|
|
|
Parenting a preschooler can be challenging, and we hope that this newsletter will add to your parenting toolbox by delivering inspiration and expert advice to your inbox each month. Do you have burning parenting questions or a topic that you would like us to cover in a future newsletter? We would love your input! Please contact Nicole Casey at ncasey@fayschool.org with any questions, comments, or feedback.
| |
|
BOOK CLUB - The Color Monster
The newsletter this month focuses on social-emotional learning, and The Color Monster is the perfect book to help teach your child about feelings. The story follows the monster as he sorts and defines his mixed-up emotions. Along the way, he uses colors to help him describe how each emotion makes him feel.
| |
|
LITERACY AND NUMERACY - Storytelling
For young children, telling and acting out stories supports the development of their language, literacy, and social skills and also benefits their emotional development and creativity. "There's a direct connection between a child's ability to tell a story and their ability to be a good writer later in life, "says Jill Cordon, Fay's Speech and Language Therapist. "Reading is tied to listening, and writing is tied to speaking. They are the same language functions."
To build your child's storytelling skills, try asking questions that solicit a story instead of a one-word answer. Jill suggests that you replace bland conversation killers like, "How was your day?" with questions that encourage your child to zero in on a particular moment from the day and tell a small story. Some examples might be: Did anyone do anything silly at school that made you laugh? What was the best thing that happened today? Questions like this are not only more fun to answer - they teach children the importance of telling a complete sequential story with a setting, characters, a beginning, a middle, and an end.
See the Arts & Crafts section below for a storytelling activity to try with your child realted to emotions.
| |
|
ARTS & CRAFTS - Feelings Monster
Materials Needed:
- Paper Plates
- Colored Paper
- Scissors
- Glue/Tape/Stapler
- Miscellaneous Craft Supplies
Directions:
- Ask your child which emotion they are currently feeling. Are they feeling happy to try a new craft, or are they nervous because they don't know what to expect?
- Once your child selects their emotion, brainstorm traits their monster should have. For example, a happy monster will likely have a smiling face, while a sad monster will have a frown. You can also refer back to The Color Monster to get ideas about how their monster should appear.
- After discussing their monster's appearance, help your child design their monster using a paper plate as a face. You can then add arms, legs, hair, and various body parts using the material above or any other craft supplies around your house.
Storytelling Activity:
Using the monster your child created and various toys or stuffed animals, act out a story together. Follow your child’s lead with the story and try introducing emotions related to your character. For example, if your child is pretending to be a scary monster, you could make your character frightened by hiding or covering their eyes. As this is happening, talk with your child about how your character is feeling and name the emotion.
| |
|
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE - Self-Advocacy
It is important that young children learn how to advocate for themselves separate from their parents. This may be regarding needs like asking a teacher for a drink of water when thirsty or to go to the bathroom when they need to. However, it can also relate to social situations and learning needs. At Fay, our kindergarten students work on topics like self-advocacy during homeroom time each day, and learning this skill is an important part of our wellness program.
As parents, we often jump in immediately when we see that our child has a problem. You can nurture self-advocacy by resisting that urge. Give your child a little space to wrestle with a problem and wait for them to ask for help before stepping in. This will help foster self-advocacy, independence, and problem-solving skills. You can also create opportunities for your child to practice communicating their needs to an adult who is not their parent. Encourage them to order for themselves at a restaurant (or at the food truck festival below) or to ask the librarian about the book they are looking for.
| |
|
FIELD TRIP - Rotary Club of Southborough Food Truck Festival
The Rotary Club of Southborough's Food Truck Festival is returning on Wednesday, May 25. The event will be held between 3:30 and 7:00 PM at the corners of Routes 85 & 30 in Southborough. Stop in at the festival for a bite to eat and then head to Fayville Park to play on the playground, or go for a walk at Chestnut Hill Farm. Can't make it on May 25? There are more dates scheduled for June 1,8, and 15.
| |
|
PARENTING ADVICE - Nurturing a Healthy Mindset
When exploring a kindergarten program, you may hear teachers and administrators refer to the social-emotional curriculum or a wellness program. Social-emotional learning helps kids better understand their emotions and fosters skills like impulse control, empathy, communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation. Research has shown a strong link between social-emotional learning and academic performance and behavior. These programs support kids as they develop these skills and learn how to succeed in a classroom environment. As you look ahead to kindergarten, here is what you should expect from a good kindergarten wellness curriculum:
| |
|
Kindergarten at Fay School
Kindergarten often lays the foundation for a child's entire learning experience. At Fay, our small class size and individualized approach helps each kindergartener establish the skills they will need for a successful educational journey. Our teachers focus on each child’s literacy, numeracy, science understanding, and social-emotional development, supported by a team of expert specialists who coordinate instruction in art, music, French, and Spanish, and P.E. Our teacher also focus on fostering a love of learning, and they know that when students believe that their learning matters, they give their all.
| |
|
|
|
|
