Hidden Opportunities for Learning and Teaching

If you are anything like me, you may find yourself strapped for time to do everything that sits on our ‘to-do’ list in a day. Many times, after schooling my oldest, preschool for my 3-year-old tends to fall by the wayside. I have so many fantastic intentions, worksheets, activities and field trips planned, but time is of the essence. Although we find little moments to carve out time for more structured schooling, I have been trying to remind myself of all the great learning opportunities that are part of our daily routine! Sometimes, we don’t always realize we are ‘schooling’ or ‘teaching’ in everyday moments. 

Here are a few I have caught myself in:

•  Hand washing. We have been working on counting to 20, and what better time than part of the handwashing routine we do before mealtimes or after play with the baby chicks! Sometimes we count together, other times, I start counting with her and then drop off for the numbers that I know she is working on to see where she is with it! 

• Identifying letters or numbers on signs or throw pillows. When we got ready for wind down routine last night, my daughter was looking for the little pillow she likes! Her favorite pillow is a throw pillow with the word ‘home’ on it. Once we found it, I saw her staring at the letters. we identified the letters together and read the word. she was so excited to be ‘reading like her brother!’ 

• Bedtime stall tactics put to good use! In my house, my youngest has developed the need for ‘one more hug’ as a prolonged stall tactic that has honestly frustrated my tired (and pregnant) body, more nights than one. so, I decided to whip out the good old fashion dice! we either use a small dice manipulative or the virtual dice on google. each night, she rolls the dice to see how many ‘hugs’ she gets for the night. She has a ton of fun rolling the dice and identifying the number. The nightly routine helped her learn numbers very quickly! Google has dice all the way up to 20 if you are feeling ambitious!

• Counting eggs (or other items) that are part of our morning routine. Instead of getting the eggs each morning on my own, I now take her out with me and we count and keep track of how many eggs the hens lay each day. We talk about concepts of more or less than the day before. If you don’t have ‘hens’ you could count eggs that go into the morning pan, number of plates needed for breakfast, or even number of clothing items as you are putting them on! Any of these opportunities builds 1:1 counting skills in a natural, motivated setting where they are more likely to be retained in the brain!

• Multi-step or challenging instructions. Even if you think your child may not understand each word of what you say, giving them opportunities to help using directions that contain spatial cues or multiple steps provide opportunities for problem solving and learning new vocabulary. Recently, I asked my daughter to go grab a container from the kitchen (after she didn’t finish her breakfast muffin). I said they are ‘next to the oven on the bottom shelf, and don’t forget the lid.’ As i finished my sentence, i turned to my husband and said, “this ought to be interesting.” To my utter shock, she came back with a container big enough for her muffin with the proper lid! She was so proud as we all cheered for her! 

• Left and right! Providing opportunities to hear and learn the difference between left and right, even if you think they have no idea what you are talking about! We always say things like ‘put these away in the left drawer’ or when we are grocery shopping, we might say ‘ok we need to turn left and get the apples.’ You could say things like ‘that shoe goes on your left foot’ or ‘good job using your right hand to color today.’ Consistent addition of these words to everyday vocabulary helps children pick up on left and right concepts very quickly.

• Next to, middle and on top! Using terms that involve spatial organization when children are putting away toys or retrieving their favorite items help them begin to learn spatial sequencing and organization skills which are important to reading, math and general everyday movement

• Categorization through chore-based activities. It is never too young to start chores. Luckily, my daughter loves helping with everything. Most recently, we have had her helping put silverware away from the dishwasher, fold towels/washcloths and match socks. Not only is she learning and reinforcing categorization concepts but she is also participating in problem solving and organizational tasks that will provide foundations for later math and literature learning

•  Money! Exchange of money, at least in my family, is a thing of the past! Credit cards and virtual payments are the easiest for us! However, our local farmer’s market still requires cash only. This is a fantastic opportunity for my daughter to practice counting out singles for our fresh fruits and veggies. As she ages, I look forward to advancing this to simple addition and subtraction. 

• Omit screen time and replace with nature. Giving your child ample opportunities to move, explore and be bored is essential for the development of creativity, problem solving, body and spatial awareness and so much more!! I’ll never forget the day my son and daughter played in the yard for over 3 hours with a hanger and a bucket. they both came in for lunch happy, social and ready to go back out! Omitting screen time also provides ample opportunity for processing and use of lanugage, therefore increasing vocabulary and the ability to read social cues.