Homeschooling Infants/ Young Toddlers 9-18 months old

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

In this post homeschooling young toddlers 9-18 months old will be explored insha'Allaah. The ages will be covered in two groups: 9-12 months old, 12-18 months old.

Homeschooling Your 9-12 Month Old Child

At this point baby may be reaching for specific objects of interest, be able to search for objects that are no longer in sight, dropping things intentionally and repeatedly (toys from a crib), using his/her thumb to pick up objects, enjoying seeing self in the mirror, transferring objects from one hand to the other and babbling as if speaking.

Alhamdulillaah your little one is also fast approaching the time when he/she will begin speaking. Insha'Allaah baby has been read to every day and lots of conversations have taken place between the parents and their child. These are the building blocks of language acquisition. If you haven't already, you may wish to begin filling baby's vocabulary with many new words that he/she will eventually use insha'Allaah. Describe the environment using adjectives, verbs and nouns to help baby learn how to eventually communicate about the world we live in with words (i.e. You have a blue and white cup. There is a red and yellow sail boat on it.).

Also at this point, your baby may no longer take his/her morning nap and this time can be used for presenting engaging activities that will help build essential skills insha'Allaah. 

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following: 

Click on image for larger view

Picture Creative Commons: Ella's Dad

•  Hide & Seek:  Pick one of baby's toys and a blanket. Show the baby the toy and place it under the blanket, leaving part of the toy still showing. Invite the child to find the toy. 
•  Shape Sorter: Standard shape sorters may be developmentally inappropriate at this time but you can easily make your own with a shoe box and 3 simple shapes (i.e. circle, square, triangle). Cut out each shape in the shoe box, making sure that no other shape can fit in the space of another (i.e. the circle can't also fit in the space for the square). Show the child how to compare each shape to the shape in the shoe box before correctly matching the shape and inserting it into the box where it belongs. 
• Stacking Measuring cups: Using kitchen measuring cups, show your child how to correctly stack the measuring cups inside of one another. Invite the child to stack the cups independently. 
• Sorting Activity: Use two objects that are dissimilar (i.e. combs and brushes). Try to make sure the objects are dissimilar enough for baby to distinguish them from one another. Show the child how to sort them (i.e. all brushes go in a basket on the right and all combs go in a basket on the left). It is helpful to have a picture in each sorting bowl/basket to assist the child. 
• Using a Spoon: Put cheerios in a bowl, in front of the child and on his/her right hand side. Next to the bowl of cheerios, place an empty bowl. Using a child sized spoon show the child how to use the spoon to pick up a cheerio and place it in the empty bowl. There is no need to speak when showing the child how to do this. After showing the child how to transfer a few cheerios from one bowl to another, invite the child to do the activity independently.

Homeschooling Your 12-18 Month Old Child

Baby is now more mobile and learning at an amazing pace masha'Allaah. Quran, athkar and teaching baby authentic sunnan are as important now as they were when baby was an infant. Baby is now learning a tremendous amount of information using his/her five senses and this is an opportune time to begin teaching him/her about Allaah's creation. 

Baby can now show active interest in picture books, claps his hands, shows preferences for food, toys, etc., begins to pull himself/herself up into the standing position and move about the room using furniture, puts many things into his/her mouth, eats finger foods, and drinks from a cup.

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following:

• Teaching vocabulary that helps them understand and identify things in the world. This idea, for example, is very kid friendly. Children can learn about the weather but also practice fine motor skills and learn how to take objects out and put them back in to a pocket. This activity can be used to teach the words/concept: "In" and "Out".

 Found at: Folksy: George & Lily's Shop

• Matching shapes to their outlines: Use cookie cutters. Trace the shape/outline of each cookie cutter onto pieces of square paper. Demonstrate how to match each cookie cutter to its outline and then invite the toddler to do the same.
• Learning to drink from a cup: Provide your child with a very small cup (one that holds about 1 teaspoon of liquid). Show baby how to hold the cup and drink from it. After demonstrating, invite baby to do the same.Provide lots of opportunities for baby to practice this and expect spills.
• Putting lids on and taking them off: Give your little one a pot with its matching lid (already on). Show the child how to remove and replace the lid. Invite the child to so the same. As the child becomes proficient, introduce another pot and lid (in addition to the first one). 
• Pincer Grasp practice: Use a clean empty coffee can or a basket with a smooth rim. Use clothes pins and show the child how to use the pincer grasp to open the clothes pins and place them, one by one, on the rim/edge of the coffee can. Show the child how to remove them and place them into a basket on the right (or left is your child is learning in English). Invite the child to do the activity by him/herself.
• Matching Colours: Use paint strips (many hardware stores have these available for free in the paint department). Get two sets of each colour. Cut each strip to isolate each primary colour and mount them on stiff cardboard or small wood pieces (found at craft stores) making sure only the colour is showing (i.e. not the colour of the wood underneath or a border from the cardboard). Start with two colours (i.e. red and blue). Place all of the colour cards on a workmat (in no particular order but so that no two matching colours are next to each other). Make sure the child is facing the workmat (i.e. next to you, in your lap). Pick up one of the blue colour cards and silently put it next to a red card. Say, "The card I have is the colour blue. This card (point to the red card) and say, "This card is red. They are not the same colour." Then move the blue card next to the other blue card. Pause, leaving the two cards next to each other and say, "Both of these cards are blue." Leave the blue card next to its match. Do the same thing with the red card. Mix the cards up again and invite the child to match the colour cards. As the child shows mastery of the concept introduce another primary colour (i.e. green).
• Teach the parts of the head/face (i.e. head, ears, nose, mouth): Touch your nose and say, "Nose. This is my nose. Can you point to your nose please?" and repeat with the other parts.
• Two piece puzzles: Take pictures (without living creatures and that do not have faces in them) and mount them onto stiff cardboard or cardstock. Cut the pictures into two pieces to make 2-piece puzzles. Introduce the activity using only one puzzle. Present the puzzle as a complete puzzle. Then take the puzzle apart and show the child how to put the puzzle together again. Intentionally place the pieces in incorrect positions (so that the puzzle is not accurately put together) before putting it together correctly again. 
• Put it in and take it out: Take a piece of fabric or felt and sew a pocket onto it. Take a small toy and show the child how to place the object into the pocket and remove it again. Invite the child to do the activity (like the picture of teaching about weather above).
• Vocabulary Building: Reading books that focus on introducing vocabulary words that are related to: names of pieces of clothing, different animals, colours, etc. 

Click on image for larger view

Activities such as those mentioned above do not need to be long in their presentation and can last a few minutes or several. If your child wishes to continue with an activity allow him/her to do so uninterrupted but if you notice the child has lost interest, end the activity and take the child with you as you clean up the materials and put them in their correct spot.

Insha'Allaah this has been helpful to those who have children in this age range and if your child is one years old, you may find the following book helpful. In it you will find activities suitable for children ages 1-3 with clear instructions about how to do each activity, what is needed and possible extensions where appropriate. 

 

Child's Play: Montessori Games and Activities for Your Baby and Toddler

Literacy Development for Infants and Young Toddlers

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sometimes parents wish to know where they can buy certain things they see in their child's classroom. Their wish, one that teachers encourage enthusiastically, is to make a strong school to home connection for their child.

It is not always necessary to buy the exact things you see on the walls of your child's preschool classroom or in certain centres in your child's classroom but there are times when doing so has innumerable benefits. Two examples that will be highlighted in this post are alphabet charts and wooden blocks.

One of the primary focuses in preschool and kindergarten classrooms is literacy and developing children's ability to recognize print and understand that print conveys meaning. In the classroom, this is accomplished in a variety of ways and at home one simple way to help your child in his/her literacy development is to have an alphabet chart on the wall at your child's eye level.

It is not always easy to find alphabet charts that do not contain facial features in the pictures but don't let that stop you: make your own! Then invite and encourage your child to "read" the alphabet chart. First encourage recognition of the alphabet (and do not worry if they get the order wrong, this usually works itself out as the learning continues *smile*) and as your child progresses, invite them to read the words that identify the picture with each alphabet. It is not necessary that the child be able to actually read the words but soon they will begin to recognize certain words from the alphabet chart independently insha'Allaah.

You can also make up various games to play with Alphabet charts, "I Spy" is a simple, fun game that comes to mind but there are many other games as well. With young infants, you can sit with your child and point out certain pictures, saying each letter clearly, and describe the picture. Mention characteristics of the letters: is the letter tall, short and round, etc. The goal is to help your young child learn to take notice of the features of different letters and become aware of print in the environment and its role in our lives.

If making your own alphabet chart, keep in mind the things your young infant or toddler sees in his/her environment daily. Try to have pictures on the chart that represent concrete things in his/her world. Help your child see the connection by asking if they can find an object on the chart in the home (with infants, although they cannot answer you with words, still ask the questions - you are helping with their language and vocabulary development). Carry your infant around the house and point to different things one at a time and take him/her back to the chart to show them the item and the letter that it begins with. Express delight at how letters help us learn about our world. You can download the Alphabet Chart pictured above here insha'Allaah.

A second item that many parents have in the home are alphabet blocks.

For children learning in English, these are easily found in local toy stores and for children learning in Arabic or learning Arabic along side another language, these Arabic Alphabet Wooden Blocks can be a wonderful addition to your home environment insha'allaah.

Wooden alphabet blocks have numerous benefits, among them: the child is able to feel the shape of the letters long before he/she is able to write them. This helps develop pre-writing skills as well as build letter recognition skills. Wooden blocks also help children with spacial skills and other math skills that they will need upon entering school and throughout their school years. From a few months old, wooden blocks can be introduced to children and with supervision, children can begin reaping the benefits of this wonderful learning tool.

The Company that makes the Arabic Alphabet wooden blocks pictured above makes wooden blocks in a variety of languages: Russian, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and others!

If you already use these two learning tools in your home, please feel welcome to share with others some of the games you play and activities you use to help your child's literacy development.

A Newspaper for Toddlers

Assalamu alaikum,

Last night I decided that as part of providing a print rich environment, I want to introduce the newspaper insha'Allah. So today, I googled newsletter template, found one that I liked and put together our first issue of the Muslim Tot Times!

Here's our first issue. It has a poem about the Quran, a story of one of Ummahatul Muslimeen (the Mothers of the Believers), an introduction to writing a letter, learning a dua and colouring. All of the graphics are courtesy of Easel & Ink. I also mounted this on cardboard for easy toddler handling insha'Allah.

Here's a close-up.

and a screen shot (because the pictures are not so clear...overcast day). If you'd like to read our first issue, you can download a PDF version here insha'Allah.

Insha'Allah, each two months I would like to do an issue and make this type of reading regular and familiar insha'Allah. This is just one part of our Summer Reading Program and insha'Allah it will continue even when the summer is gone.

Do you have a family newspaper? If not, why not start one insha'Allah?

Baby's Day Vocabulary Building Activity

Assalamu alaikum,

This activity is one suited for infants 12 -18 months insha'Allah. It helps build vocabulary and can easily be modified to include gross motor skill work.

Each page has a picture of an item that is normally part of many babies day: diapers, wipes, bibs, etc. Before we read the book Baby's Day, I gathered all of the items that were in the book (those that were suitable for the activity) and then we sat down to read the book.

I then set up all of the items in a circle around us:

That red blurb is the remains of a much handled yarn doll...lol. The other items include: a diaper, a small baby towel, a teething ring, a small drinking glass, a plastic bowl, a bib, a book and some wipes.

To do the activity: Re-read the book and pause at each picture and say the name of the item and point it out to the infant/toddler insha'Allah. Re-read the book again. This time pause at each item and invite the child to find the item and put it into the basket. 

To incorporate gross motor skill work, place the basket at a distance and invite the infant (if mobile)/toddler to run and place the item in the basket. Get excited about it and model how to do this so the child can see how to do it insha'Allah.  

When the activity is done place the basket on a low shelf so the infant/toddler can get it to play with as often as he/she wishes insha'Allah. This book was in our local library but if you'd like to buy it you can fnd it here insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Language Activity for Treasure Baskets

Assalamu alaikum,

Treasure baskets for infants and toddlers are just wonderful masha'Allah. They are a complete sensory experience that keeps children engaged for long periods of time as they explore each item in turn: feeling it, smelling it, touching it, and even placing the object into their mouths. For this reason, you want to make sure that each object is safe for the child based on his/her age insha'Allah. Treasure baskets can be introduced to infants as young as six months old. Into your child's treasure basket you can place objects that have a theme (i.e. kitchen items) or you can collect an array of items for your little one to explore insha'Allah. 

I've done a post on treasure baskets before but I realized that I wanted to extend the use of the treasure basket and incorporate a language activity as well insha'Allah. What I did was I took several wooden craft pieces and placed them into a basket. I invited the child to explore the contents independently after I had modeled smelling and looking at each object, etc. I then took selected objects and named them as I placed them on the work mat. The child attempted to say each name after I had named the object alhamdulillah. Ideally if you are doing this activity you do not want to use as many objects as I have pictured insha'Allah. Initially, you will introduce 3-4 objects to be named insha'Allah and add more objects as the child's skill increases insha'Allah.

I want to extend the activity further for older toddlers (15 months and older) by lying out and naming three or four objects only and then invite the child to match them to picture cards that show those same objects insha'Allah. These are the picture cards I will use insha'Allah:

So, in this activity I would only have the frog, turtle, giraffe and bee pieces in the basket.

There are also these two books that can be used with this activity insha'Allah:

We will use this book, 'Animals', for our activity insha'Allah but unfortunately, I cannot locate this book on the internet. If I am able to insha'Allah, I will update this post and provide the link insha'Allah. The book is wonderful as it is in Arabic and English alhamdulillah.

If you choose transportation as your theme (which I think I will do next insha'Allah), this book would be a nice read aloud to use insha'Allah.You can buy the book here insha'Allah or of course, you can check it out from the library insha'Allah (smile).

If you do this activity, try to place as few plastic objects in the basket as possible insha'Allah. The reason: plastic offers little or no sensory learning. Plastic is cold, usually smooth and virtually indestructible. These characteristics (among others) offer the child very little information about his/her world. The world is not always cold, smooth and indestructible; indeed, things in the environment have varying temperatures, textures, and can be broken. 

I've read (and seen it for myself) that children treat plastic objects with little or no respect and do the opposite with non plastic objects. Children recognize and appreciate beauty and well crafted materials subhana'Allah. Wooden toys can be expensive yes, but I've found great buys at bargain stores, second hand shops, etc. The toys are often in great shape and need only to be washed and disinfected thoroughly before being presented to the child. In this way we are able to provide many wooden toys to children alhamdulillah. 

Here are some examples of non-plastic objects (that can often be found around the house) that can be put into a treasure basket insha'Allah:

- Sponge

- Sea Shells

- Whisk

- Wooden spoons

- Metal or Wooden Spatula

- Ball of yarn

- Gourd

- Coconut Shell

- Stones

- Jar lid

- Velvet Powder Brush

- Satin String/Scarf

- Piece of sandpaper

Aside from appreciating beauty in objects, when a toddler throws an object in frustration and it breaks the child learns something from that experience. As a parent (or teacher) you can use that as a teachable moment insha'Allah. Show the child the broken object and explain that when we are upset we do not throw things. Have the child participate in cleaning up his/her mess and in a calm voice explain that this toy will not be available to play with anymore because it is broken and unusable now.

Insha'Allah, you will find treasure baskets to be an excellent sensory and language learning tool for your infant or toddler. You can see a delightful treasure basket here insha'Allah get more ideas of what to place in a treasure basket here and here insha'Allah. If you'd like to use the same picture cards, you can download them here insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Snowy Day Activities For The Little Ones

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm working on simple activities for the little ones that relate to the fantastic landscape that awaits them outside alhamdulillah. So far, this first activity has been a hit alhamdulillah. I just made 10 snowballs out of yarn (that only took about 20-30 minutes alhamdulillah). I used yarn because infants and toddlers, up until about 18 months old, put most things that are in their hand into their mouth. The yarn snowballs are too large for the mouth insha'Allah and can't be swollowed insha'Allah.

I then covered a can with solid blue paper. With a work mat (to delineate work space), sit with the child on the floor. Tell the child that you will put a snowball into the can and demonstrate this by placing one or two snowballs into the can. Invite the child to place a snowball into the can. The child (ages 12 -15 months) picks up a snowball one at a time and drops it into the can.

I added language and math to this activity by counting aloud each time he/she puts a snowball into the can. This way, the child becomes familiar with the numbers and also increases vocabulary insha'Allah. I also added a little fun to the activity by doing something special when the child placed the 10th snowball in the can (i.e. a hug, an enthusiastic 'jazakum Allahu khayr!', etc.).  It's amazing how the child anticipates the number 10 and starts giggling even before they put the snowball into the can..hehe.

This activity is for the older tots (24 months and older). Place the snowflake number cards in a basket and the child can go to the activity and take the cards out, line them up and place the appropriate number of yarn snowballs under the corresponding numbers insha'Allah.

The third activity is a counting activity also. You need an empty, clean egg carton box. Cut off the last two compartments for 1-10 counting activities such as this one. With a black marker (or you can buy those blank circle stickers and write the numbers on them and stick them into the bottom of the compartments insha'Allah), write the numbers 1-10 in each compartment (one number per compartment). The child then places one snowball in each compartment and says aloud the number he/she see in the compartment they are working with at that moment (or the teacher/parent) can do the counting insha'Allah.

Insha'Allah, I'll post a few more snowy activities later in the week and there will be a small colouring book included insha'Allah.

Here are the snowflake counting cards I used (there are Arabic and English number cards insha'Allah).

Snowflake Counting Cards - Arabic

Snowflake Counting Cards - English

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Islamic Felt Board Stories

Assalamu alaikum,

Storytime is one of my favourite times . The limitless possibilities are so inviting. The children, whose imaginations seem to know no limits masha'Allah, are often eager to contribute to the story as it unfolds. And while I usually have a delicious selection of books in my classroom (and at home alhamdulillah), I also like to include the interactive aspect as much as possible during storytime. One of the ways of doing this is with felt story boards.

They are fairly easy to make and they can be a source of independent (or group) play. If you mount the flannel onto cardboard and fold it like a book, you can store the pieces in a plastic bag and take this along in the car or to friends' houses insha'Allah. I haven't done this yet but I intend to do this and attach handles to the book that way it can be easily transported insha'Allah. Whatever you choose, children can make up scores of stories using the felt pieces insha'Allah.

So how do you make a felt story board? You'll be pleasantly surprised to know that it's quite simple (and quick) insha'Allah.

Here's what you'll need insha'Allah:

* A piece of flannel (wash it and dry it before you mount it onto cardboard insha'Allah)

* Felt (colours depend on the story you want to design)

* Scissors

* Glue (not a glue stick)

* Muslim Town Felt Board Story Patterns

* Sewing Pins

* Imagination!

How to make your Islamic Felt Board Story insha'Allah:

1). Take a piece of flannel (in solid colour) insha'Allah.

2). Wash and tumble dry the flannel (I haven't personally tried this yet).

3). Place the flannel on a piece of wood or cardboard and fold the flannel over the edges very tightly and hot glue them to the back of the cardboard insha'Allah.

4). Cut out your patterns for the story. Secure the pictures onto pieces of felt using the sewing pins and then cut the pieces out.

5). Outline the pieces with a sharpie pen (I used a fine tip marker and it worked fine alhamdulillah) and then add any details you'd like (i.e. windows, doors, etc) insha'Allah .

6). Commence with storytime insha'Allah!

I almost forgot! Here's a sample story that you can use with the story board above insha'Allah:

In this little town, people drive down the street
They say, “Assalamu alaikum!” to every Muslim they meet.
The children listen to their parents and only say words that are kind,
And whatever they are doing, they keep Allah in their mind.
They love His Prophet and follow his way,
And they try to do good deeds every single day!

 

Tip: I've read (but haven't tried) that you can quickly and easily make felt pieces by printing clipart onto t-shirt iron on paper and then iron the pattern onto the felt and cut them out. This I want to try insha'Allah!

Enjoy Insha'Allah!

Beautiful Cloth Book for Infants 6-18 months old

Assalamu alaikum,

This is simply beautiful masha'Allah. A hand made cloth book for infants 6 to 9 months old. What a sensory experience this makes for a child, as well as a language activity too insha'Allah! There is a lot that can be done with these types of books. One can 1). point to the pictures and quietly name them using simple language (helps build vocabulary skills insha'Allah), 2). Allow the child to explore the pictures independently, experiencing the different textures of each picture 3). With the child, add sounds to the pictures (i.e. make the sounds that the objects in the pictures makes. And there are other possibilities as well. The picture below is one of the pages from the book made by sister Mabsoota of Easel & Ink masha'Allah!

Click here to see the remaining beautiful pages insha'Allah: She has described how she made the book in the above link and I encourage you to visit insha'Allah, if you are interested in making one for your child insha'Allah.


Enjoy insha'Allah!