Dana’s Kids Blog

Today on Thanksgiving, but really every day, it is important to think about raising children who are thankful and appreciative.  How can a parent or teacher instill these traits in children?

When children are about 18 months old, they can repeat the phrase “thank you.”  While they will not truly understand what it means until they are about 3, and will probably need prompting to use the phrase for quite some time after that, it is essential to make the words and the sentiment part of their environment from infancy.  Do you say thank you to the mailman?  The doorman?  The bank teller?  Involve your children when you help others.  Thank them when they have been cooperative.  Ask your young child to help draw pictures for a thank you card and write down the words they would like to say.

Many families have a tradition of asking each member what they are thankful for.  Young children sometimes have difficulty answering the question.  Try reframing it as “Who do you say thank you to?” or “What do you say thank you for?”

Be sure to model gratitude and empathy.

When children live it, they learn it!

The Stomp Rocket Ultra and Stomp Rocket Junior are some of my favorite activities to use with children.  While they recommend you use these toys outside, with a few precautions (moving breakable items), I think the Stomp Rocket Junior can be a perfect activity for working on gross motor development while inside.  It’s a great way for ALL children to use those “big” muscles while inside on a rainy or snowy day. 

Children with low muscle tone are easily enticed by this toy and can work on jumping with two feet, landing on a target, as well as other developmental goals.  Children with special needs can also use the Stomp Rocket Junior to enhance their visual-tracking skills.  Both Stomp Rockets attract all children which can be a helpful aid for children working on social skills.  Every child using the Stomp Rocket will improve their understanding of cause and effect and most importantly, it’s fun!

Have a bubble lover in the house?  Pustefix Bubble Bear is a great product for children of all ages and abilities.   For babies, blow the bubbles so that they can track  with their eyes and reach out with their hands.  Toddlers love running to catch bubbles with different parts of their body.  As toddlers become 2s and 3s, most have mouth and lip muscles that are strong enough to blow bubbles on their own.  The Bubble Bear is wonderful because as your child gently squeezes its belly, the wand slides up for bubble blowing.  The extra bubble juice goes back in!   Full disclosure, this is not a no-spill bubble solution.  If your child tips the bear or squeezes too hard the bubbles will spill over the top.  Bubble Bear encourages the understanding of cause and effect, hand/finger strength, and oral-motor skills.  Have fun!

One of the first things any child receiving special services will learn to say, whether by signing or speaking, is “open bag.”  Special service providers (occupational, speech, feeding, and physical therapists, as well as special educators), come to work in homes and schools with a literal bag of tricks.  We bring novel materials to excite children and well-loved materials to encourage mastery and build self-esteem.  Whether old or new, the items must help us encourage a child to work on developmental tasks that are challenging for them.  As a teacher working with both typically developing children and those with special needs, as well as with parents, I find my materials cross all lines.  With that in mind, I thought I’d start posting some of my favorite materials that support ALL children’s development.  You’ll find it under the blog heading, “Special Needs” Products for Everyone.  Keep an eye out!

Next time you and your child are faced with a problem, try this out!

Take out a large piece of paper and a marker and tell your child you are going to do some important work.  Children love to be involved with making lists and writing words.  It makes them feel very grown-up. 

Write down your child’s thoughts, feelings and concerns about the issue, and then write down your own.

Ask your child, “What can help you?”  Or, “what can we do?”  Depending upon your child’s age, tell them you need 3-5 ideas.  You can offer some ideas as well, particularly if your child is having a hard time getting started.

Next, read back the ideas and ask your child if he or she thinks the idea will work.  Cross out any ideas that you aren’t comfortable with, explaining to your child why you want to take that one out.  Cross out any that your child thinks may not be helpful. 

Together, choose the best solution and put it to work!  This is a great activity for helping children remember to brush their teeth in the morning or put their toys away.  It can also be used for many issues that come up between siblings and peers.  In that case, each child would have the opportunity to come up with a few solutions.  This is a helpful technique for the classroom as well.

Just like when eating vegetables, children are more apt to try something if they’ve been involved in preparing it!

Take a look at this article about the importance of play and the movement to bring it back into the daily lives of children.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=tptw

Let’s be honest. As it gets darker and colder, no one really wants to take young children to the park. It’s always been remarkable to me that children don’t seem to feel the frigid temperatures in the same way adults do. From an educators standpoint, gross motor work at a park or playground is important for all children and can be incredibly helpful for children with special needs. Having said that, anyone who spends time with young children knows that running around is essential!

I could go into a long explanation of the value of outdoor play, but instead I will share with you Educators Secret #147: Grabber Hand Warmers. (Ok, truth be told, I picked that number indiscriminately, but the item is still fantastic!) Cracking one of these little gems and keeping it in your pocket will keep you toasty while your children run like lunatics. I buy the packs of 10 pairs. If you want to make them really economical, use 1 instead of 2 and pass them from one pocket to the other. While the link brings you to Amazon.com, I recently purchased them at an even lower price at TJMaxx.

Yet another way to empower parents, caregivers and teachers.

Note: Stay tuned for Part 2: Gross motor activities to do indoors, when even hand warmers can’t help!

Parents often ask me whether they should let their classroom teacher know that their child is receiving special services. ”Will they hold it against my child?”  “Will my child be labeled?”  I say tell! When you bring your child to school, you should view the administrators and teachers as part of your team.  You are all there to help your child develop, grow and be as successful as they can be.  By having the information, your classroom teachers can be in touch with you and your child’s therapist(s), learn techniques that work for him or her, and keep everyone aware of progress and issues at school.  Truth be told, most early childhood teachers are going to notice that “something’s up” even if you don’t tell them.  As teachers, we wait and watch, form relationships with children and parents, and then broach the topic.  Why delay?  If we have the information we can hit the ground running and provide your child with the neccessary support.  We are thrilled to know when a parent has been proactive, is aware of their child’s development, and has advocated to get their child services.  Many times, intervention in the early years gives the child the extra help they need to go on to typical schools later.   By working together in an honest way, we can form trusting relationships that will help us choose the best and most appropriate school for your child when they leave our programs.  We want your child to be successful and feel good about themselves, that’s why we’re in this field.

Please let us join your team…you, and most importantly your child, will be the winners!

Welcome parents and educators to the launch of what I hope will be a useful resource and an inspiration!

Over the last 10 years, I have worked with hundreds of children and families. While many of the same issues consistently present themselves, it is my belief that the people involved make the challenges unique. As this blog develops, I will present some of these struggles, ways to think about families and children, and ideas for using that information to successfully handle difficult times.

I look forward to hearing your questions and responses. I encourage you to actively use this site to empower yourselves and your families.