RANGELY — I am back from the Creative Curriculum Conference in Denver (braving bad roads and weather).
Thank you to Diane Russell for holding down the fort, along with Lacey Heinzelman. Special thanks to Leslie Nielson and Jane Lee for helping us out while I was gone. Thank you to our board members Dorothy Morrison, Edie Jansen, Diane Sizemore, Maria Stepanyan and Sarah Ward for supporting the conference attendance.
I learned many things, but most important, your children are in a safe, warm, nurturing environment supported by a learning environment based on research and theory.
Social skills are the basis for successful learners. Learning to make friends, cooperate and control emotions through play is the foundation for academic success.
Physical development through gross and fine motor skills is important for developing the skills to begin writing
Cognitive development is enhanced with make-believe play. Children develop math skills every day as they play with different materials and have conversations about what they are doing.
Language development leads to reading. The best way to encourage children to become good readers is to read to them every day.
Developmental steps in writing:
• Scribbling is an early attempt at writing
• Scribble writing and letter-like forms: The first letter of your child’s name is the most likely to appear.
• Writes recognizable letters: Usually the first to be learned are the ones that are most important-those in his or her name.
• Uses letters that represent sounds in words: By the end of preschool or beginning of kindergarten, children begin to organize the letters in a row.
All children develop at different rates. You are your child’s most important teacher. The best thing you can do is take time to play with your child, read and talk. The way you talk to your child makes a big difference in how your child thinks and feels and the kind of person your child will become.
If you have any questions about your child’s preschool experience at Giant Step Preschool please come in and visit. Our door is always open.
Look for our Week of the Young Child Celebration April 19-25.
By Kari Way, director of Giant Step Preschool and Child Care Center in Rangely.
