Last Mom: Education for babies & toddlers: Can they really learn to …

Dannie wrote some tips for minimizing drama (and trauma!) while dropping your child off at preschool this week.? My background is in early childhood education and I have written many info sheets?similar to?that one.? Dannie did a great job!?

She mentioned doing any assignments given to your child with them enthusiastically.? This got me thinking about my “old” career and missing working with children, preschool teachers and parents -?even though it’s only been a month since I left my job!?

Sending a note home letting parents know the topics?being emphasized that week and suggesting activities to do at home to promote those areas is a great thing.?? I love seeing a partnership between school and home.? However, some preschools assign full on?homework.? I disagree with this.? Some children and parents are expected to spend their evenings practicing the letter “K” or coloring all of the circles on a ditto sheet green.? I don’t think any of those activities are particularly developmentally appropriate, even when they aren’t required “homework”.?

(I’m also not a fan of flashcards.? I know…I’m totally dissing how most of us grew up!? I remember “Z” flashcards always either featured a zipper or a zebra and “X” was ALWAYS a xylophone.? There are just more effective ways for most children to learn than drills and flashcards, especially young children.)

Children learn best?through play.? Building with blocks, for example,?teaches many math and science skills (gravity, geometry, counting and much more).? It requires concentration and planning.? It builds fine motor skills.??When you build with your child, you can help them develop critical thinking and language skills by asking questions (make sure to listen to their answers!).? Put out some graphing paper and architecture magazines to encourage reading and writing skills.? Take pictures of their finished structures and?create a book together?featuring their?best work.? Have them dictate the captions to you.

Doesn’t that sound so much more pleasant than workbooks and having them recite “B is bat” all evening?

Children also learn through meaningful, real life experiences.? Let them help you with daily activities.? Talk to them about what you’re doing as you cook, grocery shop or garden.? You’ll help them build a great vocabulary and become strong conversationalists.? You’ll also give them knowledge on an array of topics and help them learn important concepts such as measuring.?

And, of course, read to your children as much as possible!? Don’t limit it to books.? Read magazines, junk mail, street signs, cereal boxes, toy catalogues and anything else that is available and seems to pique their interest.? I has a three year old in my class when I was teahing preschool who was obsessed with the manual that came with the family’s vaccuum cleaner.? Start reading to your child as soon as possible.? They are never too young to be read to.?

There’s no need to worry about teaching them how to read, though.? By exposing them to books, language, stories, songs and print often, the skills they need are soaking in to their brains in a way that will have a lasting impact.?

I’m not usually in favor of those programs that claim they’ll have your baby reading before they can even walk.? It puts unnecessary stress on everyone and in most cases, the child may learn to memorize and identify words, but that is not the same as reading.?

However, I recently came across one that totally fits in with my philosophies on early childhood education.? It is based on music, movement, reading together, family involvement and learning through everyday experiences.? And it’s not only geared towards building early literacy skills, it’s also designed to help children learn Spanish!? Check it out at www.readingamigo.com.?

I wish Princess’s early foster parents would have exposed her to something like this.? She spoke only Spanish with her biological family during her first four years.? Six years later, she can’t speak, read or understand the language at all.?? Being encouraged to hold on to her first language would have allowed her to keep a great connection to her biological culture.? Plus, where we? live being bilingual (Spanish/English) is a huge plus in the job market.? I’m hoping it will come back to her if she takes it in middle or high school.

So, stepping off my soap box now.? It was nice to write about my other passion a bit.? Thanks for the inspiration, Dannie!

Source: http://lastmom.blogspot.com/2011/09/education-for-babies-toddlers-can-they.html

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