Literacy and Language Development in Early Childhood

I have been wanting to write about the topic of literacy development in early childhood for a while now, but haven't  figured out the best way to break down ALL of the research and resources. For now, I've attached several great resources at the bottom of this page. I hope to break it all down further soon, but in the meantime...enjoy the links below.

Literacy and Language Development Resources

Zero to Three Literacy Q&A
Using 'Big' Words with Preschoolers
Framework for Literacy Development
Literacy Development by Age
Language Development Article for Parents
Language Development 0-3 Years
Literacy Milestones from Birth to Age 6

Keep Reading!
The Prepped Parent

No More Cookie Cutter Art: Facilitating Children's Creativity

Children's Artwork

Some of the most common questions I receive from teachers center around classroom artwork. They want to know how to help their children create artistic pieces that parents will cherish, while also allowing the children's own creativity to shine. How can we as teachers and parents better facilitate this creativity? 

Product versus Process Art 

The first thing we must look at is the difference between the two types of art that our young children can create: product art and process art. I love this post from NAEYC describing the many inherent differences between the two. But here is a simplified explanation:

Product Art- Art that focuses on the final product; also known as "cookie cutter" art. There is little room for children's personal interpretation, as there is generally a final goal to achieve (usually a mock-up an adult has created before-hand).

Process Art- Art that focuses on the process and experience of its creation, through the open exploration of materials. The artwork is ultimately unique to each child's interests and efforts, and usually has a personal story attached to it.


I think of product art like this:

Imagine you are learning a brand new skill. Your master teacher (she's been practicing this skill for many years) shows you her amazing finished sample and after a plethora of explicit directions, she encourages everyone to make what she has made. You immediately feel defeated. Not only do you know that you could never create anything as wonderful as she has made, but while she was explaining her creation, you had been daydreaming about the unique additions that you wished you could add to your version.
We must not put these constraints on our children's creativity. You never know; you just might have a future Picasso! Let them create!

If I could give one resource to parents and teachers about artwork, it would be this one by Lisa Murphy from www.ooeygooey.com. Lisa so eloquently describes the reasons why we should fight for children's creativity and exploration through process art. She also gives fabulous tips for teachers and parents about specific words and phrases to use surrounding children's artwork; example: let's try to avoid, "That is so pretty!" More on that tangent another day...

More Resources 

Per usual, I like to feel that I am not the only one who feels a certain way. So, below are several more resources on the subject. I encourage you to push the process, not the product. 

 

Powerpoint & Handouts (from Early Head Start)

Statement from the Alliance for Early Childhood

Art in Storytime: Process and Product 

Building Creative Thinkers with Art

Pre-K + K Sharing Blog: Process Vs. Product

Happy creating! 

The Prepped Parent 

Teaching Gratitude

When I was teaching, I always made it my goal to purposefully include social/emotional instruction into my curriculum. For young children, this translates to plenty of role-playing and modeling of specific, desirable behaviors. At my current school, we focus on two virtues each month. I work with my teachers to develop lessons entirely focused on each virtue, while also including them in discussion regularly throughout each day. I am always amazed at how even young children build their vocabulary with character trait words and begin imitating favorable, virtuous actions, just because of intentional introduction. In my opinion, one of the most important things that we can teach children is to be grateful.

Gratitude can, of course, be demonstrated through a simple spoken, "thank you" when someone else does something special for you. But perhaps a dying form of gratitude is the "thank you" note. My preschoolers learned that it's best to always send a "thank you" note to anyone who did something special for us--the firefighters who came to visit us, the parent who brought in cupcakes for a birthday, the administrator who got us new writing supplies. The notes started out as a whole-group activity. We would sit together crafting the words to use and everyone would then sign the end-product. Towards the end of the school year, though, something completely amazing would happen. The children began writing thank you notes on their own. They would thank each other for little things--opening the door for recess, sharing toys, being good friends. They would write thank you notes to their parents and siblings. It was a wonderful transformation to see for four- and five-year-olds. Of course, the best way to teach gratitude, along with other character virtues, is to model what you want to see from children in everyday situations. Consistency is key!  

Here are a few other resources on teaching gratitude: 

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/teaching-children-to-be-grateful/

http://www.familycircle.com/teen/parenting/discipline/teaching-gratitude/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-witte/10-ways-to-teach-kids-gratitude-this-thanksgiving_b_4338606.html

http://familyshare.com/how-to-teach-kids-about-gratitude

Prep them to be grateful, 

The Prepped Parent 

High-Quality Vs. Love of Learning

I recently read this well-written article in the Washington Post that outlines some of the dangers of using the words "high-quality" to promote programs and initiatives that do not support our children on a developmentally appropriate level. If you are a teacher, or a parent who follows education in the news, you are likely all too aware of the intense pressures placed on young children today in our schools. As the article points out, "high-quality" is often being misinterpreted to mean "high-intensity". We are not facilitating young children's learning of content so that they may understand meaningful concepts; in contrast, we are forcing content down their throats so that they will be able to regurgitate facts on standardized tests and data-driven assessments. Please don't hear me arguing against assessment here. Is there a place for assessment in the early childhood classroom? Absolutely; it is essential for teachers to use reliable, formative and summative assessments in any classroom setting. However, I do question the types of assessment and the ridiculous levels of pressure that we place on young children daily in our school settings. "High-Quality" cannot continue to be misinterpreted in this way. Below is an excerpt from the above-mentioned article that I found especially compelling. 

"That doesn’t leave much time for play. But even to the extent we want to promote meaningful learning in young children, the methods are likely to be counterproductive, featuring an emphasis on the direct instruction of skills and rote rehearsal of facts. This is the legacy of behaviorism: Children are treated as passive receptacles of knowledge, with few opportunities to investigate topics and pose questions that they find intriguing. In place of discovery and exploration, tots are trained to sit still and listen, to memorize lists of letters, numbers, and colors. Their success or failure is relentlessly monitored and quantified, and they’re “reinforced” with stickers or praise for producing right answers and being compliant."  

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If you haven't read the original article, you should check it out. What do you think of our "high-quality" standards? Do you think it is affecting our children? Feel free to comment below!

Your Picky Eater

I recently saw this article about a British teenager who has reportedly never eaten anything but chicken nuggets and French fries. While I find it truly hard to believe that she has NEVER eaten anything else, it still made me sad for her that she has rarely (if ever) ventured outside of this limited "comfort zone" of familiar foods. The girl was recently hospitalized after collapsing due to the overall state of her health. The article and angry online commenters pointed a finger at the girl's mother for allowing her child to develop such atrocious eating habits. Some comments even implied that the case could be tried as child abuse. When interviewed, the mother said that she had tried to introduce new foods into her daughter's diet over the years to no avail.

Source

After reading the article, I thought of many of the families with whom I've worked over the years. I've taught so many "picky eaters" who were only interested in trying a small subset of seemingly unhealthy foods -- chicken fingers, French fries, tater tots, cheese pizza, cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, cookies, etc. I completely sympathize with and understand the frustration that parents face in getting children to try new foods. It can be difficult, frustrating, time-consuming, and thankless.

Source

Here are some tips for parents of picky eaters, from the USDA: 

• Sometimes, new foods take time. Kids don't always take to new foods right away. Offer new foods many times.  It may take up to a dozen (or more) tries for a child to accept a new food.    

• Small portions, big benefits. Let your kids try small portions of new foods that you enjoy. Give them a small taste at first and be patient with them. When they develop a taste for many types of foods, it's easier to plan family meals. 

• Be a good role model by trying new foods yourself. Describe its taste, texture, and smell. 

• Offer only one new food at a time.  Serve something that you know your child likes along with the new food. Offering too many new foods all at once could be overwhelming. 

• Offer new foods first, at the beginning of a meal, when your child is the most hungry. 

• Serve food plain if that is important to your preschooler. For example, instead of a macaroni casserole, try meatballs, pasta, and a vegetable. Also, to keep the different foods separate, try plates with sections.  For some kids the opposite works and serving a new food mixed in with a familiar item is helpful.

Do your meals look like this?

While your child may resist your urges for him to try new foods, or to eat a balanced meal (see above), there are still ways to introduce new foods into his diet. For instance, some parents are disguising nutrient-filled foods into everyday meals. Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry Seinfeld's wife) has developed several kid-friendly cookbooks to promote positive eating habits and "disguise" some of the lesser-desired, nutrient-filled foods. Her website and cookbooks have "deceptively delicious" recipes and eating guides. There are also plenty of books on the market for creating "kid-friendly", whimsical meals. Research shows that children may be more apt to try new foods and eat a more balanced diet if they assist in making their meals, as well. 
 
We know that many children are naturally picky eaters, but we do want to help our children grow and develop new, healthy habits. However you attempt to introduce new foods to your picky eater, I wish you the best of luck. Stick with it and don't give up. It will pay off in the long run as your child develops lifelong, healthy eating habits!

If you want more information on healthy eating, be sure to check out the 'source' articles above. And here are a few more valuable resources for you and your family:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/childrens-health/art-20044948 

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/kids_cook.html

https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/Food_Friends.pdf

http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442467922 

https://secure.ccie.com/library/5018090.pdf


Happy Eating,
The Prepped Parent

Yoga for Children

Yoga for Children

I've learned a lot by practicing yoga over the past 10 years. I've learned the power of self-awareness, the importance of mental clarity, and the amazing feeling of pushing my body to new limits. Yoga for adults promotes meditation, flexibility, and strength (among other essential values). Yoga is, at the same time, a deeply challenging work-out and a soothing, centering experience. Yoga practice can also provide amazing benefits for young children. 

Source

When I was teaching 3 to 5-year-olds, I used many yoga principles as valuable teaching tools in the classroom setting. During whole-group instruction, we practiced several standard poses each day to "calm our bodies down" for learning. We practiced deep breathing exercises, including pranayama, or "lion breaths", when the children would take a deep breath in, hold it for several seconds, and release it with a lion-like growl. I taught centering exercises, such as these, to promote a sense of self-control and self-awareness in my preschoolers. I was consistent in practicing these techniques with my preschoolers so that they would be able to use them independently when necessary. 

I also used yoga with my preschoolers to encourage body and spatial awareness. For instance, when we practiced Downward Facing Dog (see below), we discussed the position of our bodies in space, where our hands and feet met the floor, and how our bodies felt in this inverted pose. Yoga became very multi-functional in the classroom. The children were developing language skills while doing calming, physical activity and building social/emotional coping strategies (deep breathing, finding self-awareness, stretching, etc.).

Source

I have found yoga to be an essential teaching tool in the classroom, and I believe it can be an essential tool for you at home, as well. Practice yoga with your child and give her opportunities to practice on her own. Having his own personal yoga mat will encourage your child to practice yoga for fun and as a means of releasing stress and/or anxiety. You can purchase one for relatively cheap here. Depending on where you live, there may be different studio options for you and your child to practice outside of the home. Some studios even offer specific classes for parents and children or for children only. If you don't have access to a studio like this, or if want to try it out on your own at home first, there are tons of yoga resources out there. 

Find children's yoga videos and tutorials on YouTube. 
Find lots of other great children's yoga books and resources here.
Here are a few good children's yoga short reads: Yoga for Kids, Top 10 Benefits of Yoga for Kids, Benefits of Yoga for Kids.

I hope that yoga brings you (and your children) a new level of self-awareness, peace, strength, control, understanding, and FUN!

Namaste,
The Prepped Parent

Encouraging Self-Efficacy in Your Young Child

How many times have you heard the words, "let me do it!" We often underestimate how much our children are capable of, and we are doing them a great disservice in doing this. At every age and stage, children are able to surpass our expectations, as long as we encourage their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is simply defined as one's confidence that he can succeed at doing that which is attempted. There are many ways that we can set our child(ren) up for success by intentionally providing opportunities for them to practice and perfect basic self-help skills, resulting in a feeling of independence. Self-care/self-help skills include cleaning and feeding oneself, dressing/undressing oneself, cleaning up after oneself, etc.  

While self-help skills are different than household chores, both can provide children with a heightened sense of self-efficacy, accomplishment, and independence.  Below is a chart of age-approriate chores. The more we perform simple tasks for our children, the more we discourage their self-help development and create in them a sense of dependence. 

Link to chart in website

Give your child the time he needs to practice and perfect new skills, fostering this sense of independence and self-efficacy. For example, it is not a good time for your child to practice putting on and zipping her own coat when you are rushing to get out the door in the morning. Make sure you have enough time for 'practice makes perfect' so that neither you, nor your child, reaches the breaking point. Also, give your child adequate opportunities to succeed in completing new tasks, but don't push her past their frustration point. If your child is crying over tying his shoes, guide him through the process again and move on to another activity. Learning a new skill is not worth extreme frustration, which can often cause children to have unnecessary anxiety. 

Lev Vygotsky was the founder of the idea of the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). This concept refers to the way in which children (and adults, as well) create new knowledge based on previous learning, with the 'scaffolding' help of others. Scaffolding refers to the way in which a teacher/parent gives the appropriate level of support until the learner no longer requires it and is able to perform the task on her own. As we work with young children, it is essential that we learn to appropriately scaffold our children's learning until they reach levels of independence and self-efficacy. 

Here are some other quality reads on self-help skills, developing self-efficacy, and working in the ZPD:

http://www.positiveparentingconnection.net/giant-list-of-self-care-skills-for-babiestoddlers-and-preschoolers/
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting_challenges/motivating_kids_to_clean_up/age_appropriate_chores.aspx

http://www.sequoiachildren.org/sites/sequoiachildren.org/files/SELFHELP01PELibrary.pdf

http://www.childrensprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/free-white-paper-vygotsky-zone-of-proximal-development-zpd-early-childhood.pdf

Happy Scaffolding,The Prepped Parent

My Obsession with Mo Willems' Books

My Obsession with Mo Willems' Books

So, I have to tell you about my all-time favorite children's author. His books will make you (yes, you--the adult) laugh hysterically. I have never come across more fun, interactive, and relatable books for children. If you have never had the privilege of diving into a Mo Willems book with your child(ren), trust me when I say, "you are missing out!"

Willems was a former writer and
animator for Sesame Street.

My love of Willems' books began when I stumbled across Knuffle Bunny several years ago in a local bookstore. I laughed out loud reading in the store and was thrilled to share the new book with my young class the next week. They too were enthralled with the hilarious character development, Caldecott-winning images, and witty writing and dialogue. It quickly became our class' favorite book. Soon after, Knuffle Bunny Too and Knuffle Bunny Free were released as well. The sequels are every bit as humorous, as the reader is sucked into Trixie's (the main character) adventures as she grows older in each book. Fair warning: if you are a father to a daughter or a "daddy's girl", Knuffle Bunny Free will make you tear up.

My love for Mo Willems' children's series spans beyond the Knuffle Bunny books to include "the Pigeon books" and the "the Elephant and Piggy books". You and your child will cackle at the many misadventures of these well-developed characters as they pull you into the pages of the book by speaking directly to you, the reader. I highly recommend you check out any and all of Willems' amazing books. There is no better way to encourage literacy skills at home than reading with your child. How wonderful is it when you find an author that you can both enjoy?

*A sampling of several Mo Willems' popular titles*

Mo Willems' books are available in most major book retailers, children's bookstores, through Scholastic, and online:

Mo Willems' Amazon Page

Mo Willems' Books at Barnes & Noble

Mo Willems' Books at Books-A-Million


And check out the new Mo Willems' app, Don't Let The Pigeon Run This App!, for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. 


Happy Reading,
The Prepped Parent

Crash-Course in Child Development

Crash-Course in Child Development 

I often find that parents and teachers are unsure of what is developmentally appropriate at various ages as their child(ren) grow. It can be extremely difficult to pinpoint milestones, especially in your first child. No two children are alike, either, so it can be challenging when other children are reaching milestones earlier than your child. But, as we all know, children develop on their own schedules and in their own time. So much happens in the first 5 years of life -- it is helpful to have knowledge of developmental progression, so that we can help guide our children toward appropriate next steps.

Developmental milestones fall under specific "domains". These domains include physical development (gross and fine motor skills), social/emotional development, cognitive development, and language development (receptive and expressive language). Occasionally self-help/adaptivity, cultural development, and creativity are also included as developmental domains. It is imperative that parents are aware of these domains and milestones so that we can best prepare children for future success.

The resources available to chart developmental growth can be a bit overwhelming and can sometimes even contradict one another. I recommend using a reputable developmental screening tool, such as Ages & Stages Questionnaires, if you have questions about your child's development (or just want to track normal progression of developmental skills). Ages & Stages has questionnaires for birth through age five. Always consult your child's pediatrician if you have any developmental concerns about your child.

If you want to learn more about developmental domains, milestones, and tracking developmental progress, I am including several more resources below.

http://cms.lsuagcenter.net/mcms/relatedfiles/%7B029D0F60-C060-4012-9DDA-41627C301471%7D/Regs-6-RS-Six-Domains.pdf

http://www.handyhandouts.com/pdf/358%20Developmental%20Domains.pdf

http://www.livestrong.com/article/156820-five-domains-for-early-childhood-development/

http://www.co.wright.mn.us/forms/humanservices/CFC%20Developmental%20Milestones.pdf

Happy learning,
The Prepped Parent

Introduction to The Prepped Parent

Introduction to The Prepped Parent

Who's the author?

Let me first take the opportunity to introduce myself.  I am Elizabeth and you've somehow stumbled across my blog, The Prepped Parent.  Over the last 5 years, I have been working in the field of Early Childhood Education as a teacher, instructor, trainer, and curriculum coordinator.  I have degrees in Child Development & Family Studies and Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood Education.  I have worked with hundreds of young children with diverse backgrounds and needs, and partnered alongside their parents to ensure these children's future success.

This photo is one of my favorites from teaching -- my first class
releasing their ladybugs into the natural area behind the school. 

So, why a blog? 

Working in schools, the number one question I have always received from parents is, "What should we be doing at home?"  The purpose of this blog is to hopefully help you answer that question.  Research shows that the education children receive before age 5 is paramount for children's cognitive development, and for students' future success in school and in life. 85% of brain development occurs before the age of 5! While high-quality, accredited preschools (search here) are an important piece of the early childhood puzzle, the experiences that you offer your child at home can be every bit as valuable. I hope that through this blog I am able to offer you research-based, practical advice, suggest fun learning activities for home, and answer many of the early childhood questions that arise day-to-day. 

How can I reach you? 

I always welcome your questions, concerns, and comments. Feel free to comment on any blog post, or email me directly at thepreppedparent@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Pinterest where I regularly post ideas, activities, pictures, and other useful, educational links.