I’m not a teacher, however i’m a 17 year old student in an advance child development class, meaning i help teach preschoolers (3-4) Teach songs, sing-a-longs are great! Help master puzzle skills. (there are many different types of puzzles that help with many different types of skills) Preschool is getting ready for kindergarten, at this age, children should be learning the alphabet, numbers, etc. When teachers advance in these curricular activities it always helps in the future. Also, when you have a large group of young children, teaching them motor skills such as cognitive and social skills help increasingly. When you have them working together depending on age/maturity level, it helps them interact with eachother.

Begin as early as possible teaching the child (children) to recongnize letters by sight and sound (all the different sounds each letter can make). Use toy letters and let the child feel and play with each letter while you reinforce the name and phonics of each one. If the child is old enough have him/her repeat them after you. As much as possible make a game of it. Even be silly sometimes. Stop when the child becomes tired of it. Start again later at the spot you stopped.

Read, Read, Read! This is the key to a child understanding what he/she hears and reads. Children can only use what they have learned. Children under the age of four learn best by touch. Let the child pick out the book, hold the book, turn the pages, touch the pictures as you read the words. These images along with the words will be retained for a lifetime.

Make a learning experience at every opportunity. The McDonald’s sign is an M. Rhyme the child’s name with something nearby if possible. Spell his lunch with him, etc.

The last child I was a nanny to is now 7 years old and reads like an adult. He can sound out most any word he has not seen before. I believe he could match reading with most children twice his age.

Hope these help.

It looks like many have already provided some good suggestions. Children under the age of four love rhyming words and repetitions. So any experiences that include rhyming and sounds would be good, because the child(ren) is/are thinking (unintentionally) about the make-up of words.

Additionally, offer the child(ren) multiple opportunities to write, so the child(ren) are exposed to written communication. Model writting notes and memos to the child(ren) and reading with the child(ren) – pointing to the words as you read them (preschoolers).

I have worked for thirty years with children under 4 and I would say the most important thing you need to do is teach them how to listen. Lots of listening games using instruments as well as words are good. Second learning to speak clearly and properly is necessary. Good pronunciation and a wide vocabulary can be encouraged with reciting Nursery Rhymes and short poems and reading stories to them. Thirdly thinking skills need to be encouraged. Doing puzzles, playing imaginative games and playing other games such as snap and snakes and ladders are all good.

No I am not a teacher, but I have worked with students under age four. Well I’ve taught them songs, taught them acronyms and told them stories that relate to what I’m talking about so they understand it more rationally.

Students also need a sense of confidence in their own problem solving abilities. Encourage them to solve their own challenges, encourage them to negotiate with their peers, and recognize the efforts they make.