Homeschooling Infants/ Young Toddlers 9-18 months old

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

In this post homeschooling young toddlers 9-18 months old will be explored insha'Allaah. The ages will be covered in two groups: 9-12 months old, 12-18 months old.

Homeschooling Your 9-12 Month Old Child

At this point baby may be reaching for specific objects of interest, be able to search for objects that are no longer in sight, dropping things intentionally and repeatedly (toys from a crib), using his/her thumb to pick up objects, enjoying seeing self in the mirror, transferring objects from one hand to the other and babbling as if speaking.

Alhamdulillaah your little one is also fast approaching the time when he/she will begin speaking. Insha'Allaah baby has been read to every day and lots of conversations have taken place between the parents and their child. These are the building blocks of language acquisition. If you haven't already, you may wish to begin filling baby's vocabulary with many new words that he/she will eventually use insha'Allaah. Describe the environment using adjectives, verbs and nouns to help baby learn how to eventually communicate about the world we live in with words (i.e. You have a blue and white cup. There is a red and yellow sail boat on it.).

Also at this point, your baby may no longer take his/her morning nap and this time can be used for presenting engaging activities that will help build essential skills insha'Allaah. 

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following: 

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Picture Creative Commons: Ella's Dad

•  Hide & Seek:  Pick one of baby's toys and a blanket. Show the baby the toy and place it under the blanket, leaving part of the toy still showing. Invite the child to find the toy. 
•  Shape Sorter: Standard shape sorters may be developmentally inappropriate at this time but you can easily make your own with a shoe box and 3 simple shapes (i.e. circle, square, triangle). Cut out each shape in the shoe box, making sure that no other shape can fit in the space of another (i.e. the circle can't also fit in the space for the square). Show the child how to compare each shape to the shape in the shoe box before correctly matching the shape and inserting it into the box where it belongs. 
• Stacking Measuring cups: Using kitchen measuring cups, show your child how to correctly stack the measuring cups inside of one another. Invite the child to stack the cups independently. 
• Sorting Activity: Use two objects that are dissimilar (i.e. combs and brushes). Try to make sure the objects are dissimilar enough for baby to distinguish them from one another. Show the child how to sort them (i.e. all brushes go in a basket on the right and all combs go in a basket on the left). It is helpful to have a picture in each sorting bowl/basket to assist the child. 
• Using a Spoon: Put cheerios in a bowl, in front of the child and on his/her right hand side. Next to the bowl of cheerios, place an empty bowl. Using a child sized spoon show the child how to use the spoon to pick up a cheerio and place it in the empty bowl. There is no need to speak when showing the child how to do this. After showing the child how to transfer a few cheerios from one bowl to another, invite the child to do the activity independently.

Homeschooling Your 12-18 Month Old Child

Baby is now more mobile and learning at an amazing pace masha'Allaah. Quran, athkar and teaching baby authentic sunnan are as important now as they were when baby was an infant. Baby is now learning a tremendous amount of information using his/her five senses and this is an opportune time to begin teaching him/her about Allaah's creation. 

Baby can now show active interest in picture books, claps his hands, shows preferences for food, toys, etc., begins to pull himself/herself up into the standing position and move about the room using furniture, puts many things into his/her mouth, eats finger foods, and drinks from a cup.

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following:

• Teaching vocabulary that helps them understand and identify things in the world. This idea, for example, is very kid friendly. Children can learn about the weather but also practice fine motor skills and learn how to take objects out and put them back in to a pocket. This activity can be used to teach the words/concept: "In" and "Out".

 Found at: Folksy: George & Lily's Shop

• Matching shapes to their outlines: Use cookie cutters. Trace the shape/outline of each cookie cutter onto pieces of square paper. Demonstrate how to match each cookie cutter to its outline and then invite the toddler to do the same.
• Learning to drink from a cup: Provide your child with a very small cup (one that holds about 1 teaspoon of liquid). Show baby how to hold the cup and drink from it. After demonstrating, invite baby to do the same.Provide lots of opportunities for baby to practice this and expect spills.
• Putting lids on and taking them off: Give your little one a pot with its matching lid (already on). Show the child how to remove and replace the lid. Invite the child to so the same. As the child becomes proficient, introduce another pot and lid (in addition to the first one). 
• Pincer Grasp practice: Use a clean empty coffee can or a basket with a smooth rim. Use clothes pins and show the child how to use the pincer grasp to open the clothes pins and place them, one by one, on the rim/edge of the coffee can. Show the child how to remove them and place them into a basket on the right (or left is your child is learning in English). Invite the child to do the activity by him/herself.
• Matching Colours: Use paint strips (many hardware stores have these available for free in the paint department). Get two sets of each colour. Cut each strip to isolate each primary colour and mount them on stiff cardboard or small wood pieces (found at craft stores) making sure only the colour is showing (i.e. not the colour of the wood underneath or a border from the cardboard). Start with two colours (i.e. red and blue). Place all of the colour cards on a workmat (in no particular order but so that no two matching colours are next to each other). Make sure the child is facing the workmat (i.e. next to you, in your lap). Pick up one of the blue colour cards and silently put it next to a red card. Say, "The card I have is the colour blue. This card (point to the red card) and say, "This card is red. They are not the same colour." Then move the blue card next to the other blue card. Pause, leaving the two cards next to each other and say, "Both of these cards are blue." Leave the blue card next to its match. Do the same thing with the red card. Mix the cards up again and invite the child to match the colour cards. As the child shows mastery of the concept introduce another primary colour (i.e. green).
• Teach the parts of the head/face (i.e. head, ears, nose, mouth): Touch your nose and say, "Nose. This is my nose. Can you point to your nose please?" and repeat with the other parts.
• Two piece puzzles: Take pictures (without living creatures and that do not have faces in them) and mount them onto stiff cardboard or cardstock. Cut the pictures into two pieces to make 2-piece puzzles. Introduce the activity using only one puzzle. Present the puzzle as a complete puzzle. Then take the puzzle apart and show the child how to put the puzzle together again. Intentionally place the pieces in incorrect positions (so that the puzzle is not accurately put together) before putting it together correctly again. 
• Put it in and take it out: Take a piece of fabric or felt and sew a pocket onto it. Take a small toy and show the child how to place the object into the pocket and remove it again. Invite the child to do the activity (like the picture of teaching about weather above).
• Vocabulary Building: Reading books that focus on introducing vocabulary words that are related to: names of pieces of clothing, different animals, colours, etc. 

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Activities such as those mentioned above do not need to be long in their presentation and can last a few minutes or several. If your child wishes to continue with an activity allow him/her to do so uninterrupted but if you notice the child has lost interest, end the activity and take the child with you as you clean up the materials and put them in their correct spot.

Insha'Allaah this has been helpful to those who have children in this age range and if your child is one years old, you may find the following book helpful. In it you will find activities suitable for children ages 1-3 with clear instructions about how to do each activity, what is needed and possible extensions where appropriate. 

 

Child's Play: Montessori Games and Activities for Your Baby and Toddler

Literacy Development for Infants and Young Toddlers

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sometimes parents wish to know where they can buy certain things they see in their child's classroom. Their wish, one that teachers encourage enthusiastically, is to make a strong school to home connection for their child.

It is not always necessary to buy the exact things you see on the walls of your child's preschool classroom or in certain centres in your child's classroom but there are times when doing so has innumerable benefits. Two examples that will be highlighted in this post are alphabet charts and wooden blocks.

One of the primary focuses in preschool and kindergarten classrooms is literacy and developing children's ability to recognize print and understand that print conveys meaning. In the classroom, this is accomplished in a variety of ways and at home one simple way to help your child in his/her literacy development is to have an alphabet chart on the wall at your child's eye level.

It is not always easy to find alphabet charts that do not contain facial features in the pictures but don't let that stop you: make your own! Then invite and encourage your child to "read" the alphabet chart. First encourage recognition of the alphabet (and do not worry if they get the order wrong, this usually works itself out as the learning continues *smile*) and as your child progresses, invite them to read the words that identify the picture with each alphabet. It is not necessary that the child be able to actually read the words but soon they will begin to recognize certain words from the alphabet chart independently insha'Allaah.

You can also make up various games to play with Alphabet charts, "I Spy" is a simple, fun game that comes to mind but there are many other games as well. With young infants, you can sit with your child and point out certain pictures, saying each letter clearly, and describe the picture. Mention characteristics of the letters: is the letter tall, short and round, etc. The goal is to help your young child learn to take notice of the features of different letters and become aware of print in the environment and its role in our lives.

If making your own alphabet chart, keep in mind the things your young infant or toddler sees in his/her environment daily. Try to have pictures on the chart that represent concrete things in his/her world. Help your child see the connection by asking if they can find an object on the chart in the home (with infants, although they cannot answer you with words, still ask the questions - you are helping with their language and vocabulary development). Carry your infant around the house and point to different things one at a time and take him/her back to the chart to show them the item and the letter that it begins with. Express delight at how letters help us learn about our world. You can download the Alphabet Chart pictured above here insha'Allaah.

A second item that many parents have in the home are alphabet blocks.

For children learning in English, these are easily found in local toy stores and for children learning in Arabic or learning Arabic along side another language, these Arabic Alphabet Wooden Blocks can be a wonderful addition to your home environment insha'allaah.

Wooden alphabet blocks have numerous benefits, among them: the child is able to feel the shape of the letters long before he/she is able to write them. This helps develop pre-writing skills as well as build letter recognition skills. Wooden blocks also help children with spacial skills and other math skills that they will need upon entering school and throughout their school years. From a few months old, wooden blocks can be introduced to children and with supervision, children can begin reaping the benefits of this wonderful learning tool.

The Company that makes the Arabic Alphabet wooden blocks pictured above makes wooden blocks in a variety of languages: Russian, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and others!

If you already use these two learning tools in your home, please feel welcome to share with others some of the games you play and activities you use to help your child's literacy development.

Baby's Day Vocabulary Building Activity

Assalamu alaikum,

This activity is one suited for infants 12 -18 months insha'Allah. It helps build vocabulary and can easily be modified to include gross motor skill work.

Each page has a picture of an item that is normally part of many babies day: diapers, wipes, bibs, etc. Before we read the book Baby's Day, I gathered all of the items that were in the book (those that were suitable for the activity) and then we sat down to read the book.

I then set up all of the items in a circle around us:

That red blurb is the remains of a much handled yarn doll...lol. The other items include: a diaper, a small baby towel, a teething ring, a small drinking glass, a plastic bowl, a bib, a book and some wipes.

To do the activity: Re-read the book and pause at each picture and say the name of the item and point it out to the infant/toddler insha'Allah. Re-read the book again. This time pause at each item and invite the child to find the item and put it into the basket. 

To incorporate gross motor skill work, place the basket at a distance and invite the infant (if mobile)/toddler to run and place the item in the basket. Get excited about it and model how to do this so the child can see how to do it insha'Allah.  

When the activity is done place the basket on a low shelf so the infant/toddler can get it to play with as often as he/she wishes insha'Allah. This book was in our local library but if you'd like to buy it you can fnd it here insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!