Learning..
every day….
have I mentioned
I LOVE children
and I LOVE teaching
and I especially LOVE
teaching MY children
recently on a few separate occasions
I have been asked questions
in regards to children and their intellectual development
“Where do I start?”
“What curriculum is best?”
“Do I need a curriculum?
Let me begin by saying
I am BY NO MEANS an EXPERT
on the subject
of teaching
in particularly
teaching very YOUNG children
(my certification is K-6)
and FYI
my suggestions and/or ideas
(to the best of my knowledge)
have not been RESEARCHED
they are quite simply things
I have learned along the way
and/or have seen work
in my classroom
over the last decade or so
also note:
BY NO MEANS
is this a CONCLUSIVE list
there are BAZILLIONS
of teaching tools and resources available
these are just
SOME VERY BASIC tools
I am currently using
at home
with our four year old rascal
(resources used with our 6YO rascal will be posted at a later date)
that being said.
Let’s begin with….
BOOKS!
IF YOU DON’T HEAR
A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G
ELSE
HEAR THIS!!!!!!!
READ A BOOK TO YOUR CHILD EVERY DAY!
EVERY
SINGLE
DAY
there are SOOOO many benefits to
READING TO YOUR CHILD
(NOTE TO SELF: future post=
“the MANY BENEFITS of READING TO YOUR CHILD”)
I PROMISE!! their teacher WILL THANK YOU!step down from your soap box Mrs S..
now onto….
THE ALPHABET:
the Alphabet song
is as old as Methuselah
but it works
because kids LOVE and NEED music
so
WE SING
and WE SING A LOT
I have found that it also helps to TOUCH the letters
as you sing along
to help your little one
make the connection
between the song they are singing
and the letters they are singing about
another classic tool:
magnetic letters
my youngest rascal is four
and is in the process of learning
letter sounds
letter names
and has started basic blending
of initial consonants and a short vowel
(ex. mo, ro, sa, ect..)
we began with the vowels
listening to and learning
the short sound and a cue word for each
next
we began working on
putting letters in ABC order
the first day of this activity
I started with: A, B, C and D
presenting the letters out of order
having him identify the letter name
(assisting as needed)
placing the letters in correct order
adding a few letters a day
(too many at one time
can be overwhelming and frustrating-if you sense your child is frustrated-back up and/or break the task into smaller tasks)
Some other helpful tools
to reiterate these early literacy concepts
puzzles
flashcards
DVDs
and a variety of electronic learning toys
(this one ages me just a wee little bit)
 |
| anyone remember these? |
next
HANDWRITING:
(oh me….I was a stickler! for nice handwriting)
I have since learned and
found particularly with young children
it’s best to
stay in the FUN ZONE!
when practicing handwriting….
write in shaving cream
use a Magna Doodle
write in sand
finger paint
window markers
Dawn or similar detergent in a Ziploc bag
with the air squished out
are just a few FUN ways to practice
writing letters
and then
as they mature
in my opinion
it’s hard to beat
basic handwriting paper and a yellow marker
teaching to TRACE FIRST
and then allow
independent practice
and finally
NUMBERS and/or NUMBER SENSE:
we count EVERYTHING!
(practice makes perfect right!)
we count and then we match
the written number to the object(s)
or we count and then we write the number
his current FAVORITE:
we play together
he rolls
I roll
he decides
if the number and object(s) match
it’s FUN!
and isn’t that
what learning SHOULD BE
(or at least disguised as…)
FUN!
LEARNING IS…
CAN BE…
and SHOULD BE…
FUN right?
PS…ONE more “classic” that as far as I am concerned no classroom is complete without……
 |
| some things ..just can’t be perfected |