Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Jasmine graduated to the next level!!!

Gymboree Level 4: 16 - 22 Months

Figuring Out How the World Works

The activities involving fast and slow helped your child use his growing motor skills to master this concept. THey also exercised his listening skills and his ability to use imitation to learn new skills.

What we learned today:

• The Fast and Slow Slides helped the children understand and use the concept of fast and slow by experiencing both actions. As children crawled slowly and slid quickly, they were also developing bilateral coordination skills (teh ability to coordinate use of both sides of the body.)
• In the Fast and Slow Course, children practiced both listening and language skills by singing togehter and by bouncing either fast or slow, based on yoru cues. Coordinating their movements as they climbed, walked, and bounced allowed them to be successful in this activity.
• In the Slow walk, Fast Roll, children experimented with rolling balls of diffrent weights and sizes down the ramp. Did your child look surprised when a heavier ball rolled more slowly than a lighter, smaller one? The concepts of fast and slow were further developed as you and your child discussed these "experiments." Heaving you talk about light, heavy, big, and small, fast and slow also introduced new words.

What you can do at home:

As you engage in the following activities with your child, watch for ways he is learning new concepts and movements and using them to problem solve:

• Play Follow-the-Leader. Tell your child that you will be marching either fast or slow. Hold his hand and walk "fast." Then call out "slow" and help him to walk slowly. If your child is talking, see if he would like to switch roles and be the leader. Games like this help children learn new concepts and develop bilateral coordination and listening skills.
• Pick a paper bag. Fill 5 identical paper bags with items of different wieghts and sizes (i.e., fill one with a bag of rice, another with some feathers). Have your child pick up each bag and decide whether it is "heavy" or "light." If he is very curious, he can look inside and figure out what is hiding in the bag. Games like this develop problem-solving skills and help children understand the concept of heavy/light.
• Monkey See, Monkey Do. Ask your child if he can do what you do: 3 fast jumps; 1 slow step; 2 fast rolls on the floor, etc. See if he can make a move that you copy. Games like this help your child use imitation to solve problems and be successful.

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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

• Today's Toss and Slide encouraged your child to make his way through step boxes, under zoo box and inside octagon tunnel. At this stage, children are very interested in communicating back-and-forth with you. Your child may have played peek-a-boo with you from the other side of the tunnel or reached out to you for more balls. When you respond to your child's attemps to get your attention, you are telling him he is a good communicator!
• The Bridge Party provided children with lots of incentive to stand, reach, grasp, and cruise as they dropped balls and beanbags through the rungs of the overturned Bridge. Cruising offered your young toddler an opportunity to develop muscle strength and dynamic balance as she worked to stay steady while walking and perhaps even carrying a ball at the same time! Did your child seem proud when she tossed a beanbag? She is becoming more skilled at communicating her feelings--and is validated and encouraged to communicated more when you respond.
• In Toddler Bowling, children climbed up to roll balls down large wedge to knock over foam blocks at the bottom. This presented a challenge to bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body), hand-eye coordination and dynamic balance. What was your child's reaction to knockin gover blocks? Clapping your hands at the accomplishment?) Shared activities like this one are an important way that you support your child's growing skill at back-and-forth communication.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME:

As you try these activities with your child, watch for ways she is developing physical and communication skills:

• Push it! Help your child practice walking by filling a laundry basket with toys and letting her stand and push it. You stand on other side and make sure basket remains steady and doesn't go too fast. This game will help your baby develop muscle strength and dynamic balance skills. Be sure to watch what your child is communicating as he plays. If he is feeling tentative, slow things down and let him take his time.
• Hello, Good-bye. Make a tunnel from a large cardboard box by opening both ends. Place your baby at one end of the tunnel. You sit at opposite end. Peek your face in tunnel and say, "Hi!" Then lean away from tunnel (so baby can't see you) and say, "Bye!" Does your baby try to communicate with you by crawling to find you, or by making sounds to copy your "hi" and "bye"?

THIS WAS THE HANDOUT GIVEN DURING TODAY'S CLASS AT GYMBOREE! HELPFUL!

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Saturday, August 11, 2007

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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

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Sunday, August 05, 2007

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