Motivating Pre-School Children

A Parents Handbook Of Learning Activities For Pre-School Children

 

The Scranton School District offers preschool programs for 3-year old and 4-year old children who reside in the City of Scranton.  The programs for 3-year olds are available at Willard School, Bancroft School, Audubon School, John Adams School and Valley View.

The following schools have 4-year old preschool programs: John Adams School, Sumner School, Willard School, Bancroft School, Prescott School, Armstrong School, Robert Morris School, Marshall School, Audubon School, Valley View and Hilltop Manor.

To be eligible for the program, a child must be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1st of the school year.

Applications can be obtained at any of the preschool centers or by calling the Preschool Office at 348-3413.

 

Introduction

The Scranton School District Preschool Program has been in operation since April1, 1965. It originally opened to serve 150 students. The criteria was set up for the educationally disadvantaged child by the office of Economic Opportunity in Washington.

  The program aimed to provide the best possible opportunities for every child ac-cording to his/her intellectual capacity. The program strived to develop in the preschoolchild positive attitudes toward school, adults and fellow classmates. The program helped the child to acquire skills of observation and critical thinking. Emphasis was placed on improving oral language.

  Today there are 10 centers for 4-year old children in operation, with an enrollmentof approximately 400 students.

  The children attend five days per week for 2 ½ hours per day. The class follows the district’s calendar of 180 days.

  The broad curriculum areas which will receive attention through simple, concrete experiences include:

        1. development of communication skills
        2. development of the ability to understand simple quantitative relationships.
        3. development of aesthetic values through simple experiences in art, literature and music.
        4. health practices and physical development.
        5. development of skills and attitudes related to a wholesome self-concept.
        6. provision for information and skills needed to build and understand the physical and social environment.

 

A study by Carnegie Corporation of New York supports the view that preschool education is effective and concludes that it can prevent scholastic failure in future years.

  In reading, mathematics and language achievement, children who attended preschool classes scored higher on achievement tests than those who did not.

  Children who attended preschool admitted in interviews to less antisocial or delinquent behavior than did the control group who did not have preschool education.

  In 1994 the District began a preschool program for 3-year old children.

  Parents have the option of sending their children to a five day a week program or to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday program. Each session is 2 ½ hours per day.

 

REQUIRMENTS FOR ENTRANCE TO PRESCHOOL

 

  1. Child must be four, or three, years of age before September 30th of the current school year.
  2. Child must live in Scranton.
  3. Child must take a Preschool Readiness Test to determine at what level the child is functioning.
  4. A birth certificate must be submitted.

IMMUNIZATION LAW

 

Act 67 requires the following immunizations by all new enrollees prior to entry into school for the first time: 

A. 3 or more doses of Diptheria Toxiod
B. 3 or more doses of Tetanus Toxiod
C. 3 or more doses of Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine
D. 1 Measles Vaccine or medically confirmed disease
E. 1 Rubella Vaccine
F. 1 Mumps Vaccine

No child will be required to be immunized if there are valid medical or religious reasons not to do so.

 

A DEVELOPMENTAL VIEW OF CHILDREN FROM TWO AND ONE HALF YEARS THROUGH FOUR

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

 Motor skills unevenly developed - marked development in large muscle coordination, but small muscles and eye-hand coordination still not well developed.

 Full set of temporary teeth by three years.

 Gradually acquire ability to feed and dress themselves with greater skill.

 Rapid language development-from a few words to an average of 2000.

Change in sleep pattern-twelve hours needed at night with daytime naps gradually given up. But still needs Test because at this age fatigue sets in easily.

 Toilet habits established. Child usually takes care of his/her own needs by end of period.

 CHARACTERISTIC BEHAVIORS

 Learning to understand his/her environment and to comply with many of its demands.

 Often negative at beginning of period, but gradually becomes able to accept restraints and necessary limits.

Wants adult approval.

Likes to be close to his/her mother, but father is becoming important to him/her.

Likes to help around the house.

Imitative in language, manners, and habits.

Constantly active, but capable of longer stretches of quiet activity toward end of period.

Shows fatigue by being irritable, or restless.

Gradually learning what is acceptable behavior and what is not.

Great curiosity. Asks countless questions.

 

SPECIAL NEEDS .

Security of love and affection from parents.

Guidance and a pattern of behavior to follow.

 Time, patience, understanding, and genuine interest from adults.

 Simple, clear routines. Limited choices.

 Opportunity to learn to give and take, to play and cooperate with other children.

Wider scope of activity. Limited freedom to move about and to move away from immediate home environment by end of period.

Communicate, talk and listen to your child.

 

PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR PRESCHOOL

  

"WHAT CAN WE DO NOW?"

This booklet hopefully will provide some of the answers to that old familiar question. According to Dr. Jean Piaget, children go through stages of development. Each order is constant and each stage is necessary for the stage which follows. Nevertheless, the chronological age at which a stage of development occurs varies with the child's environment.

 The most exciting and most critical period of development in a child's lifetime occurs during the first four to five years of life. It is during this period of rapid development in the physical, cognitive, communicative, perceptual, social, and affective areas, that the foundation of all future learning is laid.

 The child who makes a good adjustment to school will probably have an easier time learning the things his/her teacher wants them to learn than the child who is upset or anxious about school.

Of all the basic goals for children, building a child's self esteem is the most important and is certainly fundamental to learning. Maintaining a positive self concept is a continual need for all human beings. 

"WHAT CAN WE DO NOW?"

Children learn what they live. Begin with LOVE, and ACCEPTANCE, understanding that your child is not an adult. Learn to COMMUNICATE with your youngster in a positive way. STIMULATE his/her curiosity. Explore things together.

 The first three years are most crucial for learning basic cognitive skills in life. Have a "Power of Expectancy" for your child. Eliminate the Negative, accentuate the ‘POSITIVE.’

The greatest challenge to a parent is to allow a child to become independent and responsible.

Parents should support discipline in the different types of behavior problems their child may have by reinforcing the positive attitude. Some children are hyperactive, angry, fearful and over sensitive to criticism. Consider each child's feelings and have respect for them. Often we make an immediate judgment about a child and scold or punish him/her without attempting to find out why they have misbehaved.

Try to present yourself as a loving model. Also present suitable models in books, puppets and stories.

The following broad tips to parents on children's education that might be considered useful are:

1. TRUST YOUR COMMON SENSE AND YOUR OWN ABILITIES. Expect to take an important role in your child's education. All that you read, plus common sense, support the fact that you, as a parent, are the child's most important teacher.

2. KNOW THAT EDUCATION STARTS AS SOON AS A CHILD IS BORN. Take advantage of these early years. Give him/her as many experiences as you can.

3. GIVE YOUR CHILD THINGS TO DO AT HOME THAT HE OR SHE CAN DO. These success experiences help your child to feel good about his/her self. Praise him/ her for trying.

4. BUILD SELF CONFIDENCE IN YOUR CHILD BY LETTING THE CHILD KNOW. Children need to feel wanted, loved and respected.

5. START GATHERING IDEAS FROM BOOKS, MAGAZINES, LIBRARY AND FRIENDS. Choose activities that are suitable and that your child is ready to do at home. 

6. STIMULATE AND MOTIVATE CREATIVITY. Give your child onalandmanipulative materials to work with, read and discuss stories and poems . These activities will stimulate. your child's abilities and imagination.

7. PROVIDE MANY EXCURSIONS. Children learn best through first hand experiences by seeing things in their natural environment. Ex: Supermarket, Pet Shop, Drugstore, Hardware Store, Zoo, Fire and Police Station.

8. READ TO CHILDREN. Children acquire a vast amount of knowledge from any people reading to them. Help them to interpret the pictures. Ex: Stories, nursery rhymes, magazines and newspapers.

9.DEVELOP AND REINFORCE SOCIAL SKILLS. Children should be taught to share their toys and household items. Ex: toy telephone, sandbox, swings, puzzles, crayons and food.

10. PRESCHOOL CHILDREN ARE DESIROUS TO EXPLORE THE WORLD ABOUT THEM. They are forming mathematical concepts of numbers, shapes, and measures. The discoveries of scientific knowledge by children should begin during the early and formative years. Ex: Learning about food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, and pastries.

Weather - watch the rain, snow, dew, trees, grass and flowers
Animals - Birds and insects.
Counting - Money concepts, shapes, beads or buttons.
Time - Clocks and watches.

11. CHILDREN SHOULD BE GIVEN SUFFICIENT PRACTICE IN ACCEPTABLE SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH THE CREATIVE ARTS. Ex: Learning about colors, textures and thickness of materials, becoming aware of designs.

12. MUSIC SHOULD PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE LIFE OF A PRESCHOOL CHILD. It seems obvious that children need music to relax their tensions. Music provides an outlet for their energies and helps them to express joy through this media. 

13. TEACH YOUR CHILD PROPER NAMES FOR ITEMS. Children should not be taught baby talk. Ex. choo-choo for train. 

14. TEACH CHILDREN TO RECOGNIZE UPPER AND LOWER CASE ALPHABET. When teaching a child to write his name, be sure to capitalize the first initial and use lower case alphabet for the rest. It is difficult for them to unlearn what has been taught if you use one case only.

15. CHOOSE TELEVISION WISELY. Make a wise selection of television programs at a suitable time .

16. TEACH GOOD HEALTH HABITS. Be sure your child gets plenty of rest, eats properly with a balanced diet, washes his hands after toileting, and brushes his teeth properly. A periodic checkup from your Physician and Dentist is very beneficial.

In conclusion, parents should follow the five "T"s
                           1. Give your child TIME
                           2. TALK with your child
                           3. TOUCH your child with just a pat on the head.
                           4. As parents, if you spend TIME, TALK with and TOUCH the lives of your children, you will create the                                   possibility of TEACHING them.
                           5. As parents attempt to satisfy the 4 "T's" just mentioned, they build within children the fifth "T" TRUST.

ACTIVITY SHEET:


Crayons
Paints
Cutting out pictures from Magazines
Building Blocks
Modeling Clay recipe: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tbs. oil, '-, cup water, mix and store in plastic container
Finger Paint
Lotto Game
CandyLand Game
Stacking or nesting cans
Puppets
Identify Shapes: Square, triangle, circle and rectangle
Identify sets and pairs
Count from 1 to 10
Identify coins: penny, nickel, dime and quarter
Read and discuss books
Match colors, pictures, letters and words
Puzzles
Paste -cutouts on corresponding shaped planes
Use -threading devices - laces, strings with buttons etc.
Play imitative or mimetic games - Simon Sez

Discuss tastes and temperatures - sweet/sour, hot/cold
Discuss seasons - Winter, S r , Fall, and Spring
Discuss weather - rain, snow, sunny day
Walk in Neighborhood - Fire House, Police Station, Library, Store

Discuss Community workers - Mailman, Nurse, Garbage Man
Library - Child can choose and take home book
Word Play Game: "Tell Me a Word" that rhymes with --- ex: ride: side, hide, bide, tide or we: he, she, free

Records: to listen to, hop to, skip and jump, and dance

Discuss safety - child should know his/her name and address, avoid speaking to strangers, cross only at street corners.

Time: discuss yesterday, today and tomorrow, and days of the week and month.

Plants - plant seeds together and watch them qrow

Collages - make collages from pieces of paper, tissue paper and cloth scraps.

Classify buttons in boxes

Listening activities: "Sounds We Hear". Tap a spoon on a glass, turn on water faucet, close a door, turn on a switch (radio,TV) open window to hear sounds outside of your home.

SUGGESTED BOOK LIST:

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE'LL DO OUR PART

TO GIVE YOUR CHILD

THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE.

 

 

Your child will be learning to -

 

work alone and with others

share and take turns

explore and expand abilities and interests

express thoughts and ideas

listen to others.

There will be activities designed to -

build self-confidence

develop vocabulary

show difference in sound, size, shape and coicr

improve coordination

introduce new ideas . . .

…and much more!!