✔️Step 1: The most important part- the part that helps your child stay on task with you is Set Up The Environment for success. 

-If you have not done learning time in the past, your little one might feel that your home is a free-for-all. They may typically take out the toys they want, when they want, and play how they want. When starting this new routine of learning time, consider the space you will use. Try a space where you can set a boundary (such as using a room where you can close the door or keep your child near you) and create a space that has very little out. (i.e. If your living room is the "play room," you might want to use a bedroom with few toys in it. If your child's bedroom is full of toys, you may want to use a living room or dining room space.) If you need more information, see ->  Set Environment Up for Success

Step 2: Make an easy plan. 

-Learning time should be fun, playful, and engaging. Start with a short amount of time and work your way up to your goal. If your goal is a 1-hour learning time, start with 10-15 minutes for a week and move up to 20-30 minutes for another week. 

-Pick a time of day that works for both you and your child. After breakfast, after nap time, or before bedtime can be great ideas. 

• By starting learning time right after breakfast, you can set a good routine ("We wake up, eat breakfast, and enjoy learning together before free play"). 

• Some kiddos wake up after a nap feeling restored and ready to learn and engage. If this sounds like your child, set the routine (wake from nap, get cleaned up, learning time, then snack).

• Many children like to put bedtime off. This makes the evening before bed a great time to have their attention and engage with them. If they are doing a great job and giving you lots of their attention and enjoyment, you might take a little more time. If not, bedtime is right around the corner. A fun, natural reward. 

-Learning time should consist of a few activities that include engaging activities, learning to give attention, being exposed to a new concept, and involving different movements. (This time should not be sitting down for an hour if your kiddo loves to move). 

-Think of what topic you would like to work on for a week (see examples below). Pick topics that your child is interested in to start, and then branch out to topics you would like to expose your child to. The goal of learning time is exposure and engagement over academics, meaning if your topic is "shapes," you are exposing your child to the concept of shapes. Don't start with your goal being that your child will master shapes in a week. 

-Get your items together before learning time. I recommend keeping these items together for the week and storing them in a place your child does not have access to.  When you are going to start learning time soon, place the items in the area you planned to use, but you may put them in a place where your child cannot get into until you are ready for each item. 

-Be repetitive, doing activities in the same pattern when possible. This could be singing a song, reading a book, doing an activity, then playing with toys that all go along with your theme. 

Step 3: Start Happy

-To start off on the right foot, and avoid a power struggle, always start learning time with something your child enjoys. This could be a song they like, a tickle game, or snuggling. Avoiding jumping right in to "Alright, here is what we are doing today, and you are gonna do it."

(optional) Step 4: Follow your child's lead

-If your kiddo is difficult to engage and you worry that as soon as you start reading a book, doing an activity, or taking toys out that your child is going to turn off their attention to you, start by taking one set of toys out from the items you prepared and follow your child's lead. 

For example, you have a box of cars because you plan to talk about Things That Go/ You might set a few of the cars on the floor, bring your child to the environment, and see what they do with the cars. Take 30 seconds to 1 minute watching what your child does. Next, pick up one of the items they are not currently using, and copy what your child does. If they pick the car up, turn it over, and play with the wheels, you copy them. (Unless their actions are unsafe) More Info Here

Step 5: Teach new skills and be your child's coach

-Be fun and playful. Sometimes caregivers think that during learning time, they should come off like an uptight teacher. This is not the case. You attract more flies with honey, and you attract more learning when you are being a fun human. 

✔️You have set up the space ✔️gotten items together, ✔️created a repetitive routine, ✔️and made time for learning. 

Your first goal is engagement and enjoyment with your child. 

The next goal is exposure and building interest. 

The last goal is teaching new skills and seeing your child show off those new skills. 

-Take items out one at a time to prevent your child from being distracted.

-Model anything you expect your child to do before asking them to do it. 

-Model simple language, use gestures and cues to help your little one understand expectations, and tuck items away when moving on to the next part of the activity. 

-Follow your child's interest. If they are really enjoying part of the activity, spend more time on it. 

-Be sensitive but persistent. Ask your child to do what you ask, but if they don't, don't give up. Try modeling what you expect and asking again. 

-Plan to go back and forth between activities where your child can move around. This is not a time to sit still. When singing songs your child can be on their feet and moving around and doing motions. When drawing, they can stand at a table rather than sit down. If rolling cars, use a ramp where your child can go from sitting, to standing, to squatting to play. 

-When reading books, it is not important that you read every word if your child's attention span is short. You can take a picture walk! Hold the book in a way where you control the pages. Flip one page at a time and name what you see on the page or create a short sentence that sums up the page. 

-When singing songs, it's okay to only do 1-2 verses or repeat those verses rather than singing the entire song. Over time, your child may be more interested in all the "things" on the bus, but this week, they might enjoy just doing the "beep, beep, beep" and "swish, swish, swish" parts. 

Step 6: End Happy 

-Ending learning time doing something your child enjoys is a great way for children to want to do it again tomorrow! You might even repeat a part of the routine your child seemed to really like such as singing the song again or reading the book one more time. 

-At the end, say "all done" and if the time has gone well, let your child help clean up the items. Remember to put the items away and ready for tomorrow. 

- If the time did not end well, do NOT end this special time with your hands in the air and saying, "Do whatever you want, I am done". If learning time is tough or frustrating, try doing something you know your child likes, such as singing a song that makes them laugh, rolling a ball back and forth with them, or playing a tickle game. Transition your child to the next part of their day, such as lunch, free play, or getting their shoes on to go pick up older siblings from school. 

Theme Ideas:

Start with themes your child already shows enjoyment for. If your little one is obsessed with cars, trains, dinosaurs, or animals- start there!

Using items and topics of interest creates a BIG reason for your child to engage, as you have THE thing they love the most. 

Dinosaurs

Song: "We Are the Dinosaurs" by The Laurie Berkner Band (March around the room and "stop and eat our food on the ground").

Book: Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henriette Stickland.

Activity: Put on big "dino feet" (this can just be your child’s shoes or even bare feet). Practice lifting knees high and stomping loudly, then walking very softly on "tippy-toe" dinosaur feet.

Toys: Plastic dinosaur figurines or a "dino nest" made out of a cardboard box and some shredded paper. Lining the dinosaurs up to "brush their teeth," helping your child brush each dinosaur's teeth. Make sounds to go along with their actions. 

Bears

Song: "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around." (Hand over hand help your child to "turn around") 

Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (a wonderful, repetitive book), Goldielocks and the Three Bears

Activity: Use tissue paper tubes modeling how to look through and name things you see. On your child's turn, in a sing-song voice, ask "[name], what do you see?" 

Toys: Bears, bowls, spoons, and cups. Feed the bears and make them pretend drink. If your items are different sizes or colors, try matching the big bowl and the big spoon or the blue bowl with the blue spoon. Make lots of sounds such has "mmm-mmm", "yummy", nom, nom, nom", "brrr...too cold" and "Ow! Hot!"

Babies

Song: "Rock-a-bye Baby" (while rocking a doll or your child).

Book: Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers.

Activity: Give your child a doll, a washcloth, and a "bottle" (an empty water bottle works great). Ask them to "wash" the baby’s face or "feed" the baby. Toddlers love mimicking the care they receive.

Toys: Baby dolls, toy bottles, diapers (or a small towel to use as one), and a stroller.

Shapes

Song: "The Shape Song" (to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus): "A circle is a shape that goes 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round..."

Book: Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Activity: Instead of just sitting at the sorter, hide the shapes around the room. When the child finds one, they bring it back to the "home" (the sorter) to see where it fits. Take a shape walk. Hold hands or hold your child, walk around the house, or outside. Point to items and name what shape you see. ("The door (pointing to it) is a rectangle.")

Toys: A classic wooden shape sorter or chunky shape magnets.

Colors

Song: "I Can Sing a Rainbow."

Book: Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet (very interactive for small hands).

Activity: (Color Scavenger Hunt): Hold up a bright red object (like a ball) and say, "Can we find something else red?" Walk together to find one more thing. Focus on just one or two colors per session to keep it fun.

Toys: Colorful scarves for "peek-a-boo" or large colorful building blocks.

All About Your Child

Song: Spell your child's name to a familar tune. 

Book: A DIY photo album (even just pictures on a phone) of the child, their pets, and their favorite people.

Activity: Gather 3-4 items your child loves (a specific ball, a snack, a favorite shoe). Take them out one by one and talk about why they are special. "You love this blue ball because it bounces high!"

Toys: A non-breakable mirror (so they can see themselves) and a personalized "treasure box." 

Feelings

Song: "If You’re Happy and You Know It" (Personalize it: "If [Child's Name] is happy and you know it, shout hooray!" Add verses for: "If you're sad and you know it, get a hug" or "If you're surprised and you know it, say 'Oh my!'").

Book: The Color Monster by Anna Llenas or The Feelings Book by Todd Parr. When reading the book, point to the faces in the book, name how the face "feels", and make your face look like that emotion. Toddlers typically laugh and find this funny. They may try to make their face move too. 

Activity: Make faces together! Sit across from your child and say, "Show me your silly face!" or "Show me your sleepy face." Over-exaggerate your own expressions to make them laugh.

Toys: Empathy dolls or "Feeling Cards" with simple faces drawn on them.