A YouTube recommendation: Media and Children

My sister, a resident Pediatrician, recommended this video after viewing it as part of her grand rounds presentations.  This is a great resource and informational presentation on Media and Children by Dimitri Christakis, pediatrician, parent and researcher.  It is only 15 minutes long but provides a clear understanding of the affects of media on young children.

Book Recommendation: Raising Your Spirited Child

I'm not really a book reader. I never have been. Even though my second major and other degree is in English Literature, you would probably never know it based on the fact that it takes me forever to finish a book and they are few and far between now days. Most recently, however, I have been reading one book, Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

Initially, I wanted to read this book because there have been many times when I have wondered if my daughter was a true "spirited" child. What is a spirited child? Well, according to the book it is a child whom is more intense, sensitive, preceptive, persistent and energetic.

In this short review and recommendation for the book, I will just say that I learned so much more than just the answer to my initial question. In the book the author writes about the importance of knowing our own temperament and our children's own temperament. Are we introverts or extroverts? While reading through the beginning chapters, I learned I am an introvert, which I did know, but what I didn't realize was that as an introvert, I recharge and energize myself through alone time, personal time, and space. (This explains my need for a solo run or walk on a daily basis.) I also came to the conclusion that my husband is an extrovert and what he needs to recharge and energize is very different than me- people, talking, and a lot of feedback. I found knowing this information has really helped me appreciate and support the different needs of my family members. The author goes into a lot of detail about the two temperaments and things we can do as parents to help our introvert or extrovert child be successful.

For anyone working with children, this book would be a worthwhile read. The information and experiences the author writes about sheds new light on behaviors we as parents, teachers or caregivers often find confusing or frustrating.

An Article Worth Reading

The American Journal of Play has some great articles relating to children, child development and of course play. I wanted to pass along an article I found thought-provoking and a good read. The article is an interview with authors Hara Estroff Marano who writes for Psychology Today and author of A Nation of Wimps and Lenore Skenazy author of Free Range Kids and the popular Free Range Kids blog. Both woman candidly discuss their thoughts backed by research and experience on the issues of parental control, free play, over parenting, bullying, organized sports, parenting styles and parental fears.

The article is entitled Why Parents Should Stop Overprotecting Kids and Let Them Play- An Interview With Hara Estroff Marano and Lenore Skenazy. I found, that while I may not agree with all the thoughts presented (Home alone w/o a parent at age 7?) the article really encouraged me to evaluate my own parenting style and do some reflective thinking.

Early Childhood and Marker Moments

Here's a situation: A child sees a large mountain of snow, is excited and wants to climb up. The child attempts, several times only to get stuck, make slow progress and then become frustrated. The child turns to the adult and asks for help, Saying "Please lift me up!"

It might seem like a simple request with a simple answer. In fact, a few years ago I wouldn't have thought twice and just lifted my child up, helping her to the top. Since then though, I am more thoughtful with requests like this. In the book Home Away From Home (Lifeways Care of Children and Families by Cynthia Aldinger and Mary O'Connell) it reads "One of the cardinal rules is not to put a child into a position that she cannot get into herself. Better to let her struggle and strive until that special day when she can reach the first limb and pull herself up."

What once sounded somewhat cruel to me (watching a child struggle and fail) then made a little sense.

On this day I was fairly certain my own daughter was capable of climbing to the top of this snow mountain with a little persistence and work, so it wasn't too difficult to stand by and just encourage. But, it makes one think about those other times when a child asks to be put in a situation whether physical or psychological that the adult knows the child could not get into himself without adult interference. Many times we may be aware of the dangers of putting a child in a physical situation he or she could not reach independently, but just as importantly are those other situations we are tempted to rush them into when they are not ready.

Whether we are talking about a piece of playground equipment at the playground or a potentially stressful social situation, we as adults have to be able to know when our good intentions might not be what is best for a child. Dr. David Elkind coined the phrase "markers" to indicate significant accomplishments or the reaching of special events in the life of a child. When an adult interferes, in a way hurrying this process, something is lost. As is written in Home Away From Home "Immediate gratification eventually dampens, rather than deepens, joy in life."

In our "mountain of snow" situation I could tell by the look on my daughter's face that she relished that moment of reaching the top by herself, and even more, sliding down and doing it again. This day was a good reminder of the importance of marker moments and the awareness I need to have for those big moments and the even the little ones.

Organizing Our Days

I don't have an elaborate system for organizing and planning activities. In general, I try to keep things simple and routine but also fun and stimulating for my daughters. Our days and weeks follow a rhythm (posted on the side of the blog) which helps prevent me from wondering what to do each week and allows my daughters the predictability and routine they need. With certain days already dedicated to certain activities, half of the organizing seems like it is already done.


The organizing details of what songs to sing, finger plays to use, crafts to make and more are planned out each month in this planning binder. The binder is divided into months. Each month holds a paper (like the one below) which will be used to plan that month. At the end of every month I sit down for a few minutes and plan for the upcoming month (I have learned to use pencil when writing plans out). At the start of the week I check to see what is planned.




This is my second year doing this, so I have last year's to use as a guide which is helpful in knowing what crafts they loved and would like to do again, what finger plays and songs we sang and can use again and what didn't work so well. Of course, there are areas like our cleaning days which I sometimes leave blank because often my daughters' are drawn to different tasks or whatever I am cleaning at the time. The planning paper is also helpful for those times when I am on the internet or looking at other blogs and come across a great craft or finger play. I can flip to the month it would work best in and pencil it in. Sometimes the month is half planned just by doing this! Under each month I also store recipes needed, instructions for crafts and any other resources that will be needed.



Behind each monthly planning paper I keep printouts of our finger plays for the month as well as songs or poems we will use. When we have circle time I open up the binder in case I need the words for songs or finger plays. In the back of the binder there are also labeled sections for bean bag games, parachute games, and other circle time activities we may use at any given time.

I have added the planning printout to the list of downloads on the side of the blog for anyone wanting to see it or use it. And, please let me know of any planning tips you may have!

Kindergarten Readiness

I've been looking ahead to next year as we prepare to have my oldest daughter start kindergarten (public school kindergarten). I came across this Kindergarten Readiness list while searching for our state's kindergarten standards. Below is a list that was used to assess the readiness of Vermont Kindergarten children during the first two weeks of school. I know each state has it's own standards and expectations (and some are very different than the ones listed here), but I feel this list covers a majority of the expectations for Kindergarten readiness in public schools and may be helpful for those wondering about their child's Kindergarten readiness.

Social-Emotional Development

Plays cooperatively with different children
Separates easily from parent/caregiver
Uses problem solving skills in social situations
Appropriately expresses feelings and needs
Adapts to transitions within the school day
Interacts positively with adults in the classroom

Approaches to Learning

Can persist in a self-directed activity for at least 15 minutes
Appears enthusiastic and interested in classroom activities
Uses a variety of learning strategies in the classroom
Is able to pay attention during teacher directed group activities for approximately 15 minutes
Knows when and how to use adults as a resource
Initiates activities in classroom
Shows curiosity (asks questions, probes, tries new things)

Communications

Follows simple classroom rules and instructions with reminders
Communicates needs, wants or thoughts in his/her primary language
Engages in conversation (complete sentences, turn-taking, etc)
Understands simple directions, requests and information

Cognitive Development

Shows awareness of how books are organized and used
Can recall and explain a sequence of events (retelling a story, recalling a recent activity)
Recognizes his/her most commonly used name in print
Engages in imaginative play
Shows ability to discriminate and identify speech sounds
Recognizes 10 or more letters of the alphabet
Uses scribbles, symbols or letters to write or represent words or ideas
Shows the ability to count 5 or more objects using one-to-one correspondence
Can identify several basic geometric shapes (e.g. square, circle, triangle, rectangle)

Physical Health and Development

Demonstrates age appropriate self-help skills (dressing, toileting, washing hands)