Learning begins from the moment a baby is born. Make an impact on your child's future by instilling in them a love of learning early on.

Parents are the best role models for their children, and because of this will influence what they learn before, during and after their academic years. Teachers will inspire them in the classroom, parents will inspire them for a lifetime.

From infancy, parents, family members, caregivers and friends delight in every achievement a baby makes. From the first lift of their head, to sitting up, crawling, eating solid food to walking. The natural learning process does not end there. Parents can give their child a jump start on their formal education by integrating important concepts and skills into their everyday play. Anything new becomes fun to learn to a child when turned into a game, song, or activity to engage in with their parents or caregiver.

Learning is natural as a child grows. Teaching your children new ideas will aid in their mental, social, and physical development. For online support and information for the beginning years of conception to age 3, BabyCenter and BabyZone are 2 resources with answers and links for all areas of infant and toddler care.

Consider the following list as a starting point to add the ideals and skills that are most important to you and your family.

The Basics: Letters, numbers, colors, shapes. Saying the alphabet and counting as well as recognizing the actual letter and number.

Calendar: Seasons, the days of the week, months, holidays. Anticipating the weather for the coming seasons and what activities are associated with that time of year. Discuss the difference between weekdays and weekends, associating weekdays with work or school and the weekends with free time and play.

Early Math: Opposites, directions, patterns. From simple ideas to big/little and up/down to what comes next in a sequence of red-yellow-red-blank.

Time: Yesterday, today, tomorrow, basic principle of telling time. Tell stories of activities or family outings and when they did or will occur. Such as "Yesterday we went to the zoo, remember seeing the elephants?" or "Tomorrow Daddy will be home from his trip."

Road: The purpose of stop lights and street signs, the general guidelines of driving and importance in following the rules. Introducing red means stop, yellow means slow and green means go to recognizing a stop sign and pointing it out each time you stop while driving.

Social: Emotions, manners, sharing, taking turns, how to make friends. Devolop a list of rules for your household and point out that they apply to everyone, not just the child, for example "We don't hit" instead of "You don't hit."

Science and Nature: Insects, trees, weather, growing a garden, flowers. Plant a flower or vegetable garden and let your child help each step of the way. Describe how the seed, with care, will grow into a tomato or tulip, for example.

Music: Instruments, music types, dancing, singing. Allow your child to listen to music and do whatever feels natural to them. With repetition, you will begin to hear your child sing along or anticipate what comes next in a song.

Animals: Farm, zoo, sea, pets, dinosaurs (type, location, sound). Visiting animals in person as well as reading about them reinforces what makes each animal different.

Identity: Body parts, name, street, age, the idea of growing bigger, hygiene. Each time you help your child brush their teeth, bathe them, or get them dressed is an opportunity to point out body parts and hygiene.

Jobs: What people do to contribute to a community or neighborhood. For example, the show Higglytown Heroes on Playhouse Disney shows the importance of each profession, from the doctor to the pizza delivery person.

Transportation: Sky, space, personal use (such as bicycles and skateboards), water, utility vehicles, and their uses.

Physical: Run, jump, catch, throw, kick, climb, balance, strength. Go to a nearby playground or in your back yard and let your child explore balls, slides, swings and other equiptment.

Art and Imagination: Color, cut, trace, draw, pretending. Visit Crayola for printable pages and craft ideas and information for building creativity in children as well as the latest supplies.

Reading: Basic principles, such as, recognizing how letters together make words, words together make sentences, sentences together make up their story. Also, the way to read from the top to the bottom of the page, left to right. PBS offers online, printable parenting reading tips for preschool through the third grade.

Speech and Language: Build new words into phrases, sentences and eventually into conversations. Pay attention to your child's articulation, or the way they make each letter sound. Each sound in speech falls in the beginning, middle and end of words. It is important to notice, for example, how your child pronounces the "b" sound as in ball, rabbit and tub. The intelligibility of your child, or how often others can understand them, is different for family members in the home and those that don't hear your child speak every day.

The intelligibility of a child does not have to be 100% from the moment they start talking. Different sounds and sound blends are fully achieved on a scale, sometimes some sounds are not fully articulated until the age of 8, effecting the intelligibility of the child. Local school districts, your state and the federal Department of Education have specific standards at which they will specify when a child is expected to have full articulation of sounds and being understood by strangers.

These standards will also serve as a guide to show you if your child is falling into the typical range, or if you need to seek out help. If you find your child is having difficulty with speech and language, seek out the advice of your pediatrician. If necessary, speech therapy is available privately or through local services. The more involvement you have with your child's speech development, the better. Even with therapy, much of the actual hands on work with exercises is done at home with a parent. The Late Talker: What to Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet by Marilyn C Agin, Lisa F. Geng and Malcolm Nicholl is a comprehensive resources for parents who are concerned with their child's speech and language development.

When is the best time to teach new skills?

The most important part of teaching your child new concepts and skills, is to give them your full attention while doing an activity, playing a game, singing a song, or reading a book. Keep interruptions to a minimum, for example turn off the television and only answer the phone if it is an important call, if you are engaging in an activity that requires it. Some of the best ways to teach your child is during every day activities like grocery shopping, cooking dinner, driving in the car or taking a walk. Utilize the public library and librarian when looking for age appropriate books, and don't be afraid to turn the melody of any song your child knows into a song tailored for your activity. Row, Row, Row Your Boat could become brush, brush, brush your teeth. Use your imagination to inspire your child to use theirs.

For additional activity ideas for children under the age of 8, try The 2,000 Best Games & Activities: Using Play To Teach Curiosity, Self-Control, Kindness, & Other Essential Life Skills (Sourcebooks, 2004)by Susan Kettman