The Best Ways to Enjoy a Simple Educational Summer with Toddlers

We've all seen the commercials proclaiming the ability to teach even the youngest of children how to read. While there is validity in the claim, you don't need to spend excessive amounts of money on programs, toys or books in order to give your child a well-rounded education for life and the classroom. Summer is the perfect time to do so by introducing your child to the joy of nature.

Teach your child about birds, using a book with bright colorful pictures of birds that populate your area. Look through the book with your child, pointing out and describing the traits of the birds. Once you've identified the birds your toddler likes, fill a bird feeder with seed that specifically attracts that species. You can obtain this information from the book and also the seed bag. Place the feeder outside a window where the child easily sees it. When the birds arrive, help your child make the connection between the pictures in the book to the bird outside the window. For even more entertainment, add a hummingbird feeder and birdbath.

Begin teaching nutritional importance by visiting a local orchard where you can pick your own fruits and berries. Focus on foods your child likes to pique his or her interest. Talk to your child while you pick, explaining the process from seed to food in the store. Kids will delight in gathering their favorite foods. It's an activity that appeals to the innate desire for independence within toddlers.

Use the public library to get books on the activities you do prior to doing them. That will prep the child for further learning. While at the library check their calendar for a schedule of events. Generally, public libraries have a variety of programs such as games, puppets and arts and crafts throughout the summer. Attending these events will help your child learn critical social skills and you may possibly make new friends with other parents.

Kids are fascinated by insects. Purchase or make containers for insect collecting. Watching grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, earthworms and fireflies is fascinating for young children. Kits can also be purchased that allow kids to watch the metamorphous of caterpillars to butterflies and tadpoles to frogs. Ant farms are also available where kids can view what they normally can't see.

These may seem too simplistic to be entertaining but the toddler mind is a sponge. Feeding cognitive development while giving one on one attention equals nothing but success. You may not see it now; but just as seeds were planted long before the apple tree bore fruit, the seeds of knowledge and love you plant today will yield a bountiful harvest in the future.