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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Learning Colors & Shapes
SandeeAR 03:10 PM 07-02-2011
All my kiddos are 18 mos and under. My oldest DCB is really interested in books. He has one particular favorite and is learning all the "things" in the books. It is a "color" book. He only has a few clear words, such as Mama, Daddy, Puppy, Kitty, etc.

For those of you with the older kids. At what age do you start working on colors and shapes with them? Just wondering when to expect him to get something out of it.
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PitterPatter 07:50 PM 07-02-2011
I would start now. I started my son with animal flashcards sitting on my lap at a very early age maybe a yr. old. We then used the baby Einstien flash cards and just kept moving as he learned until we got the the alphabet and such. I was a stay at home mom to an only child so I was able to work with him 1 on 1 all day every day if we wanted. By the time he was 3 he knew all of his colors, his alphabet, numbers, shapes even his address. I have a couple daycare kids here that I have been working with and they don't seem to get it.

As for the daycare kids here I start teaching colors and shapes asap. As long as they are interested I work with them. The ones that are behind or younger I spend more 1 on 1 time. Kids are so different and learn at different paces it's hard to set an age. I have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old that don't know a single color or shape, no letters or numbers either. 4 yr old can count to 3 and 2 yr old looks at me and doesn't understand what I am asking. They are kinda new still so we are working with as much hands on activities as possible. Their favorites are the cookie sheets and magnets I made they can slide the magnets around and feel the different textures. I also have the plain plastic letters and numbers. I put, say a square on my sheet and hold it up and ask them to find their square and show me. some kids can match it visually right away others dont get it for a while. It's amazing to me how different each child really is.

Sorry got to rambling. Anyway I would offer whatever u have planned and if they have an interest then go for it. If they don't seem to care for it let it go for a while and try again another time. I don't have an expectation due to seeing the children learn at dif stages. Just go with it and have fun with your little ones. Books are a great start though! He is already on the right track!
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Abigail 07:20 PM 07-03-2011
If you have kids who are starting to point and babble, I think it's a perfect time. Stick to just a few colors at first since you're are really young. Spend a week on BLUE as most kids can say BOO as they point to the blue. Try RED because it's a short word to say and looks really different than blue. I have four year olds who can't say their colors (Yellow is yay-yo) and I have an 18 month old who says boo for blue and they both understand it, just can't quiet say it.

I would say go ahead and make it fun. Since you're starting with colors you should do numbers 1,2, and 3 during the month as well and just observe which children catch onto it or not.
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Tags:flash cards, learning - colors, sensory material
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