The baby lives with the sensation of what bothers him or likes him at a certain moment. For him there is no tomorrow or yesterday, just as it is not understood that, when he leaves the room, his mother will definitely return and take him back in her arms. The perception of the present in a young child is formed through the memorization of those events that have already happened to him several times: the baby woke up, the mother will change her clothes and feed him; he yelled - it will calm you down. However, this simple and natural sequence of events is not enough to learn to navigate in time and, more importantly, to master the valuable skill of waiting.
It is easier to get acquainted with time when this abstract and elusive concept becomes clear and therefore more real. Turning the learning process into a fun game is as easy as peeling pears.
Step 1. Time of day
The first thing a child must master is that day follows night and vice versa. Tell your baby that in the morning the sun wakes up and shines all day, in the afternoon it sleeps and the moon comes to replace it, that it shines at night. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to repeat this in different variations quite frequently, until the baby learns to distinguish between the time of day and more complex categories: "morning", "noon", "afternoon".
Step 2. Daily routine
At this stage, your task is to set for each time interval those actions that we usually carry out. To do this, draw a large sphere on thick paper, paint one half of which with "sunny" yellow, which represents morning and day, and the other, blue, which symbolizes evening and night. At the moment, no numbers are needed on the dial, the main thing is to consolidate the perception of the change of time of day, and at the same time of the affairs in which the child is involved.
Now talk with the baby about the schedule of the day: in the morning - getting up and exercising, in the afternoon - walking and playing, in the evening - cleaning toys and bathing, etc. Prepare the appropriate pictures and teach the baby to position them in the prescribed way. Do not forget to comment on what happens during the day, pronouncing the sequence and emphasizing that, for example, before going for a walk you need to have lunch, after sleeping you have to make the bed, yesterday you drew, and today you will sculpt from plasticine, and so on. .
By the age of three, the baby should have become aware of his daily routine and the anticipation of upcoming events. You should easily imagine the duration of the actions you perform from day to day, understand the meaning of the phrases "we will do this at night", "we will go for a walk tomorrow", "you will see the cartoon in five minutes." And also take the first steps in planning and allocating your time, mastering the concepts of "after" and "before."
Step 3. Events calendar
As soon as the child begins to gradually structure the immediate past, present and future, you have a new task: to help him navigate in longer periods of time.
To do this, you need cards that represent different seasons with their characteristic signs (snow, leaf fall, bright sun, and green grass). And also cards with images of people dressed according to the season and performing certain actions (picking mushrooms and berries, swimming in ponds, skiing). As you design the pictures, tell your baby about the different months and your plans for them.
Draw a family calendar where you can mark birthdays and other important events. Hang it on your wall and regularly comment on how much time is left until a particular day. Print photos of the highlights that have already taken place, attach the photos to your calendar and catch your baby's attention, helping him remember exactly what you did and how you had fun.