Kid-Tested Tips from the Nation's Top Teachers
Imagine if your young child would listen, learn and cooperate at home much the same way he does at school with a favorite teacher.
That's the idea behind What Kindergarten Teachers Know, a parent-friendly guide that takes the techniques developed in the nation's best early childhood classrooms, explains why they work and adapts them for parents of three- to six-year-olds to use at home.
Learn the secrets of award-winning early childhood teachers and see how they can make your life easier at home!
What Kindergarten Teachers Know is published by the Perigee division of Penguin Books. You can order your copy at Amazon.com, at BarnesandNoble.com, or at other booksellers.
"What Kindergarten Teachers Know" teaches parents the secrets that great early childhood teachers already know about young children. It's designed to help you parent with less frustration and, hopefully, a greater sense of joy and creativity.
Here are a few tips from the book that you can use and adapt according to the needs of your own household.
The "not done" pouch is perhaps my favorite example of a simple, fun technique parents can easily use at home to help their days run more smoothly.
I encountered it while helping out in my daughter's kindergarten classroom, where I met her teacher, my co-author Joan Rice. When it was time to have her students pick up their work and move on to something else, Mrs. Rice always included the instruction: "If you're not finished yet, put your work in your not-done pouch," and gestured toward files hanging at one end of their work stations.
Watching how willingly her students cooperated, I realized how brilliant the simple technique was. Until then, I'd always believed my difficulty in getting my daughter to move on from a project was in my failure to give her a firm enough instruction to stop. But I suddenly realized that what she really needed was an honest acknowledgement that she was not done with her work yet - and she'd have a chance to get back to it later.
And for those projects that are too big or cumbersome for a Not-Done pouch, try making a large bookmark to put on it, or an "Out to Lunch" or "Do Not Disturb" sign.)
A good early childhood teacher knows that transitions can be difficult for young children. So when it's time for her to get their attention and give them directions for moving on to something else, she keeps three things in mind.
First, she starts from an understanding that young children need cues to understand beginnings and endings to activities. Then she recognizes they need clear directions, broken down into manageable steps. And finally, she knows that young kids certainly appreciate a sense of fun.
So rather than simply demanding that her students "Listen!" she might ask them to put on their elephant ears, and have them hook their hands over their ears to look like an elephant's ears. Now that she clearly has their attention, she'd give them specific directions for what she wants to happen next. "If you're not finished, put your work in your not-done pouch. Then cover your paints and put them in your red bin, and wipe down your table."
At home, you may or may not be the sort of parent who's enchanted by the idea of "elephant ears." You might instead ask your child to put on her "listening ears." Or you might say something like: "I need to see your brown eyes," as a cue for her to look at you for directions. The important thing is to get your child's attention before giving your directions. Break your directions down into clear and manageable steps. And try to keep it fun, or at least light-hearted.
(Excerpted from posts on Establishing Routines, published in July 2008 on the "What Teachers Know" blog.)
Routines are essentially just a rhythm for doing pretty much the same thing in pretty much the same way each day. They can generally fall into place naturally and around the needs of your family. They can be simple and natural.
So why are routines so important?
Because young children need to know what to expect next. And establishing simple daily routines is an amazingly effective way of providing that sense of security (and, in turn, a sense of competence and independence).
An added bonus: Clear daily routines take much of the burden off of you because once it is established, the routine does much of the work for you.
Look at the areas of your day that might benefit from a clear routine. Obvious examples are morning time (or "getting out the door"), meal time, or bedtime. Now, simply outline the steps you need to take to make that chunk of time go smoothly. (At bedtime, your young child's routine might be: Take a bath. Put on my pajamas. Read a story with mom or dad. Go to bed.)
Now consider "formalizing" your routine by developing a checklist for your child. Don't worry: this is the fun part! You could:
* Draw simple pictures of the steps of the routine, then post them in a notebook or on the refrigerator.
* Take pictures of your child doing each step, and use magnetic tape to post them to a dry-erase board.
* Make your own “Remem-bear.” Write each step of the routine with a picture or photo cue on a paper strip, punch a hole in it, and attach it with a cord around a teddy bear. As your child completes each step, he moves that slip to the back of the “Remem-bear” and moves on to the next.
* Make a board game or treasure hunt, like the ones illustrated above (by artist Kim Abbati) from What Kindergarten Teachers Know. Your child moves her token along the path until she’s completed each step.
By simply writing down the things that your child should be doing each day, you can ensure you’re reaping the full benefits of your routines.
Checklists like these also will help your child develop a sense of responsibility, some independence, and that important feeling that comes from actually contributing to a community (in this case, your family).
(Excerpted from the School Preparation category of posts published in July 2008 on the "What Teachers Know" blog.)
If your little one is about to start attending a preschool or kindergarten classroom, here are some suggestions from early childhood teachers that can help her adjust to the classroom routine and expectations.
* You might start by establishing a morning routine that’s easily adaptable for the school year.
* Practice basic skills your child might need in a classroom. Can she put her coat on by herself? Handle the entire process of going to the bathroom alone — pulling up pants, zippering zippers, etc.? Don’t forget about snack time: practice opening juice pouches or make sure she’s confident opening her snack bag. It’s these little things that can make a child’s day seem difficult or overwhelming. So practice.
* Create an easy-to-follow morning routine to help get out the door.
Another thing to consider: Is she able to follow multi-step directions? Even in the gentlest of kindergarten classrooms, a teacher will have to give directions that sound something like this: “Pick up your crayons. Put them in the bin. Wipe down your desk. And join us at the carpet for story-time.” Of course, great teachers have all sorts of neat techniques for making directions memorable and do-able for little kids. But your child will still need to hear, remember and follow directions. So you might want to practice at home.
* You could sing a song to a familiar tune, making up directions for your child to follow.
* Play a game of Simon says, using multi-step directions rather than just one.
* Or use sticky-back notes to write some two- and three-step directions, then attach them into a favorite book, perhaps including little balloons to make it look like the characters are talking. These directions could include: “Nod your head and blink your eyes,” “Tap your shoulders, rub your nose, touch your toes!” or “Count to three and look at me.”
* And of course, you could simply give your child multi-step directions to follow and see what happens!
Finally, know that adapting to the classroom often has more to do with social experiences rather than academic ones. And a lot of things we expect kids to know intuitively actually take practice.
Even playing can get complicated in a classroom. Young children learn best by doing, so you might want to practice acting out some play situations with your child.
Give him specific words he can use when he wants to join other children already involved in play. “I like building with blocks. Can I add this one to your tower next?” or simply, “Can I have a turn?” or “That looks fun! Can I try?”
If your child seems to be having trouble adjusting socially, it’s helpful to implement some things at home that need to be done at school. For instance, you might want to set a limit on the amount of time your child can play with a toy at home, so he gets used to having to give something up and move on. Practice the concept of taking turns with toys, helping at cleanup time, listening to instructions.
Children who have a hard time with these in the classroom also usually have a harder time interacting socially with their classmates. Practicing at home makes it easier at school.