount they can watch, but there's no denying that certain TV shows provided a great deal of enjoyable educational material for them between the ages of 2 and 4.