I am a firm believer in taking advantage of teachable moments!  Today I picked my oldest up from Kindergarten and he had a ribbon on his shirt!  I asked him what it said and he said “Good Coloring!”  I asked him to look at it again and I asked him what letters make and “oo” sound.  He said “two o’s.”  I asked if that looked right and he said “no.”  Then he sounded it out and figured out that the word was “Great.”  I know this takes time, it would have been so much easier and faster for me to just tell him what the word was, or to just not say anything at all.  That was a teachable moment that I took advantage of!  I do not always take advantage of every teachable moment, it’s just not really a realistic goal!  For instance, today the kids had yogurt and two of them did not throw their trash away.  By the time I noticed, the kids were already outside playing, some days I make them come in and take care of it, but today I just did it!  I believe that teachable moments can teach more than flashcards and worksheets most of the time.  It can be hard to make taking advantage of teachable moments a habit, but it is well worth the energy!  Try starting with taking advantage of one teachable moment a day and then increase the amount.  Just like most things, there will be days when this comes naturally and days when this is a struggle.  Give it a try?

What is a teachable moment you took advantage of?