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Should You Try to Teach a 2 Year Old to Read? June 20, 2008

Posted by artinshamrocks in New Moms, Toddlers, education, games, toys.
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I’ll never forget having a play date with a fellow teacher’s two year old.  We thought it would be fun to let the little girls play while we relaxed and chatted.  I was floored to see her lower kitchen cupboards covered in sight words, letters and common nouns.  Actually many of her household furnishings were labeled too with a flash card and the name of the object.  Her two year old happily lead me through the house reading each one to me as my child examined the lint between her toes.

While there are some children who read very young, others just don’t “get it” until they are a little older.  I personally don’t believe in pushing a very young child to read but there are some common sense things you CAN do to get them interested in reading.

Two and three year olds aren’t ready to sit down and learn letters and words but you can help them develop their oral language skills.  Encourage them to talk about a story you’ve read together.  Expand their experiences and vocabulary.  Do fun activities together and talk about them.  Sing and count things together.  Make up silly rhymes.

Four year olds will begin showing more interest in print.  But even that is an individual thing.  Cash in on teachable moments!   Teach them sounds, letters and numbers when they show an interest.  If you want to excite him, teach him to read and write his name.  He will be more interested in this word than any other.  Next move on to Dad or Mom or a siblings name.

The most important thing you can do is read to your child.  This builds language skills and keeps their curiosity alive.  Give them age appropriate learning toys but don’t discount building blocks, leggos or puzzles.

Even though more is expected now days out of preschoolers and kindergartners, as long as you encourage them and help them to progress at their own speed you will find them enjoying a variety of print in no time.

Time-outs for Toddlers June 6, 2008

Posted by artinshamrocks in Discipline, New Moms, Toddlers, Uncategorized.
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If your toddler is very distressed by a simple time-out for bad behavior it can be hard for a parent to take.  However, before you decide not to use this as a discipline tool, keep in mind that his reaction is actually a clue that it is working.  There are ways though that you can make these lessons a little less painless for you and your child and still discipline your child with love and logic.

Work towards good behavior-try to circumvent bad behavior and the need for discipline before it happens.  Provide him with lots of interesting activities and loving interaction with you throughout the day and make routines fun.  By minimizing your child’s frustration you alleviate some of the possibilities for bad behavior. Don’t forget that frequent meals, enough sleep and some cuddling can help toddlers (and their parents) better manage their emotions.

Reserve time-outs for the worst behaviors,such as hitting or biting.  If time-outs are being used more than once or twice a day, there may a problem with your expectations of his abilities. 

Tailor the time-out to your child’s personality.  Some children calm down seconds after being disciplined while others take longer. Watch your child’s body and when she relaxes a bit and her crying has subsided, then get her out of time-out and into a favorite activity.  Also try to find a way to praise her shortly after the time-out and always give hugs and love. A child must realize that it’s the behavior that you find fault with and not them.

Any disciple method takes time and requires patience and consistency to see if it’s working.  Give this method about four weeks.  If you don’t see improvement then consider other factors like gaps in language or eye-hand coordination.  Perhaps it’s just a stage the child is going through or something stressful going on in the home or daycare.  Talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned about aggressive behavior that does not respond to firm but loving discipline.

Baby Talk June 1, 2008

Posted by artinshamrocks in New Moms, Toddlers, education.
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Babies start to understand the meaning of words as early as age 6 months, maybe even earlier.  When they begin talking at around 12 months, their average vocabulary consists of about six words.  This increases to a few hundred words rapidly-mostly nouns-by age 2.  Young toddlers learn words for tangible objects more easily than intangible objects.  For example, a toddler might reach for the cat’s tail and say “kitty”.  “Tail” is a more sophisticated concept.  My daughter thought all the zoo animals were “Yaks” and also included cows and horses in that category. It was cute but not very effective.  So how can you best help your child learn her complicated language skills?
 
First, when the child reaches to say kitty to the cat’s tail.  Use your hand and words to explain that the whole animal is kitty or the cat’s name and that the long twitching part is her tail.  When a child sees a clown’s face she might say “clown” while touching or pointing to the fascinating red shiny nose.  She thinks of the whole object as “clown”.  So to be clear, you need to first explicitly show the whole clown and say “clown”.  When she seems to grasp this idea, you can point to the clown’s nose and your nose and her nose and say “nose”. 
 
These distinctions matter and without them the child could be left with incorrect assumptions about what thing are and mean.  So every animals becomes a yak!  Luckily, kiddos learn very quickly and they can easily relearn misinformation. 
Another thing you can do is read, read, read!  Reading aloud is essential.  Even infants benefit from hearing the sound of the words as you show the pictures.  You can also play the naming game by pointing at objects wherever you are and labeling them for your child.  It’s not necessary to overdo this, just have fun with it.   It’s fascinating to watch a young child learn language and even in bilingual homes the child can quickly and easily grasp many concepts, words and meaning in more than one  language.   Work with your child a little and enjoy them as they discover a whole new world of language.  Too soon they will be chattering none stop. 
 

The Average Toddler Hears “NO” 400 Times A Day! May 19, 2008

Posted by artinshamrocks in Discipline, New Moms, Toddlers.
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 This is an astonishing fact and not only tiresome for you but it can also be harmful to your child.  Children who hear “no” too much have higher frustration levels, anxiety and poorer language skills.  Saying “no” too much becomes ineffective and many kids simply start to tune you completely out or throw tantrums the minute the dreaded syllable is heard.  Not responding to “no” is also dangerous from a safety perspective.
 
So what is a parent to do?  Parents need to break out of the yes/no tug-of-war by coming up with new ways to set limits.  Here are a couple suggestions:
 
*Show and Tell-often children are not doing things on purpose and need to be shown gently how to do something else more appropriate.  For instance a young child who might be hitting the cat or poking the baby sister should be told “gentle” while you guide her hand in a stroking motion or show her how to carefully kiss the baby.  Some children can’t stop what they are doing because they don’t know what to do instead.
 
*Give the child a choice-instead of saying the no word offer him an option.  For kids between 1 and 3 years of age this encourages them to develop a sense of independence and competence.  Instead of saying, “No bubble blowing in the house,” try saying “You can blow bubbles in the bathroom tub or on the patio-your choice.  Instead of saying, “No throwing the ball in the living room,” try “you can roll the ball in the house or throw it in the backyard”-your choice.
 
*Say YES sort of-try rephrasing the “no” as a “yes”.  Say “yes, you can have ice cream after dinner.  Let’s go find a cracker for now.”
 
*Explain yourself simply-consider explaining to your child why her behavior is so bothersome to you or other people.  Show your child that what she does affects people around her.  It may take awhile for her to develop empathy and concern for others but reminding her of someone else’s perspective will help her along later.
 
*Say NO like you mean it – Little ones learn the meaning of the word “no” largely from the tone of your voice.  Say it less often but with a firm tone.  You can also develop a look or penetrating glare or a simple finger point that immediately signals the child that it’s time to stop.
 
Always help your child find other fun activities and redirect their attention.  Stay connected with your child and try to relax and not get into a power struggle.  They are only little once and they have so much to learn.