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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.
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BOOK CLUB - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
The leaves are falling from the trees, and it's time to go on a leaf hunt! This fun, rhyming book is great for fall reading, and it is also perfect for teaching your child sequencing (the ability to identify the order of events). Leslie Overbye, Fay's Reading Specialist, suggests that you can start teaching sequencing by introducing your child to words like "then", "next", "finally", and "after", and for this book, you could even use "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" to retell the journey to the mountain, forest, waterfall, and lake.
A great activity to do with your child while reading this book is to lay out pictures that depict what happened in the story. Try photocopying certain pages of the book that depict the scenes you want to focus on sequencing. Start out small by making copies of the four pages with the mountain, forest, waterfall, and lake, and once you get to the skunk part of the book, ask your child to put the pages in order based on the journey up until that point. Since the characters reverse their journey to get home, you can ask your child to re-sequence the four pictures at the end of the book too.
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ARTS & CRAFTS - Leaf Wreaths
Materials Needed:
- fall leaves
- double sided tape
- paper plates
- scissors
- string/rope
Instructions:
- Gather leaves that are various colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Cut out the inner circle of a paper plate, so you are left with a wreath shape.
- Use double sided tape to stick the leaves to the paper plate.
- Cut a hole in the top of the wreath and place string/rope through the hole so that the wreath can be hung up.
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LITERACY AND NUMERACY - Leaf Patterns
Did you know that recent research by the University of Cambridge has found that a children’s ability to understand patterns can predict later mathematical achievement better than other abilities such as counting? In Fay's Early Learning Center, teachers typically use Magna-Tiles and other types of blocks to work on pattern recongnition with students, but it can be done with any type of object that is readily available. Try this pattern activity using leaves and other objects found in nature this fall.
- Gather leaves (or other outdoor fall objects like acorns) that are various colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Arrange the leaves in a pattern and ask your child to continue the pattern with extra leaves.
- Start out with a simple AB pattern sequence (as pictured above) and then work your way up to more complicated patterns (ABC, ABB, ABBC).
- Once your child has mastered this task, you can ask them to create their own patterns, or you can even create a pattern with an error and ask them to identify it.
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DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE - Cutting out Naps
Is your child falling asleep later in the afternoon or fighting you at nap time? You are not alone if your child seems to be stopping their naps early! At age four, 50% of children still take naps, and by age five, that number decreases to 30%. Remember that each child is different, and that even though they may not be napping, they still need rest. At Fay, students in kindergarten and our Early Learning Center have a designated nap or rest time each day, and students who do not sleep are encouraged to rest by looking at books (try audiobooks too) or by doing a quiet activity like coloring or working on a puzzle.
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FIELD TRIP - Corn Maze
West End Creamery, located in Whitinsville, MA, has become a family favorite for fall activities. During Fridays and weekends, they expand on their ice cream and mini golf business and host a Fall Festival that features a corn maze, wagon rides, a cow train, and many other activities for young children. This year's corn maze theme is "Road Trip USA," and the cost of admission to the Fall Festival is $13.95 per person (children under 36” are free). Click here for more information.
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PARENTING ADVICE - Too Busy to Read Tonight? Three Tips for Building Literacy Skills in Busy Families
Reading aloud with young children is critical for brain development, language acquisition, and early literacy skills like storytelling and comprehension. However, we've all had days when the best intentions to curl up and read with your child are derailed. So what do you do on those days when it feels like there's no time to read? Fay's Speech and Language Therapist Jill Cordon and Reading Specialist Leslie Overbye share three simple tips for incorporating literacy-building activities into your family's busy schedule.
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Kindergarten at Fay School
Kindergarten is the first formal step in a child’s educational journey, and it often lays the foundation for their 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.
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