One mommy told me how his son couldn't sit quietly when she tried to teach him flashcards. Moreover, her son would scatter all the cards and bite them. She asked me how I do it with Caleb.
Well, here's some tips:
* Start early, before he turns 1 (or 2)
When the kids enter 2 year old, they will have their own will and power to refuse what they're told to. So teaching them and to make them sit and study is another challenge. I started when Caleb was able to sit without support which was around 7 or 8 months. Some moms start earlier.
*believe that it'll work!
He may not be able to copy what you said, he may be distracted with other things as well. That's okay. Keep showing the card one by one, even if he takes only a glance at it, even he only sees it for a sec, just make sure he sees the picture and then tell him what's the picture (bird, cloud, sun, etc). Believe it, his brain is recording it. Even if he's a late talker, at least he will soon understand many words by the time he's 18 months old and your benefit is that you have a toddler who understands whatever you're talking about. If he starts talking earlier, he would have so many vocabs by the time he's 18 months old!
*make it a routine
set a time for learning time. I had my learning time with Caleb after his nap and now switched it in the morning after his shower. This will tell your child what to expect next and he'll get used to this learning activity. Caleb was so used with having flashcards that after his nap he would point his finger to where I put his flashcards.
*Have a strategy
There were a period of time when I faced a challenge. That was when Caleb demanded to hold the card by himself. But when I gave them to him, he would scatter them and make a mess in the room. So what I did was I grabbed all the cards and only showed him one by one. After he guessed the picture in the card (or I say the word to him), I would then give him the card and asked him to put it back on the box (with my help). He found it interesting. It was another challenge for him beside guessing the picture, he got to figure it our how to put the card back in the card box. That way he would not scatter them again.
*apply in real life
the pictures you've shown in the flashcards, be sure to show him what's the real thing.
For example, you show him pictures of hat, socks, pants etc...and later on when you dress him up, you tell him this is the socks, these are your pants etc.
When you're at the supermarket, have fun showing him this is apple, orange etc
When your're at playground, show him...that's uncle with his dog, that's the slide, etc
Flashcards works more effective when you show him the real thing.
and when you teach him numbers and ABC with cards, you can also ask him what's the letters on the poster you both see at the bus stop, or when you pass by a mall, you ask him to spell the letters of a mall's name and so on. Be creative :)
I love flashcards because it is a fun and educative toy. It helps building vocabularies. It encourages your kid to talk.
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