Parent Memo

A Note to My Readers…

Justine Freeman — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:50:15 +0000

I am a full time teacher. I try to write Memos on the weekends in the mornings, but my child’s sleeping patterns have not allowed me to do this the past couple of months (he gets up now when he hears that I am up). As soon as this changes or I am off of work, I will be writing again. Thank you!

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Encourage an Interest

Justine Freeman — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:45:25 +0000

Pay attention to when your child begins to show an interest in a particular topic. When you encourage learning about an area of interest, you are teaching how to learn. Helping your child learn about a specific topic also shows your child that what is important to them is important to you too. Here are some ways to get started teaching your child how to learn:

Go to the library: The library will have many books on the topic of your child’s interest. It is a great place to begin. It is also a great way to encourage your child to read. Even a reluctant reader will pick up a book in an area of interest. Some libraries also have DVDs that you can check out.

Plan a field trip: You could take your child to a museum, movie, play, concert, or children’s learning center. Find a place that has some hands on interaction with what your child is interested in. It will make a trip to a museum a positive learning experience!

Enroll in a class: Does your child like art? Enroll him in an art class. Does she like a sport? Find a team. Does dance or theater interest your child? There are many children’s programs that cover these areas too.

For example…
My son loved watching the garbage man come pick up the trash cans on Friday mornings. His favorite character on Sesame Street was Oscar the Grouch, because he loved trash too. We encouraged this interest and helped him to learn about garbage, recycling, and landfills. I took him to the library to check out books and DVDs about garbage. My husband arranged for him to have a tour of the local landfill. My son owns a fleet of garbage trucks, and can tell you the different models, makes, and companies that are on the different trucks. By encouraging his interest, we have tried to teach him how to learn.

I know that my son’s interest in garbage is shared by other children. So, he and I have put together a Garbage Store of tested products for those who love the garbage man!

A percentage of all purchases made through these links comes back to Parent Memo.

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Hop & Jump

Justine Freeman — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:42:50 +0000

Two more important gross motor skills are hopping and jumping. These can be practiced at any time when playing outside. Teach your toddler to “hop like a bunny” or “jump like a frog” to begin with. They love pretending they are different animals. When your child becomes a more advanced jumper and hopper try these:

Jump Rope-Jumping rope is a simple way to practice jumping. Teach your child some jump rope rhymes and you add phonemic awareness to this fun outdoor activity.

Play Hopscotch-Teach your child how to play hopscotch. It will encourage hopping, balancing skills, and it will review the numbers while they play!

Gross motor skills like hopping and jumping are very important to child development. Encourage your child to play using activities to support these skills.

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Play Ball

Justine Freeman — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:50:49 +0000

Playing with a ball is a great way to develop your child’s gross motor skills. There are many different skills that can be addressed such as balance, hand-eye coordination, and the use of two hands together. Use a ball that is easy for your child to pick up at first, and then move on to using different sizes and weights. Balls with different textures or bean bags can be used for these exercises as well. Here are some ball play activities to get you started.

Roll-Roll the ball back and forth while seated on the floor. Then, use brooms to to push the ball to one another while standing up, like playing hockey.

Throw & Catch-Have a game of catch with your child. Start close together and step further apart as your child is able to handle the ball better.

Kick-Kicking takes balance and coordination because your child will have to balance on one foot in order to kick the ball. Teach your child how to kick a ball that is set on the ground at first and then move on to rolling the ball to him/her to kick.

Playing ball allows you to have fun with your child while encouraging the development valuable skills they will use forever!

A percentage of the proceeds that are bought through these links comes back to Parent Memo.

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Balance

Justine Freeman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:24:14 +0000

The next few memos will be dedicated to talking about gross motor skills. Gross motor skills are large movements of the muscles and body. It is important for a child to develop balance and coordination in order to participate in physical education, dance, or sports. Children love practicing gross motor skills. They do it all of the time by walking and climbing. The first gross motor skill we will focus on is balance. Balance is easy to practice.

Balance Beam-Place a 2×4 on the ground and have your child cross it like a balance beam. Allow your child to walk on the curb one foot in front of another.

Bean Bags-Place a bean bag on your child’s head and have them try to walk without it falling off. See how far or fast your child can walk without the bean bag falling off. You could even have children race one another trying to keep the bean bag balanced on their heads!

Balance Boards-Balance boards can be purchased to help children develop their balancing skills. They are a fun way to practice balance!

Playground equipment can help a child to practice balance. You may run into many opportunities when your child will be able to practice balance. Share your balancing ideas in the comment section below!

A percentage of the purchases made through links on this site come back to Parent Memo.

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Parent Memo

A Note to My Readers…

I am a full time teacher. I try to write Memos on the weekends in the mornings, but my child’s sleeping patterns have not allowed me to do this the past couple of months (he gets up now when he hears that I am up). As soon as this changes or I am off of work, I will be writing again. Thank you!

Related Posts:

Encourage an Interest

Go to the library: The library will have many books on the topic of your child’s interest. It is a great place to begin. It is also a great way to encourage your child to read. Even a reluctant reader will pick up a book in an area of interest. Some libraries also have DVDs that you can check out.

Plan a field trip: You could take your child to a museum, movie, play, concert, or children’s learning center. Find a place that has some hands on interaction with what your child is interested in. It will make a trip to a museum a positive learning experience!

Related Posts:

Hop & Jump

Jump Rope-Jumping rope is a simple way to practice jumping. Teach your child some jump rope rhymes and you add phonemic awareness to this fun outdoor activity.

Play Hopscotch-Teach your child how to play hopscotch. It will encourage hopping, balancing skills, and it will review the numbers while they play!

Gross motor skills like hopping and jumping are very important to child development. Encourage your child to play using activities to support these skills.

Related Posts:

Play Ball

Roll-Roll the ball back and forth while seated on the floor. Then, use brooms to to push the ball to one another while standing up, like playing hockey.

Throw & Catch-Have a game of catch with your child. Start close together and step further apart as your child is able to handle the ball better.

Kick-Kicking takes balance and coordination because your child will have to balance on one foot in order to kick the ball. Teach your child how to kick a ball that is set on the ground at first and then move on to rolling the ball to him/her to kick.

Playing ball allows you to have fun with your child while encouraging the development valuable skills they will use forever!

Related Posts:

Balance

Balance Beam-Place a 2×4 on the ground and have your child cross it like a balance beam. Allow your child to walk on the curb one foot in front of another.

Bean Bags-Place a bean bag on your child’s head and have them try to walk without it falling off. See how far or fast your child can walk without the bean bag falling off. You could even have children race one another trying to keep the bean bag balanced on their heads!

Balance Boards-Balance boards can be purchased to help children develop their balancing skills. They are a fun way to practice balance!

Playground equipment can help a child to practice balance. You may run into many opportunities when your child will be able to practice balance. Share your balancing ideas in the comment section below!

Related Posts: