YouTube can be a hard resource to sort through safely and efficiently. I have searched for several songs and videos that help little ones learn to a tune while being able to move their little bodies, and I have found that my “teacher library” serves me best when searching. So I thought I would share a couple that I think are done well, and all you mommy teachers can share (in a comment) other videos that you find to be great learning resources so we can all glean from each other’s finds.
And click here for a great resource for powerpoints made to go along with music that you may already have downloaded or on CD’s. I use these to PRINT them and make songbooks and make CD’s of my own with my selections. See an example of one that I have made here.
I will be posting a reading activity tomorrow and will be having a giveaway SOON, but I wanted to ask a Mommy Teacher Question for Mommy (and daddy) teachers to share their read-aloud experiences:
Have you been to a read-aloud at the local library or something similar? What was your child’s response?
All of our little ones are different….with different interests, behaviors, attention spans, personalities, activity levels, developmental skills, etc. and I QUICKLY learned that if I want my active little 17 month old to learn library manners it is going to take some familiarity and practice!
I have attempted to take Sean Patrick to the weekly library read-alouds, for children his age, TWICE now; although he was slightly more interested the second time, the first visit still cracks me up.
This little child LOVES to read. Tonight, our power was out and he sat on my lap as I read him TONS of books (using a bright headlamp) for an hour. He reads to himself in the back seat of the car, and asks me to “read pweease” all day. And he loves music too. HOWEVER, when the librarian was leading fingerplays and reading a big book, Sean Patrick wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to run around the library, pulling books from the shelves, and he stopped in front of each person to direct their attention to himself. Don’t get me wrong, these are also typical behaviors of my 17 month old, BUT I found it comical that he didn’t ALSO focus his energy on the read-aloud for more than 1 minute.
So, out of sheer curiousity, and just for fun, I’d LOVE to hear about your read-aloud experiences either in a comment or on my facebook page:
It finally feels like Fall here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! Although it will probably only feel like this for one more day before the weather decides to melt us again, it is the perfect day to get outside and get your little one moving. If you are like me, you like to get moving too so you might join your little one for this letter-naming activity.
I have noticed two mistakes on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to teaching letters: 1) we teach too many letters at one time 2) we stop reinforcing letters when our little ones “know” them all.
Today, I want you to do this activity with your little one EVEN if your little one already “knows” all their letters….this is a GREAT activity for active learners to practice their concentration on a few letters at a time, AND their fluency (how quickly they can identify the letters that they know).
Draw a hopscotch court with chalk or tape one down on the concrete if you want it to last longer and fill it in with letters of the alphabet instead of numbers. HOW you write the letters and WHICH letters you choose should cater to your little one’s knowledge of letter recognition.
*If your little one doesn’t know their ABC’s then write the letters in alphabetical order so that your little one can use the abc song to figure out which letters he/she lands on.
*If your little one knows 4 letters then write those 4 letters and 2 more letters that you can focus on teaching for that particular “court.”
*If your little one knows all the letters, pick upper and lower case letters AT RANDOM and place them out of order on the court and then erase (wet the letters with water) after playing a few rounds, and write new letters for them to practice naming them quickly.
For other ideas of how you might accommodate this activity for your little learner…contact me 🙂
Little ones have the BEST imaginations; yet, some things that we define as make-believe may seem like a real possibility in a child’s creative little mind.
Still, it is important to start having “real” versus “make-believe” conversations with our little ones…..PLEASE don’t take this post out of context and start breaking their hearts about different heroes they may have that may or may not exist 😉
I am talking about asking questions about books and stories like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”….
Asking questions like: “Could that really happen in real life? Can animals talk? Do bears live in cabins in the forest and act like people?” Etc.
IF your little one says “yes” say “hmmmm….I wonder if we could observe bears in the real habitat/home they live in to see how they really are.” Go to youtube.com and search for different real-life bear videos to show your little ones the reality THEN ask questions like: “What are some things that are the same? What are some things that are different?”
A great way to make a measurable chart contrasting real and make-believe is to
2) Cut out pictures from magazines and place them in the column under the category it falls into.
3) Talk about it….ask questions to get your little one to figure it out logically!
This teaches your little one critical thinking skills, introduces the concept of fiction vs. nonfiction, and allows your little one the opportunity to build on oral vocabulary and express their ideas about their observations.
Teachers are usually prepared, or over prepared, for every minute of their day…because wait time can drive anyone and everyone involved to their breaking point. So, most teachers have a bin (or two) of time fillers just in case they need a backup plan.
This backup plan is a concept that needs to be transferred over into the “on-the-go bag” you carry with you on a daily basis because you WILL end up in a waiting room, a mess of traffic, a long line at the store (eh hem, hobby lobby), or who even knows where else.
I submit to you a few ideas worth considering other than the commonly used technology accessories: books, sketch pad + crayons, an activity book, and a mommy teacher time filler book.
I know this “time filler book” sounds silly, but I recommend taking the time to make one and here is how:
Make a word document of all the songs, finger plays, and stories you love:
1) Find, copy and paste from websites that provide all the lyrics.
2) Print and cut them out. (Click here for a starter I made you)
3) Tape them into a spiral bound index card pack.
4) Throw them in your purse or murse (“man purse” for all you daddy teachers)
** If you want to get fancy you can color code them (songs-red, finger plays-blue, stories-orange, etc.)
Then when you need a time filler, give your little one a choice! “Do you want to read a book, sing a song, listen to a story, color, or act out a story with our fingers?” I think you will be surprised how much more quickly the time passes with your little one engaged.
So today I ask you….What’s in your Bag? Share ideas that you have found helpful in your time of need! Share pictures on the Mommy Teacher Facebook Page!
