When I am pondering something, there are questions I ask myself in order to find an answer: • What • Why • How These questions work well when thinking about quality in early childhood education and care settings. Quality settings are key in helping children be ready for school. What does ‘setting the stage for [...]
This is the first of a 2-part series. It seems that parents, caregivers, and the community-at-large are often confronted with the idea of ‘school readiness’ and how important it is for our children. Many State’s education departments have dedicated substantial time, effort and money to support school readiness in early childhood so that children are [...]
Positive self-esteem ….. Membership in a group or community ….. Successful communication skills ….. Celebrating and inviting diversity ….. These are all components to develop Positive Personal Power. This Early Learning Success Unit of Study is an introduction to the development of Positive Personal Power. Children and adults that are able to develop, recognize and [...]
Infants and toddlers are constant motion – touching, smelling, tasting almost everything thing they see! They are learning about the world through their senses and sensory play. Often, infants and toddlers ‘experience their world’ through art materials but we don’t think of them as ‘creating’. Offering infants and toddlers a variety of different materials to [...]
Early childhood educators spend critical time with the children in their care and program. Being intentional and purposeful in the learning activities and experiences should support all areas of development. Although this article was intended for parents of young children, there are good tips for all who interact with young children. Research on early brain [...]
The research is pretty clear and consistent about how brain development impacts children in their early years. The following article excerpt from the University of Maine, Extension office provides information on how the brain develops AND guidelines for the care of young children to promote healthy brain development and school readiness. Children and Brain Development: [...]
When educators talk about ‘approaches to learning’, they are referring to the attitudes, behaviors and learning styles children (and adults) use in social situations, in acquiring information and knowledge, and being flexible and resilient when confronted with change or conflict. Your child’s approach to learning is greatly impacted by their temperament. What is temperament? Temperament [...]
Early learning standards look at what a child should know or be able to do based on common development domains. One of the domains is ‘Approaches to Learning’. When educators talk about ‘approaches to learning’, they are referring to the attitudes, behaviors and learning styles children (and adults) use in social situations, in acquiring information [...]
Stacking blocks…. Eating with a fork and spoon…. Putting on socks…. Brushing teeth or hair.... These are all accomplishments that use fine motor skills and are an important part of your child’s development and school readiness. Fine motor abilities allow for increasing independence by being able to open doors, zip and button clothes, self-toilet and [...]
Rip, Snip, Cut – Heling young children develop scissor skills Yes, preschoolers, and toddlers with close supervision, should be using a scissors! Helping children to become independent means helping them master skills and safety rules for using many different tools. This is a key piece of development for school readiness and success, as well as [...]
