Early Learning

Child-led Learning – #BlogchatterA2Z theme reveal

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I’m often asked how I taught/ teach V a variety of concepts. And when I say that all her learning is child-led, people have a lot of questions and doubts.

What do I mean by child-led? 

At one point of time, scientists believed that a baby is like a blank slate or a tabula rasa. She has no knowledge and would not be in a cognitive position to understand complex ideas until she turns 3. But, research on how the brain works and learns has come a long way now, and we know that infants possess the capacity to explore, question and actively learn if given the right stimuli.


As a biology teacher, I’d love to talk to V about DNA and the works. But I also understand that doing that would be detrimental and I need to fan the flames in the direction she wishes. She loves geography ( a subject I don’t understand to date.… Click to read the rest

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Toilet learning- the Montessori way

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Phew! Just when you think you have diapers and a poop routine figured out, people start asking if your child is toilet trained yet! The woes of  a parent never end eh?!
Why toilet learning? Why not toilet training?
Toileting is more than just a milestone. It is an everyday skill that is about independence and self esteem.
Toilet learning, is more child-led, more about a child learning to use the toilet and less about an adult telling the child “you’ve gotta pee now, the way i want, when i say so”.

1. Readiness

Obviously one cant expect a 2 year old to write 4 languages. Similarly, the sensitive period for starting toilet learning happens somewhere around 12-months, give or take.
At months baby V finally started showing signs of readiness. By this, I mean, she started being aware of when she wanted to pee and when she was peeing (this started with a keen interest in pee).… Click to read the rest
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Mess Free Painting for babies

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I love this poem by our favorite illustrator Nick Sharratt.
Painting is an amazing activity for babies! It is a great way for them to explore
  • Color, shapes, texture, patterns;
  • Sensorial play;
  • Hand-eye coordination;
  • Motor skills;
  • Spatial skills;
  • Creativity;
  • Focus and
  • Fun.
Obviously I couldn’t wait for baby V to show some readiness towards enjoying painting activities.
At about 7-8 months, she finally showed interest in the same and we jumped into mess free painting.
The easiest way is to paint before a bath in the bath tub using bath tub paints ( or simple home made colors), but somehow we weren’t comfortable with this one.
Read on for some cool mess-free painting tips for infants.

1. The zip-lock hack

This has got to be the easiest one. And best of all, all materials are available at home.

  • Dab drops of thick paint on A4 sheet or cardstock.
  • Place the sheet inside a ziplock ( jugaad if you dont have one – use plastic sheet and sellotape it to thefloor or table) and seal it.
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