Yes yes a thousand times YES! You said it so well and I agree with it all. We do teach them every day, casually, on their playing field. It's flexible and fun. Not rigid. I tried a very focused curriculum once, it didn't work. I stressed out so much making sure we did it the way we were supposed to. The kids had fun with parts of it but they have fun the way I'm doing it now. Difference is we giggle and laugh, hug and cuddle, do things when we feel like doing them, not when a program tells us to.
Honestly, kids learn their colors, numbers, letters, etc. They learn lots and lots because their brains are like little sponges. But we don't need to approach caring for children as if we were all schools. The most important thing a young child can learn is that they are loved, safe, secure with the people they're with. If you spend time with them by playing, reading(which I think is hands-down the best thing you can do with a child), watching bugs, whatever they want to do and you let them know you really want to be doing this right now with them...that's worth so much more than teaching them to read by the time they're 2.
You're teaching them respect for others and for themselves, love for others and for themselves, compassion, encouraging their natural curiosity to grow.

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