Month: June 2011

Using Books as a Tool to Bridge the Social Gaps

One of my sisters is a friend of John Rich, and she told me about the following book he helped to write, which I instantly wanted a copy of.  If you watched the “Celebrity Apprentice” this past season you saw that his team wrote a book about a boy, Lil Jon, overcoming fears on his first day of school.

Not So Little, Jon (Volume 1)

Books like this are great to read with your little one over the summer if you are going to put your little one in any kind of program whether it be a formal school setting, a mother’s day out, or a daycare.  This can be great preparation or reinforcement for a little one to develop a sense of confidence in their individual personality, talents, and abilities to initiate social interactions. A few others I recommend:

Stephanie's Ponytail (Classic Munsch), Chrysanthemum Big Book, Wemberly Worried

Additionally, if your little one is already dealing with some social complications due to tattling, shyness, uniqueness, bossiness, etc. I recommend learning about some of the literature available for children with those tendencies by reading the reviews and taking a peek inside books that can really bridge the gap that your little one might be struggling through concerning social development.  Books like:

A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue, How to Lose All Your Friends (Picture Puffins), Franklin Is Bossy

I hope you find these books helpful for discussing and guiding social development.  Books are great tools for helping children to gain perspective and to learn new ways to problem solve independently.

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Guest Post From Kidspired Creations!

Hi Mommy Teachers! It’s Casey, a fellow mommy teacher, stopping by from Kidspired Creations! I am a stay-at-home mommy and I run a kids room decor business on the side. Before I was a mommy, I was a Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher, so Jessica and I always love to chat about teaching tools and activities.

I texted Jessica earlier about this super AWESOME find that I got from Wal-Mart for $9.95 today! I could not WAIT to share it with her… and now you!

Crayola Dry Erase Poster Set

This poster sticks to the wall and is easily removable AND reusable! Trust me, I’ve already had to stick and restick it a few times because I didn’t like where I put it. Printed on it are 10 writing lines (two solid lines with the dashed line in the middle) which is how kids learn to write straight, even, upper and lowercase letters.

It comes with 3 dry erase Crayola crayons which are fat and easy for James’ little uncoordinated fingers to use. A wet wipe easily erases everything (I’m sure you can use a dry paper towel as well, but I was lazy and the wet wipes were right there). Though James hasn’t written on the wall YET, I still have my Magic Eraser on standby for when the time comes.

James is a beginning writer so it is really important for me to start off teaching him to write simple straight lines and diagonal lines. After he masters those, he will also work on circles, squiggly and zig zag lines, both from the top solid line to the bottom solid line, and then from the middle dashed line to the bottom solid line. It is also important for your child to get in the habit of starting at the top and working down, and starting on the left and working right… left to right, top to bottom… that’s how we read and write and now’s the age for them to have that knowledge!
James was having a hard time understanding the concept of writing between the lines, so we played connect the dots. I drew two dots and he had to connect them to make the diagonal line… always starting at the top dot, of course.
My goal is for my husband or me to write a letter on the poster for James to read each morning when he wakes up and then eventually, he can do a journal every day like Jessica talked about in her last post. James especially dislikes writing on paper, but really enjoys writing on his new board with crayons! Let’s hope it lasts! Mommy is at least having fun with it…  Especially since the crayon even wipes off the wall using a wet wipe!
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Mommy’s Inside Scoop on Hopscotch

I know most of us grew up playing hopscotch and didnt think twice about what math skills we might be learning.  But when your little one is playing hopscotch, he or she is interacting with a lifesize number line.  And children learn so naturally through movement.

So, on this pretty day, I propose that you get outside with your little one, chalk up a hopscotch grid OR go to your local park or school that has a hopscotch painted on the concrete and keep these skills in mind:

1.  Counting practice – draw the hopscotch with numbers up to twenty!  I know that is a long hopscotch but children need more practice with numbers 10-20.

Start off just asking your little one to help you count the number spaces out in order.

2. Identifying numbers

Try to hop on one foot from 1 to 20 so that your little one has to identify the numbers in one- to- one correspondance.  If you toss a rock to a number, have them call out the number they are hopping to and then call out the numbers they hop on to get there.

3. Identify the numbers coming before or after a given number

After playing the game regularly at first, tell your little one that it’s time to play a new version of the game.  “This time we are going to play ‘hop to the number that comes BEFORE the number that the rock lands on.'”  Play this again but then hopping to the number that comes AFTER the number the rock lands on.

4. Identifying a number coming between two numbers.

Play “Can You hop to the number that comes between _ and __.”

5. Count forward or backward from a given number.

Have your little one count out loud as he/she hops forward or backward from the number they land on.  You want your little one to have the skill of knowing how to “count on” or “count back” from any given number because this will help your little one solve math problems in the future.

6. You can even use the hopscotch grid to practice simple addition and subtraction:

-examples of addition: if you hop one space and then two more what number will you land on? (three)   or if you are on the number five and hop two spaces what number will you land on? (seven)

-examples of subtraction:  if you are on the number 8 and you hop back three spaces what number will you land on?  (five).  Or, if you are on the number three and hop back two spaces which number would you land on?  (one)

Did you have any idea there could be six plus versions of hopscotch teaching all those skills?  Have fun!

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Journal Every Day

Today is a simple challenge to encourage you to be intentional about the writing process.   One of the first things I do for children to teach writing skills is to make a journal.  I have made writing templates for you so that all you have to do is print them and 3-whole punch them: click HERE to get them.

Every day date the top right of the page and brainstorm a topic to draw and write about.  I usually pick something that applies to our plans for the day or a reflection of what we did the night before.  Otherwise, I come up with something writing about a favorite candy or food, etc.

Then let your little one draw a picture free of any critiques or suggestions.  You can always give ideas if your little one is stumped but you dont want to squash their creative juices.  Then, guide your little one (dont dictate!) about how he/she will write: start all the way on the left side so you have room to write, write until you reach the end of the line and then start at the beginning of the next line.  Talk about spacing, height of the letters, and other print concepts, but DONT overwhelm or overteach.  Just give them tips and guidance (maybe just one new tip a day.  You will be surprised at their understandings over time.  Help them sound out words, but when you start dont focus on proper spelling, focus on the sounds they are actually hearing in the words.

If your little one asks: “So it that right?” Answer “Those are all the sounds you can hear in the word”

Later on you can show them the way that the word “looks in a book” by writing it out, but encourage them to sound out and write JUST the sounds they hear at first.

 

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