Learning is Everywhere

Hailey, age 2½, needed to be held and cuddled one day at the child care center. As Hailey sat on her teacher Tianna’s lap, Tianna starting showing her how some of the beads on her necklace matched her sweater, some matched Hailey’s dress, and some matched Tianna’s earrings. Soon Hailey started naming the colors of the necklace beads and matching them. Hailey was learning about colors and how to match them. Tianna was using an everyday situation and ordinary objects to teach essential skills and knowledge—all while building a relationship with Hailey and helping her feel loved and secure.

This story is a real-life example of how learning is everywhere, also the name of an initiative of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning to encourage learning and increase school readiness in young children. The story also shows that besides teaching essential skills, using everyday situations and routines to promote learning strengthens bonds between children and their caregivers and helps to promote their healthy social and emotional development.

Examples of using everyday activities to teach skills and build relationships

• In the grocery store: talk about the colors and shapes of fruits and vegetables; count the items in the grocery cart; allow your child to choose between two fruits; ask your child to help find the items pictured on your coupons.
• Doing the laundry: sort clothes (all the socks, all the underwear, or by color); how to fold a towel neatly; count how many socks there are; find one towel, two pairs of underwear, three shirts.
• In the bathroom: during bath time name each body part; compare the size of body parts (a toe is smaller than a hand); name each item of clothing as it comes off and goes in the laundry basket.
• Traveling: keep a supply of books in the car; sing songs and make up silly words to old songs; play bingo with common items that can be seen out the window (stop signs, a bus, an animal); talk about different kinds of transportation (cars, bicycles, buses, trains, planes).
• In the kitchen: arrange measuring cups and spoons by size; talk about the different shapes of food (cubes of cheese, cracker triangles, round Cheerios); while you’re eating, use different words for how food tastes or feels (sour, sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, smooth).

Resources

Learning is Everywhere. PA’s Promise for Children. papromiseforchildren.com/learning-is-everywhere

 Everyday Learning. Sesame Street. www.sesamestreet.org/toolkits/learning

 Learning is Everywhere. Leapfrog. http://bit.ly/2lVIp11

Contact

Programs and families can contact the program leadership directly at PAIECMH@pakeys.org with questions or concerns.

Additional Considerations

This project is supported by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning.