recommendations for 3 year old for fun learning

[time4tea]

my ds (3 in March) loves looking at books, story telling, counting etc.. we do a lot of chatting about these things but nothing particularly planned out or guided.

now he is getting bigger I'm not sure how to progress letters and numbers play and learning in a way that won't confuse him for later at school. he attends a good nursery 2 days per week.

I have a newborn (10 weeks) and need inspiration for good things to do with him, as juggling the two DCs now leads to more Cbeebies (watched Royle Family style with lots of discussion, so not entirely bad)

hints on a book to guide through various games/techniques would be most appreciated

thanks T4T

Playing is all he needs right now

you don't need anything planned or guided

just lots of books, a chance to make marks on paper with different materials, experimenting with playdough, sand, water etc, music and dancing, cooking / gardening and some active play will be more than enough to keep him occupied

Don't stress about educational stuff, he is learning all the time just from being with you

sing songs! play with musical instuments,
peg puzzles, painting, bead-threading to help hand-eye co-ordination. Lots of imaginative play; tea parties, etc
If he is at a good nursery, that will help.
Reception teachers always say they prefer to have children who can interact with others and know how to "play" as they will progress far quicker than those who already have some phonic/numbers knowledge who often get confused by being taught in a different way to the one they are used to.

Have you tried the Jolly phonics books? My DD started looking at them at 2 3/4 and we then played spotting letters around and about in town (like P on the parking sign). We kept in very interactive and not at all book based. But my DD (now 3.5) has run with it and is now in the early stages of reading (about 50 words). There are also electronic games that you can use to compliment them - My DD has got a Leapfrog wrting desk, which she loves playing with and has really learnt her letters that way. Just avoid the whole flashcard thing like the plague!

As the others have said, do focus on the other bits too - the social and emotional development is just as important, if not more so. However, I don't think that is to say that you shouldn't bother with basic literacy if your child is ready for it. I'm a strong believer in the educational theories of a pedagogue called Vygotsky and his belief was that you should keep children within their ZPD (the things that they can do alone, and the things that you can support and stretch them to do). If you push them outside their ZPD, then you can get the kid to have low self esteem. But interestingly, equally he argued, by not supporting a child to develop in an area in which he is interested (like helping them with letters if they are interested) can also lead to low self esteem. I'm always mindful of that, and let my DD set the pace and she is just starting to become an avid reader of books. Like I say, she has got about 50 words under her bet, and can work out most 3 letter words, and she is very proud of her reading abilities!

HTH

thanks for all these tips, I really appreciate the insider knowledge from teachers. my newborn has dropped the 2am feed, so I feel more energetic for doing all the socialising and fun stuff you recommend. I see a book called "Prepare your child for school" by Valerie Muter which I think covers the kind of ground you were talking about - social skills, concentration etc rather than actual word or number knowledge. does anyone know this book or can recommend?