There is a growing awareness that most humans’ physical, cognitive and socioemotional development occurs in their early years. Children are most responsive to learning new things, and adults can make good use of that. Here are some ways teachers can make the learning process fun and entertaining for kids of different age groups.

For Toddlers (1 – 3 years old)

A nurturing environment where the child gets love and ample attention is essential for their emotional and cognitive growth. During these years, teachers should:

• Give individual attention to children and talk to them in clear yet simple language.
• Realize that infants and toddlers learn through play. Fingerplays, poems, and songs should be frequently incorporated. 
• Make a small group of three students or less and read to them from colorful books. Listening to the same words again and again helps with their language development. 
• Do creative art activities, as holding crayons and colored pencils will improve children’s fine motor skills.

For Preschoolers (3 – 5 years old)

Children between the ages of 3 – 5 have the most interaction with their immediate family members and teachers. So, healthy engagement with these adults plays a significant role in their development. Therefore, teachers must: 

• Maintain healthy relationships with children so that the child feels loved and nurtured. Teachers should give individual attention to children and have one-on-one conversations with them, which helps them secure attachment and improve language development. 
• Use attention-grabbing books and tools to teach the children specific letters and words. This helps with improving children’s written language, as well. 
• Encourage students to speak in a small group that includes other children, as this improves their social skills and can help them retain what they learn in class. 
• Use fingerplay, poems, songs, and stories to teach phonemes, especially rhyme and alliteration. 
• Engage students in pretend and sensory play, as this helps develop their language and sensorimotor skills. 

For Elementary Students (5-11 years old)

Although students become more involved in their learning as they grow older, teachers’ role still stays critical. The teachers should:

• Encourage students to read daily and provide them with informational stories and texts.
• Involve students in more writing activities, as well. Giving them tasks that involve writing answers, stories, and responses makes them use their newly learned vocabulary and improve language development. 
• Form peer groups and give them tasks that motivate them to work and learn together.
• Give individual attention to students who seem to have developmental delays.
• Should take students out of the usual classroom settings to outdoor trips that expose them to new learning experiences. 

Concluding Thoughts

While an individual never truly stops learning, the early years of each person’s life are crucial and the period where most learning occurs. While parents also have a part to play in developing their children, teachers can also play a significant role by incorporating practices that help students achieve developmental milestones at the correct time.