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2-3YR old, starting soon


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I have a 2 1/2yr old kiddo who I recently bought a couple of Abeka books/flash cards for.

I have:
Arts & Crafts with Button Bear for 2s
Learning Numbers with Button Bear for 2s
Letters and Sounds N (actually for 3s)
and Letter Picture flashcards.

It looks like according to the online order form the only other things I could get that are not marked (optional) for a 2yr old would be the Child Art for 2s and Number Concept flashcards. I plan to get those. Looking in the Arts & Crafts and Learning Numbers book I see on the bottom where it shows what week, based on the 40 week curriculum, to use that activity. The Arts & Crafts starts at Week 3 and the #'s one starts at week 7. Will those other books I need fill in the gaps? There is no Nursery Curriculum kit :( I guess I could start with "week 3" and make it my week 1 and do my own thing... I'm just confused on how to organize a lesson plan and how long to make the lesson last.

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I have a 2 1/2yr old kiddo who I recently bought a couple of Abeka books/flash cards for.

I have:
Arts & Crafts with Button Bear for 2s
Learning Numbers with Button Bear for 2s
Letters and Sounds N (actually for 3s)
and Letter Picture flashcards.

It looks like according to the online order form the only other things I could get that are not marked (optional) for a 2yr old would be the Child Art for 2s and Number Concept flashcards. I plan to get those. Looking in the Arts & Crafts and Learning Numbers book I see on the bottom where it shows what week, based on the 40 week curriculum, to use that activity. The Arts & Crafts starts at Week 3 and the #'s one starts at week 7. Will those other books I need fill in the gaps? There is no Nursery Curriculum kit :( I guess I could start with "week 3" and make it my week 1 and do my own thing... I'm just confused on how to organize a lesson plan and how long to make the lesson last.

Sounds like fun, Lisa Anne! I think that with a 2 1/2 year old, the main thing to do is keep it fun! Attention spans tend to be pretty short at that age, unless the child is unusually interested in the subject matter. I remember totally stressing over my firstborn toddler...how to schedule, etc....so, I know how you feel. We had a lot of fun together during "school time." (I didn't purchase a curriculum...just enjoyed counting, learning letters, shapes, colors, etc., with odds and ends (toys, flashcards, etc.) I had around the house.) I think one thing that is important to remember is that "school time" can be whatever you want to make it at this age. Don't stress out over it. If you get off schedule, it's really no big deal. And don't worry if your child isn't "getting" whatever you're wanting him to learn. He'll learn it when he's ready.
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Sounds like fun, Lisa Anne! I think that with a 2 1/2 year old, the main thing to do is keep it fun! Attention spans tend to be pretty short at that age, unless the child is unusually interested in the subject matter. I remember totally stressing over my firstborn toddler...how to schedule, etc....so, I know how you feel. We had a lot of fun together during "school time." (I didn't purchase a curriculum...just enjoyed counting, learning letters, shapes, colors, etc., with odds and ends (toys, flashcards, etc.) I had around the house.) I think one thing that is important to remember is that "school time" can be whatever you want to make it at this age. Don't stress out over it. If you get off schedule, it's really no big deal. And don't worry if your child isn't "getting" whatever you're wanting him to learn. He'll learn it when he's ready.


Thanks! I think the hard part is not knowing anyone around here who does/did nursery-age learning with their kiddo. And you're right, I don't want to stress about it!
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Thanks! I think the hard part is not knowing anyone around here who does/did nursery-age learning with their kiddo. And you're right, I don't want to stress about it!

That's for sure. As I look back on almost twelve years of motherhood, I realize that I did stress too much with nursery/preschool-age learning with my oldest child. My firstborn could recognize the letters of the alphabet at 19 months of age. She recited Luke 2 at age 3, and learned to read just after turning four. I was OBsessed with teaching her to the point that I actually cried one night because I hadn't done "school time" that day. In short, she was my idol, and teaching her was my worship of her. I couldn't have recognized that then, but I do now. Hindsight's 20/20, as they say.

Life went on; more babies joined our family. I didn't have the time to give them that I had given my firstborn, for OBvious reasons. I started feeling guilty, but then I realized that I was WAY out of balance with the first one. Kids don't NEED to know their letters and numbers that early. They learn them very quickly when they become most ready. I've learned that either I can spend a LOT of money and time planning and singing and dancing and drilling and working and stressing to get them to learn to read and count at age 3, or I can just wait until the golden moment when they are ready, and watch them learn the material in half the time (with half the singing and dancing and drilling). My other kids are just as smart as their big sister, they can read just as well as she did at their ages, and they understand math even better than she did at their ages...and I didn't work with any of them nearly to the extent that I worked with her.

God has humbled me over the years, and allowed me to realize that, though I have taken on the responsibility of my kids' academic education, it's really not all about me, or what curricula I use or don't use. I don't have to force them to "learn" things they're not ready to learn yet. God created children to be curious creatures. All I have to do is encourage that curiosity (which includes eliminating activities which dull that curiosity--like TV, movies, and video games) and give the kids the tools to satisfy their curiosity when the time is right. IMO, this process describes most of what we call education.

The pic I've attached is of a spelling test recently taken by my youngest son, age four, who has received the least direct instruction from me. We haven't done preschool at all...He likes to think he's "in school" while he colors pictures and finds hidden pictures in Highlights magazine. But, as you can see, he's letting me know that he's just about ready for formal instruction to begin. So, I've started allowing his older sister to teach him basic phonics. Must be working: he aced this second grade spelling test that he took with his first-grade sister (his idea, not mine...he begged and begged for me to let him take the test). Readiness is huge. Always keep that in mind as you have fun with your little one!

jonathan's spelling test2.pdf

Edited by Annie
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That's amazing!

I started this week with her doing about 15min worth of an activity. She learned a couple of new colors and we review them every day so she will be more proficient with distinguishing brown from black lol. Letters are a little difficult but really it is funny watching her just spit out random letters. 'A' is 'H' and sometimes 'C.' Too cute. I just enjoy sitting down with her showing her stuff. Today we used glue to put macaroni noodles on to letters and paste apples in trees. She likes it even though she gets easily distracted and wants to color everything.

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Sounds like fun, Lisa Anne! I think that with a 2 1/2 year old, the main thing to do is keep it fun! Attention spans tend to be pretty short at that age, unless the child is unusually interested in the subject matter.


I second this. In fact, if it's a boy, it stays that way his whole life. I'm 31 and I have a really, really, really...

...what were we talking about? Edited by Rick Schworer
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Lisa, I second what Annie has said (or would that be third, since Rick already did, even though he forgot what was being discussed :ROFL: ).

I would add some thoughts, though.

It's a good thing to begin to set aside a little time where your young one has to sit still. Not too much, because at her young age, she still gets the wiggles...and those aren't always bad!

When my son was that age (we homeschooled until he went into 6th grade, and I must confess that I wish we could have continued on, but hubby felt God wanted him enrolled in our church's school - which is a very good school), my favorite method of teaching was what one could call lap-time. We would snuggle together as I read to him from the myriad of picture books we would choose at the library. Those picture books included counting books, and we would count together. (and we memorized a lot of scripture like that!)

I had coloring books that were considered academic (letters with corresponding animals, etc) and he would color them often throughout the day. He enjoyed "painting" also. We got him some painting books that just needed the brush dipped into water and as he brushed over the pages, voila! He loved them - and I believe I still have those paintings stored in his school papers boxes (because I loved them, too :th_popout: ).

There are so many ways to teach in just our every day life - have her help you with cooking...she can help you measure out flour, sugar, etc., while you are baking cookies together. She won't understand right now about measurement, but if you tell her you need a cup of flour, and together you measure a cup of flour, you are building on her understanding of mathematics...and measurement learning will be much easier when it's time in the curriculum.

The same goes for counting. Setting the table: count out 3 plates, 3 knives, 3 forks, etc. And then she helps you set things on the table, learning where items go at the same time. A biblical concept she will also learn is "let everything be done decently and in order" (that is the verse I used as I began to help my son learn about coloring within the lines - when he got old enough for finer motor control). And don't forget washing dishes! Learning how to clean up is important as well - and little kids love their hands in water!!! As my son would "help" me with dishes, we would work on scripture verses, sing songs and just have a blast.

I used a poster board and created a blank calendar. I created different calendar numbers for each month (they are easily bought, but I had time and no money and enjoy things like that, so...). Each day, we would add a number, and I would tell him that it was Friday, OctOBer 29. As he got older, he would tell me - and we would name the days of the week, plus count up to the current day. My husband would instruct him to let him know when it was a certain time - and then tell him how the clock would look. It was our son's responsibility to let daddy know...and he did. By the time it was curriculum time for him to read a calendar or the clock, he moved right on through those like a knife through melted butter.

I could go on all day - I absolutely loved homeschooling my son and wish I had a bunch more kids!! But relax, Lisa. Don't stress yourself out about this, or your daughter will catch it...and that never helps! Just ask the Lord to guide you, and do a bit each day. Keep a journal of some sort - pictures, papers she does, etc. As you look back, you'll see just how much she's learned: and you'll realize that you've learned a lot, too. And HAVE FUN with her!!!!

(BTW - because we needed the extra income, I babysat at the same time. Laptime continued, but as he got older, we established an actual "class time" with counting beads, Bible story pictures, etc., and included the other kids. I only had one child, but I had up to 13 preschoolers at a time, teaching them all...it can be done :icon_mrgreen: )

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