Teaching Toddlers About Big and Little

Parents, grandparents, babysitters and other adults are a child's first teachers. Years before a child is old enough to enter regular school, these adults can begin teaching a toddler some important concepts. Here are a few fun and simple ways to introduce the concept "Big And Little" to your toddler!

Big And Little Painting. Get big pieces of paper (poster boards work great) and small, notepad-sized pieces of paper. Also, get small paintbrushes (such as the kind found in children's watercolor sets) and large paintbrushes (such as the kind meant for painting walls or furniture.) Ask the child, "Do you want to paint on the big paper, or the little paper? Do you want to use the big paintbrush, or the little paintbrush?" Ideally, have your child do one of each. After you hang these masterpieces up, point them out to your child often. Ask him, "Which one is the big painting? Where is the little painting?"

Big And Little Animal Collage. Most toddlers love animals, and are learning to name some of their favorites! Cut from a magazine, or print from your computer, pictures of different animals. Get pictures of large animals, like elephants, hippos, horses, etc, and also lots of small animals, such as mice, rabbits, birds, etc. Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. Ask your child, "Is a rabbit big or little?" Help your child paste the animal on the correct side of the paper.

Big And Little Snacks. Get two different sizes of crackers and cookies. For instance, buy a package of small goldfish crackers and a package of large goldfish crackers. Offer your child both kinds, saying, "Would you like a big fish or a little fish?" You can continue this at meal times, whenever you're eating things that need to be cut. You can ask, "Would you like a big piece of bread, or a little piece?"

Big And Little Stretches. Stand up as straight as you can, and stretch your arms out over your head. Tell your child, "I am big Mama!" Then, crouch down as low as you can, tucking your arms and head in. Tell your child, "Now I am little Mama!" Ask your child, "Can you show me big Timmy? Now show me little Timmy!"

Big And Little Balls. If you can, get a large exercise ball. If you can't get one, try to find any oversized ball, such as a large beach ball. Also, get a smaller ball, the size of a baseball. Head outside with the balls and play with them. Say things like, "Lets kick the big ball! Can you throw the little ball?"

By showing the child the concept of big and little repeatedly, in different ways, you will help him to understand it!