Q: My daughter is 2.10 years old. I am a working mother and have a busy working schedule. I meet her in the evenings and spend quality time with her. In between I talk to her on phone for nearly 2 hours everyday. She stays with my mother where a lot of people are there to take care of her. She gets a lot of attention when she is there. She is joining school this year. I know that this is the time to give foundation to her future but due to my busy schedule, I can't give her more attention. Please suggest some alternative ways to teach her through phone and how to spend this limited time with her, which will be useful for her in future learning?

A:Your child seems to be spending most of the day in the warm company of the grandparents and other relatives. That is an excellent substitute for the care you would be giving. It is a little surprising to me that you spend two hours on the phone talking to her. If you can spare that much time, perhaps you could also commit to fewer hours on the job and have more time for face to face interaction with your daughter. She is not even three years old yet. There is no need and no specific method to teach her. Children like to learn things through playing with toys, chalks and crayons, household objects like spoons and cups and of course playing with children and adults. Speech is learnt through listening and talking, concepts through trying out things and observing. Opportunities for all these activities, including some music to hear and some music to sing, activities for movement, picture books, puppets, rag-dolls etc. can be provided. The child needs to develop trust in you and other caregivers and affection, have nutritious low-spiced home-cooked food and plenty of sleep. That is the best investment you can make. Teaching the child to recite or perform does not necessarily provide the foundation. In fact it can do the contrary, forcing the child to merely perform for adult approval. The best building blocks are the intangibles of parental love, age-appropriate activities for the child and the presence of adults who care and allow the child to grow naturally and with self confidence. There is no other secret formula!