"I Want My Blanky!”

Whether a child calls it a blanky, bankie, cuddly or wuzzy, all “security” objects help young children feel emotionally safe and comforted. Child development experts refer to these physical objects cuddled by children as young as 8 - 9 months old as “transitional objects.” Young children often use these security objects to bolster their confidence and provide a sense of well-being in routine situations such as falling asleep at bedtime. In unusual or unique situations such as meeting new people, cuddling a security object may even symbolically take the place of the primary caregiver.

Most children become attached to a blanket or teddy bear, but some seem to choose some very interesting objects. So…what is the most unusual “security object” a child has brought to your program?

Here’s a few of ours:

• One 3 year-old child in a preschool class always wore a pair of knitted gloves and carried an old Nikon camera – everywhere. He had even learned to put two gloves on one hand when he needed to touch or feel something and one glove got in the way!

•One child used her own ear as a “cuddly” all through early childhood. She would wrap her entire hand around it whenever she felt tired or stressed.

• A 4 ½ year old child was once overheard telling another child who had been a VERY close friend and constant companion for two years in our program, “I just can’t carry you anymore.”

• An infant who suffered from colic and projectile vomiting became attached to a collection of gauze diapers that her parents used to lay over their shoulder to sop up accidents. Don’t worry – the diapers were routinely washed!

We'd love to hear some of yours?

The “Readiness Debate” Revisited

Developmentally appropriate practices such as those we support in PreschoolFirst help preschool and prekindergarten children develop a broad range of characteristics associated with learning readiness – which goes way beyond “school readiness.” These basic characteristics provide the scaffolding for children to be successful learners in more restricted primary grade classroom environments.

"Readiness" must be apparent in all the domains of a child's development. It isn't just something we look for in a child's ability to count or say the alphabet, it includes self-help skills such as being able to independently use the bathroom, wiping a runny nose, even knowing how to ask for help when its needed.

A child should have the gross motor skills to run smoothly, skip, and jump with both feet off the ground. His or her language and speech should be easily understand by adults, and the child should be able to listen to and follows simple directions as well as tell a story in the proper sequence.

A child who is ready for kindergarten has the fine motor control to hold and use a drawing implement, copy basic letters such as X, H, V, D, O from a sample, and draw a human figure, and the coordination to cut around simple shapes. Social/emotional skills should include being able to use words to resolve conflicts, sitting for 5–10 minutes to focus on a story or task, and completing simple tasks.

What do you think? We'd like to hear your experiences.

Sources:
E.M. Lewit & L.S. Baker, Child indicators: School readiness, The Future of Children 5 (2): 128–39. Online: http://www.futureofchildren.org/information2826/information_show.htm?doc_id=71010

Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools, Starting school for kindergarten parents, 2005. Online:www.fcps.k12.va.us/start/kready.htm.

The Program Director Blues

This is the time of year when program directors are learning how well they budgeted and planned for the upcoming "school year." At PreschoolFirst we're interested in the challenges you face as you orient new staff and children in the program.

What's you're biggest concern:

- staff burnout?
- lower enrollment than expected?
- late "tuition payments?
- reduced federal or state funds?
- teachers leaving to look for new opportunities?
- do you have another?

How do you solve these issues in order to provide quality care in your programs?
Share your concerns and let's see how other programs cope with their ongoing challenges.

A Few Words on Whiners

Whiners! Every early childhood classroom has one. Whining can certainly try a teacher's patience - even drive a seasoned veteran teacher over the bridge. When an infant whines, we know that is important to listen to the sound of her cries; when a toddler whines, we know he may not have the vocabulary to express his feelings any other way. But when a preschool-age child whines, we become quite annoyed and just want it to stop. However, if we don't carefully deal with the underlying reasons behind why a child whines, we may unintentionally do more harm than good in our attempt to stop an annoying behavior from becoming a habit. Take a breath, calmly hold the child's hand and ask him or her to please stop using a whining voice. Then take a minute to think...before you respond.

So why IS this child whining?

• The child may want attention but lacks the social skills to participate in a positive way
• The child may not get enough sleep and could be overtired or getting sick
• There may have been a big change in this child's life - such as a new baby was born, a move to a new home or school, or possibly a change in the family members who live together in the home
• Someone in the child's life may only listen and respond to whining - in other words - it works at home!
• The child has not been shown how to try to express his or her feelings and desires with words

Do you know of another reason? Please write us!

Do you have a great tip to share about how to nip whining in the bud without damaging a child's self esteem?

We'd love to hear your ideas and to share them with other early childhood educators!

Infant Routines? Here's a Nap Tip!

I do work with infants and I enjoy it very much.

When it is time for one of my infants to nap, I watch for the signs then I go through a specific routine. I take him with me as I close the blinds and turn off the lights, I talk to him about what I am doing, I turn on the same classical music CD, and I also take advantage of the humming sound from the fan in the bathroom. By this time, he is already yawning. I am a big supporter of routines! It makes the environment predictable and makes the baby feel a sense of safety and security, not to mention feeling loved and nurtured.

Kimberly Vargas at The Vine Preschool