Discussions

Picture books are unique in that they blend stories with art. When choosing a picture book, look for a book with a great story, as well as beautiful, eye-catching illustrations. Great illustrations are important because they not only help tell the story, they draw children in and help bring the book to life. Preschoolers love picture books that are engaging, for example, “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and “Press Here” by Herve Tullet encourage children to use their imagination. Books that involve objects, people and situations preschools can relate to like “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson or “Beautiful Oops!” are also great choices.

Acquiring sight words is an important part of learning how to read. By the end of kindergarten, most children are able to identify approximately 50 sight words. There are many fun ways to help your child learn sight words. For example, word hunts can be a fun way to encourage your child to find sight words in a favorite book, magazine, or road signs. You can also make practicing sight words fun by writing them in unexpected materials such as shaving cream, sand, raisins, beans, chalk, or magnetic letters. Another great way to help children learn sight words is simply incorporate reading and writing into the everyday fun activities that you share. For example, ask your child to help your write a grocery list, or help you read the recipe when you bake together.

Holding a pencil correctly can help avoid fatigue and cramping that can make writing difficult. Have your child rest the forearm in a neutral position on a flat writing surface. The hand should rest on the little finger allowing the wrist to move freely. The thumb needs to be in a position where it can provide resistance to the fingers, so the thumb and three or four fingers need to create a rounded, open space between them while holding the pencil. While writing, have your child keep the left elbow close to the body with the left wrist straight and flat against the desk. If your child is left-handed, encourage him or her to hold the pencil slightly higher in order to see over or around the hand. Keep in mind that smaller writing tools promote proper grip since they are not too long or heavy for little hands.

If your child already easily recognizes squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles, he may be interested in learning about other 2-dimensional shapes and some basic 3-dimensional shapes. Your child may be excited to learn that a shape with 5 sides is called a “pentagon” and a 6-sided shape is called a “hexagon”. In addition to flat, 2-dimensional shapes, you could introduce your child to the names of some 3D shapes such as spheres, cubes, cylinders, and cones.

It is wonderful that you want to help your child have a more positive experience with mathematics than you had. To do this, it’s important to avoid telling your child that you were not “good at math” because your child may begin to believe that mathematics success is related to an innate talent, rather than practice and perseverance. When people believe that mathematics success comes from innate ability, they are more likely to give up when they encounter a challenging mathematics problem because they believe they just don’t have the ability to solve the problem. Children who believe that success comes from hard work are more likely to try their best to solve a difficult problem and to learn from the challenge. To help your child stay confident, encourage him/her to work hard to solve challenging problems, and praise the effort rather than using praise that emphasizes ability.

Skip counting is a skill that can help children become more confident in mathematical problem solving and in daily tasks such as counting money. Children often begin by skip counting by tens: 0, 10, 20, 30, and so on. In many classrooms, children learn to skip count while looking at a 100 chart. A 100 chart shows the numbers 1 to 100 in ten rows of ten. You can print a 100 chart, then help your child count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 on the chart, coloring every tenth square until all of the multiples of 10 have been colored. Your child can then practice counting by tens by looking at the chart they have colored. Not only will your child get practice in skip counting, he/she is also likely to see that multiples of ten follow a particular pattern.

All parents want the best for their children and hope to give them a head start on intellectual development. For the most part, the best thing a parent can do for an infant or toddler is to provide a warm, loving environment so that the child feels confident to explore. Proper nutrition is also essential for health and early brain development, so make sure to discuss dietary guidelines with your physician. Beyond love and good food, parents can read to their children every day. Literacy is a foundation skill that enables people to learn anything throughout life, and reading from day 1 builds that foundation. Provide plenty of opportunities for safe, multi-sensory exploration so that toddlers can see, touch, feel, hear and taste their environment and stimulate their thinking and processing skills. Research into the effects of learning another language and making (not just listening to) music have also shown promising effects on the brain. Ultimately, every child will show his or her own interests and aptitudes—it's the parents' job to provide opportunities for growth.

Cleaning up can be fun when it’s a shared experience, when it’s accompanied by a song (“Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere…”), and when there’s a goal in mind. Make the clean-up process a fun activity by incorporating a challenge, such as trying to fit all the toys into a specific basket, or attempting to clean up all the blocks before a song ends. Ensure that the task is not overwhelming, and that your toddler knows exactly what you expect of him or her. Establish a routine of cleaning up between activities rather than at the end of the day, so that there are not too many items to clean at a time when you and your child might be tired. Finally, seize opportunities while you’re cleaning up toys to discuss how much fun you had with the toys, what you might play with next, and what you learned together through play.

Scientific thinking is based on things that children naturally have in abundance—curiosity, energy, and playfulness! While it may sound too easy to be true, a great way to develop scientific thinking is to let children explore and play. As children explore the everyday world, ask questions, and start developing theories about how the world works, they are well on their way to thinking like a scientist. And, research shows that it is extremely important that children have early exposure to scientific thinking. According to science education professor Robert Tai, “most young people’s science aspirations and views of science are formed during the primary years and have solidified by the age of 14, by which point the idea of science as ‘not for me’ becomes very difficult to change.” We can change that dire path by capitalizing on children’s fascination with the everyday world.

As parents, it can be uncomfortable when your child asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to! Rather than make something up, it’s okay to let your child know that adults don’t always have all the answers. Admitting you are unsure teaches your child that is okay to be honest when you don’t know the answer to a question. It is also a wonderful opportunity to show your child how to use different resources to find the answer to his/her scientific question – the library, the Internet, a visit to the science museum, conducting your own science experiment. If you don’t have time at the moment to help your child find the answer to his question, write it down in a special place so the two of you will remember to make a time to research an answer. Another fun idea is to keep a log of the questions and answers you explore together!

One of the best ways to encourage children’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is to provide them with plenty of opportunities to play, because it is through play that children learn to be thinkers, builders, and inventors. Look for toys that encourage important scientific skills such as creativity (e.g., Lego, Goldie Blox), exploration (e.g., bug catcher, binoculars), observation (e.g., “I Spy” books and games), and flexible thinking (e.g., the cooperative game “Obstacles” by Eeboo). LeapFrog apps such as The Human Body: Captain Plasma's Adventure, Sesame Street: Falling Leaves, and Dinosaur Train: A-Z will help fuel their curiosity. When you play with your child, ask questions about cause-and-effect, discuss possible outcomes, brainstorm alternative solutions, make predictions, and talk about how there are different ways to achieve the same outcome. Doing so will encourage your “little scientist” to engage in similar scientific thinking throughout the day as they explore and learn about the world around them.

Geoliteracy is a hot topic these days. A basic understanding about the different parts of the world and the diversity of people and cultures are important foundation for the future. Children at this age are just moving out of a very self-centered view of the world, and are just getting a sense that there are more beyond their immediate environment. Many times, children do not get much exposure to culture and people at school, in the media, or at home. It is important to create a home culture and an open dialogue about different people and places around the world. Special events at the local communities that celebrate various culture holidays are good exposures to different cultures, and they make good experiences to reflect on and discuss as a family. What are the similarities and differences? Another important aspect is to, wherever appropriate, participate in cultural activities rather than just observing them. Then finally, use these experiences as sparking points to talk about the world at large.

There are a number of ways to encourage your child’s interest in history. Make history relatable by sharing your own family history with your child. Share fun memories of the people and places in your childhood, and encourage your child to talk about his/her favorite memories as well. Read about people and events that have made a difference in the world, and let your child know that these people were just like him/her. Try picking a moment in history, and take your child to library to find books and other materials that are age-appropriate for your child. Another fun idea it is to take your child to a history museum so they can see how things used to be and learn how things have changed over time.

Thanksgiving is about more than turkey! It can be a wonderful opportunity to talk to your child about the history of Thanksgiving, as well as the importance of being grateful. It is also a great time to teach your child about your own Thanksgiving traditions. When choosing a book, be sure to read through it carefully to ensure that the story is age-appropriate for your child. There are many wonderful books about this important holiday, but “How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story” by Eve Bunting is a great book to teach your child about the first Thanksgiving. If you prefer a book that focuses less on the story of Thanksgiving and more on the importance of giving thanks, “Thanksgiving Bowl” by Virginia L Kroll is a fun, heart-warming story that may even spark a new family tradition!

The best way to encourage creativity in young children is to provide them with lots of opportunities to be creative. Give children lots of different experiences (visiting farms, looking at art, talking with relatives, listening to music) from which they may pull ideas. Provide materials and time for open-ended exploration, such as free painting time or scarves and props for pretend play, alongside more structured crafts and activities. When children do express their creative side, notice the process and ask questions, rather than placing a value judgment on the work. Instead of saying, "This is a great drawing," try: "Tell me about this drawing. I noticed you used a lot of red, why did you choose that color? I notice you have been very focused on this, what caught your interest?" Show you value creativity by leaving room in your schedule for unstructured artistic, musical, and pretend play—do not feel you need to jump in with suggestions and structure if your child is happily creating!

Pretend and imaginative play are crucial to a child's development. Research shows clear benefits of children's engagement in imaginative play, especially between the ages two and seven years. Pretend play encompass a host of cognitive and creative activities such as make-believe, storytelling, acting, divergent thinking and the use of pretend objects or symbols. Just as importantly, pretend play exercises a key developmental milestone that researchers call "theory of mind," an awareness that one's thought may differ from those of other people's. You may hear a child saying explicitly, "Let's pretend" or "Let's play house." This signifies that the child is aware that others are not "in the know" of a child's fantasy and that communication is needed to make it a shared play experience. From a psychological perspective, pretend and imaginative play are ways for children to act out events they observed or issues they are dealing with that can't be easily verbalized. One way to support children's imaginative play is to provide lots of open-ended materials in the home so they can adapt them for different pretend scenarios. Don't shy away from participating along or even ocassionally taking center stage of the pretend narrative. Monitor the themes of pretense or imagination over time, and make suggestions to broaden the types of narratives that your child might be interested in. At times it might be useful to debrief when the theme becomes too sensitive or inappropriate.

Older children and adolescents may enjoy the ghoulish aspects of Halloween, but your toddler may find them frightening. Young children may prefer celebrations and traditions that emphasize the harvest season such as a visit to a pumpkin farm with corn mazes or hay rides.

Crying is a baby's way of communicating. Responding to your baby's cries builds trust and a sense of cause and effect. Responding to a baby's nighttime cries is an important part of parenting, but so is sleep. Parents should also keep in mind that "sleeping through the night" for an infant means a five-hour block of sleep, not the eight hours most adults need and want. If your older infant still wakes more than one or two times a night, speak with your pediatrician to rule out medical causes. If there are no medical issues, try gradually reducing the amount of interaction during night wakings. For example, go from holding and rocking to patting baby in the crib and eventually to just shushing while standing next to the crib. If possible, try to get another trusted adult, like your spouse or parent, involved so you can get some more rest.

As toddlers become more aware of the world around them, they may develop fears. Understand that this is a perfectly normal response given your child's limited range of experiences and ability to express emotions. First, acknowledge your child's fears. Then, reassure your child that you will keep him or her safe ("Mommy will hold you until we know if the dog is friendly.") Prepare your child as much as possible ("We are visiting a friend who has a friendly cat, but the cat will stay in the basement" or "We are visiting a park with dogs today, but they will be on leashes.") Find comfortable ways to increase your child's exposure to and tolerance of animals or whatever is causing the reaction. Discuss rules for safety, such as always asking before petting an animal, allowing the animal to smell your hand, petting only in certain places (usually the top of the head or the back). Practice with a favorite plush animal. Read funny stories about animals, visit animals that are in enclosures at zoos or farms, and work your way up to visiting with more mellow pets. Do not force the issue and be reassured that most children will grow out of their fears as they get old enough to better understand them.

Becoming a parent often means rearranging priorities, but it does not mean having to completely lose your sense of self. You may not be able to enjoy all the activities you did before you had kids but it is important to preserve one or two things that give you a creative outlet and boost your own self-esteem. Volunteering is a wonderful way to get involved in your community, use your talents and meet others. However, parents who are the primary caretaker of a young child may have difficulty finding volunteer opportunities. Fortunately, there are ways to bring children along to volunteer activities and set a great example. Outdoor clean-ups or plant-ins give kids fresh air while you beautify the community. Some opportunities can be done from home. Invite over friends and stuff baskets for a food pantry—your toddler can even pitch in. Team up with other volunteers so you can take turns doing the heavy lifting and keeping an eye on the kids. Try to find kid-friendly activities that parallel your work. If you are preparing care packages for deployed soldiers, ask kids to decorate the inside of the box with crayons and stickers. With a little creativity, you can still volunteer and even encourage your kids to do the same.