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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