Tag Archive for: happy

“Use Your Words”

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At St. Paul’s Day School this is a phrase we say frequently.

Developmentally, children at age three have up to 1000 words in their vocabulary. Before this they are growing physically at an incredible rate, and they tend to respond to their wants and needs with actions instead of words. Those little muscles move quickly and get the attention desired. They’ve tested those physical responses and found that they are pretty effective at expressing their emotions. (‘Ever seen an 18-month-old arch their back and kick when you are trying to put them in the carseat?! They aren’t capable of saying, “Excuse me mother dear. I am quite tired and hungry, and I would not like to be buckled into this excessively warm carseat!”)

Once they’ve reached the age of three, they’ve developed more sophisticated verbal skills. But they need to practice making spoken words their response until it becomes a natural habit that is an even more effective form of communication. Sometimes they forget. They might swat a toy away from another child, or push them to get out of the way. We remind them that now that they are older, they have a powerful tool – and we often give them an appropriate example. “Can I play with that?” or even better, “Can I play with that when you are done?” Sometimes the response from the other child (who isn’t feeling threatened because the question was simple and straightforward) is a quick “Sure. Here.” With the toy being handed over peacefully. Or we might remind a child to “say “Excuse me” and Billy will know you would like to go by.” The positive result proving to the child that words work!

Manners are taught this way as well. When a child demands something, we give them the proper way to ask politely. “May I please have another strawberry?” and after receiving said strawberry… “Thank you!” I must confess that having worked with young children for so many years, my inclination is to provide “kind words” to everyone who needs them. From the young, to the “not so young.” My husband was even the recipient of a reminder several years ago, “why thank you dear wife.” Using good manners isn’t automatic. It’s a skill learned by imitating our role models, being given an example and practicing. We’ll model good manners and kind words here at St. Paul’s Day School, and do our very best to help your child “use their words” successfully!

Pro Tip from Mrs. Ryan

If you want to help your child practice their verbal skills you can play a game! Pick up a couple of their favorite stuffed toys. One will say things the right way “May I please have a cookie?”, and one does things the wrong way (the toy “grabs” the imaginary cookie from the “kind toy”. Ask your child, “which one did made a “thumbs up” or “kind” choice? And talk about it! It’s easier for your child to recognize positive and negative choices when it’s the behavior of their toy!

Oh No! It’s raining… AGAIN!

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You look out the window and realize that noise you heard was rain… again! And it doesn’t want to stop any time soon. But you have a three or four-year-old who doesn’t understand why they can’t go outside and run and play. Now just imagine you have a room full of four-year-olds all getting agitated because they can’t go outside! That’s what’s been happening at St. Paul’s Day School.

Luckily, we have some talented teachers who have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. Here are some of the things they do and suggestions for things you can do at home with your preschooler.

First things first, some physical movement is a must! I walked into our preK-3 classroom and there was a dance party going on! Little ones doing their best impressions of dancing skeletons with arms swinging back and forth. You can find lots of appropriate pre-k dance songs on YouTube or Spotify. Another alternative is Yoga… try Cosmic Kids Yoga! The kids get a story to go along with the poses!

Then when they’ve got the wiggles out, we love to play with playdough. Don’t have any at home? Your child will love making some with you! Here’s my favorite recipe for NO FAIL PLAYDOUGH that lasts 6 months:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of  tartar
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup of boiling water
food coloring (optional but fun)

Mix the dry ingredients. (Little ones love pouring the dry ingredients into the big mixing bowl.) Then an ADULT does this part – Boil the water and pour it into a measuring cup. Add the oil to it and as much food coloring as you would like. Pour the water mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir with a sturdy spoon.

Once it’s not too hot for a child to touch, they can do some stirring. When it starts to clump together and it’s not drippy, dump it on the table and an adult starts to knead. When it’s just the right temperature, your child can knead it too. It feels so good when it’s warm and the kids love to smell and squeeze it. (If it is too dry, add a few drops of boiled water, too wet, add a little flour.)

The cream of tartar (found in the spice section of the grocery store) is the secret. You’ll get smooth playdough that just begs for kids to come play! (Hint: If you have a stand mixer, this is even easier! Dry ingredients first, wet added gradually using a dough hook. It’s a cinch!) Store in an air-tight container!

Playdough is great for strengthening little hands for writing. And measuring is a great math skill. Creating shapes and “snakes” leads to all sorts of possibilities including making letters and numbers, and encouraging a child’s imagination and vocabulary.

And when your child is done playing with that, they can build. Use blocks or magna tiles or boxes. Anything that has flat sides is fair game! Your child will learn about balance and gravity and physics like we do at St. Paul’s Day School!

Story books are always a great way to not only pass the time, but to share special snuggle time and build literacy. Use funny voices, ask your child what they think will happen next and enjoy learning more about how your child sees the world.

Cook together! You’ll find that children will try new foods if they help cook them! And along the way you can talk about how many items you are cooking along with colors, shapes, smells, and textures. Practice positional words like: beside, behind, under, over, and on top.

Coloring and watercolors are fun on a rainy day! And dry erase markers work great on mirrors and windows (with some adult supervision.)

Games are good too… Candyland, Bingo, Jenga, Uno. Go for it!

Make each other laugh. It makes the day that much better!

Pro Tip from Mrs. Ryan:

Don’t hesitate to be silly around your child.  It builds strong bonds, relieves stress and teaches them emotional resilience!

Who’s Who in the School (Part 3)

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Who has a room that is an office, a meeting space, a library, a Stay N Play space and a place to go to learn about “Thumbs up choices”? Yes, it’s me! Mrs. Liz Ryan.

As the Director of St. Paul’s Day School, I wear many “hats” and have a variety of responsibilities and my office reflects that! But you’ll notice, there are always toys, chairs of “just the right size” (for little people and big people), and a welcoming smile on my face.

One of my favorite things to do each day is greet each family at the car line and say good morning to each child. It’s important to let children know that they are cared for and valued from the moment they get out of their car in the morning to the moment they climb back into their carseat at the end of their day. Are they smiling? Are they tired? Are they excited? Are they anxious? Checking in with each little one and their parent (or grandparent) gives useful information to the teachers and me that we can use to shape our teaching that day. And if my silly earrings or preschool print clothes can coax a smile or a giggle out of a little one who might be unsure, so much the better!

We are blessed to be a small school with three classrooms (and a multi-use room) where each student is treated like an individual and have their needs met. No crowds of children trying to get attention. Enough friends, but not too many children in a class. That allows the teachers to spend time with each child and get to know them well.

Building relationships with the whole family helps a child know that they are part of a loving community. Knowing the names of moms, dads, siblings, grandparents and pets, and creating connections with them, helps us as staff understand the children and their life experiences. And when we become “one big happy family” we can learn about how to succeed in the world! And we do!

I’ve raised three children of my own (two sons and a daughter) and helped raise hundreds of other little ones in my 47 years of working with children. It always makes me smile when “my” little people come back to visit me when they have grown up a bit… whether they are 8, 14, 25 or 48, I am filled with joy because they have all left handprints on my heart!

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot. And around the Day School I have a tendency to share “Pro Tips from Mrs. Ryan!”  Things that will work most of the time that I’ve learned through experience. So this blog seems to be an appropriate place to share them with you. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

 

PRO TIP #1

Mornings can be chaotic and confusing when you are trying to get the family out of the house every day. (Especially with a three or four-year-old in tow!) Finding backpack, folder, lunchbox, sneakers and Show & Tell toy is enough to get everyone snarling and hollering at one another! My Pro Tip is: designate a space you will see on your way out of the house, lay out a placemat or make a rectangle out of tape on the floor and make sure you “put your school friends to bed” for the night before your child goes to sleep. (It should be big enough to hold all the things mentioned above.) In the morning you’ll be set to go without the hassle of having to chase down that left sneaker or find out if the folder is in the car or if the lunchbox has an open container of yogurt inside!

You might even have time for a quick dance party to get everyone smiling!