Finding Time for Learning

We are busy. So are you. So how do you find time to teach your kids the things that they need to know? We do a lot of learning on the go!

1. We sing in the car. I'm not much of a have-to-listen-to-music-all-the-time person. I actually enjoy the quiet in the car. But to keep Ladybug entertained, we sing songs that we have learned at home or sing at church.

2. We incorporate signing into as many of our activities as possible. My best guess is that Ladybug knows close to 200 signs. We are currently working on the alphabet and numbers.

3. Change the words to songs. Ever notice how "Twinkle, Twinkle," the ABC song, and "Baa Baa Black Sheep" have the same tune? We also sing numbers 1-20 to the same tune. (She can count up to 30, or 20-10 as she likes to call it, but singing the song helps with signing the numbers as well.)

4. We talk to Ladybug when we go places. We ask her what she sees, to count something, and we tell her the names of things she doesn't know.

5. I am learning to take advantage of those sometimes annoying toddler obsessions. She currently LOVES turkeys and fire trucks. So we have been reading books and making crafts that incorporate these as well.

6. We spend more time reading books than watching videos. And if she wants to read the same book over and over, we try to accommodate her. Yes, the repetition can be annoying to an adult, but toddlers love the repetition because it helps them feel secure.

7. We are still doing our ABC Bible verses, I'm behind in posting them.


In a way, we see all of these activities as pre-homeschooling. We may or may not homeschool, we haven't decided yet. But we want her to be "academically" prepared when the time comes. Our learning is unstructured, fun, and flexible. It's more about the time that we spend together than what is accomplished.

Of course, these tips are based on what we do with our toddler. If you have older kids, how do you incorporated learning into your busy lives?