Preschoolers & Television

Television is perceived as an educational tool by some while others believe television may have a negative influence on their growth.  Who is correct? Well, the answer likely depends on the subject matter along with the duration of viewing time.

The Smart Start Preschool believes TV shows can have a positive influence.  Preschoolers have many more choices on television than 20 years ago.  Parents/Guardians are encouraged to assist preschoolers in selecting more educational shows as opposed to those emphasizing strictly entertainment.    From what I’ve heard and seen firsthand some shows are more interactive with children and try to teach them something academic.  Take Word World for instance, this program is about spelling and finding the word to the story.  Caillou is a good program which displays problems and solutions, of course Sesame Street has been and continues to offer something educational.  Although some television programs are more educational than others, television should not replace preschool where children are able to more frequently utlize and develop their social skills, fine motor and gross motor skills in an interactive yet controlled environment. 

It is encouraged that parents/guardians use television as a source of developing conversation.  After your child watches his program, ask them what it was about, what they learned or what they enjoyed about the show.  This interaction and questioning will encourage a child to remember what they viewed and share it with you.   Another suggestion is to watch the show with your child and compare TV shows to real life situations.  Some cartoons ask their viewers a question and pause so the kids can answer the question. If you’re watching the show with your child, have him answer the question when it pauses.  This will encourage them to listen more intently.

Although we emphasize more educational television, we also know children need a break so we do encourage some programs which are also entertaining.  Regardless of programs, I recommend children watch less than 3 hours per day.  The television isn’t recommended to act as a baby sitter.  If you don’t have the time to spend with the children, simply turn the TV off, maybe turn on the radio and have them color, draw or another form of creative play or kick a ball around (outside).  This type of play supports their fine motor and gross motor skills.

Interacting with your children is a lot more beneficial for them instead of watching 4 hours of TV a day. 

Natasha’s Tip:  Use television as a source of conversation, select the programs they are watching and ask them to tell you what it was about.   

Please share this blog with your friends; we welcome your comments on this topic.

For more information on children and TV, visit this website: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm

Parents & Preschoolers – How to Help Your Child Excel

At ages 3-5 children are learning so much whether in preschool or not.  If your child is in preschool reinforcing what he/she is learning will only help him excel.  Repetition and practice are two key ingredients to expanding their minds and grow to the next level.  Think about how you learn, at times we need to repeat what we have read or learned in order to understand it better, the same holds true for your child. 

Early learning is the foundation to their future; how parents interact, support and work with their child is the first step to a lifelong of learning and growing—together.   

Teaching 3-5 yr olds could be challenging, they may not listen and lose interest quickly.   So how do you turn this around?  Make learning fun, play flash cards or turn teaching into a game.  Here is a suggestion: if you’re teaching them the alphabet take a sheet of paper, write a letter on each sheet and place the sheets around the room; you can even tape them to the wall.  Ask your child to find the letter N.  He/she will have to walk to the paper with the letter N written on it.  Repeat this for all letters you have posted around the room.  This type of learning encourages them to get involved – it’s more interactive and ultimately makes it fun. 

If you’re teaching them how to write their letters make sure they’re holding their pencil correctly.  Write a letter and ask them to write the same thing, this is called modeling.  Or, tell your child you don’t know how to write the letter H, and ask him/her to show you.  This puts the child in charge, gives them a sense of independence, plus it’s very endearing to watch them teach you. If either of these approaches do not work and they are losing interest then perhaps take break and reconvene later.

Set small attainable goals and reward them with something they like such as stickers, taking them to a place they like to visit, etc. 

If your child is not in preschool, there are plenty of websites that offer information on child development and stages of academic growth.  Two resources are listed at the end of this document.

Natasha’s Tip:
Reinforce what your child has learned in school by repeating it at home for 10 minutes.  If you’re not sure what to do, ask their teacher for some suggestions and tips. Remember, all teaching doesn’t happen in the classroom.  Working with them at home will only help them succeed faster.

Child Development Online resources:www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker
www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/devsequence.shtml

What Makes A Healthy Child?

When parents and the general public speak about “healthy children” are they referring to healthy bodies, healthy minds or both?  It depends on who is sharing their opinion and the context of the discussion.

The Smart Start Preschool believes raising healthy children starts with positive relationships with siblings, parents, family members and other children/friends.  Positive relationships, positive and an energizing environment coupled with eating nutrient-rich foods, exercising and getting the proper amount of sleep all helps with developing a healthy child. 

Based on published information children ages 3-5 will be in a better state of mind and moods if they get 10-12 hours of sleep per day. This doesn’t mean in one sleep setting, but incorporating naps into their schedule.  I’m sure you’re already giving your children nutrient-rich foods, but as a reminder these foods are comprised of whole grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables and protein.  Any food low in sugar is the best for your children.  Similar to adult, these foods add natural, healthy fuel opposed to sugary snacks which ultimately drains your child’s energy. Of course don’t hold back on all fun food, incorporate it into their diets in small increments.

Exercise is also important and being a part of a positive environment encourages positive relationships along with active, interactive and social playtime which play a role in confidence and development.

If your children are not in preschool, adding social interaction and outside play will help your child’s development.  Don’t fret about winter, taking them out for 15-20 minutes will do them a world of good for their behavior, and give parents a world of calmness.  We all know children get fidgety and can only focus for about 15 minutes, plus they have a lot of bottled-up energy and need to use it.  Expending their energy through physical activity outside can play a role which positively impacts their healthy growth.  If the weather is cold, bundle them up for play or maybe even take them to a local mall.  Many malls today offer play areas where children can interact and play in an inside setting.  Check out the Westfield Mall in Milford and Trumbull.  Danbury also has a fantastic play area and merry-go-round.

Other options are play groups.  “Mothers and More” of Greater New Haven is a membership-based group with multiple offering including outings, new friendships, etc.   Also, look into your local library for story times, children’s museums and even parks when the weather cooperates.   

Here at The Smart Start we encourage healthy growth and incorporate education on healthy eating.  We incorporate a 5 minute stretch to wake up the senses during our academics, we incorporate a structured gym class which make exercising fun and maximize the children’s interest.  Naptime is also incorporated in our scholastic routine for healthy recovery from either gym or recess activities. 

Natasha’s Tip – Parents: Set aside 15+ minutes a day for some sort of physical activity with your child.  As adults we may forget to go outside as our lives become busy, but physical activity is important – step away from the computer and TV and enjoy the fresh air with your child.

Thanks for reading our blog, all of us here at The Smart Start Preschool hope this has been enjoyable and useful -- Natasha Clark

The Smart Start Preschool & Learning Center.  A place for your child to grow.

Places to take your children:Public Library Story Time
Children’s Museum (New Haven)
Rascals Gym
New Era Gymnastics (Hamden)
Hartford Science Center
Maritime Center (Norwalk, CT)

www.thesmartstart.org

Welcome & Ages 3-5 What Your Children Should Be Learning

Dear Readers,

I would like to welcome you to The Smart Start Preschool Blog.  We’ve started this blog to engage our students’ parents/caregivers and others who are interested in reading about  what we have to share.  Our hope is to provide you with some useful information, tips, tricks and even some light humor about educating and raising our children.  Of course since this is a blog hearing your opinions and comments are more than welcome. This is a two-way conversation and our doors are open.

What Your Child Should be Learning Between Ages 3-5

Welcome to The Smart Start Preschool’s first official posting, in this blog we will be disucssing what children between the ages of 3-5 should be learning. 

Being a pre-school teacher for 12 years I’ve seen the full gaumut of what children should be learning and also what some already know at this age. 

Here is a guide of a few growth milestones to determine if your child is progressing at the standard rate:

I’ve broken it down per each age group, so it’s a little more straight forward:

Age 3

ü  Children should know how to hold a pencil as they will begin to draw shapes and eventually letters of the alphabet.

ü  Knowing the alphabet and being able to recite the letters in order.  TIP: Singing the alphabet song to your child will help engage him, singing is fun for children and will ultimately help them enjoy learning.   

ü  Identifying their name when they see it in writing such as on a flash card.

ü  The first letter in their name.

ü  Social interaction and sharing (making an effort to share, we all know how that goes)

Age 4-5

ü  At this age children are more mature and should be able to recognize letters outside the context of their name.  TIP: To reinforce their learning of individual letters we suggest using flashcards with a letter on one side and a corresponding picture on the opposite side, such as the C and a picture of a Cat on the flip side.  This visual connection will help your child connect the letter C to the word Cat and ultimately reinforces their learning.

ü  Recognize sight words like A and I and eventually The and And.  The and And are words your child will see frequently and will pick these up faster.

Along with academics, children between ages 3-5 are gaining their independence. Here are some simple yet effective tasks to help them feel like a “big boy or girl”: hanging up their coat, taking off their shoes, playing with one toy at a time and putting it away after they’ve played with it, and throwing out their garbage. 

Natasha’s Tip:

Reading with your children is an entertaining, educating and bonding experience.  Have your child sit on your lap, point to the word you are reading, read one page at a time and then ask your child a particular question about the context. Repeat this process for every page you read.  This approach will help your child exercise his/her mind, think about and remember what he/she just heard.

Thanks for reading our blog, all of us here at The Smart Start Preschool

hope this has been enjoyable and useful -- Natasha Clark

The Smart Start Preschool & Learning Center.  A place for your child to grow.