Here is an interesting article on how playing with blocks develops math skills. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tips To Stop Your Preschooler From Interrupting
How to Stop Your Preschooler From Interrupting
Tips To Stop Your Preschooler From Interrupting
Ask a parent what tries patience most in raising a preschooler and you'll find that being constantly interrupted tops the list. With a preschooler in the house, it's very difficult to have an adult conversation, talk on the phone, or even do a simple task like paying the bills without being interrupted.
But your child is not trying to annoy you or be rude. According to neuroscientist Lise Eliot, Ph.D., author of "What's Going on in There: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life," young children have very immature frontal lobes (and actually resemble adults with frontal-lobe brain damage!), which is the slowest part of a child's brain to develop.
This means that physiologically preschoolers have a poor understanding of time, a very short attention span, and a lack of self-control. Unlike adults, their short-term memory is underdeveloped and they might not be capable of holding onto a thought while waiting for an adult to finish what he is doing.
Does this mean you should allow a preschooler to interrupt? No. But it should help to know that as their frontal lobes develop and they gain social experience and maturity, children will interrupt much less frequently.
Tips to Get a Word in Edgewise
- It's Mommy's Turn: When your child starts to interrupt, stop him and say: "It's Mommy's turn to talk now. Then it will be your turn." While it's hard for preschoolers to understand interrupting, they're usually pretty good at turn taking and this technique will get them to let you finish your thought.
- Ignore the Interruption: For example, if someone asks you for directions and your child starts screaming from his car seat, trying to interrupt you, simply ignore it. The less attention he gets for interrupting, the less likely it is he'll do it.
- Plan Ahead: If you know you need a certain amount of time to make a phone call or balance the check book, give your preschooler an activity that will take the same amount of time. Have him listen to a book on tape, or do an easy craft project (one that doesn't need adult help) so you can have your 15 minutes of uninterrupted peace.
- Catch Him Doing Something Right: When your child waits patiently without interrupting, be sure to notice and praise him for it! We all like to be caught acting good.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Reminder
The Burlington Integrated Preschool will be closed for the week for winter break. We wish you all a safe and relaxing break. While the students are not in session the preschool will be receiving a makeover. The hallways will be getting a fresh coat of paint. A big thank you to LeighAnn Shaw from the Safari Scouts for taking on the project of trying to find a new color. It was a huge task to take on and after trying to decide on several different colors, we decided to stick with a beige. We are excited for our makeover and can't wait to come back to freshly painted walls.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
PAC Meeting
Dear PAC Members,
Our next PAC meeting will be held on Wednesday March 2, 2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the school committee room at Burlington High School.
The topic being discussed is as follows: Understanding My Child’s Learning Style: The different ways people take in and generate information can greatly affect how and whether they succeed in school and in life. This workshop will delve into different learning styles and show how they can be understood and harnessed to achieve success in many different environments, including the classroom. This seminar will be presented by Melinda Parry from the Federation for Children with Special Needs.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Five Simple Listening Games
http://childhood101.com/2011/02/literacy-spot-7-five-simple-listening-games/
This post was written by Christie Burnett.
Learning to listen attentively is important for both social interaction and academic success. Looking for opportunities to play simple listening games with your child will help to more finely attune their listening skills and develop auditory discrimination skills. Here are five simple games to play with your child;
1. Playing with Loud and Soft: Experiment with a drum or pot and spoon, first making loud sounds and then very quiet ones. Get progressively louder, then quiet again. Repeat with stamping feet on the floor and clapping hands.
2. What sound is that? Collect four or five different sounds (for example, paper to tear, a bell or maraca, two blocks to hit together, a spoon and mug to stir with, a pair of scissors). Make a sound with one object out of view of your child (under the table or behind a small box) and ask your child to guess what they just heard.
3. Playing around with rhyming words: Children love to listen to silly nursery rhymes which you can make by altering the rhyming words of familiar nursery rhymes. For example,
“Twinkle twinkle little bat,
How I wonder where you’re at”
or
“Baa baa black sheep
Have you any eggs?
No sir, no sir,
But I have some pegs.”
Younger children love ‘spotting’ the funny rhymes whilst older children (4 years+) will enjoy making the rhymes with you.
4. Where’s that sound? Choose one sound which is familiar to your child (for example, a drum or maraca), place a blindfold on your child and move around the room and make the sound, asking your child to point to where they hear the sound. Then let your child have a turn making the noise whilst you are blindfolded.
5. Matching rhyming words: An activity best suited to children aged 4 and up, collect a variety of toys and small objects which rhyme. For example, toy cat and a hat, a block and a sock, a toy frog and dog, a toy car and a small star, a toy train and plane. Present two pairs at a time and ask your child to match the ones which rhyme. Once they are familiar with the game, present three items (a rhyming pair and one other item) and ask them to find the one which doesn’t rhyme.
This post was written by Christie Burnett.
Learning to listen attentively is important for both social interaction and academic success. Looking for opportunities to play simple listening games with your child will help to more finely attune their listening skills and develop auditory discrimination skills. Here are five simple games to play with your child;
1. Playing with Loud and Soft: Experiment with a drum or pot and spoon, first making loud sounds and then very quiet ones. Get progressively louder, then quiet again. Repeat with stamping feet on the floor and clapping hands.
2. What sound is that? Collect four or five different sounds (for example, paper to tear, a bell or maraca, two blocks to hit together, a spoon and mug to stir with, a pair of scissors). Make a sound with one object out of view of your child (under the table or behind a small box) and ask your child to guess what they just heard.
3. Playing around with rhyming words: Children love to listen to silly nursery rhymes which you can make by altering the rhyming words of familiar nursery rhymes. For example,
“Twinkle twinkle little bat,
How I wonder where you’re at”
or
“Baa baa black sheep
Have you any eggs?
No sir, no sir,
But I have some pegs.”
Younger children love ‘spotting’ the funny rhymes whilst older children (4 years+) will enjoy making the rhymes with you.
4. Where’s that sound? Choose one sound which is familiar to your child (for example, a drum or maraca), place a blindfold on your child and move around the room and make the sound, asking your child to point to where they hear the sound. Then let your child have a turn making the noise whilst you are blindfolded.
5. Matching rhyming words: An activity best suited to children aged 4 and up, collect a variety of toys and small objects which rhyme. For example, toy cat and a hat, a block and a sock, a toy frog and dog, a toy car and a small star, a toy train and plane. Present two pairs at a time and ask your child to match the ones which rhyme. Once they are familiar with the game, present three items (a rhyming pair and one other item) and ask them to find the one which doesn’t rhyme.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)