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I have decided to not send my girls to preschool because I've always wanted to be a teacher. My daughter is almost two and can count to five recongnize letter and loves to color. I have a ton of books but when is it time to get serious because I only plan to do it for a hour or so at a time.
Answer
Sounds like you have already begun. Your daughter is counting, coloring and doing other activities with you and she's learning. Homeschooling isn't about sitting at a desk with a pile of books. Believe me, that time will come (maybe---some children learn and never sit down with textbooks)
When my children were little, I read to them from lots and lots of books, including history, art, fiction, biographies, non-fiction, and lots of Dr. Seuss. I had a few activities books that I would with them, usually only one/day. Sometimes in the morning after breakfast, or on cold/rainy days after lunch. We spent a lot of time outside learning about nature, collecting leaves, playing in the sand, and that kind of thing. In the afternoon we frequently did an art project, made leaf rubbings , collages, etc. Your toddlers and preschoolers are always learning. I did lapbooks with them and we wrote a language experience story usually once a week. This prepared my children with creative writing. They would dictate their stories to me and I wrote the exactly as they were quoted to me, grammatical errors and all. Then they illustrated their stories. Even my toddlers loved "reading" their books to Daddy when he came hope and grandparents when they came over. As they got older, I helped edit their stories for errors and content, teaching them new words to use to make the stories longer and more interesting. By 3 my oldest took an interest in reading so we started playing phonics games and I did a phonics workbook with him, at his guidance, not my insistence. He was reading beginner books within a few weeks. My youngest didn't start to read until he was 7 1/2 and wasn't a proficient reader until age 9. But he was still learning. And by 10 he was reading on grade level even though he was a late bloomer.
At this time, enjoy your time with your toddler, let her be your guide. You don't have to get "serious" to introduce her to the joys of learning, If you have an activity book that she finds interesting 10-15 minutes at a pop is probably sufficient. If she asks to do another book, or another page, go for it. If not, move on to active learning. She has many years of school learning ahead of her. Don't burn her out to learning before she really even needs to begin. Remember your daughter is learning in every hands on activity you do with her. Sorting silverware, taking a walk, making cookies or playdough, and just playing with her favorite toys. Talk together, sing together, read together. Just be together. All too soon you will wake up and find your beautiful little toddler is a lovely 20 year old young woman. Don't waste those precious moments forcing her to to grow up too soon.
Sounds like you have already begun. Your daughter is counting, coloring and doing other activities with you and she's learning. Homeschooling isn't about sitting at a desk with a pile of books. Believe me, that time will come (maybe---some children learn and never sit down with textbooks)
When my children were little, I read to them from lots and lots of books, including history, art, fiction, biographies, non-fiction, and lots of Dr. Seuss. I had a few activities books that I would with them, usually only one/day. Sometimes in the morning after breakfast, or on cold/rainy days after lunch. We spent a lot of time outside learning about nature, collecting leaves, playing in the sand, and that kind of thing. In the afternoon we frequently did an art project, made leaf rubbings , collages, etc. Your toddlers and preschoolers are always learning. I did lapbooks with them and we wrote a language experience story usually once a week. This prepared my children with creative writing. They would dictate their stories to me and I wrote the exactly as they were quoted to me, grammatical errors and all. Then they illustrated their stories. Even my toddlers loved "reading" their books to Daddy when he came hope and grandparents when they came over. As they got older, I helped edit their stories for errors and content, teaching them new words to use to make the stories longer and more interesting. By 3 my oldest took an interest in reading so we started playing phonics games and I did a phonics workbook with him, at his guidance, not my insistence. He was reading beginner books within a few weeks. My youngest didn't start to read until he was 7 1/2 and wasn't a proficient reader until age 9. But he was still learning. And by 10 he was reading on grade level even though he was a late bloomer.
At this time, enjoy your time with your toddler, let her be your guide. You don't have to get "serious" to introduce her to the joys of learning, If you have an activity book that she finds interesting 10-15 minutes at a pop is probably sufficient. If she asks to do another book, or another page, go for it. If not, move on to active learning. She has many years of school learning ahead of her. Don't burn her out to learning before she really even needs to begin. Remember your daughter is learning in every hands on activity you do with her. Sorting silverware, taking a walk, making cookies or playdough, and just playing with her favorite toys. Talk together, sing together, read together. Just be together. All too soon you will wake up and find your beautiful little toddler is a lovely 20 year old young woman. Don't waste those precious moments forcing her to to grow up too soon.
Do you let your toddler/preschool son play with dolls?
Know your
I am a 31 year old mother to three children, ages 3 1/2, 2 1/2, and 9 months. Lately my 3 1/2 year old has been into playing with my 2 1/2 year old daughters cabbage patch kid. I have NO PROBLEM with this at all. I think it sparks his imagination, creates sensitivity, and is perfectly appropriate for his age. This is not my issue personally. It's my mother-in-laws. Today, I mistakenly brought up the subject during a conversation and she said "why do you let him play with dolls, when he has all those trucks, trains, and tracks to play with?" I said that I was ok with it. And she said that her boys never played with dolls, that they played with cars and never wanted to play with thier sister's dolls. Then she said "Don't you think that it looks gay for a little boy to have a doll?". I said "are you saying my 3 year old is gay"? And it escalated into a verbal confrontation. This has happened to between us with other issues in the past. The whole "back and forth" exchange was not good...
I was at my breaking point and demanded that my husband take myself and our children home. She all but accuses me of being a bad mother and she is so passive aggressive, that she can't come out and just say what she wants to say. I hate it!!! It's so frustrating!!! So...do you let your little boy play with dolls?
Answer
We don't own any dolls persay...we have 2 boys. But they do have stuffed animals that they love. My oldest (he's almost 4) has Sheepie, that is a female sheep that he is so gentle with. I don't have a problem if he does play with dolls. He plays with them at his friends' houses, and in our church nursery which I think is totally fine. He was more into picking up a doll when we first had our 2nd baby...wanting his own baby to take care of.
The head of the daycare that he used to go to said she noticed a huge difference between when the boys were 3 to 4. At 2 & 3 it didn't matter which kind of dress up clothes they wore and which toys they played with...at 4-5 that totally changed and they began playing more traditional gender based (not encouraged, just something that happened).
I also remember my aunt talking about her grandson who had a doll to cuddle at night, saying he was starting early having a woman beside him :). (He was 2 at the time...he's now 13 and very much into girls)
I do think that there is a larger underlying problem here that isn't at all about dolls, but rather between you and your m-in-l. She seems to have very definate ideas about what is and isn't okay for kids that are different than your own. I just want to encourage you that these are your kids and you are making your best decisions raising them. You probably aren't going to change her mind about her opinions but if there is a way that you can take in her ideas, not accepting them, but just listening to her (and venting later to your husband if neccessary) as a way to make peace. She may be more apt to listen to you, if you listen to her too. There has to be some common ground somewhere...after all she did raise your husband. You don't have to be like her, and you can do what you like with her words, still trusting that you are the parent of these kids and you know in your heart what is best for them. I hope that makes sense to you and helps somewhat. Cheers!
We don't own any dolls persay...we have 2 boys. But they do have stuffed animals that they love. My oldest (he's almost 4) has Sheepie, that is a female sheep that he is so gentle with. I don't have a problem if he does play with dolls. He plays with them at his friends' houses, and in our church nursery which I think is totally fine. He was more into picking up a doll when we first had our 2nd baby...wanting his own baby to take care of.
The head of the daycare that he used to go to said she noticed a huge difference between when the boys were 3 to 4. At 2 & 3 it didn't matter which kind of dress up clothes they wore and which toys they played with...at 4-5 that totally changed and they began playing more traditional gender based (not encouraged, just something that happened).
I also remember my aunt talking about her grandson who had a doll to cuddle at night, saying he was starting early having a woman beside him :). (He was 2 at the time...he's now 13 and very much into girls)
I do think that there is a larger underlying problem here that isn't at all about dolls, but rather between you and your m-in-l. She seems to have very definate ideas about what is and isn't okay for kids that are different than your own. I just want to encourage you that these are your kids and you are making your best decisions raising them. You probably aren't going to change her mind about her opinions but if there is a way that you can take in her ideas, not accepting them, but just listening to her (and venting later to your husband if neccessary) as a way to make peace. She may be more apt to listen to you, if you listen to her too. There has to be some common ground somewhere...after all she did raise your husband. You don't have to be like her, and you can do what you like with her words, still trusting that you are the parent of these kids and you know in your heart what is best for them. I hope that makes sense to you and helps somewhat. Cheers!
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