Greensboro, NC -- Parents pay thousands of dollars a year to hire private tutors for their kids---no surprise there.
But what do you think about tutoring toddlers?
When we first heard about it, we thought. "this is too much"!
The more we talked about it in the newsroom, the more we realized; parents who hire tutors may have a point.
So we brought in Dr. Beth Hairston of Winston-Salem State University and James Pao of the Sylvan Learning Center of Greensboro. Sharon Mims of UNCG's North Drive Childcare Center also gave us ideas to pass on to parents.
Pao says he's never tutored a 3-year-old before. He's youngest client was kindergarten. But he says he sees the benefit in finding out if your child has problems with certain skills...whether it be language, writing, or basic math.
Hairston says the "tutor" doesn't really need to be a skilled "tutor", it can be any adult willing to spend quality time with the child and help the child experience things culturally, socially, mentally and physically.
She says parents CAN do this! She says you can use everyday experiences like having the kids help with a recipe. They'll learn process, following instructions, measuring, etc.
James Pao of the Sylvan Learning Center gives these ideas: Create a picture journal with your child. This will help your child develop his/her fine motor skills with cutting things out, drawing pictures, and writing.
Use everyday experiences to teach basic math. Counting cars in a parking lot, counting place settings at dinner, etc.
UNCG's Sharon Mims told us: Read to your child, Read with your child, and Ask detailed questions about the story.
WFMY