Whole Child Development
Making a strong, positive connection with each child is a fundamental part of preparing for a great new year. When children know first that they are loved by you, it is much easier for them to learn from you! Building that kind of relationship takes time, but a positive first meeting is a huge step in the right direction! Here are some ideas for your child orientation meeting. [Read more…]
Making a strong, positive connection with each child is a fundamental part of preparing for a great new year. When children know first that they are loved by you, it is much easier for them to learn from you! Building that kind of relationship takes time, but a positive first meeting is a huge step in the right direction! Here are some ideas for your child orientation meeting. [Read more…]
Ask your average parents what they hope their child will learn in preschool, and most have learning the ABC’s somewhere in their tops 5 goals. Many preschool teachers respond to this by implementing a “letter-of-the-week” curriculum. One week may be the letter “M”, so we eat marshmallows, draw maps, read books about monkeys, and write letters to our moms. While this certainly gives a lot of exposure to the letter “M” and invites a variety of activities and learning opportunities, it creates a very incoherent curriculum. Children learn by making connections. It is a little difficult to make a quick connection between a white, sweet, gooey marshmallow and a folded up map of the nearest bus stops. (Though my own children could probably make some great connections between “monkeys” and “Mom”!) Additionally, when the primary focus is on the almighty “letter-of-the-week”, it is easy to lose sight of other important literacy goals or to begin teaching them in isolation as well. That is not how reading happens. The whole purpose of reading and writing is to obtain and convey meaning. Therefore, reading and writing should be taught through coherent, meaningful experiences.
Ask your average parents what they hope their child will learn in preschool, and most have learning the ABC’s somewhere in their tops 5 goals. Many preschool teachers respond to this by implementing a “letter-of-the-week” curriculum. One week may be the letter “M”, so we eat marshmallows, draw maps, read books about monkeys, and write letters to our moms. While this certainly gives a lot of exposure to the letter “M” and invites a variety of activities and learning opportunities, it creates a very incoherent curriculum. Children learn by making connections. It is a little difficult to make a quick connection between a white, sweet, gooey marshmallow and a folded up map of the nearest bus stops. (Though my own children could probably make some great connections between “monkeys” and “Mom”!) Additionally, when the primary focus is on the almighty “letter-of-the-week”, it is easy to lose sight of other important literacy goals or to begin teaching them in isolation as well. That is not how reading happens. The whole purpose of reading and writing is to obtain and convey meaning. Therefore, reading and writing should be taught through coherent, meaningful experiences.
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.)
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.)
Have you ever looked at those darling mailboxes designed for dramatic play in the supply catalogs, and just wished that you could rationalize a few hundred bucks for such an investment? Well, stop trying to rationalize because I have a more budget-friendly alternative.
These mailboxes were made from “Costco-sized” diaper boxes. I spray painted them blue, cut a letter slot by cutting the three sides of a rectangle. On the fourth side, I made a crisp bend (may be aided by making a shallow cut through the first layer on the inside with a razor) and reinforced it on the inside with packing tape so that it wouldn’t wear out from being opened and closed. The handles were leftovers from a kitchen remodel, but you can also buy simple handles pretty inexpensively at your hardware store. Poke holes through the cardboard, basically “pilot holes”, and then thread the screws through like you would on a cabinet. Cut a similar slot at the bottom of the back for the letter carrier to retrieve the mailed letters. (I skipped the handle in the back and cut a notch instead.)
Percussion instruments are great for young children! Perhaps the human voice is the only instrument that comes so naturally! Try this activity for combining music and language activities together.
Begin by showing an assortment of percussion instruments. This could include drums, rhythm sticks, cowbell and mallet, wood blocks, anything that produces a sound when struck. Let the children know that first they will watch and listen, and then they will get a turn to play the instruments as well.
(Find instructions for superhero capes here.)
Superhero play is a theme that appears to enter into the imaginative play of every child at one time or another. In fact, researchers French and Pena (1991) have found that the theme of superhero play has greatly increased since the advent of television, specifically for children in the early childhood years. Other researchers hypothesize that boys in particular have a natural inclination toward “weapon play” that may be genetically tied to the Y chromosome. Whether hero play is brought on by media influences or genetic inclinations, there are many ways children can benefit from this type of play with the proper guidance.
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