Every child learns at a
different pace, and learning how to read is as unpredictable as it is
important. But if you want to help your child prepare for this milestone – and
continue to grow as a new reader – you can help by building some early literary
skills now. After all, reading and understanding text aren’t the only skills
involved in reading, and they’re not the only ways for a child to experience
words and books. Pre-reading skills range from paying attention during reading
time to identifying letters and numbers, and all of them help us lay an
important foundation for literacy. Here are a few early
childhood literacy skills your preschooler can use before they start reading.
Grab your favorite book and get started today!
Looking
at Pictures & Identifying Items
Reading comprehension skills
are important because kids must learn to pay attention to the details and
meaning of a story. Luckily, this skill can be sharpened without even using
words. Select books with colorful, clear illustrations on every page and help
your child identify the most important elements. For example, your child may
start by distinguishing between different colors and animals, then progress to
picking out specific characters, settings, and other details.
Identifying
Letters, Numbers, & Punctuation Marks
Long before kids learn how to
interpret letters and words, they can tell different shapes and sizes apart.
Now is a great time to start focusing on the differences between different
letters and numbers, including their shape, size, and name. Start by reading
alphabet books that name and describe each letter, getting your child familiar
with the whole alphabet. As they learn more about the alphabet, pause during
story time and ask them to identify random letters or point out the differences
between capital and lower-case letters on the page.
Predicting
Patterns & Plots
As you read aloud to your
child, engage them in the action of the plot and encourage them to try
predicting what will happen next. This helps them pay attention to plots and
patterns, and it also inspires creativity and problem-solving skills by
allowing them to imagine the next page. This can be as simple as pausing during
story time and asking what one character should say to the next, or as complex
as drawing
Telling
Stories Themselves
Ultimately, reading is all
about following narratives. Because strong narrative skills are helpful as your
child learns to read, consider involving them in the storytelling process.
After reading a book together, ask them to retell the story – or tell a story
about something that happened to them. Reading repetitive books is a great
starting point, because kids can rely on a predictable pattern to help them
learn and retell a story. Even playing make-believe is a great way to build
storytelling skills, so give your kids an opportunity to get creative. At Montessori Children’s
House, we encourage our students to embrace and enjoy reading at their own
pace. Contact us to learn more about our preschool programs and see how Montessori education teaches students new skills that set the foundation for lifelong learning.
Although most of us don't
even think about it, our fine motor skills are used and tested on a daily
basis. Whether it's writing, drawing, typing, cutting, tying shoelaces, using a
fork and spoon, or buttoning your shirt – fine motor skills are essential for
nearly everything you do. So naturally, you want your
child to have highly developed fine motor skills they can rely on both inside
and outside of the classroom. Here are three tips to help your child develop
and hone their fine motor skills:
No.
1 – Understand the stages of development
If you want your child's fine
motor skills to improve, it's imperative to understand their current stage of
development. Depending on their age and progress, you'll want to explore and
complete activities that reflect those factors.
No.
2 – Customize the Activities
Finding out what kind of
activities your child gravitates towards is a really important part of
developing their fine motor skills. If you incorporate fine motor skills into
projects or hobbies they have already shown an interest in, it will be a
natural learning process rather than something that feels forced. Whether they
enjoy building stuff with Legos, creating a masterpiece with finger paints, or
playing with Barbie dolls – you can use it to help them build upon their
existing fine motor skills.
No.
3 – Stock up on supplies
It's a good idea to give your
child as many options as possible when they are developing their fine motor
skills. This way, you can see which activities they naturally gravitate towards. Here are some ideas to help
get you started: Supplies for Creative
Projects
Construction
paper
Finger
paints
Markers
(non-toxic and washable)
Crayons
Coloring
books
An Easel
Modeling
clay
Musical
instruments
Building Activities
Legos
Bristle
blocks
Construction
straws
Tinker
toys
Magnetic
blocks
Puzzles
General Supplies
Safety
scissors
Paintbrushes
Smock (to
prevent staining)
Paste/glue
Having a variety of supplies
on hand will give your child the resources they need to explore and develop
their own interests – all while improving their fine motor skills as they
continue to grow and learn.
Make
it Fun
Fine motor skills are
necessary for almost everything we do in life. Use the tips listed above to
ensure your child's development stays on track, making sure you are giving them
the encouragement and support they need to excel in the classroom and beyond. For preschoolers in particular, it's important focus on your child's fine motor skills both inside and outside of the classroom. The teachers and staff at the Montessori School of Flagstaff Sunnyside Campus use hands-on, interactive learning to further develop and fine tune students' fine motor skills. Contact us today to schedule a tour of our school and learn more about the Montessori Method.
Many elementary studentsstruggle
with learning fractions. But with the right information and know-how, you can
instill a love of numbers in your child that will help them succeed both inside
and outside of the classroom. That's why it's so important to take an
individual approach when trying to teach them how to calculate fractions.
Consider
Their Interests
If you can find the place
where your child's interests meet the world of mathematics, they will take to
these new concepts like a fish to water. You can find ways to explain
fractions using an activity they have already shown an interest in, and then a
seemingly complicated concept like fractions is instantly more familiar and
comfortable to them.
1.
Legos
Maybe your child loves to
create things with Legos. If so, you can use this existing interest to easily
explain how fractions work. Use the different colors of their Lego set to give
them a visual representation of a fraction. Then, have them draw and label the
fraction on a blank sheet of paper.
2.
Baseball
If your child has an interest
in America's favorite pastime, you can use it to teach them about fractions.
For instance, you can play a game of catch as a fun way to demonstrate a
real-life example of this skill. Throw the ball x amount of
times – keeping track of the number of times you catch and throw the ball on a
sheet of paper. After you're done, help your child write down the fraction that
represents how many times they caught it compared to how many times it was
thrown.
3.
Dominoes
If your family loves game
night – dominoes might be the perfect tool to teach your child about fractions.
Make up your own domino game to sneak in a math lesson with game night.
4.
Pizza
Who doesn't love a hot,
cheesy pizza? But you probably didn't realize how easily you can use it to
teach your kid about fractions. Next time you order a pie, count how many
slices there are and have your child figure out the fractions as it disappears
slice by slice.
5.
Smartphones
Put the "smart" in
smartphone by using it to help your child understand the concept of fractions.
There are a lot of great apps designed to make math both fun and easy for young
students, such as Squeebles.
Bottom
Denominator
Regardless of what subject
you're teaching your child, it's important to make it relevant to their
everyday experiences. Find something they already enjoy doing, then find a way
to teach them about fractions using their unique and pre-existing interests. Elementary students at the Montessori School of Pleasanton are encouraged to use everyday activities to enhance their learning. To learn how to incorporate specific Montessori activities into your home life,contact ustoday to schedule an appointment with our teachers and staff.
Learning
math skills is a progression of skills. In order to grasp the methods used for
addition and subtraction - the most basic of mathematics - the child has to
understand the relationship between numbers. Here are some games that can be
played with preschoolers, as they advance through the skill sets needed to do
simple math.
Counting on the Body
Children are born
with the tools necessary to do simple math: their fingers. These lessons can
begin in infancy, carrying through preschool and into kindergarten, becoming
more complicated as skills are mastered. Start with by holding up one finger
and saying the number. From there, progress to alternating between the child
telling you how many fingers, or holding
up fingers to match a number you name.
Number Recognition
While your child is
learning to count, you can teach number identification. Make up a set of 10
index cards, each with a number from 1 to 10 printed on it in a large size, and
a corresponding number of objects drawn on the back. When your child holds up a
specific number of fingers, you show her the picture or number which
corresponds. As their knowledge increases, you can simply use the homemade
flash cards.
Sorting By Properties
The next step is to
learn that similar
items can be grouped together. You can use anything for your sets of
objects, from clothes to toys or brightly colored pictures. Show your
preschooler how items of a particular color or shape look the same, and then
ask them to sort them. For example, separate the shoes from the socks.
Sorting By Quantity
Now that your child
has learned to separate items by identifying their properties, it is time to count
the items in a set. Start with one type of item, slowly adding one item and
counting the number of items. Next, sort the items into groups and count the
number of, for example, triangles. This teaches more complex counting skills,
as well as the concepts of groups, sets, and properties. For example, there are
3 types (groups) of items, and each group contains a set of 4 items, while each
item is a different color.
Addition and Subtraction
By recognizing
properties and groups, addition and subtraction have been introduced. If there
are zero triangles, and you add one, there is one triangle. If you add a second
triangle, there are two. If you then add a circle, you have three items. Ask
your preschooler which group has more items, and how many items.
With patience and
practice, your preschooler will be able to count items, associate the number of
items with the number that matches it, and be able to increase or decrease the
number of items or even entire sets. They have also learned that items of different
properties can be grouped into sets, and math can be performed on an entire set. The Montessori method believes in teaching children through hands-on, interactive learning activities, such as learning math using objects found at home. At Montessori Children's House, we work with our preschoolers and their families to further develop their skills both in and our of school. Contact us today to schedule a tour.
Staying healthy during the
cold weather season may require small changes to your daily routine. At this
time of year, paying close attention to your child’s individual needs will help
keep your elementary age student happy and healthy. Keeping Your Child Healthy
in Colder Weather Colder weather brings lots of
opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Keeping your elementary student healthy
during this time may require some extra effort. 1. Staying
Warm Children lose body heat
faster than adults. Keeping your child warm and comfortable is necessary to
avoid frostbite or hypothermia. When your child is outdoors, monitor the time.
Colder weather may require you to shorten outdoor times. Or you may need to
drive your child to school to avoid waiting outdoors for a bus, for example. Layer clothing items with
appropriate-sized coats, hats, gloves, and boots to help keep your child
healthy. Keep a close watch on the temperature schedule for the day or week. Changing
temperatures may necessitate different clothing choices. For example,
frigid temperatures may require extra sweaters or sweatshirts to help ward off
the cold. 2. Getting Enough
Rest According to the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine, elementary age children should get 9
to 12 hours of sleep. Getting enough rest helps your child stay healthy.
Setting a regular bedtime pattern sounds easy, but busy schedules often get in
the way of a good night's sleep. 3. Eating Healthy Eating healthy meals and
snacks provides the proper nutrition to fight off germs.
Encourage
healthy lunch or snack choices at school.
Minimize
fast food or takeout meals.
Prepare
well-balanced meals with food items from the recommended food groups.
Along with proper meals, staying
hydrated is necessary to stay healthy during the cold season. Encourage your
child to drink plenty of water, milk, or juice throughout the day. Avoid sugary
drinks or sodas with little nutritional value. Building up your child’s immune
system is critical for fighting off infections. 4.
Encourage Hand Washing Sitting next to a sick
classmate increases your child’s risk of being exposed to germs, viruses, and
other bacteria. Practicing proper hand washing techniques decreases the chance
of getting ill. Washing hands should occur:
Prior to
eating meals or snacks
After
using a restroom
After
sneezing, coughing, or wiping one's nose
5. Regular Checkups Make and keep regular doctor
appointments. Seeing a doctor provides you a chance to learn about any health
issues you may not notice. During the visit, you can address any of your
concerns regarding your child’s well-being. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor
if your child needs vitamins or other nutritional supplements to help stay
healthy during the colder weather. As a parent or guardian, you
know your child better than anyone. Keeping track of your elementary student's
daily needs will help you focus on specific areas. Getting plenty of sleep,
eating properly, and avoiding the spread of germs will help increase the
chances of your child staying healthy during the cold season. At the Montessori School of Pleasanton, we care about your elementary child as a whole, including their health. Contact us today to schedule a tour and meet with our elementary teachers and staff.
