Inside Scoop

Pencil Grip

I don’t know if I have ever gone over one of the most important lessons on handwriting that you can have with your little one, but if I have, here is a refresher…
Teaching your little one the proper pencil grip is so important for their writing development. Using the tripod grasp must be learned and practiced over and over before the fine motor skills and coordination are developed and it becomes habitual. So, because I don’t need to reinvent the wheel, I am going to point you to simple resources where you can read about AND watch a little instructional video on HOW to teach your little one to hold a pencil properly. Let me know how it goes 🙂

1. READ THIS ARTICLE by clicking here

2. Watch this video:

Take 5 more bites…

Some children have no problem going to town on a meal, while others are more selective about what and how often they eat.  Once your little one is old enough to communicate with you about these things, it is important to be clear and consistent at dinner time.

Dinner time can be super frustrating if you have a little one who is very stubborn when it comes to eating what you have prepared.  This post is NOT the end all – be all for what works and what doesn’t because you definitely have to INDIVIDUALIZE when it comes to meal plans.  Some children are over-eating and you have to help them with portion control, while others are not getting enough nutritional value in their day.

Here are a few of MY tips:

1. If you plan to eat dinner at 6, don’t let your little one snack later than 3:00…Come on, I am rarely hungry at 6:00 if I have been munching prior to dinner time.

2.  Allow them to choose:  would you like to take 4 bites of green beans and 5 bites of chicken or 5 bites of green beans and 4 bites of chicken?  It sounds meticulous but just by their ownership of their caloric intake you might have slightly less of a battle.

3.  Make a little placemat – laminate it and put it under their plate as a constant reminder….each night put a star next to each food group they ate, or a star next to how “happy” their plate was, or whatever incentive plan you choose (maybe dessert).

4.   Provide a little variety for the food groups they dislike, don’t completely cater to their taste buds, but find out what veggies your little one actually likes by varying your side dishes.

5.  Be clear and consistent when it comes to the promise or loss of privilege of dessert.  If they have to eat a certain amount of bites before dessert, don’t give in when everyone else is enjoying their dessert – stick to your consequence.

6.  Make you or your spouse out to be a champion “Daddy has big muscles because he eats his chicken!”  or “Mommy is so healthy because she eats her green beans!”

7.  Bring some reality in to the picture: “I would hate for you to have to go to the doctor because you didn’t give your body what it needs.  We need to take care of the bodies that God has given us.”

8. Come up with a fun family incentive, “Let’s eat all our dinner in the next 10 minutes so that we can clear the table and play a game!”

If you don’t agree with these tips or they don’t apply to you then try new modes of motivation, but stick to what works!  Try to make dinner a positive experience so that family dinners are a special event rather than a dreaded occasion.

Special Discount on Glasses for Mommy Teachers!

Hey Mommy Teachers,

I recently came across a REALLY great company that sells quality eyeglasses online at affordable prices.  It is called GlassesUsa.com, and this is why I have to
tell you about it:

I have come across several children who were completely capable readers, but their vision was not strong enough to make out the formations of the letters.  These sweet students of mine would struggle through sounding out words, not because they couldn’t sound out the words correctly, but because they were “guessing” the wrong letters when they couldn’t quite see them clearly.  You might have done the same thing if you have ever been to an eye exam.  You squint your eyes and guess what letters you think you see, but it is a little blurry.

Please don’t put your new learner through this stress.  Do me a favor…go get your eyes examined and your little one’s eyes examined soon!  You can set a great example for your little one doing this with them and there are several books that can build confidence so that your little one will feel so cool wearing glasses.  Maybe if you buy glasses you might even be able to read those books to your children without squinting and getting a headache.

If you already have a prescription and would love a new set of frames….go buy glasses now while you can save 10% on your next order with THIS code: Mommy10

They also have a summer sale so you can take $25 off any order of glasses with Transitions lenses with the code: Trans25.

My favorite….They have a fun virtual mirror that allows you to “try on” your glasses before you buy them. You can even send the pictures to your friends!

So, go buy some nice and cheap glasses a little cheaper while you can at GlassesUsa.com.

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!

What To Do With A Clinger

I was at the park with some friends and I noticed one of my friend’s little girls clinging for dear life to her dad’s leg while the other children played across the park.  I know this little girl to be a VERY sweet little one, but she is just naturally shy when it comes to social settings.

So, I walked over to her, knelt down to her eye level, and asked her what her favorite area of the park was.  She hesitated as she pointed to the swings.  Right then, I held out my hand, and I said “Why don’t we go together to the swings and see if we can find one friend that we can play with by the swings?”  She didn’t hesitate at all!  She grabbed my hand and we headed over to the swings together.

Then, I called one of her well-known playmates over to the swings, and I asked my shy little friend to “use her words” and ask that friend if she would like to swing with us.  She hesitated and I said it again.  On the third try she asked that friend to play with her, and the other playmate gladly accepted.

After that, I stayed around for another 5-10 minutes to spark activity ideas and conversation between them, and then walked away to let her play independent of my guidance for a little while, but I kept my eyes on her in case it looked like she needed more prompting.

I wanted to share this with all my Mommy Teachers because I don’t want us to loose sight of the teaching opportunities we have in developing our little ones SOCIAL skills as well as cognitive skills.  I hope this inspires you 🙂

If you have any similar stories or questions PLEASE share them with me via email: jessica (at) themommyteacher [dot] com or on my facebook page.

I borrowed this picture of my friend Casey and her kids because she is such an awesome Mommy Teacher who plays with her kids and teaches them social skills as well.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

1 2 3 4 6