Decide what goal your child should work toward. The goal could be something related to education, such as knowing how to count to 20 before entering first grade, or related to something outside the classroom, such as learning to use a bicycle without training wheels.
Mark a date on the calendar at which point you expect your child should be able to execute the task. Make sure this date is realistic. If it's not, you're setting the child up for failure, which can hurt the child's self-confidence.
Assign a learning-related task each day leading up to the goal, and mark the daily task on the calendar. If your goal is teaching your child how to count to 20, you may wish to designate 20 days for this task. In this example, the short-term goal is to learn one number a day, while the long-term goal is to be able to count to 20 in 20 days.
Explain the number one on the first day of learning. You can do this by holding up one finger or showing one object. Explain that one is the first whole number after zero and give examples that the child will understand, such as "We eat one breakfast a day," or "I drive one car to work." To track your results, mark on the calendar that the number one has successfully been taught and understood.
Remind the child about the number one at the start of the second day's lesson, then introduce number two. Explain the concepts of two and how it falls after one. Use examples to illustrate your lesson. When this concept has been completed, mark it on the calendar and celebrate the accomplishment with your child.
Teach the numbers three through 20 over the next 18 days, spending a few minutes at the start of each day's lesson to recap the previous day's teachings.
Quiz your child upon completion of the goal and celebrate when she is able to successfully count from one to 20 with little or no help.