Yes, I'm still on my whole soap box about the fact that parents are a child's first teacher. Perhaps I should add something to that title after today...
My 3 year old attends a local, private, Lutheran preschool. An excellent school that we've been very happy academically, socially, emotionally, and spiratually with over the last several years as both she and her brother have been in their program. Like most 3 year olds, who are in an older 2s class, (she has a fall birthday) she's worked dillegently this year on her colors, shapes, counting and more in addition to potty traning. Ally tends to be too busy being social to pay attention from time to time in class. We knew this from an early age; so it isn't a surprise that she understands things she learns very quickly, but needs reinforcemnet/ reminders to solidify it in her deeper understanding.
This time, I found a "teachable moment" to be born out of desperation. She was about two seconds away from visiting the bathroom for an "uh-oh" as she calls it at the restaurant we went to tonight for dinner. Instead, I quickly pulled out my iphone and found an app titled "Teach Me Toddler". It was a much needed lifesaver that definetely occupied my daughter's time productively. She worked on colors and shapes independently, counting with very little help from me, and was asked to pick out letters/ letter sounds which was brand new to her. Even though it was brand new to her, the program was repetitive and friendly. She and I worked through those types of questions together.
Proud to report that when she went to bed tonight, she could still tell me the name of the letter S, the sound, and write the letter with her finger in the air. Wasn't anything I intended to do, but it was a moment in time that provided itself as an opportunity to teach or reinforce what my daughter had already learned.... Maybe I should add, 1st Teacher AND perpetual reinforcer...
