14 LITERACY AND NUMERACY ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS
This article is for parents who are into play based literacy and numeracy activities for their young kids.
Reading, speaking, listening and writing fall under literacy and numeracy skills.
In early childhood learning, play based learning is recommended to teach these essential skills to children.
Experts say that literacy and numeracy activities need not be formal learning experience for kids. Because sitting down in one place and learning letters and numbers may bore the little ones and may not be as effective as play based learning.
Imagine a 4 year old sitting in a classroom and learning to count. A teacher may write numbers on the board and ask to copy them down. Or the teacher may write numbers on the book and ask the child to copy them.
This kind of teacher-based learning can seriously block the child from thinking creatively and building a lifelong love for learning.
What is play based learning?
Instead of that we can use a coloured and numbered staircase and ask the child to count while stepping on the stair.
Stepping stones are also an interesting way to teach numeracy. These are amazing ways to teach simple numeracy lessons while letting the kids be kids and enjoying their childhood. Not to mention the development of their gross-motor skills, communication skills, social skills that improve along with it.
If you were a kid yourself, what would you choose for yourself? Yes , the answer is obvious.
As we try to give the best for our children, let’s learn some fun and effective activities to improve literacy and numeracy in our kids.
If you are wondering when you should start, remember that there’s no particular time for a child to start learning. They are ready as soon as they are born. Listening to our sounds, songs the newborns headstart their literacy skills.
Having said that, let’s use some discretion in introducing different stimulations to our kids. For example few words and more pictures for babies and then gradually adding new wordy stories , songs as they grow up.
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Fun literacy and numeracy activities
1. The very first step I took to literacy was the “A B C Song” when my baby was just a newborn
Murmuring this song as a lullaby is really calming and relaxing and my beautiful baby would stare at my murmuring lips for the longest time and fall asleep.
Now as a pre schooler, she still sings different versions of that song and still loves it. It is definitely the easiest way to teach them the English alphabet.
2. BASIC COUNTING
We had so many fun ways to learn counting (never as a formal lesson) – counting steps, counting fingers, counting birds in the sky etc.
3. Local library
Local library is one of our favourite places. We went to rhyme time, story telling and it gave her a lot of opportunities to meet new people, read new books, listen to nursery rhymes and basically have a fun filled time spending some quality time.
4. READING STORYBOOKS
This is one of our favourite things to do together.
We discuss the story, encourage her to talk about the pictures. Sometimes change the story a bit so that she is more interested. Change the names to her name and brother name and sometimes make up my own fun story.
If I dislike a particular story, explain to her why I don’t like it using simple language she can understand.
We have a set of wordless picture books, flashcards to develop her imagination and vocabulary by describing things in the books. Always try changing your voice for different characters. It works they love it.
We reread our favourite books. Yes there are some books that I can read. She loves it so why not.
Read my article on how to encourage your child to read books.
5. WORDLESS PICTURE BOOKS
Wordless picture books have pictures that portray a meaningful story. But without any words, it gives so much flexibility for the reader to use their creativity and imagination.
We love these books because every time we read them, we can come up with a new story and I can add more and more new words to children’s vocabulary.
Not to mention the colourful images that gives kids a pleasing experience to kids.
6. ART AND CRAFT
Arts and crafts are a great way for children to express themselves while learning literacy and numeracy.
Counting, measuring, reading, listening to instructions and explaining their art work are some of the literacy and numeracy activities for toddlers.
7. SING SONGS TOGETHER
This is the most natural way of introducing new words to children’s vocabulary. Start with simple and short songs. Use your gestures and expressions to give meaning to the words.
8. LITERACY AND NUMERACY SCAVENGER HUNT
This is another great play based literacy and numeracy activity to do with kids.
Some examples,
- Find 3 puzzle pieces
- Find 5 soft toys
- Find a book that has the letter “S” on the front page
- Find a book with an author whose first name has the letter “R”
- Find 2 vehicles with wheels
- Collect 10 leaves from the garden
See more indoor activities and scavenger hunt printable.
9. USE A WHITE BOARD
Using white boards to draw and write or letting the kids draw and write will encourage a lot of creativity in children. You can do games with letters, draw on dotted lines and draw shapes while having so much fun.
10. EXPLORING NATURAL WORLD
Natural world offers heaps of learning opportunities for children while embracing them with a soothing and relaxing aura.
Simple activities like collecting acorns, pinecones, feathers or looking for circles, triangles, rectangles or diamond shapes will open a whole new world of exploration and discovery for young kids.
Learn more about the innate connection between children and Nature.
11. COOKING TOGETHER
This is a fantastic activity to improve numeracy skills. We love to make muffins, pizza and banana bread together and we don’t forget to get the kids’ help.
Learning about measuring tools, counting the number of tools and checking temperature using kitchen thermometers is super exciting for them. Bonus they improve their numeracy skills. Plus, our snack drawer is full for a couple of days!
12. PUT ON A PLAY
Write a script, make your own consumes, be their makeup artist and hairdresser. Now it’s time to enjoy their acting skills.
13. DO SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
This is an excellent way for children to learn new words that they may not encounter in their daily lives.
Example: After showing my daughter the life-cycle of a butterfly with the help of a caterpillar found in the yard, the words like larva, cocoon, transformation and life cycle became so familiar to her.
It’s amazing how much they learn from simple experiences. Find more engaging STEM activities for kids.
14. FLASH CARDS
Flash cards are a fun and effective way to improve literacy skills by introducing new words.
Not only words but you can also build up on any word they say.
For example, if your child says “Car”, then you can say yes, a blue car. (describing the picture)
Run your fingers under the print when you read a book. That way the kids may learn that letters are symbols that are used to communicate.
Things We Have To Remember
Every child is different and the moment you try to force it on them it definitely is not “play based learning”
For example with my daughter, I did a lot of play based activities and I thought she had really good numeracy skills at the age of 2 years. But with my son who is my second, I couldn’t do as much but he’s showing the same skills around 18 months with no real effort from my side.
Learn to know more about Juggling Toddler And Newborn ?
Remember that play based learning is not just for improving literacy and numeracy skills. It improves social skills, gross motor skills and fine motor skills which are equally important as literacy and numeracy skills.
Be patient with children . Use repetition simple language and consistency to see good results.
Make sure it’s an enjoyable experience for both you and your children.
Final Thoughts About Literacy And Numeracy Activities
In conclusion, Play based learning gives ample opportunities for your kids to learn a whole new set of skills while enjoying the moment to the fullest.
All these literacy and numeracy activities mentioned by me can be arranged by any adult your child is spending time with. These are simple, easy yet very effective learning opportunities that the child can participate in.
Let us know what types of activities your child likes best and how effective they are. Share your views with our community.
These activities are such a great mix of creativity and learning! I love how you can easily adapt them for different age groups.