Excessive Demands on your Time?

As you continue to follow this blog, you may become concerned about what could seem to be excessive demands upon your time to do all of the activities recommended. You will find, however, that most of the upcoming recommended activities do not require additional time from busy parents. As you learn to recognize opportune moments to teach your child, you will find that much of your teaching occurs in the natural course of a day. You will teach as you dress her in the morning, as you feed her, as you play with her during the day, while you take her shopping, or when you put her to bed at night. The techniques are casual; the teaching is incidental and related to the real-life experiences of parent and child.


This blog promised to give you one answer to the question, “How do I find the right balance between appropriately challenging my child with love and pushing him too hard?” The first answer is: PLAY with him. As often as it is feasible, play what your child wants to play when he wants to play it and look for chances to teach as you go. If your teaching is child-centered and child-directed your child is not likely to feel pushed, hurried or forced into learning. He will learn to love learning because he loves playing with you.

Follow Your Child's Feelings

Whatever activities you and your child choose to play with together, remember that activities will be most effective when they are child-centered and child-directed. As you teach your child and acquaint her with the many wonders around her, let your child’s feelings and desires be your guide. Let her be involved in deciding which activities you will do together and how long they will last. If your daughter gets tired of drawing pictures and letters on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, let her be done! Do not insist that she continue an activity that she has clearly lost interest in. If your son gets bored of sorting marbles into groups of like colors with you after five minutes, move on to something else! Do not force him to sort them all by size as well before you let the activity die. Let each activity be a success in its own right, no matter how small or how short.

It is the compilation of many positive playing activities over the course of years that will have the biggest impact on your child, not one instance of trying to forcibly get a certain point across to him. If your child sees that he is being forced to learn a certain thing, he will most likely rebel against the force being applied to him. However, if he sees that his feelings and desires help determine what happens in his life, he will be more anxiously engaged in shaping his own life and asking you for help as he does so. He will see you as a kind guide not a dictatorial commander.

Educational Toys

In the quest of building your child's intellect, you will not need to purchase a wide array of toys to meet the needs of your child. While there are many excellent educational toys on the market, there are also many items already in your home that can be successfully used as teaching aids. Through the creative use of items commonly found in and around your home, you and your children will find many opportunities to play and learn together. Any of the following items (or dozens you and your child will think of on your own) can be used as “toys” depending on your child’s age and developmental stage: plastic cups, wooden or metal spoons, pans, shoes, brushes, uncooked pasta, washcloths, soap and water, calculators, rocks, boxes, newspaper, squirt bottles, magnets, dirt, trees, paper plates, mops, blankets, lids, sponges, and blocks of wood. The possibilities for play and learning are endless! Be sure that any items you use are age-appropriate and safe for your child to handle, whack, twist, or otherwise manipulate to the utmost limit. For very young children, avoid anything with small parts, parts that could break off or anything that could entangle a child.


If you are considering purchasing some play items to supplement the host of items already available in your home, here are a few simple suggestions that have proven to be worth the money for the long haul: a sandbox, a swing set, a white board and set of colored dry erase markers, Play-Doh, and washable paints with lots of paper. Most children are drawn to these items and return to them again and again through the course of years.

What do you think?  What educational toys do you use? Please let me know if you are following this blog by commenting.