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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
Do
you want your child to . . .
- Learn
to read?
- Enjoy
learning?
- Get
along well with others?
- Make
decisions independently?
- Enjoy
solving problems?
- Develop
good coordination?
That's
what a good child care program will do for your child.
No matter what type of child care you use, be it center-based,
family dayhome or in-home care, you want your child
to be involved in daily activities that help them
to learn. When you visit the daycare or dayhome, look
for signs of activities below. Check the facility's
program and daily schedule. Ask your caregiver what
activities your child enjoys best. If you have a nanny
or in-home caregiver, work with her to plan out activities
that will enhance your child's development. Below
is a quick list of children's activities and what
they learn from them.
- Reading
- Turning
pages of a book from beginning to end prepares
a child for reading and writing by exposing
them to the left to right concept.
- Listening
to a story and talking about what happened develops
a love of books, helps a child to remember details,
and gives them a forum to express their ideas
which enhances language development.
- Blocks
- Balancing
one block on top of another helps a child develop
control and physical coordination.
- Putting
blocks in a truck and dumping them out helps
a child to understand size, weight, and number
concepts which assists them with their math
and science.
- Puzzles
and Beads
- Finishing
a puzzle teaches a child to complete a task,
enhances self-esteem and produces good study
habits.
- Stringing
beads helps a child to coordinate the actions
of their eyes and hands and prepares them for
reading and writing. Putting beads on a string
in a sequence is a math building skill.
- Arts
& Crafts
- Cutting
paper, gluing, drawing a picture, just gathering
the supplies helps a child with their small
muscle skills, prepares them for reading and
writing, and teaches them the value of carrying
out a task (independence and study habit building
skills).
- Making
Playdough teaches a child to recognize how materials
change - a science building exercise.
- Outdoor
Activities
- Throwing
and catching a ball and climbing on outdoor
equipment develops hand and eye coordination
as well as physical development.
- Taking
the time to look at plants, insects, to notice
the difference in these things with the changing
of the seasons sharpens a child's observation
and science skills.
A
child who is given ample opportunities to acquire
the skills, attitudes and habits of learning will
do well in school and in life. Is your child care
arrangement giving your child that opportunity?
Extracted
from the book, A Parent's Guide To Early Childhood
Education by Diane Trister Dodge and Joanna Phinney.
Teaching Strategies, Inc. P.O. Box 42243, Washington,
D.C. 20015.
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©
Catherine M. Pruissen
Catherine M. Pruissen is the CEO of About Child Care
Consumer Services and developer of child care online.
She has published numerous child care related literature,
including Start and
Run a Profitable Home Day Care, The
Daycare Alternative, How to Find Good Child Care,
Caregiver Aids: Business
Forms for Caregivers and Parents, Income
Tax & Record Keeping for Child Care Providers,
and a host of workshops and workbooks. She was the editor
and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter, Parent Care,
Your Child Care News-line. Catherine was also the coordinator
and workshop facilitator for The Child Care Information
Centre in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome
for eight years. |
