|
April 2007
And It Came to Pass - In the Life of a Five Year Old
Mrs. Donna - North Canton
 Is kindergarten looming over the horizon? Often parents feel the pressure of preparing their pre-schooler for that all-important first day of school. Can my child say the alphabet, tie his shoes, recognize letters and numbers, gallop, hop, skip, and the list goes on…
Breathe a sigh of relief, because although it’s important to provide a stimulating home learning environment for our children, current research suggests that a child’s emotional readiness is paramount to her academic preparedness. In other words, children whose needs have been met reliably, who have been kept safe, and whose parents have assured them of their love for them in the everyday moments of life are the ones who are best prepared for school 1…and for life. So relax and enJOY the moment, even if it’s just an ordinary one.
Music adds JOY to your child’s everyday living and learning. Here are some developmental milestones you will see during the ordinary moments in the life of your four-to-five-year-old, and ways to celebrate these moments together
| Milestone |
“Celebrate” |
| 4-year-old Dakota changes into a new “uniform” for every pretend sports event he attends. (Creativity/Imagination) |
Sing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” then: “Clothes away, clothes away, it’s time to put our clothes away…” as, together, you fold the piles left on the floor. |
| 5-year-old Kate loves to draw and tells Daddy an elaborate story about her picture. (Fine motor/ Expressive Vocabulary) |
Listen to Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers (or Beethoven’s Turkish March, for a contrast). Discover the artistic story the music evokes. Together on the same sheet of paper, Kate and Daddy draw dots when they hear short sounds and wavy lines for longer sounds. Enjoy the art you’ve co-created! |
Chelsea has just learned to hop on one foot and now she hops everywhere…in the grocery store, from the car into pre-school, at church (Coordination/Gross Motor Skills). |
Hop along with her! (A free aerobic workout for you!) Sing: “She’ll be hoppin’ along the sidewalk when she comes…” If you’re somewhere Chelsea needs to make quieter movements, ask her where her “bunny” would like to take a nap (i.e. in the car or the church nursery). She can leave her “bunny feet” there and pick them up on the way out. |
| After a craft project at school, Bobby comes home in tears, saying: “Daddy, my skin is coming off…” You look at his fingers, which are covered with dried, peeling GLUE! (Emotional Development/ Scientific Discovery) |
Laugh in your heart (not aloud) as you comfort Bobby (big hugs!). Celebrate his coming to you when he felt frightened/sad. Explain that when glue dries, it peels and makes fingerprints. Find other ways to discover fingerprints (inkpad and paper) then get some housekeeping mileage out of it by showing Bobby how to clean fingerprinted windows! |
Sydney extends a huge fistful of daffodils with a proud grin. She sniffs deeply and says, “Mommy, smell…aren’t they beeeeautiful?!” Go ahead, sigh (your lovely beds are now positively naked) but SMILE as you do. Remember, the flowers will grow again next year, but this moment will never come again… (Sensory Development/Celebrating the Moment) |
Sing, “May there Always be Sunshine” as you fill vases. Discuss how pretty the flowers look inside and as they grow. Find other ways to explore the sense of smell. Trace letter cards with perfume then smell-trace them, or go for a hike and stop to smell the great Spring foliage you find. Make up your own “tunes for the trail.” |
A Note From Mrs. Jo
“And it Came to Pass” began with a Calgon-take-me-away moment (see October, 2006). If, for a few minutes, you’ve attempted a similar escape and now there’s a tiny tug at your sleeve, go enJOY the one who’s waiting for you. This series has now Come to Pass, but your biggest fan is looking up at you with longing eyes. These days, too soon, will be mere shadows, but along the path of making memories, you’re sure to find many treasured moments to celebrate.
"Sing"cerely,
Mrs. Jo
Note: 1 zerotothree.org November, 2006. Web site of Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.
|
