Including children in household chores gives them hands-on learning through routine tasks while they share the family work load and learn responsibility.
Chores help children develop eye-hand coordination, organize sequences, understand how parts make up the whole and learn to solve problems. Children learn best through natural life experiences like chores that they can relate to and interact with. Everyday tasks can be an enjoyable way to spend quality time with your child. And it’s a better way to help your child prepare for school than memorization or worksheets on numbers, letters or words.
A few general rules in teaching self-help skills:
• Don’t do things for children that they can do by themselves. At the same time, have reasonable expectations and provide patient guidance. Children learn to be responsible in small steps. First, children need to observe parents doing the task. Next, allow the child to help with a job. Then, observe him while he carries out the job.
• Make it fun. Make a game out of getting dressed or picking up toys. Try the Mary Poppins Principle: 10-minute Panic Pick-up. Set a timer, on the mark, get set, go. Chores can almost be fun as you race the time.
• Give real but limited choices. Because children are into power, testing and refusals may be less of a power struggle when you give children certain kinds of choices. The wording of the choice is important. “Would you like to put the napkins or the forks on the table?”
• Give specific praise. Praise that is specific to the task is most effective. “Look! All the books are back on the shelves, the clothes are in the hamper and the bed is made. That’s what I call a clean room.”
• Use reason. When children are told why they should or should not do something, it becomes a learning situation. A statement such as, “Let’s pick up the Legos so they don’t get broken” is more reasonable and likely to get a positive response than, “Pick up this mess.”
• Help your child focus his/her attention on the job. For the child with a messy room, you may have greater success by directing the child’s attention to the job, forewarning that, “In a few minutes it will be time to clean up the toys.”
• Think of common tasks: dress self, brush teeth, pick up belongings, put dirty clothes away, hang up clean clothes, make bed, wipe spills, set table, fix simple snacks, wash dishes, carry boxed or canned goods from the grocery sacks to reachable storage shelf, help feed pets, sort laundry, measure ingredients.
• Think of the variety of skills to be learned. Home can be an important learning environment. Use it!
— Source: NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture
and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
In her contribution, “Conveying Genuine Interest in What Children Think and Do,” in the July/August issue of Exchange, Diane Trister Dodge from Teaching Strategies LLC, observes… ”From birth, young children are learning about the world around them and attempting to make sense of what they see and experience. They need adults who first and foremost protect, love, and meet their basic needs, and who are genuinely interested in what they think and do. What makes working and living with children so fascinating and rewarding is our ability to delight in the everyday discoveries that enchant a child: to listen, probe, reflect on, and stand back or respond in ways that show them their ideas and interests matter to us.
“Watch a scientist at work as a toddler places an acorn on a slide, runs to retrieve it, and repeats the experiment over and over. Find out what is behind the thinking of a preschooler who groups a pig with a cup in a classification task. When she replies, ‘Well, I’m not really sure if a pig gives milk, but if it does, it needs a cup to put it in,’ you have a starting point to help her extend her knowledge. The more we convey our genuine interest, the more likely children are to share what they think and to become confident, creative thinkers.”
“The strength of your friendships is as critical for your health as the lifestyle choices you make,” writes Elizabeth Svoboda in “Lessons for Living” in Psychology Today (September 2012). Her insight has implications — both for adults, as well as the children we care for. Svoboda contends: ”We’ve all heard the usual advice for living longer: exercise more, quit smoking, limit junk food. But nurturing your relationships plays an important role as well. Supportive friendships may do as much to promote your physical well-being as a top-notch diet and workout regime. ‘The higher the quantity and quality of your relationships, the longer you live,’ says Bert Uchino, a psychologist at the University of Utah…. ”Researchers speculate that the stress associated with low social support sets off a cascade of damaging reactions within the body, including cardiovascular dysfunction and weakened immune resistance.”
We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.
James Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, (September 2012; workandfamilylife.com), shares research results about the impact of screen time on preschool children:
More than two hours daily of screen time also increases the odds that kids will be overweight. They are exposed to a barrage of ads for high-caloric, sugary foods — and when they are sitting in front of a screen, they are not running, jumping, and moving around.
From Lilian Katz, a noted Early Childhood Educator: “I think the great struggle of our time – and no doubt for generations to come – is the struggle for equality. But we might ask: equality of what? People are not equally tall or musical or mathematical or athletic or beautiful; but they are equally human! They are equally human in the sense that they all have hopes, and dreams, and wishes and fantasies and aspirations and fears and doubts. They all want to be treated with respect and dignity and want to feel loved by someone. In these ways it seems to me, all of the world’s people have much more in common than they have apart!”
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
Watching children grow, develop and discover the way the world works is always amazing and keeps anyone who pays attention young at heart; so I thought I would share some research with you that can ease your mind about “teaching your child and getting them ready for kindergarten:”
“New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire,” writes Alison Gopnik in her Slate article, “Why Preschool Shouldn’t Be Like School.” In the article, which summarizes the findings of two recent studies, Gopnik observes… ”Ours is an age of pedagogy. Anxious parents instruct their children more and more, at younger and younger ages, until they’re reading books to babies in the womb. They pressure teachers to make kindergartens and nurseries more like schools. So does the law — the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act explicitly urged more direct instruction in federally-funded preschools…. ”As so often happens in science, two studies from different labs, using different techniques, have simultaneously produced strikingly similar results. They provide scientific support for the intuitions many teachers have had all along: Direct instruction really can limit young children’s learning. Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific — this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected conclusions.”
What will you do today that will matter tomorrow?
Giftedness is more than developing skills faster or going through the developmental milestones earlier. Young gifted children are intensely curious, produce a constant stream of questions, learn quickly and remember easily, and think about the world differently than their age-mates. Their intense curiosity may get them into trouble particularly when they try to figure out how something works. They may have a super-high energy level and yet be highly sensitive and perfectionistic. Young gifted children are at risk for boredom, frustration, and depression. Recognizing giftedness is important because to thrive giftedness needs nurturing.
“Being present means quieting your static. You allow yourself to be fully in the moment.” This advice comes from Amy Dombro, Judy Jablon, and Charlotte Stetson, in their book, Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children to Extend Their Learning. They continue: ”You are focused not on what you were doing a second ago or what you need to do tomorrow. You’re thinking only about the now. When you quiet the static, you let go of feelings that may interfere with clear thinking. Are you still aggravated about what happened at breakfast that morning? Are you worried about the parent conference later today? How you’re feeling affects what you will say and do in an interaction. Remember, what you say and do as you interact affects how children feel about themselves and about learning. Clearing your mind of static allows you to focus on the child and give him your full attention. You’re more in control of your words and your actions.”
You may not realize how much time you have to focus intently on your child until you learn to quiet the static, every time you help them put on their shoes or socks, buckle them in their car seat, comb their hair or help them brush their teeth. These every day activities can be a powerful relationship builder, and opportunities to connect on many different subjects, IF you quit talking to the other child or worrying about being late to work, looking at your watch and saying hurry up. (it won’t help anyway) from the personal experience of raising 5 children, it works, you laugh more, and your child talks more; but you cannot multi task when you are focusing on your child, you have to let some of that static go. No one can do it all. – Joyce
Watch children at play and you might suddenly realize that they are not just frivolously wasting time or mucking about,” notes Paul Bailey in his book, Think of an Elephant (London: Watkins Publishing, 2007). “Child’s play is deep learning: a self-directed state of deep connectedness and personal engagement. It is also an enthusiastic and absorbing state of relaxed attention — healthy qualities often missing from adult life. Play is a creative learning exchange between mind, body, and circumstance into one integrated and healthy whole. Awash with symbols and mental imagery, children at play are learning in a way that can be wildly creative, insightful, and visionary…. ”Research shows that the more animals play, the bigger their brains grow. Moreover, brain imaging techniques show that social play seems to rewire our brain, increasing the activity of connections between our brain cells. Play also helps develop our logical reasoning, our ability to learn, and our behavioral flexibility.”
From Nancy Carlsson-Paige Ed.D., Lesley University: “When we watch children play, we understand how central play is to healthy development — to children’s emotional, social, and cognitive health and learning. Through play and hands-on activity, children build ideas and relationships that become the foundation for success in school and life. Today’s overemphasis in schools across the country on standards and testing is pushing down to younger children and resulting in more and more direct instruction at the expense of play and active learning.”
“Historically, play has been viewed as a frivolous break from important endeavors like working and learning when, in fact, a child’s ability to fully and freely engage in play is essential to their learning, productivity, and overall development,” observe Steve Gross and Rebecca Cornelli Sanderson in their article, “Play is the Way,” in the Beginnings section of the September/October 2012 Exchange magazine. They continue: ”A natural drive to play is universal across all young mammals. Children from every society on earth spend time playing. Why? Because play is a crucial vehicle for exploring and learning, developing new skills, and connecting with others. From an infant’s first smile to a preschooler’s careful construction of a tower, children use play to engage with and learn about their world. Play has key neurological, cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological benefits for children’s health. Most importantly, play is the way in which children form loving, trusting relationships.
“The importance of playing in appropriate environments is ever more significant in a society where children are pressured by expectations into assuming the roles of adults at an increasingly young age. We can see this happening when children prefer clothes and electronic objects to simple and collective toys and games. … Nowadays children generally play less than in the past; they don’t play as many street games, and they are no longer capable of producing their own toys. “We also see this phenomenon in the increasing amount of restrictions to children’s playing environments, and the lack of spaces where children can be without having to share the space with an infinity of other things. “For these reasons it is important to develop activities and spaces that promote spontaneous fun and games, offering the natural joy of freedom, involving children and helping them to grow.” —from Early Learning Matters 2010
Children will not remember you for the material things you provided, but for the feeling that you cherished them.
Did you know Nurtury teachers and Miss Joyce have a combined 78 years of service to the Nurtury, and have worked an average of 9.75 years here?
What does this mean for children??
Consistency and continuity of care, and teachers who really know the children they teach. Teachers who are well paid, valued, and appreciated, stay at their jobs much longer. Early childhood has one of the highest turnover rates for employment in the education field, generally due to low pay, lack of benefits, and high stress/job burnout. Teachers at the Nurtury are well educated, and have far more than the state requirements for preschool teachers. They do receive a competitive wage, medical benefits, and liberal vacation/paid leave time. In the end, the benefits truly extend to the children. Our staff love what they do, and in turn our children reap the reward.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
