One of the enjoyable parts of my job is that I occasionally get to go and see one of my little clients in their preschool setting and work with them there, observing how their language impacts their relationship with peers as well as play and academics.
Today I had the privilege of visiting Eva at her preschool. She immediately introduced me as Sherry to all of her fellow pretenders in “The Doctor’s Office.” Several medical coats were available to put on as well as implements to deliver shots, finger pricks, heart checks and blood pressure screenings. At one point I was covered with band aids as a child banged my knee with his hammer to perform his professional duties. The cutest part was that the “doctors” each had a kid-sized clipboard and after they executed their medical checks they “wrote down” what procedures they had used. What a great way to integrate writing and inventive spelling into fun pretend play! They added “finger prick,” “temperature” and “throw up” to their list after each duty or event. Watching them sound out the words and transcribe their actions was captivating.
You can set up this combination of creative play and letter learning at home. Brainstorm with your child possible play settings such as a pirate ship, grocery store, train station or beauty parlor. Most businesses involve money that can be printed with words, or tickets to get on the train. Help your child make these ahead or write them out as needed. Children learn best in their natural environment of play–rather than flashcards–because words have meaning in context. They learn that a word stands for something and is useful in their play scheme. Always have plenty of paper and pencils around their pretend play area and see how your children integrate the written word into their play naturally.
I visit many area preschools, sometimes doing therapy within a child’s school setting, just observing or giving in-service training to teachers and staff.
Last week I went to a preschool that was new to me. I was impressed with two things I wanted to share with you.
As I walked in the entry way, I was met with an inviting display of books, organized by author and then grouped by theme–holidays, seasons, events etc. A teacher could grab a section on Halloween or autumn, or get a good read-aloud from the selection. Kids could check out books to bring home. Does your child’s school have a lending library? If not, why not start one? Get the kids involved, donating books or finding families that have passed the preschool age and would be willing to donate gently used ones when they clean out.
When I got the classroom, I saw a parent seated with a child, writing in what I found out was his “journal.” Each 3 year-old had his own journal, a three ring binder, that collected his artwork, and pictures of him participating in various activities in the classroom. Parents volunteer to come in and annotate the journal, writing down the child’s description of their masterpieces and the photos that illustrate their day. What a great language builder–not only when the child provides the commentary, but also when an adult asks them to describe and tell about the photographs. The kids are building memory as well as language skills, reviewing what they did.
Let me know any other terrific ideas that are being done in your child’s preschool and I will share them here. Just post a comment and I will share it.
Here’s a simple, sweet Halloween story, Queen of Halloween by Mary Engelbreit, that can be used for the younger set to prepare them for that exciting but potentially scary night of trick or treating. Parents of children with special needs can select this book as a social story about a night out on the dark streets filled with costumed kids and adults might be like.
This simple but poignant story is of a fairy venturing out on Halloween night with her friend, the pirate at her side. Lots of relevant lessons like “Don’t be scared, it’s just pretend,” “grownups come along trick or treating” and “try to be brave” are illustrated through the story. The Engelbreit’s vintage inspired drawings give a warmth to a first outing among goblins and ghosts.
Use this book as a social story about a first Halloween experience. Walk you child through what happens and prepare them for the fun and fears of Halloween. Review what friends are going to dress up as and talk through the routine of ringing neighbors’ doorbells and saying “Trick or treat” as well as “thank you.” Talk about feelings. Why is Ann Estelle, the Queen, scared? What should she do? When do you get scared?
Predict the story’s outcomes. Pause at appropriate places and enjoy predicting with your child. You model a prediction first and make this an enjoyable activity. “I think Ann Estelle is going to go back to her dad and not stay at the dark house’s door. What do you think? Always praise any predictions. “Great prediction, let’s see what happens.” There is no right answer, the important thing is to be thinking ahead and proposing new endings to situations. This helps kids eventually create options in their own stories that they write.
An additional perk to this book is that you get an Ann Estelle paper doll at the end of the book so your child can re-enact the story or make up new adventures for her character.
If you are a fan of Mary Engelbreit, look for her latest book coming out mid-October called Mary Englelbreit’s Nursery Tales.
In Sunday’s New York Times there is a great article called “Bypassing the Roadblocks of Autism,” dealing with the challenges of traveling with a child with autism spectrum disorder.While most people look forward to a vacation with it’s new vistas, surroundings, food and routines, many families traveling with children with autism face a daunting task of providing some well-established routines to help their child feel secure. Long lines, masses of travelers, new schedules for eating and sleeping can throw off their child and make the trip less than relaxing.
This article chronicles different family’s experiences on cruises and at resorts where the destinations have made accommodations for children with autism. How exciting that after hotels and resorts began accommodating people with physical disabilities, that they are now tailoring travel experiences for people with autism. Families share their experiences of taking cruises on a Royal Caribbean liner (Autism on the Seas Liner) with special arrangements to bypass lines and large groups of people, eat together in a dining area and even participate in drop-off programs for the kids. Smuggler’s Notch Resort in Vermont has a program for children with special needs where kids are grouped according to development, so they can experience the greatest enjoyment out of the programs.
Check out the article online and the comments that parents are leaving–relating their own experiences of travel with an autistic child and even some good parent tips on easing the anxiety of travel. Kudos to the resorts and hotels who are going out of their way to educate themselves and their staff to provide a much needed vacation for these families!
Every parent is interested in finding the best preschool for their child. Within my neighboring towns I can think of such a variety of experiences for a preschooler. Some preschools have small classes with one teacher, some have larger classes with 2-3 teachers. Some are highly academic, others stress more play. Some have a curriculum based on nature or the arts, while others are more traditional in their learning units.
Matching your child’s needs with a preschool can be daunting, but I ran across a good article by The National Institute for Early Childhood Research with questions to ask a preschool to evaluate it’s quality: “The Top 10 Pre-K Questions: What Parents Need to Know About High Quality Preschool.” Do we really ask the hard questions of the place we are entrusting our child to? Observations are important so you can see if the school is a good fit for your child. One of the questions asks if the program assesses children for problems and if the staff is equipped to handle children with special needs.
So check out the list and take it along on preschool shopping!
I spoke to a wonderful group of new moms at Greenwich Hospital today, whose babies were between 6 weeks and 3 months. When I asked them if they were reading to their babies, all but one mom (slightly guilt-ridden, but determined to start reading tonight to her baby!) said they were reading books to their babies. Several mentioned Goodnight Moon as being one book that their child maintained interest in. The amazing thing about Goodnight Moon is that is includes all combinations of sounds in the English language so your baby is exposed to a variety of sounds in words.
One mom said her baby likes Fancy Nancy! Not your typical “baby book”, Fancy Nancy is a picture book designed for children from about 3-6 years of age. Fancy Nancy loves everything glittery and feathery and is trying to convince her family, who has quite plain taste, to come over to the fancy side. The fact that this mom’s little two-month-old girl likes listening to an older picture book shows that exposing your baby to good literature can be fruitful. I like my moms to think outside the box. Certainly read bright, board books designed for babies to your child, but try an engaging longer story with exciting illustrations, and see if your baby will sit for part or the entire story.
Here are some questions that came up today:
· Is it okay that I am reading Dr. Seuss to my baby when some of the words make no sense and are made up words?
Sure, Dr. Seuss books were originally designed to be used for first readers, using a controlled number of words so a child could master them. The beat, rhythm, rhyme and whimsy in these books attract a child’s attention and surely entertain the adult reading them (which is a factor not to be ignored!).
Reading a few Dr. Seuss books as part of your book repertoire is fine. Children are attracted to silly sounding words like “sneetches” and “Zax”and it shows them that listening and language are fun.
· How can I read to my baby and hold him at the same time?
· One mother shared that she reads to her baby every time she nurses him, using her free hand to hold the book. He is hearing the story but not seeing the pictures. Another mom shared that she sits down leaning back on the bed or a support and sits her baby in her lap facing out and looking at the book. I walked in on my son while he was reading to his son, lying on the floor, with the baby belly up on his stomach holding the book in front of his face. Little Will had the advantage of hearing the story from his dad’s mouth as well as through his body! I also offered the suggestion of laying your baby in her seat, sitting in front of her, holding the book, so she can see your face as well as the book as you read. Today some of the babies went back and forth between looking at the pictures on the page and my face as I read Peek-a-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti.
· Sometimes there are only a few words on the page so I just make up a story and don’t read the words. Is that okay?
Absolutely. As long as you are having an enjoyable experience with the book and feeding language to your baby it is beneficial. Certainly over time, babies love the repetition of a few books, giving them security, knowing what comes next. But, your child might like the illustrations on a certain page so you can linger and add more language to that page. Remember, this is to be a loving, positive experience so keep going as long as your child is interested and stop when his interest wanes.
· My aunt gave my baby some old storybooks that I enjoyed as a child. Is it okay to read her these older stories like “Little Red Riding Hood”?
There is a generational benefit to reading stories that you enjoyed as a child and probably gives great pleasure to aunts and grandparents as they share stories linked to sweet memories of with their own children, now proud parents! This same effect can be seen with reading nursery rhymes. Although I am not a huge fan of some collections which include “cutting off their tail with a carving knife”, Parenting Magazine just did a review of a new collection minus these “creepy” old rhymes that is collected by Iona Ople and illustrated by one of my favorite children’s authors, Rosemary Wells, called Mother Goose’s Little Treasures.
I can’t believe it is September and already parents have to think about where to enroll their child for preschool next fall. I was reminded of this yesterday when I had a wonderful reunion with a family I had worked with. This mom was sharing her experience of observing a possible preschool for her three-year-old. She got to the appointment early with her husband who suggested they wait in the car. She told him no, this was a great opportunity to observe what goes on at the playground. She watched the children file in after playtime and several children were crying. Now it is the beginning of the school year, but no one was comforting these children. Then when she went inside, it was obvious that this school was very structured and stressed academics. The children listened to a phonics tape in preparation for their lesson. This perceptive mom said to me, “If I am going to pay this much money for preschool, I want a person talking to my child, not a tape!” I had told her many times as I worked with her child that children learn through experience, not rote activities that aren’t meaningful to them.
Her husband was impressed with the stress on academics but she was not. She knows that Ben is learning numbers when she counts the steps he goes up or counts the stickers he gets when he goes potty. She carefully explains that he has three stickers and he needs two more to fill the boxes on his chart before he gets a prize. Gosh, that sounds like addition with meaning! Good for her.
She felt the absence of creative play and the flexibility to imagine. There is such pressure these days to have our children learn their letters, numbers and concepts earlier and earlier at the expense of free play. Countless studies show that creative, imaginative play leads to learners, great storytellers and interested readers. Look for a fun environment with props to create.
I have observed many preschools and on my first visit to one of my favorites, I walked into the room and couldn’t find the teacher! Then I realized that she was dressed up in a long skirt and boa, beads and a hat and was part of the play. She was so engaged with the kids (and on the small side I might add) that I missed her!
Look for engaged teachers that use every opportunity to share, explain and encourage. This may sound obvious but I was visiting a preschool recently and when it was snack time the teachers sat outside the kids circle and ate their snacks. Snack time is such a social opportunity to discuss wants, needs, exciting happenings in their lives and so on. These are all language lessons that expand on your child’s conversational skills.
Sometimes parents share with me that they don’t know how to pick a preschool for their child. I always say that when you visit you will know what fits your son or daughter. Some children thrive with lots of kids and several teachers. Others need a smaller group and one teacher. Some classes are more structured, others a little “looser” which fits certain kids’ needs. You will know which school is best for your child. Fast forward a few years and it is like choosing the right college. They will step on campus and say, “No way” or “This is it!”
Okay, this weekend I encountered two moms who were a little anxious about sending their first child off to preschool. Ironically, one mom was worried because her son would be the oldest in the class and the other mom was concerned about the opposite—that her child would be the youngest.
As parents, we all want our children to have the best advantage educationally and that can start with preschool. Many want their child to be one of the younger ones in the class to glean all that knowledge from the older kids (we’re talking months here!) and others think their “older” child will be the leader. In fact, both can be true but age isn’t everything. Language skills vary among two and three-year-olds and contribute to the mix. Children who aren’t talking as much will find that they have to communicate to get their needs met. As parents, we often anticipate their needs, handing them their juice or a snack before they even ask. Not so at school. On the other hand, those children with stronger language skills will develop a confidence at being able to direct pretend play or participate in interactive story time.
The important thing is to give your child time to adapt to the class and then assess. If she is still way behind the skills of the other children in the class or way ahead, you might want to meet with the teacher and make an adjustment. Children react when they are bored or in way over their heads.
