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Teaching Your Toddler: Shapes, Colors, Numbers and Letters
by Faten Abdallah

The world is a place waiting for exploration and discoveries for toddlers. Constantly learning, toddlers are curious about how the world runs and are starting to look for connections related to their own environments. This is the time when toddlers are beginning to expand their verbal vocabulary. The main key is to do repetitious work with your toddlers because they thrive on repetition.

A growing child will be constantly learning about shapes, colors, numbers and letters. A toddler will learn these things differently than a preschooler would. This is the time to introduce basic concepts of the above terms. Be sure to include songs, visual aids-such as pictures or objects, and stories.

When introducing shapes to your toddler, point to the appropriate shape and say "circle" or "square". It helps to point at a variety of items while naming the appropriate shapes. Toddlers will be able to soon tell the difference between a circle and a square. Encourage your child to repeat after you as you introduce shapes.

By pointing at an object, you could mention the color. For example, you could say to your toddler, "Wow, you are playing with a blue car." You have told the toddler that is the color blue. Randomly point at different objects, and mention the color and the name of the object. Allow your child to repeat after you as you mention colors.

During the toddler phase, it is best to teach them to memorize counting 1-10. I taught my son to count in two different languages. Incorporate counting into your daily activities. For example count to five or ten before starting or transitioning to a new activity. Then once they are comfortable counting by themselves, you can begin teaching them to recognize numbers visually.

Toddlers love songs and games. It may seem like an overwhelming task to teach them the alphabet, but it doesn't have to be. Sing the ABC's everyday. Have your toddler repeat after you. Like counting, incorporate the alphabet song into your child's daily activities because learning the ABCs takes time.

Never pressure your toddler in learning these concepts because it may discourage future learning. With careful planning, you can easily incorporate concepts into your toddler's daily schedule. Learning should be fun and a creative experience for them. Repetition is a type of learning and teaching tool for toddlers. Be sure to repeat these concepts throughout the day, every day.

Faten Abdallah is freelance writer and a part time university education instructor. Abdallah has about 10 years of writing background. As an educator of all age levels, she has more than 15 years in the field of education. She is always studying different types of issues related to families.

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