Music and Literacy

Are you interested in your child becoming a reader?  Then turn up the tunes.  Read the post below to learn 5 ways music influences early literacy skills, then break out in song with your young child!

5 Things to Know About Music and Early Literacy

Thoughts on Parenting Hurting Children

Forward by Pam Gregorski, MSW  Social Worker with the  Ionia ISD Early Intervention program.      

                              

Motherhood.  Never a dull moment.  This is especially true for those special mothers who choose to be foster moms.  As a clinical therapist, I appreciate the article “Why Consequences and Rewards Don’t Work for Hurting Children” by TRACY DEE WHITT.  It touches the heart of every foster parent who has thought, “Yes, I have tried (insert advice), and since it did not work, what does that say about me?”  Foster children have had different experiences than other children.  These children feel repeatedly abandoned, isolated, powerless or uncared for.  They will learn that they can’t depend on others and the world is a dangerous and frightening place.  

Typical interventions for behavior will not work for these children.  They are in constant survival mode.  The only need they desire to fill is the need to feel safe.  Typical interventions, such as “Love and Logic” are wonderful, but “Love and Logic” will only work with children in a loving environment and who are bonded and attached to their caregivers.  Does this sound like children placed in the foster care system?  Sadly, this is what most foster parents are trained to use in those tough situations.

So what does it say about you when everything you have tried to deal with your foster child’s behavior has not worked?   It says you are normal.  Do not be afraid of your foster child’s behavior.  Stick with it. Our society needs you, and most of all, the children in your care need you.  Read on to see why your foster child’s behavior is typical and also get some ideas as to why typical interventions do not work, and what may work instead.

Why Consequences & Rewards Don't Work

W-SITTING: WHAT IS IT AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

W-sitting is a position we see many child choose to sit in. Children sit in a way that their legs go out on either side of them to provide a wide base of support and it looks like a W.   It seems like a perfectly fine to parents and other adults.  However, if physical therapists walked into a preschool classroom and saw children at group or play time sitting like this she would address this as a concern with the teacher.  

So, what is the big deal? It’s just a comfortable position for them right? Unfortunately, it is more than that. Many children sit in this position because it is easier since it provides more support for their upper body. The only problem is that it can lead to poor coordination, hip and knee problems, and low muscle tone when they get older.  It is a direct reflection of their core strength and impacts how they will be able to sit in a chair and write for example when they get to kindergarten.  Once this form of sitting becomes a habit it is a difficult one to break.  Being aware and trying to prevent it from the start is the best approach.  

If your child prefers this method of sitting, give them other options; criss-cross, legs straight, or even sitting with both legs to one side.

If you want to learn more about W-Sitting please read the article below.

What is W-Sitting?

This blog post was contributed by Linda Weaver, GSRP teacher for Ionia ISD.

Play Dough has Many Benefits for Learning!

If you have a home with young children there is a chance you may or may not have play dough in it too!  Many parents have a love or hate relationship with play dough.  If you are a hater, you might have expounded, "It is messy", "It gets stuck in my carpet"," It dries out, gets hard and HURTS when I step on it"," The kids mix up the colors and now we have a blob of grey!"  

Play dough is not just a messy kid activity, it can be very important in developing critical skills for school readiness.  This is most obvious in the fine motor area with improving strength, dexterity and eye-hand coordination necessary for writing.  Beyond that, play dough activities support language, literacy, math and creativity in your child.  

There are many different kinds of play dough that you can make at home with your child; adding in scents and textures and objects to play serve to enhance your child's learning experience 

Check out the link below to learn specific play dough activities and their benefits.

Benefits of Playing With Playdough

Why is play important for young children?

As a preschool teacher working in a play-based preschool program, I get asked this question all 
the time.  Play is critical to children’s learning especially when they are young.  It is how they discover and learn about the world; develop creativity, as well as language and motor skills.   

In my classroom, the environment is divided in to many areas that children can direct their own learning through play.  In the sand and water table they learn about measurement, in the block area they are learning about geometry in the art center they discover colors, cutting and how to write their name on their papers.  In the house area they will often play what they know,  “acting out” familiar scenes from home; for example playing in the house center may involve cooking food for a family, going to work,  taking care of the kids, they assign different roles such that someone is the mom, dad, baby, sister, brother, dog, etc.  

Play is indeed not a frivolous activity to be done after the “work” is done, when it comes to young children play is their work and it is essential for children to learn. Please take a minute to read the article about the importance of play that Karen Bilich wrote for Parents magazine. 

The Importance of Play

This post was contributed by Angie Guernsey, Ionia ISD GSRP teacher assigned to Saranac Community Schools.

Hand Strength is Important for Writing

There may be hand prints on your windows, hand prints two-feet-high on your kitchen appliances, and maybe even sticky hand prints on your clean dress pants.  Little hands can be busy!  All the pulling, pinching, patting, and pushing has a purpose though.  Just as babies develop, little hands go through a developmental sequence that will one day enable that child to engage in functional, meaningful, and necessary activities.  As children enter school, one of the most important activities for those little hands is writing.  Check out the following post for 16 easy ways to turn play-time into a hand-workout that can facilitate successful pencil use.

Hand Strengthening

Conscious Discipline - Not Just for Classrooms!

Picture this: You and your preschooler are getting ready to play outside in the snow together. We all know that the challenge of dressing a child to play in the snow is not one for the faint of heart. You see your child start getting frustrated because their coat sleeves are inside-out or they can’t find their mittens. Before you know it, your child is crying, you are yelling, and you are probably starting to second guess the whole thing!

Before you decide to throw in the towel, take a deep breath… we are about to find out why your preschooler is not listening to you and what you can do to help them!

Conscious Discipline teaches us that children (and adults) have three brain states, the Survival State, Emotional State, and Executive States; and preschoolers are only able to productively solve problems in the executive state.  

When your child is crying or screaming on the floor, they are in their Survival State. Your child may also avoid eye contact, be resistant to questions and touch, or have a tense face and/or body. When your child is in their Survival State, they are NOT ready to solve their problems or address any issues that are going on.

Taking Action: You may be asking yourself, “What do I do when my child is in their Survival State?.

• Gain your own composure – take a deep breath (or two) and calm down
• Say to your child, “You are safe. You can handle this”
• Say to your child, “Breath with me” and take deep breaths together
• Use an assertive and ‘matter-of-fact’ voice.

As your child starts to calm down, they will often transition to the Emotional State. How do you know if your child has moved on from their Survival State to their Emotional State? If your child is in their Emotional State, their body will be relaxed. They will be seeking touch or a connection with you and looking to make sure that they are still loved.

Taking Action: What can you do to help your child move out of their Emotional State?

• Offer encouragement and say, “You can do this.”
• Offer empathy and label feelings and say, “You are sad/upset/angry, what do you need?”
• Give love! Do not discipline, teach, or problem solve
• Offer two choices that are acceptable – “Do you want to where your blue mittens or red mittens?”

It is only when your child reaches the Executive State that they can truly understand and reflect upon what upset them. You will know your child has transitioned from their Emotional State to their Executive State when they are calm and willing to learn. Your child will be able to learn new skills, reflect on the past, and plan for the future. They will also be able to see the impact they have on others. This might be several hours or even the next day before you can reach this point.  

Taking Action: What can you do to help your child when they are in their Executive State?

• Teach a new skill – like pulling sleeves back right-side in.
• Problem solve (Do this if there have been no imposed consequences that were previously set.)
• Problem Solving is your chance to talk about what happened and what to do next time. This does not have to be immediately after your child’s tantrum; it could be later in the day or even the next day. Do this only when your child is calm and in their Executive State. Say, “Do you remember when ___ ?” For example:  “Do you remember when you were screaming and crying on the floor when we were getting dressed and ready to play outside? You were upset.)”. Ask your child, “What do you think we could do next time?”. You should try to problem solve with your child most often – rather than resorting to consequences.
• Implement Consequences (Can be Natural or Imposed).
• Natural Consequences are those that happen without adult interference. For example, if your child refuses to eat dinner, the Natural Consequence would be that they feel hungry. Feeling hungry would deter them from skipping dinner again. However, if you make them a dinner later in the evening, you will stop the natural consequence from happening and the behavior may continue.
• Imposed Consequences are those that have been set before the tantrum. For example, you tell your child ahead of time, “If you do not eat your dinner, you will not get to have dessert”. These should be used sparingly.

One of the other key components of Conscious Discipline is “Tones of Voice”. When talking with children who are working through their Brain States, it is important to be matter-of-fact and use an Assertive Voice; rather than a Passive or Aggressive Voice.

Adults who use a Passive Voice manipulate children and give them power. A Passive Voice includes: begging, asking them to stop, telling them it will help you, bribing, or ignoring the situation. Adults who use a Passive Voice also give choices when there are none.

The other extreme is using an Aggressive Voice which includes empty threats like, “If you don’t do this, I’m going to…”. Aggressive-voiced adults use always/never statements like, “You never do what I ask” or “You always do this”. They also use “Need-To” statements; “You need to put your coat on”. Sometimes, they don’t use any voice at all but they physically respond by making children do something, moving them, picking them up, holding them still, etc.

Taking Action: You may be asking yourself, “How do I be assertive and use my Assertive Voice?.  First, bend down to your child’s eye level and use gentle touches. Use “do” statements that are clear and direct to tell your child what they should be doing rather than what they should not be doing. Model what you want them to do using actions and words. Offer them two choices when it doesn’t matter and then stick to what they choose. If choices are not an option, say, “There’s no choice”; for example, “It’s time to ______, there’s no choice”.

By remembering the Conscious Discipline Brain States and Tones of Voice, you can help your preschooler learn how to work through conflicts, solve their own problems, and teach them new skills. You will both be able to get outside and enjoy playing in the snow together in no time. 

If you would like to learn more about brain states, watch this video by Becky Bailey who is the founder of the Conscious Discipline Aproach.

Dr. Becky Bailey at TEDx - Wiring the Brain for Success

This blog post was contributed by Chelsey Fitz, teacher in the Great Start Readiness Preschool Program for the Ionia Intermediate School District at Oakwood Elementary in Portland.