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Whole Child Development

Positive Guidance Tools of the Trade – Say What You Need to See

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills 5 Comments

Have you ever told a child not to do something, only to have them do that very thing one second later?  Infuriating, isn’t it?  The child, it seems, is being belligerent and willfully disobedient.  But things aren’t always as they appear.  You see, children are very suggestible.  Once they have a mental image of a behavior, they are very likely to try it out.  That mental image may come from something they saw on TV, read in a book, or that we have described to them with our words.  Our words create a mental picture for them, and we want that picture to be of what they should do, not of what they should not do.

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The Postive Guidance Tools of the Trade: Reinforcing and Ignoring

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills Leave a Comment

smiley

When you hear the word “Reinforcement” in association with child behavior, you probably think about sticker charts and prizes.  And you’d be right…..and wrong.  Reinforcement is anything that increases and encourages any particular behavior.  Just as a seamstress can reinforce a seam, or a general can reinforce the troops, reinforcement makes things stronger.  In the case of behavior, reinforcement makes a behavior stronger, more likely to occur, and perhaps even become a habit. 

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Positive Guidance: A Well-Stocked Toolbox

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills 14 Comments

toolbox 2

Imagine we’re all going into business together.  You, me, and those other cyberfriends out there.  We’re starting a fix-it shop and we’re about to open our doors.  We will handle all kinds of problems: broken windows, leaky pipes, squeaky doors….You name it, we can fix it!  We’re about to start fielding phone calls from frantic home owners with all kinds of  problems, and we need to make sure everyone has their tools ready.  So we all check out our toolboxes.  In each toolbox is one, solitary hammer.  It’s shiny and new, and handy in many different situations, but is it really enough to get us through every situation?

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Push Down and Play Time

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience 2 Comments

churchAyla87As I began writing this post, it became apparent that I was writing a sermon in two parts.  (Brevity has never really been my strong suit.)  Don’t worry, you don’t need to change into your Sunday best, your pajamas are just fine (you know who you are).  Just get comfortable, I’ve got a lot on my mind.

If you want to get preschool teachers all riled up, talk about “push-down curriculum” (pushing academic standards from one grade down to the next- pushing fluent reading skills from first grade to kindergarten, and now to preschool, for example).  I read this article  the other day, and it really got me thinking about academics and preschoolers. 

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Backwards Planning – How to Start the Year with the End in Mind

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized, Unit Themes 10 Comments

Winding Stairs

When I talk about starting with the end in mind, I’m not talking about those days where you begin to fantasized about the last day of school, giving all the little darlings a soft pat on the head as you seek refuge at the nearest source of sand and surf.  What I mean is starting your planning by thinking about where you want to end up.  This backwards planning helps to keep you focused and purposeful, rather than just flitting around from one “cute” activity to the next.

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Know Where You’re Going – Using a Developmental Checklist as a Guide

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Unit Themes 6 Comments

map

As you begin to plan out your preschool curriculum for the year, it helps to know where your children are developmentally so that you know where you want to “go”.  One way I like to do that is with a developmental checklist.  You can buy developmental checklists and programs like the POCET or the Portage Guide ,or if you’re a nerd like I am, you can look through position statements and curriculum guides and develop your own.  I put together one based on several resources, as well as my own philosophy and program.  It seems best to fit my needs.  If you accept the caveat that I have not been commissioned by a higher authority to create this as the perfect assessment piece, you’re welcome to use it as well.  Just click on Broad Developmental Assessmentto find the PDF file.  (Feel free to comment with any questions you may have about using this checklist, or comment on how you’ve adapted it to meet your needs.)

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Know Where You’re Going – Using a Developmental Checklist as a Guide

by Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Learning through Play and Experience, Unit Themes 15 Comments

map

As you begin to plan out your preschool curriculum for the year, it helps to know where your children are developmentally so that you know where you want to “go”.  One way I like to do that is with a developmental guide.  You can buy developmental guides and programs like the POCET or the Portage Guide ,or if you’re a nerd like I am, you can look through position statements and curriculum guides and develop your own.  I put together one based on several resources, as well as my own philosophy and program.  It seems best to fit my needs.  If you accept the caveat that I have not been commissioned by a higher authority to create this as the perfect assessment piece, you’re welcome to use it as well.  Just sign up for the NJC Newsletter.  (Feel free to comment with any questions you may have about using this checklist, or comment on how you’ve adapted it to meet your needs.)

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