Toddlers are extremely curious and hyper. They like fiddling with everything they see and can be quite troublesome. They are also difficult to keep engaged with specific learning activities as they like shifting from one activity to another. There are ways though that you can utilize to keep toddlers engaged in school and have them learn a great deal. Some of the ways include using toys such as a busy board for toddlers. In addition to this, there are also other ways that you can keep toddlers engaged to save on valuable learning time. Here are some of those ways.
Chapter Overview
1. Create Engaging Activities
Toddlers get bored easily. You should create a range of activities related to the subject matter. Toddlers learn better by participating in physical activities, rather than just sitting and listening. If you are teaching them math, then you should have various activities that they will participate in while learning to keep them interested, such as incorporating funny math quotes to add an element of humor to the lessons. Make sure these activities vary from one station to another to avoid routine and monotony.
2. Make Use of Quickwrites
Classroom activities will not be all physical and hyper. There are those times that you need the learners to do some reflection on what you are teaching them. Quickwrites is one good way of doing so. In the course of the lesson, you may ask the kids to settle down and jot down what they have learned. It keeps them busy as they try to remember the details of the subject.
3. Let Them Work in Teams
Create teams of three to four kids and have them complete a task that will involve all of them. Create a competitive environment where the learners will be forced to have everyone in their team participate for a particular price. You keep them engaged and learning at the same time while participating in such competitions.
4. Encourage Playing Outdoors
Learning should not be confined within the class. Children get bored with staying indoors. It is, thus, important to have breaks in between the classroom learning sessions and go out for a breath. Playing outdoors is a good way of keeping kids engaged as you keep them healthy. It is also a good way of keeping their brains active.
5. Make it Fun
All learning activities should be fun and interactive. The moment you make them seem like an obligation is the time you will have your learners lose interest. Whichever subject you are learning, let the kids be part and parcel of it, and allow room to make and correct mistakes. When children learn in an environment they feel safe and free to explore, they immerse themselves fully in the learning process. So, make it as fun as possible.
6. Use Puzzles
Children are curious beings who love getting to the end of things. When you use puzzles in classroom sessions, you capture their full attention for a long time as they try to unravel the mystery behind your puzzles. Ensure that the puzzles are just easy enough depending on their age to avoid getting them frustrated instead.