The Mom I Want to Be

 

How to inspire curiosity, creative thinking, and joy along your child’s path to greater knowledge

 

I remember thinking during my first year as a teacher that I had to be “teaching” all the time — that, in fact, I had to teach children how to learn. Through my preschoolers, however, I discovered that some of the best learning happens when you stop trying to teach and begin letting experiences flow naturally. The children taught me how to listen, watch, ask questions, and simply be real. They also showed me the magic of play and how much can be learned from it, whether it’s building a city with blocks, pretending to be a ballerina, or jumping like a bullfrog.

By following my students’ lead, I came to realize that to be an effective role model for learning, I had to be authentic with my own thoughts, feelings, and values. As adults, we can inspire and encourage a love of learning in our children, but we can’t really teach it. We can do far more good by creating an environment of support — both at home and at school – in which children can develop their own ideas, express feelings, take chances, make choices, share their opinions, and most of all, grow to be strong individuals.

 

A Life-Long Process
Very early in life children begin exploring the world with their bodies, senses, and developing skills. They intuitively know how to take the smallest observation, object, or surprise and turn it into a meaningful experience. Best of all, they are curious! Kids want to find out the “who, what, where, when, how, and why” of everything around them. As parents, we serve our children well by encouraging their inquisitive natures, because curiosity is the primary motivating factor for seeking knowledge.

 

 Learning should be seen as a process — a series of experiences that lead to the great “ah-ha!” moments of life. Sadly, when adults participating in a research study were asked how they felt about learning in school, the majority said that many things — pressure to pass tests, anxiety about answering correctly, and concern about meeting expectations — took the joy out of learning. But they also said that they enjoyed learning when they could explore things on their own at home, outdoors in nature, and later when they went to college.

 

Many education experts believe that self-driven explorations are in fact the key to unlocking the joy of learning. Dr. Lillian Katz, professor emerita of early childhood education at the University of Illinois, goes further, saying that all “quality learning experiences” engage children in the investigation of worthwhile topics and provide intellectually challenging tasks, which ultimately build a child’s confidence in his own intellect. She says, if we “rephrase the goals of education,” we will not only help children learn, we will help them lead more satisfying lives.

 

It All Begins At Home
Creating a home climate that invites investigation, creative thinking, and collaboration lays the foundation for quality learning experiences. When you provide plenty of time and space for open-ended play every day, you create opportunities for your child to really feel the joy of learning. But it’s important to remember that fostering a love of learning is not just about the materials or activities you provide, but rather your own responsive, inquisitive attitude toward learning.

 

One of the easiest ways to deepen your child’s thinking is to have meaningful conversations about his activities. When you ask great questions and invite discussion, you help him construct his own learning. In other words, it’s not just what your child plays; it’s what you and he say, think, and feel about the play.

 

All of this leads to an important point: You are your child’s first teacher, and your interactions with him can turn virtually any moment or place into a teachable opportunity. Being a great motivator and teacher, however, requires a balanced approach and knowing when to simply watch, listen, or jump in to help out. With that in mind, here are some ways to guide your child:

Share your own love of learning. Get excited and wonder! Notice the butterfly in the park, the ants congregating on a crumb on the sidewalk, and wonder about the formations in the cloud. Talk about what you notice and invite your child to share his observations.

 

Show how you can learn from the simplest events and small mistakes. The excitement you show when you discover how to balance a block, for example, demonstrates the supreme joy of learning. The willingness to show your child that you can make mistakes — and ask for help in solving the resulting problem — can make children feel helpful and valued. They also learn that making mistakes is not a “bad thing”; it’s an important part of learning.

 

Offer your support and acceptance. Encourage and accept your child’s ideas. When you set a tone that welcomes your child’s original ideas and create a safe and secure atmosphere, he can feel free to express his ideas without fear of being wrong, or of not being taken seriously. You build on children’s strengths and abilities so that your child sees herself as a successful learner.

Be inquisitive and seek answers. Not sure about a word or a fact? Demonstrate how to look things up in a dictionary or on the Internet. Look things up together.

 

Give your child choices. Learning is about making choices. If you show your child how you go about making choices he learns that he doesn’t always have to have all the answers. Give your child appropriate choices (that you consider acceptable). Choice helps kids feel good their thinking abilities, which is essential to motivating them to learn.

 

What Teachers Want You to Know
All teachers have their own unique approach to teaching, but all of them want the children they teach to come to school happy, healthy, and ready to learn. Children need to have their basic needs met before they can even begin to think about learning. That means good nutrition (particularly a healthy breakfast and snack), plenty of exercise  (some time at the park after school), and lots of love (make time for hugs and conversations)!

A feeling of security, which comes from your child knowing what to expect and what is expected of him — both at home and at school — is essential. Regular routines, such as scheduled bedtime, snacktime, or reading time, help your child gain a sense of understanding of his day. Clear rules help him know what is expected, and if he has a hand in creating those rules, he’ll be more inclined to follow them. Once your child’s social and emotional needs are met, he can begin to explore learning skills and content.

 

Another big message from teachers is to try to take the pressure off of learning specific skills and facts, such as the ABCs and 123s, and instead focus on your child’s disposition toward learning. It’s very difficult to teach children skills if they are not interested in learning. A child needs to be excited and happy about acquiring knowledge before he learns how to read, write, or count.

 

How to Support What Your Child Learns in School
One the first things you can do to support your child’s learning at home is to communicate with your child’s teacher to find out what’s going on in the classroom. What is being studied? What stories are being shared? What are your child’s favorite activities in class? Then give him the space and time to explore and play. If you strictly control how your child spends his time, you limit his chances to make decisions and experiment with new materials and ideas.

 

 By knowing what interests your child and how he learns best, you will be able to help him build skills in the context of his strengths. For example, rather than ask your child to “work on his letters” when he would rather be playing with his cars, invite him to draw pictures, make signs for his car and roads, license plates, car names, or anything that involves letters, words, and cars!

 

Many activity ideas that your child’s teacher uses in the classroom can easily be borrowed and adapted for your home. Taking a cue from your child’s teacher and your child’s own interests will help you reinforce what he is learning at school. Here are some easy ideas:

 

Foster independence. Set up your home environment so that your child can act independently. Use picture/word cues and signs on toy storage containers and bookshelves; place books and often-used materials low so that he can access them; use clear containers for self-service activities, such as writing and drawing, on low shelves.

 

Provide a diverse range of materials. Offer blocks, puzzles, plastic animals or people figures, old clothes for dress-up, art supplies, or recycled items (such as egg cartons, shoe boxes, paper towel tubes) that your child can explore independently and artistically. Introduce new materials periodically to keep him inspired. Even one new thing can challenge children to think of new ways to play.

 

Read together often. A recent study by the Yankelovich Monitor has shown that when parents love reading and actively help their children with book selection, children are more likely to be high-frequency readers (meaning, they will read for pleasure). Set aside time to read together every day and visit the library often.

 

Pay attention to your child’s surroundings. Aesthetics of color, beauty, and nature have a strong, positive impact on children’s behavior. At home, think about displaying something from nature (a plant, flowers, shells, rocks, a fish bowl) and an item of art (a beautiful picture, photo, sculpture, quilt). Try to choose colors that are calming. Interestingly, some classrooms avoid over-use of primary colors because they can be too intense and distracting.

 

Take a field trip together that relates to your child’s studies or interests. If your child’s class is studying shapes, go for a walk looking for shapes around the house, in the grocery store, or at the park. If your child loves snails and insects, visit a local garden and go on a bug hunt.

 

 With the right attitude and encouragement from you, your child is sure to develop a love of learning quite naturally. We each see and explore the world in our own way. When our children feel comfortable asking questions, confident in their ability to problem-solve, and valued when they share their ideas, learning and interacting with the world becomes a successful, joyful experience that lasts a lifetime.

 

 Make a counting book full of beans.

 

 

• marker

• 5″ x 7″ index cards

• hole punch

• binder ring or string

• glue

• for counting: dried beans, buttons, stickers, rubber stamps

 

Ask your child to write a number on 10 individual index cards. (She does not have to write the numbers 1 through 10 consecutively; she can write three 5’s, four 3’s, and so on.) Using a marker, draw dots or tally marks on the card that correspond with the number indicated.  Have your child glue counting materials onto the card to match the number shown. She can use all of the same material or a combination of different ones. Use the finished cards to make a counting book. Your child can make a cover for her book with an additional index card. With a hole punch, place a hole in the upper left hand corner of each card and attach the cards with a small binder ring or piece of string.

 

• number recognition

• counting

• fine-motor skills

 

To enhance large muscle development and early math, science and reading skills by mixing paint and creating patterns and designs with this simple print-making technique.

 

• Attach large pieces (12″x14″) of bubble wrap to table top with masking tape. The bubbles should be large. Older (school age) children can use smaller sized bubbles.

• Place three colors of BioColor® on a palette or paper plate for each child. Seat one child per piece of bubble wrap.

• Arrange a pile of paper of the appropriate size and weight on the table within easy reach of each child and give each child a brush.

 

Ask the children to paint the bubbles different colors in a pattern or design. Have them place a sheet of paper on top, rub their hands over the entire project and lift, revealing their print.

 

Have the children write their names on their paper before they “bubble print”. This not only helps their writing skills, but also is also easier – and cleaner – than writing on wet paper. The more prep steps you take, the more you will be able to engage the children in conversations about their experiences. Many things can be taped to the tables to create simple printing: Try using cardboard with one side removed to reveal the corrugation. When dried, these types of printed papers also make excellent background pages for the children to create other pictures on top of or to cut up for collage pictures.

Build math skills while you track your child’s height.

 

• construction paper
• four pieces of 8½” by 11″ cardboard
• colored duct tape or fabric tape
• stickers, stamps, or other art materials
• 12 inches of ribbon or string
• glue
• ruler

 

Discuss the concept of measurement. Show your child a ruler and invite him to share what he already knows about it. Explain that 12 inches is also called a foot and that these units are used to see how tall a person is (also known as height). Make your own growth chart. Arrange the sheets of cardboard so that the short ends are almost touching. Create a hinge between the pieces of cardboard by placing tape along the short edges, leaving a bit of space between the pieces. With your child, glue colorful sheets of construction paper to the cardboard pieces. Using a ruler, mark each foot. If you like, you can also mark the inches with dots. Invite your child to decorate the chart with stickers, stamps, drawings, or other materials. Attach the ribbon to the top of the chart to make a loop for hanging.

 

Learning benefits:
• Introduces concept of measurement
• Supports creativity

Build a scrapbook to help children learn the Alphabet and associate pictures and ideas with particular letters.

 

You will need a lot of pictures from newspapers, magazines, catalogs, online, etc. Also a scrapbook is required, either 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ with 27 pages (so that each letter can be made into a two page spread).

 

 

Divide the pages so that there are two pages for each letter, one cover and one back page. Trim all the pictures so that they show only what is associated with the letter. Take the pages out of the plastic scrapbook covers. Arrange the pictures so that they fill the entire two-page spread. Paste all the pictures to the pages in the arrangement that you placed. Place the pages carefully back into the plastic covers so that you don’t tear off the pictures that you just pasted.

 

Children will enjoy learning the Alphabet and phonics with a book that you made with them!

 

Kidlet and I worked on a similar project from 3-5.  It definitely has helped him in Kindergarten.  I’m *really* glad that this is something that we focused on.  I am amazed at how many children in his Kindergarten class can recite the alphabet, but have no idea what sounds letters make.  Since they are focusing on “Kid Writing” – where the child writes words without adult assistance, using the letters that they hear in the word (ie, school gets written a lot like “skool” or “skol”), not knowing those sounds really puts those children at a disadvantage, as they have to learn that before they can develop thier writing and spelling skills. 

 

This activity helps toddlers as well as preschoolers learn, recognize and categorize the ABC’s.

 

To help children recognize letters, and match like pairs.

Also for the children to recognize upper and lower case letters.

 

Create sheets of paper listing the entire alphabet – you can do upper or lower case, depending on which you want your child to learn at the time. Also have flash cards, magnets, or blocks, anything that has the individual letters on them.

 

Give each child a sheet with the alphabet on it. Also give each child a marker or crayon. Have one child pick a block or magnet out of a sack, then the children must match the letter to the one on the paper. The children then mark an X on the letter or can circle it. So if they grab a letter B magnet, they find the letter B on their page and circle it. When they pick the letter, say the name of the letter a couple of times so they can remember what it is. For instance, “You picked the letter B, now let’s find the letter B on you page. Cross out the letter B.” Repeat until all of the letters have been done.

 

I do this with my two year old and he loves it. I also do it for my preschool. It is a fun game and really helps the children recognize which letter is which. For my alphabet sheets, I have uppercase on one side and lower case on the back, then had it laminated. The children use dry erase markers and wipes to clean them off when they are done. This saves paper and they last a long time. Try switching upper and lower case letters, by having them pick uppercase from the bag and match the upper to the lower case letter after they learn them individually.

 

The nose knows which delicious item left its mark.

• oranges, grapefruits, strawberries

• construction paper

 

Show your child the whole fruits and ask him to describe how they look and feel. Then cut them in half. Ask your child to describe what the fruits look and feel like on the inside. Let him press each piece of fruit onto a separate sheet of paper. Write the name of each fruit on the paper below the print.  Ask him to close his eyes and then to smell each fruit print. Can he guess which fruit was used? Talk about how each fruit print smells.

 

Learning Benefits

• sense of sight, smell, and touch

• language development

Try this attention grabbing activity before discussing how some islands are formed. The fizzing, erupting volcano looks like the real thing! As the volcano lava and ash fall, an underwater island starts to appear!

 

Show how a volcano can create landforms, and do it on a small budget with limited space!  This activity shows the volcano erupting, the ash cloud forming and the lava and ashes falling to create an island! Show how ash clouds can stick around for long periods of time, even after the volcano has stopped erupting.  Lead into discussion on how the Hawaiian Islands came to be.

 

You’ll need a supply of oil, dish soap, water, droppers, a clear container, and a pack of Color Mixer Tablets (fizzy bath colors).

 

Fill your container about a quarter-half inch with oil. Pour a 3” circle of soap into the middle of the oil. Drop a color tablet into the middle of the soap (red is good for this). Take your dropper and fill it with water. Drop a large circle of water within the soap, right over the color tablet and wait. Within seconds, you should have a fizzing, red volcano that creates an active volcano! When you’re all done, or the volcano fizzes out, you should be able to see an underwater “island” from the top view. Explain that if this certain volcano was to erupt on a regular basis, land would form underwater and eventually build up to an above water landform, or an island!

 

As the teacher, you’ll want to try this a couple of times to make sure that you have the right oil to soap to water ratio for the specific container that you’ll be using.