Six Enrichment Activities to Boost Toddler Academic Development

Engaging in the right activities with your toddler can increase his or her readiness for preschool and kindergarten while providing valuable bonding experiences for both of you. At Discovery Point, our dedicated team of administrators and teachers put their years of educational experience to work on behalf of your child. Here are six enrichment activities to boost toddler academic development recommended and curated by the experts at Discovery Point.

Cook Something Up

Allowing your toddler or preschooler to serve as a kitchen assistant for simple snacks or meals can provide practical experience with measuring, mixing and other elements of cooking. These activities are ideal ways to prepare for mathematical challenges and to improve motor skills, allowing your child to excel once he or she reaches the elementary school academic environment.

Post Some Signs

For children just learning to read, placing signs or labels on various items inside your house can speed the word recognition process. Your toddler’s own room can be the perfect place to start; labeling desks, beds, chairs and windows can familiarize your child with these basic words and can even provide assistance in recognizing letters and associating them with the sounds they make when spoken.

Make a Map

Creating a map of your neighborhood or your home can be a fun and educational project for your preschooler. This activity can also provide an added sense of spatial relationships for toddlers, allowing them to develop an understanding of the following concepts:

• Nearer and farther away
• Larger and smaller
• Directions, including north, south, east and west

By labeling various parts of the map, you can also increase your child’s awareness of language and letters. These lessons will provide a solid foundation for future geographical explorations both in school and in everyday life.

Count It Out

A collection of loose change and a few dollar bills can provide you and your child with hours of educational entertainment. Setting up a retail counter and pricing various treats or toys can provide your toddler with the opportunity to learn about money while playing the role of customer or cashier. Learning about the value of various coins and making change accurately can help your toddler enjoy a competitive edge in practical mathematics in the elementary and secondary school environments.

It’s All About Time

Creating a homemade calendar and allowing your child to mark off the days until a promised treat or excursion can help you to communicate the importance of time to your toddler. By observing the linear nature of time as it passes on the calendar, even the youngest children can learn about schedules and structures to improve their readiness for preschool and kindergarten challenges.

Sing a Song

Teaching your child to sing along with “The Alphabet Song” and other beloved childhood classics can provide real benefits for your child, including the following:

• Early musical experiences have been shown to enhance mathematical performance for some children in their later educational careers.
• Music can also provide help for children in memorizing the alphabet and in acquiring rote memorization skills necessary for future success in the academic setting.
• Singing together can be a fun and memorable family activity that can enhance the bond between parents and children.

Sharing classic songs with your child can help to instill a love of music that can last throughout their lives and can offer significant advantages when pursuing their future educational goals.

The dedicated teachers at Discovery Point can provide your toddler with enrichment activities geared to suit his or her learning style and unique set of needs. Our personalized approach to education is designed to challenge and engage your toddler every day. We are committed to helping every child reach his or her full potential in the preschool setting and in all future academic and employment endeavors.