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Posts Tagged ‘language development’

Jun
13

Making “Multiple Intelligences Theory” Practical

Posted in Child Development, Education, parenting, Things We Love

One of the things that is hardest for me as a mom is to parent my children who are different from me. After all, as I told you a couple of days ago, I’m mostly a visual, abstract-sequential learner. And internally-motivated. I get me really well.

I used to get frustrated with my oldest son, who is mostly the opposite of me, until I understood how he learned and processed information. Okay, I’ll confess. He’s 12 ½ now, and still frustrates me at times, but for different reasons!

Most traditional schools emphasize reading and writing (what psychologist Howard Gardner calls the Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical Intelligences), but not all children learn best that way.

Howard Gardner came up with 8 “Multiple Intelligences”. (A theory, according to the scientific community.) I’m going to tell you a little bit about each intelligence during the blog posts this week, with the hope that you’ll recognize your child in one of more of them, and then learn how you can help develop that intelligence – the practical reality.

Spatial Intelligence (Picture Smart)

These children will tend to see pictures in their heads. They have excellent spatial awareness and judgment. They can draw what they see both easily and well. They don’t tend to get lost. They can manipulate objects in their mind. They are good at catching a ball as they can anticipate movement in space.

These children are keen observers of the world, and notice details that many others miss. They are highly visual and right-brained. They are good at puzzles, mazes, and building things. Fine motor skills are often well-developed. They are the daydreamers (with very active imaginations), artists, architects, and creators.

How to Encourage Your Picture Smart Child:

  • provide things that can be taken apart and put back together
  • arts and crafts kits, clay
  • drawing paper, pens, pencils, paints, chalk, crayons
  • map making
  • microscopes, telescopes
  • legos, playmobil, blocks and other manipulatives to “design” play areas, buildings or other things
  • puzzles
  • anything that allows them to create
  • display their artwork

Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)

These children love words – spoken or written! They can have an aptitude for expressing themselves with words. They are good at reading, writing, memorizing and telling stories. They can learn foreign languages easily. These children even invent their own languages. They are great debaters and good public speakers – they love to talk!

Frequently, these children read at an early age. They can be what we call intuitive (almost self-taught) readers, meaning they might not rely on phonics as much for learning to read, but figuring out words based on context.  As they grow up, they tend to love crossword puzzles. They are the poets, writers, journalists and public speakers.

How to Encourage Your Word Smart Child:

  • provide book-making supplies
  • write down a pre-writer’s stories
  • read, read, read to your child
  • let them have their own library card and take frequent trips there
  • alphabet games, magnetic letters
  • word games, puns, silly rhymes
  • encourage storytelling – let them talk
  • picture dictionary, atlas, globe
  • be the audience for their plays and skits

­-posted by Miss Analiisa, who loves what Howard Gardner said when asked for advice on how parents could rear successful children, Gardner replied that we should not try to make our children good at what we ourselves were good at, or what we ourselves were not good at. Our job is to help our children become who they are supposed to be, not what we think they should be.

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May
22

Stories are the Stuff of Life

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Child Development, Education, Things to do

Scottish philosopher John Macmurray said, “There can be no man until there are at least two men in communication.”  This implies that the essence of personhood resides in our relationship and communication with others.  Likewise, stories are meant to be shared.  They cannot exist without a relationship. They are meant to be told and heard, given and received. In the telling of stories, we not only pass on vital information but build and maintain relationships that span beyond the life and time of those who first told them.

For instance, think of the fairy tales and fables we continue to pass on to generation after generation of children.  They carry with them the values, experiences, and traditions of the particular cultures in which they were first created.

There are lessons to be learned, dangers to be avoided, and obstacles to overcome.  Fairy tales’ over-arching themes provide us with lessons about decision making, virtues, life and love, good and evil which prove still resonant and valuable to us who are far outside the original context they were first created in.  What is more, these fables provide valuable insight into a shared past, a culture and people who no longer live anywhere but in the tales we continue to tell about them.

A story is first told then retold.  In this manner a multi-level dialogue is established.  Like a pebble in a pond with an infinite number of ripples circling out from the origin, our stories connect us to each other in the past, present and future. Even if a person is reading a book alone, they are still in relationship with the author and characters of the story.

Moreover, stories take us on a journey.  We get to vicariously travel to places and times far from us, worlds different from our own, undertake adventures, trials, and triumphs and hopefully, come to a better understanding of ourselves, others, and the world.

Whether it is spoken word, book, staged play, television show, or film, stories provide us with infinite ways of learning and connecting.  Stories take us outside ourselves in a way that broadens our understanding.  Stories tell us we are not alone. Someone else in another time, place, or context understands our thoughts, feelings, desires, or experiences and has some wisdom or insight to share with us.  When I tell my stories, I can share what I have learned with others.

In my awesome role as a Kindermusik educator, I strongly encourage my parents to read to their children on a regular basis, and I incorporate story-telling frequently in the lessons I teach.  Added to the benefits of language and literacy skills that come from reading with children, they learn to use the language they hear to express themselves and the story of their own life.

Stories spark the imagination and help us to understand ourselves in the context of what has been, what is, and spurs us to wonder what could be. So keep telling, watching, reading, and creating them.  Stories are the threads which make up the fabric of life.

-posted by Miss Meresa, who loves a good story, and as a child had an awfully hard time limiting nightly story time to just one or two books.

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May
5

Counting Songs: Teaching 1 to 1 Ratio

Posted in Child Development, Music and the brain, Things to do

A favorite version of Hickory, Dickory, Dock!

I (Miss Anita) thought you might like to eaves drop on an email conversation I had with Miss Allison. It involves your child’s mathematical foundation!

Here’s what Miss Allison emailed me: “Chanting numbers in a sequence (like saying 1, 2, 3…) is one skill. But counting objects and understanding the concept of what that quantity means are separate and more advanced skills. True counting implies an understanding of one to one  ratios. From my (Miss Allison’s) personal experience as a mom, a pre-school teacher, a day care provider, big sister, babysitter and the kid who taught all the kids in the neighborhood to read before kindergarten, the number one is typically the hardest number for children to understand.

Finger plays and other counting games that are designed to teach one to one ratios tend to start higher, with a number like five and count down. Some examples would be Five Little Ducks, the Sea Shell poem from Creatures at the Ocean and Five Little Monkeys.

These counting down rhymes are more successful, in my experience than counting games that go up. Counting songs that go up tend to be more successful in teaching rhyming words. Examples of counting up rhymes would be This Old Man, The Ants Go Marching, Hickory Dickory, and Dr. Knickerbocker.

My question to you, since you have elementary school math experience, why does counting backwards make it easier to understand one to one ratio? It is obvious to me that it does. I just know it works better based on my experiences and common sense. I know it has a light bulb effect. I’ve seen that happen in a kid’s face. You get to one and all of a sudden the light goes on and they understand the concept. Any thoughts about the counting backwards phenomenon?

And I (Miss Anita) replied: “You’re right about the counting up rhymes like This Old Man, etc. Usually when those songs are sung they reinforce the rote memory of the number sequence. The ants march 1×1 and then 2×2 and then 3×3 etc. But you aren’t seeing those ants, pointing to them and counting them. You have to add something to make them a 1-1 teaching tool. That’s why, in our Kindermusik classes, we’ve added the ant counting cards for that song. With visuals of the ants, the children can see them and count them.

Another way to turn a song like This Old Man into a 1-1 ratio learning experience is to sing it with rhythm sticks. Every time you get to a number, stop and tap and count each tap. “This Old Man, he played one…stop…ONE TAP & SAY ONE…he played two… TWO TAPS and count out loud on each tap ONE, TWO…”

When it comes to counting backwards songs, I think the answer to the success is the emotional payoff of either excitement or satisfaction. Think about when a rocket launch counts down: 3 -2-1 BLASTOFF! So very exciting!

My boys learned to count backwards by watching the numbers on the microwave count down and chanting those numbers along with me. There was a huge payoff there, because our food was ready! When you count down, there is an END – either zero or one. (It’s really not the end since there are the negative numbers but we don’t go there with the little ones because their concrete minds aren’t ready for that yet.) So they get to one or zero and that’s the end… a very satisfying place to be.”

-posted by Miss Anita and Miss Allison, who hope that when you sing “Hickory Dickory Dock” with your child, you will add one-to-one ratio and do it like this:

‐ Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one (STOP and clap one time and say “one” while you clap it. Then say, “Let’s clap and count to one again. ONE.) and down he did run. Hickory Dickory Dock.

‐ Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck two (STOP and clap two times and count the two claps ONE, TWO. Then say, “Let’s count again. ONE. TWO) the mouse said, “Peek-a-boo.” Hickory Dickory Dock.

‐ Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck three (STOP and clap three times and count the three claps ONE, TWO, THREE. Then say, “Let’s count again. ONE. TWO, THREE) the mouse said, “ WHEE!” Hickory Dickory Dock.

‐ Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck four (STOP and clap four times and count the four claps ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR. Then say, “Let’s count again. ONE. TWO, THREE, FOUR) the mouse said, “ NO MORE!” Hickory Dickory Dock.

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Jan
24

Fiddle Dee Dee – NOT just 45 minutes of fun.

Posted in Child Development, Education, Family, Things We Love

Kindermusik is NOT intended to be just 45 minutes of fun once a week (though it is fun!) Kindermusik is all about what happens at home, as well as in class. In order to assist you, the parents and caregivers of the children enrolled, Kindermusik International provides you with the tools you need to continue the classroom experience at home.

Your primary resource is your Home Activity Book. I can already see you experienced Kindermusik grown-ups shaking your heads and saying, “Oh, no Miss Allison, our CD is the primary resource for play at home.” But I really mean it – the Activity Book is the base for turning your 45 minutes of class fun into a week-long foray into the world of learning through music.

Without the book, you can only re-create what we have done in class. The book provides you with tools and ideas for extending what we have done in class, and adapting the activities to suit your child at home.

So… pull out your Home Activity Book, and turn to page 4. At the bottom, you’ll find a little graph that has 6 icons. Kindermusik has taken the six areas of brain development – physical, cognitive, emotional, language, social and emotional – and given each one an icon so you can quickly identify them throughout the book.

Throughout the book, you will find little tidbits of information (we call them Foundation of Learning Statements, or FOLS for short), about different areas of development. The FOLS also tell you how the activities you are learning in class, or choosing from the book to do at home meet your child’s developmental needs.

Now, you can’t decide to just stay at home and do Kindermusik, and not come to class! The FOLS you will hear in class are not likely to be in the book, and vice versa. The combination of At Home Materials and class provide the optimum well-rounded experience.

In the book, you will also find all the words the songs, all the notated melody lines, and the words and directions for the finger plays and chants. Please don’t hesitate to make up your own words to the songs. This is an age-old tradition called piggy-backing. Did you know there are over 500 verses for Yankee Doodle, and over 100 of them are about George Washington? So be creative and make up some new verses to the songs. It might just get you in the history books!

The core of the Home Activity Book is the activities. (No surprise there!) There are games, activities and crafts, and extensions of activities we do in class that are intended to be done at home. You’ll also find the American Sign Language for several of the animals in Fiddle Dee Dee.

Some of my favorite activities:

The home-made animal stamps on page 11; you can certainly supplement your animals with other shapes from the cookie cutter drawer as well. What animal doesn’t like to look at a sky full of stars, or a rainbow of hearts?

I also love the creature seekers walk on page 12.  To extend this activity at home you can create a scrapbook of the creatures you see on your walk by talking digital photos, printing them, and having your child post them in a book. Ask them about their thoughts on the creature and write them down.  Dictating a child’s thoughts is a powerful tool for language development, and when your child is older and more verbally precocious (and taller than you) you will be so glad you preserved their two year old thought about worms on a path in the park.  (Trust me… those cute little transcriptions from when they were two have saved my verbally audacious teenagers more than once!!)

You can create a bumblebee garden using the pieces on page 27, and the empty garden on pages 30-31.  After you’ve played design master a couple of times by moving the pieces around, let your child choose where things get glued down.  And if they want the flowers floating in mid air and the tree root end up and crown side down, so be it. You might just be nurturing the next Picasso.

You can nurture your own inner Picasso by making butterfly sandwiches and serving them at lunch.  (page 29) And a hot dog and bun decorated with blobs of ketchup and mustard (or other condiments) in symmetrical patterns is great for the meat eaters in your family.

Actually, anything cylindrical and anything you can arrange symmetrically around it works really well – carrot sticks with dots of hummus or ranch dressing, apple slices with drops of peanut butter, caramel and chocolate sauce, a banana half and piles of blueberries, half a strawberry (one half on each side) and kiwi rounds… the options are endless and beautiful.  Art food is a fun way to introduce new foods and concepts to your child- shapes and patterns colors are all easily taught while you are having a beautiful snack together.

You’ll find reading suggestions and listening suggestions throughout the book and things to listen for on your Fiddle Dee Dee CD, too.

I am deliberately skipping the instructions for the Hush Little Baby cards at this point.  I love the activities in the book- but before you embark on ANY of them, be sure you scan the Hush Little Baby pictures first, so that you will have the pictures later for the in class activity… the VERY important, life altering activity…. So scan away, and then you can do any of the activities on page 18. Three sets of the cards is best, anyway; one for home, one for the car and one for your purse so that it always gets to class.

So off you go now to the Fiddle Dee Dee box; pull out that book and get some ideas for ways to spend some time playing with your child today.  Feed your brain with some of those incredible bits of knowledge found in the book, and we will look forward to playing with you later this week!

Kiss your children for me!

-posted by Miss Allison, who thinks that if you are NOT in one of her classes, you should kiss your child from Miss Beth, Miss Anna, Miss Meresa, Miss Nancy, Teacher Aaron, Miss Anita, Miss Steph or Miss Colleen!

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Jan
18

I am a Superhero

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Child Development, Education

Superhero play is inevitable. We see it all the time. A child runs around with a cape around his shoulders and says “I am shooting fireballs!” Sometimes, to adults, it can seem scary. Children are loud and are often enacting rough play with things that kill or destroy. However, superhero play is a powerful tool for parents and teachers by opening up the dialogue to teach children about helping others.

Superhero play helps children move their bodies by jumping, running, and trying new gross motor skills like climbing across the monkey bars. It also helps children feel powerful and in control when they are in a world that usually makes them feel just the opposite. Children engage in superhero play to feel as powerful as adults.

Although typically with less rough-and-tumble play, girls are superheroes just as often as boys. They may be less physical than boys, but they require just as much attention from adults. Just the other day, a child made a mask and cape at school during a craft project. She was using her “loving powers” to help people feel better who were sad or hurt. Later, she went home and with her mom, made hearts to bring to school the next day. Then she handed them out to other children at school.

That same week a 4 year old boy used his super brain powers to help others solve problems they can’t figure out. He could give them parts of his “super brain stuff” to help them “do hard stuff they can’t do by themselves.”

Superhero play in the classroom

When children play as superheroes, they learn how to respond to the needs and wants of others. They have to be able to operate in a group setting where everyone has different ideas about the game. Who has what super powers? How do they work? Are there bad guys and good guys? What’s fair in this game? Teachers and parents can help children distinguish between things that these characters do that hurt versus things that help. It’s important to open up the conversation that addresses qualities that superheroes have which help and benefit others.

Children who may find it difficult to voice their opinions are often empowered when pretending to be a superhero. It’s so wonderful and attractive to a child to be something strong and powerful. This is when a child who is quiet most often in play all of a sudden is shouting loudly with a big smile. By taking on another persona, a child can practice being brave or responding to difficult or stressful situations. Here is an anecdote from last week that illustrates how a child used his superhero game to help a classmate:

Kaveh: I can move so fast!
Me: Wow, I could really use your help.
Kaveh: I can do anything
Me: Can you help me rescue someone? She is in trouble.
Kaveh: I’ll help you
(he and I race off to a girl who is crying on the other side of the room)

We then helped her feel better about missing her mom. It was a wonderful lesson in empathy. They both played together later in the day as well, which was the first time at school the two of them ever played together. Kids engaged in superhero play use their imagination and learn to work well with others.

Setting limits

Superhero play, like other kinds of play, can become emotionally or physically harmful. So as parents and teachers, it is our job to guide play when it no longer solves problems or helps others. Children don’t know their physical limits and sometimes that means that they hurt others. We want to show them how to start play and how to be conscientious of others needs in the game.

  • Establish rules from the start. For example, no pointing sticks or other props used as weapons directly at another person. These rules may need to be discussed several times. Listen to feedback. Kids can find creative ways to satisfy their interests while following directions and being safe.
  • Be specific about what aggressive behavior is. Is it touching another person’s body? Is it using certain harmful words?
  • Respond accordingly either by interrupting the play to stop aggressive behavior or talking about it afterward. The discussion can also address the story created, children who felt excluded and interesting twists and turns in the plot.
  • Make sure there is an appropriate amount of space for safe play.
  • Talk to the kids about real-life heroes, both male and female, and focus on their positive characteristics — for example, helpfulness, perseverance and diligence.
  • Use this play as an opportunity to build problem-solving skills. When there is an issue, resist resolving it for the children. Ask for their ideas.
  • Be positive. Acknowledge children’s new accomplishments and skills. Help them feel powerful.

-posted by Teacher Aaron, who if he could have a super power, it would be getting up in the morning without coffee.

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