Archive for July, 2008
Toddler talking?
Question:
Is my toddler talking enough?
My 17 month old son only says a few things like mama, dada, dog, kitty cat, night-night, thank you, bye-bye, hi. Should he be saying more than that? I’ve heard of 18 month olds talking in full sentences. Is there more I can do?
Response:
If your child was 25 months old and you asked me this question I would say call your doctor immediately. Your child’s intelligence isn’t determined by how early they crawl, walk or talk.
Your child seems to be following the same track my little boy was on… between 20 and 24 months his oral vocabulary grew by almost 5 words a day. He went from saying very little to constant jibbering. Make sure you are talking to him each day (no baby talk) – at least 30,000 spoken words is what he should hear in a day. Make sure to read books with him and point to the words that match the pictures. Also, sing nursery rhymes and other children’s songs – he will begin singing back really soon.
Our learning program at Wiggle Giggle Learn offers many other fun learning activities to increase his overall skill development. Language development is crucial for so many different reasons. Check out the program at www.wigglegigglelearn.com.
Sincerely,
Tracey Bryant Stuckey
Chief Creative Learning Officer
Add comment July 31, 2008
The second baby and jealous big brother
Question:
How do I get my three year old to stop talking like a baby?
My son is 3 and has just started talking like a baby to get attention I’m sure. Our baby girl was born 2 months ago and we are sure this is what has sparked the baby talk. My wife wants to ignore it but I am getting aggravated and I want to keep telling him to talk like a big boy. What techniques should I use to get him to stop talking like a baby?
Response:
He is talking like a baby to fit into the new scenario playing out at your house. Pay attention to your behaviors with the baby. Do you all coo and speak in infant tones to the baby? If so, he is simply imitating what you are doing.
There is no harm being done here. Your little boy will not revert into a language “coma” and forget how to talk “right.” Your wife is right – to stop this behavior you must ignore it. This is true for all attention-seeking behaviors. However, if you get to coo and speak in “baby talk” then he should have the same right. You need to teach him when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate. You do this by modeling “baby talk” to the baby and “big boy talk” to mommy. Practice in front of him. Make it a game and be dramatic with your voice changes to be sure he gets the difference. Make sure to praise him for appropriate speech and ignore the inappropriate. I mean really ignore. It isn’t like he is committing murder here… he just wants to fit into the “new family structure.”
On a side note: Now that you have two children you need to determine a plan for having one on one time with each child on a weekly basis. It is so easy to say well he is older and we will just have to understand that the baby needs us more. The reality is, he doesn’t understand and never will understand anything except that he lost a really good thing when that baby came along – your undivided attention! Plan time with him alone on your calendar… you will not regret it!
Sincerely,
Tracey Bryant Stuckey
Chief Creative Learning Officer
Add comment July 30, 2008
When should my child go to a “learning” daycare or preschool?
Question:
When should my child go to a “learning” daycare or preschool?
My son is almost two years old. We have several kinds of daycares/preschools around our home. As a parent, I see some daycares/preschools that just “watch” your child and then others that stress learning and teaching. When do you think it is important to find a more academic daycare?
Response:
First of all, the most important part of any school that works with children birth to age five (4 year old kindergarten) is that children are learning primarily through active hands-on learning that involves a lot of play. Your child will show amazing overall development in a center that helps him become independent and teaches him how to problem solve and think critically while developing his cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills. It should look and feel busy with a lot of talk between both the children and teachers.
With all of that said, I like to see children going into some sort of organized program when they turn two. Many churches offer a Mother’s Morning Out for just 2 days a week. If you can’t begin your little one at two you should definitely plan for them to go to school by age three. This is important for your child’s social and emotional development. You are definitely his first teacher and you do so much with him at home but you probably don’t work on group-related skills (how to fit in with more than a few people) and how to wait your turn, etc… All of these skills are practiced naturally in an organized school setting. Your child’s language will blossom once engaging with more children as well. He will then have other children to copy-cat. This is why third and fourth born children develop language skills earlier because they are constantly imitating what their siblings are doing.
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A dream ratio at any preschool would look like this:
2 year olds = 4-5 students to 1 teacher
3 year olds = 6-7 students to 1 teacher
4 year olds = 10-12 students to 1 teacher
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Play for young children is work. However, the environment must be set up appropriately for children to actually learn through play. Children don’t learn through so called “educational learning toys.” The environment must help the child engage in imaginary play (builds those critical problem solving skills) and where the child can use toys in a variety of ways. When toys only operate in one way no real learning is occurring on the child’s part. The child must be working, making decisions and changing roles during play for learning to occur. Look at the environments of the centers – which ones could you see your child “working” in and which ones are just too cluttered, full of inappropriate toys or no toys at all?
I personally believe in the constructivist theory of early learning. I believe that we learn by doing and that small skills and concepts build upon each other for overarching understandings. I believe that worksheets don’t build dendrites in the brain. Therefore, your child shouldn’t be in a center that uses a wealth of “workbook” related activities. These are merely time-fillers for the teachers and don’t offer learning to such young children.
I love the Montessori approach to infancy and beyond. I love the Reggio Emilia curriculum format that started in Italy and I love Creative Curriculum that is used in many American preschools.
Upon visiting a facility, if you see a lot of whole-group rug time or children running around aimlessly, these are both red flags. Students aren’t engaged at a level that is both stimulating and appropriately meeting their developmental needs. RUN! RUN FAST!
Hope this information helps to answer your question. You will know if a center is right for your little one after visiting a few.
Sincerely,
Tracey Bryant Stuckey
Chief Creative Learning Officer
Add comment July 28, 2008
Diaper rashes
Nancy Smith writes, my daughter and I have used so many creams that I would like to share to all mothers out there about one that was suggested to me!
I am a grandmother of a 2 year old granddaughter who would constantly get a diaper rash and all over the counter diaper rashes would not help. This is a suggestion mainly for mothers out there who has children in diapers. The ointment is called FLANDERS which was brought to my attention by my brother who is a pharmacist manager. It is not on the shelves in the pharmacy area due to the fact it is expensive but the size of the tube will last for quite a long time. This tube (which is the size of a Desinex tube) can cost $8.00 or a little more. This is a product that you would have to request from your pharmacist for them to
do a special order and is received within a day from the time you placed the order. Within a day or two you will notice a HUGE difference in the diaper rash and it may even be gone if not too severe. I urge all new mothers and mothers who have toddlers in diapers to give this a try. IT WORKS wonders!
Do you have a preferred remedy? Add a comment to this post to share it now!
Add comment July 26, 2008
Will my child be bored in kindergarten?
Question:
I have a 3.5 year old daughter. I am a stay-at-home mom. I have always put learning first in our home and she seems to be ahead of others her age or a little older. Is the hard work and time I have invested in her education going to backfire when she goes to school? Will she be bored and unchallenged? I have friends who say they aren’t working as hard as I do because they don’t want their child to be bored. I don’t want to think like them but I seem to be out-numbered every time this subject comes up.
Response:
Mediocre attitudes lead to mediocre lives! You are making all of the right choices for your little girl. Good kindergarten teachers are able to teach to an individual child’s needs and build forward on their strengths. As a kindergarten teacher for 15 years, I cringed when parents would introduce themselves and their child to me that way. Almost proud of doing nothing to make my life (as the teacher) easier, saying things like, “Well… we didn’t want her to be a behavior problem and we didn’t want her to be bored in your class so we decided to limit how much we have taught her.”
Barbaric and unbelievable, but yes… well within the norm for some parents -I see it as a “cop-out.” They don’t know what to do so they do very little. Enrolling their children in expensive extra-curricular activities that many times over stimulate little ones, overscheduled parents and the children and leave little time for developing the imagination, which is critical for optimal brain development.
When the time comes and your little one goes off to school you will feel proud of your accomplishments and her love for learning. If you believe the teacher will be appreciative of your child’s gifts and love for learning, then that is what you will receive.
You will have a chance to meet with your child’s teacher prior to school starting. You should share what you have been doing at home and where you think she needs more assistance. Let the teacher know how willing you are to do extra activities at home. Kindergarten teachers trust parents to offer lots of information that will support them in the classroom. The transition is a difficult one for many five year olds, therefore we want to keep a certain sense of normal in their day.
Speaking for all teachers of young children, “we LOVE parents like you!” You are providing a path for us to teach your child much more than we might have dreamed of teaching. Kindergarten teachers like to (and, have to) teach more than the ABC’s and 123’s, buttoning, zipping, tying and washing hands.
Today’s kindergarten is yesterday’s first grade. Standards are higher and the No Child Left Behind act is making accountability tough. I might suggest that your friends take a few hours to visit some kindergarten classrooms to see what kindergarten is really like.
Good luck and bless you for your hard work!
Tracey Bryant Stuckey
Chief Creative Learning Officer
Add comment July 17, 2008
