Thursday, September 22, 2011

Little Miss (& Mr.) Independent

There is a lot to be said about children becoming independent. Many of you have observed your child stacking chairs at school, gathering their papers and packing them into their bags or  helping with snacks. The remarks I hear range from, "They don't do that for me at home!" or "Why doesn't this happen at my house?"It makes me smile, because as parents it's hard for us to let go! 

As their teacher, I have an abundance of opportunities to explicitly teach and model self help skills. Their success is based largely on what they are developmentally capable of, a self-care routine, patience and lots of encouragement. You are their #1 fan!

So how can you make this "magically" happen at your house? 

1. Let them pitch in! 
They want to help rinse the dishes off, wipe down the tables and clean up their spills.  When this happens, take a moment to see how they can assist you. Trust me... they turn 13 way too fast and then walk away from any such task.

This was after breakfast and I really was in a hurry to get everyone into our classroom. But the sink was full of bubbles and the kids pushed the chair to the sink all by themselves and decided they would wash their own dishes.
 2.  Show them the Ropes
In order to complete #1 without a disaster you will have to show them how it is done! (Take a deep breath, it will be awesome!)

Creating our TLC Gg page. Lots of following instructions, cutting on their own, finding the right pieces etc.
Growing into "Independent" students.
3.  Allow your Child to Take the Lead and Resist the Urge to Jump In
This can be a tough one. We see them getting frustrated or a whimper escapes from their lips and what do WE do??! Come on be honest! 

I will be the first to admit it took all my strength not to walk over, take the scissors and just do it for her!
But they do figure it out on their own. A bonus to this particular task... gummy snacks were the prize!
Attempting to squeeze the glue to add glitter for their Gg

With each passing birthday they will grow more and want that independence. The reward for us is being able to watch as they truly Blossom. 

Happy 3rd Birthday Morgan!!!!!   



Kinder Prep reading group finding the letter Gg independently
"Look Ms. Jaymee, goldfish sounds like our letter!" Ella.

Independent centers...


including a want to be independent Harley!




1 comment:

  1. Very Cute Jaymee! But let's hope none of those kids ever comes to Cottonwood for Kindergarten because they will have already done everything we do!

    ReplyDelete

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