If you show a child a picture of a rocket, most likely they can tell you that it's a rocket. Show my almost-4-year-old the same picture, and he may tell you what type of rocket it is and name a few parts. However, if you show him something purple, and ask what color it is, he probably won't be able to tell you.
I've learned, as many of you have no doubt noticed, that it is hard to teach young children something they just don't want to learn. If this is your problem, don't despair, but make a game out of it instead.
My son wants to play Sesame Street Uno all the time. Personally, I think that's a really great thing, as he is working on matching colors, numbers, counting, and learning the difference between the symbols 1 and 7. He knows the difference between the numbers themselves, but if you look at a 1 and a 7, you can probably see the confusion since they both have a little tail at the top.
For other lessons, say, shapes, I use flash cards, but I don't just hold them up and ask him to tell me what they are. I used to, but it didn't work very well. Instead, I spread them out and ask him to pick a particular one. If he gets it right, he "wins" that card. He loves it.
So if you are having trouble getting your little one to learn shapes, colors, numbers, letters, or whatever, try making a game or buying one and see if that doesn't work for you, too.
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