Teaching little ones can seem daunting depending on how you’re looking at it. They’re little, with short attention spans, and who even knows what they’re capable of, right? So, from this teacher mama to you, here are 10 quick tips for making learning simple and fun for the tiny people you teach.

1. Move that body!

This may seem like a “DUH!” to some people, but little ones need to MOVE THEIR BODIES! Our brains actually work, absorb, and retain more when we’re moving and learning things in multiple ways. For example, if you’re learning letters, singing an ABC song AND acting out motions or signing the letters will stick more easily than just learning letters from a worksheet or book.

A few easy ways to add in movement are:

- Jump or hop between each task

- Turn the learning activity into a “scavenger hunt” so the kids need to go look for the next thing to do

- Place learning props, cards, or tasks around the room so kids have to GET to them before working on them

- Crawl around to the places you need to go (crawling movements help improve language skills too!)

Really, ANY way your little ones like to move and use their hands and bodies is a great thing to incorporate into learning times. My guy loves kicking a soccer ball and bopping beach balls in the air, so we do things like that while we learn or in between tasks.

2. Let them contribute.

Empowering your toddlers to contribute to their learning and make choices that affect their learning is an AWESOME way to keep the stress at bay for everyone, understand the kids better, and encourage meaningful learning. One way my little one “leads” during learning times is by interrupting. :)

He LOVES to interrupt me when I’m reading a book to point out things he’s made a connection to or to “tell me something” about what’s on the page. At first, this felt like an interruption and the teacher in me would say, “Please wait until I’m done reading and then you can say something.” HAHA!

But then, I realized a few things:

1. He’s ONLY THREE and we can work on the etiquette of expressing himself at appropriate times when he’s a tiny bit older.

2. He wants to contribute to his learning and show me what he knows! That’s such a GOOD thing.

3. He’s curious and wants to ask questions about things he doesn’t know so that he caaaaannnnn….LEARN ABOUT THEM. There’s learning ALL over his “interrupting” and all I have to to is reframe it as letting him lead and contribute to his learning to make it look like what it really is…it’s LEARNING.

Another way to let toddlers take the lead in their learning is to offer choices. I’d recommend preparing 2-5 activities and then letting them choose which one they’d like to work on between 2 or 3 of the options. This is a great way to encourage little ones to take ownership and responsibility in their learning and it helps them feel a little bit in control, which can help alleviate power struggles sometimes.

3. Have everything ready to go.

We all know that most toddlers have pretty short attention spans. Like, usually the amount of minutes they’ll stay engaged with an activity is the same as their age. Of course, depending on the activity and how interesting it is, some kids will be engaged with it for longer. BUT, in order to use ALL of their attention spans for the learning activity, it’s smart to have everything already ready to learn with.

You’ll want to print and prepare all parts of the activities before bringing the littles over to work on it. Some things you may need to have on hand are the paper parts for activities, all craft pieces, manipulatives (mini erasers, pom poms, beans, counters, cubes, etc.), glue, markers, crayons, tape, and even snacks. Having all of the things you may need to accomplish the learning task is a MUST when you’re teaching little ones.

4. Manage expectations (yours and theirs!).

We all want our little ones to learn new things and learn them quickly. As adults, it’s easy to expect kids to be able to pick up on concepts we think are “simple” quickly and without any fuss. But, these new concepts weren’t always “easy” for us and may or may not come easily to the little ones you’re teaching. So, it’s important to have realistic expectations for what they can do and accomplish and to prepare them for what will be happening next in their routines.

I’d definitely recommend creating a routine and incorporating a “break time” into your learning times as often as every 7-10 minutes. Or, you could schedule a break after each task is finished too. A lot of times, my 3 year old needs a break in the middle of a learning task though, so I need to manage my expectations so that I can give him what he needs without feeling frustrated about it. If I expect that we’re going to take a break every few minutes to run around, go outside, or have a snack, I feel less interrupted by it when it happens.

5. Model, model, model.

Everyone, but ESPECIALLY little learners, need to see how things are done before they try them on their own. So, by modeling how a task is completed, showing all the details about how to do it and what needs to be accomplished, you’re setting your kids up for success.

To model an activity for a toddler, keep your steps simple and short. Something like “grab a card, match the picture” and then actually DOING it so they can see how to accomplish it is perfect. Try to not over-explain or get into too many unnecessary details because of those attention spans I mentioned earlier. Haha! You’ll lost their attention and then the whole activity can be a wash.

So, show them how to do the activity, keeping it short and simple. Then, let them try it on their own!

6. Keep it fun and fresh!

Switching up the learning activities that you’re teaching your toddler is a MUST. Some consistency in doing the same activity many times is definitely essential for kids to learn the skill well and repeating an activity develops confidence in their abilities, relieves anxiety because they’ve done it before, and reinforces familiar concepts and skills. But little ones need learning to be FUN, hands-on, and engaging! So, as soon as an activity loses the fun, it’s probably time to change it.

You pull out an activity that they absolutely went WILD over last week and they respond with “I don’t LIKE that” or “I don’t WANT TO!” and you’re completely caught off guard. WHAT?? You LOVED this last week! What NOW?! Well, don’t worry! All that means is that that particular activity needs to be put up for a few days until it feels fun and fresh again.

Thankfully, there are a ZILLION ways to practice toddler skills. Is your little one over identifying shapes on cards? Try matching them, building shapes with play dough, acting out a shape with their bodies, or singing a shape song instead! Are the mini erasers just not cutting it to add a little fun to your counting? Try gummies or goldfish or pom poms instead. Have they identified letters in books for AGES? Pull out the magnetic letters, letter tiles or stickers, or a squirt bottle to write the letters on the sidewalk. If worksheets are getting boring, try sensory bins…if sensory bins are dull, go on a scavenger hunt…if they’re tired of “learning”, find an educational video on the topic or a song to sing. The possibilities for keeping learning fun are really endless with a little creativity!

For our learning times, we use hands-on activities & centers, worksheets, games, sensory bins, busy books, outside activities, busy boxes, scavenger hunts, and our toddler learning binder.

7. Get outside.

Isn’t outside just MAGIC?! When we’re having a hard day or a meltdown moment, going for a walk or playing with some water or digging in the dirt can be an amazing way to help everyone calm down. It’s a nice change of environment, gives everyone a mental break, and gets some physical movement in which helps relieve stress too. So, take a little break and pop outside to relieve any tension that’s crept up.

Also, taking your learning time outside is a really simple way to change it up and keep it fun! Maybe bring a blanket to the grass to work on identifying letters or bring a water sensory bin with bubbles and water beads to the yard to sort the colors. Even taking a book outside to read with a snack is a super simple way to keep the activities fresh and new. Just changing the environment from the normal inside time to something outside is perfect for keeping your toddler happy!

8. SNACKS.

OBVIOUSLY. Adding snacks to literally ANY activity is a win EVERY SINGLE TIME. Using snacks as a manipulative to count or create or sort in an activity is a great way to keep the activity fresh and provide a little bit of motivation too. And, the best part is you can choose ANY snack you want for your little ones.

Be sure to provide snacks that you’re comfortable with your toddlers eating though because they WILL EAT THEM. And that’s totally okay! :) I set up expectations for my toddler when we’re using snacks in an activity, like “When you complete 2 cards, then you can eat a goldfish” or “After the activity is completely finished, you may eat 2 M&M’s.” We use our first-then boards in situations like this so that my guy knows what he needs to do FIRST in order to get what he’s working for. It’s a super simple way to keep everyone on the same page. :)

Whatever expectations you set up are fine as long as they’re getting a small reward for all their hard work at the time you think is appropriate. From my experience teaching kindergarten, there’s nothing worse for a young learner than playing an entire counting game with M&M’s and not being allowed to eat a few at the end. Haha!

9. Take breaks.

I’ve already sprinkled this idea into many other tips, but this one is just SO important. Your learners will probably need a LOT of breaks, especially when you first start implementing new routines. Incorporating intentional learning time into your day is a new routine that will take a little time to adjust to, so try to be patient with them and yourself! Taking breaks is a perfect transition between activities or even in the middle of completing one activity when you notice they’re struggling to focus or are getting cranky. And, if you’re feeling frustrated or crabby, its a good idea to take a break too because the little ones take their cues from your mood and vibes.

So, take a break! As often as you need to. Go on a walk, do some jumping jacks, play a quick game, have a snack, watch an episode of Bluey or Daniel Tiger, or whatever quick activity you’d enjoy together! You could even incorporate some learning into your break time by doing a craft with a learning element, making something in the kitchen together, or playing a game that practices some kind of academic skill.

10. Find the joy!

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, find the joy, friend! Little ones are so magical and fun. Yes, they’re also patience-trying and squirrelly and tricky to get to listen sometimes, but they’re magic. Their curiosity and excitement for learn is unbeatable. So, make learning fun and play together! Laugh at the silly things they do, be silly back at them, let them show the wonder of being a toddler. :) They LOVE when you’re just there with them, enjoying time together. And that love and calm of being together will encourage learning naturally more than anything!

Toddlers are also SO easy to praise and encourage and build confidence in. So, I encourage you to POUNCE on that opportunity! Have fun teaching them, go with the flow, take breaks to enjoy the moment, tell they they’re amazing, have a snack, and be on the lookout for all the little things that make teaching a toddler joyful.

I hope these simple tips help you teach your little learners with more joy, less stress, and lots more fun! Drop a comment if you have any questions or tips that you’d add to the list. I love hearing from you. :)

Cheering you on! Happy learning!