Tips for Creating Natural Learning Opportunities at Home

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Learning at home allows children to develop and practice skills in the setting where they will use them most. Caregivers can use various strategies to facilitate opportunities for learning throughout their child’s everyday routines. Naturalistic teaching also supports the generalization of skills across different environments, so children are able to use skills they learn in one setting and apply them appropriately in another.

THE BENEFITS OF CREATING NATURAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Skills can be taught and practiced in the contexts where they will be used
Learning is more functional and relevant (useful!) to your child
Having your child’s favourite items built into the learning activity makes things more fun
You don’t need any special materials or more time
You can build this type of learning into your daily routines, activities, and play
Your child is more likely to remember and use the skills being taught
Teaching can be applied to a variety of skills and levels

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Select the skill(s) you want to teach. Consider speaking to your child’s therapist or teacher to determine which skills your child needs to practice while at home
Plan ahead. Identify what time of day, or during which routines, you want to practice certain skills. Skills should be practiced in related routines (e.g., brushing teeth during morning routine)
Set up a space for learning. If your child is easily distracted, consider setting up a play area or space in your home free of distractions (e.g., sounds, lights, too many toys) and clutter
Gather the necessary materials and keep them close by. Make sure to have motivating items available to capture teaching opportunities. Rotate the toys and materials you teach with to keep the learning interesting

During morning routines. Practice dressing skills by giving your child the opportunity to put things on by themselves, help them only when needed

When on the playground. Practice greetings by saying hi to others and having your child copy you. Practice introducing yourself to new people by modeling the steps and helping your child to do the same (i.e., “Hi, my name is ___, what’s your name?”).

When in the bath. Teach the names of items by putting a variety of bath toys in the water asking your child to find them (i.e., “Where’s the boat?”)

When eating a snack. Practice asking for more by only giving your child some of their snack and helping them to ask for more. For example, put a few Goldfish crackers in a bowl, and hold onto the bag where they can see more are available

Use reinforcement: You can increase the likelihood that a skill will occur again if you reward your child as soon as the skill is performed. When your child does the skills you are teaching, reward this by giving immediate access to an item they really enjoy!

When your child does the skills you are teaching, reward this by giving immediate access to an item they really enjoy!
Say supportive things to them when they need your help and when they do it by themselves. For example, “You’re trying so hard! Keep going!”, or “Yay! You asked for grapes!”

Support learning with prompts: You can help your child do a skill by prompting them.

When your child is showing difficulty with a skill, provide just enough support for them to do it correctly, increase the help if they need it, but then make sure you back off the next time – this will show you if they’ve learned to complete the task on their own!
Examples of prompts are physical (i.e., guiding their hand), verbal (i.e., giving them the words to repeat), using gestures (i.e., pointing), or modelling (i.e., acting out the skill for them to imitate)

Use visual supports, like picture schedules or first-then boards, to help your child participate with you.

Teaching at home may be new for your child but using pictures to support their learning may help them adjust and stay on-task
See our tip sheet on Using Visual Schedules for more information!

Startle in response to loud noises?	YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from?	YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)?	YES NO
Watch your face as you talk?	YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs?	YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh	YES NO

Respond to their name?	YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door?	YES NO
Understand being told no?	YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)?	YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)?	YES NO
Enjoy being around people?	YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh?	YES NO

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)?	YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it?	YES NO
Consistently use three to five words?	YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)?	YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes?	YES NO
Bring you toys to show you?	YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise?	YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)?	YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books?	YES NO

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on?	YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked?	YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently?	YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)?	YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)?	YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)?	YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you?	YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger?	YES NO

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)?	YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words?	YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)?	YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)?	YES NO
Enjoy being around other children?	YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words?	YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time?	YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort?	YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages?	YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys?	YES NO
Scribble with crayons?	YES NO

Tips for Creating Natural Learning Opportunities at Home

THE BENEFITS OF CREATING NATURAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

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Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)?	YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)?	YES NO
Use over 350 words?	YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall?	YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys?	YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad?	YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)?	YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words?	YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)?	YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)?	YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories?	YES NO

Understand who, what, where and why questions?	YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words?	YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)?	YES NO
Tell simple stories?	YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates?	YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)?	YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time?	YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)?	YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words?	YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys?	YES NO
Scribble with crayons?	YES NO

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)?	YES NO
Use adult type grammar?	YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end?	YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children?	YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play?	YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time?	YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)?	YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)?	YES NO

Tips for Creating Natural Learning Opportunities at Home

THE BENEFITS OF CREATING NATURAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

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Teaching Steps

Tips

Helpful Resources

References

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