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Pressuring young children to write before their hands are developmentally ready can place undue emotional and physical stress on them. A 2-year-old's hand is still soft and chubby, with bones that are mostly cartilage and joints that are delicate, making fine motor tasks like writing difficult and uncomfortable. By age 4, the hand's bones are beginning to ossify, but the joints and muscles are still developing, so fine motor control is limited. By age 7, the bones and joints are more fully developed, providing the dexterity and strength needed for writing. By age 10, the hand has developed more precise motor control and strength, allowing for more complex and sustained writing tasks. X-ray images of developing hands clearly show the gradual ossification of bones and the formation of joints. Forcing a young child to write before their hands are ready can lead to frustration, erode their confidence, and even cause joint strain. It’s important to allow children to engage in activities that naturally build motor skills until their hands are physically prepared for the demands of writing. Remember, A toddler's scribble is equally valuable to an older child writing their name—they're just at different stages of development. It’s crucial to remember that earlier does not mean better. In fact, studies show that academic stress and pressure in the early years can have lasting negative effects, leading to lower academic performance later on. Why does your toddler or preschooler need to know how to write? What’s the rush? By pushing this too early, we risk doing far more harm than good to our developing children.

Provocations to Inspire: Letters from Loose Parts! Using loose parts to form letters offers a wide array of developmental benefits: Motor Skills: Handling small loose parts and manipulating them to form letters enhances fine motor skills, promoting hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and precision. These skills are essential for future tasks such as writing, drawing, and self-care activities. Cognitive Development: As children explore loose parts and experiment with arranging them into letters, they engage in critical thinking and problem-solving. This activity encourages spatial reasoning, planning, and sequencing, stimulating their cognitive development. Language and Literacy: Using loose parts to create letters offers a hands-on approach to learning the alphabet. It reinforces letter recognition and phonemic awareness, laying the groundwork for future reading and writing skills. Creativity and Imagination: The open-ended nature of loose parts allows children to exercise their creativity and imagination freely. They can experiment with various combinations, colors, and textures to express their unique ideas and stories through the letters they create. Confidence Building: Successfully constructing letters using loose parts instills a sense of accomplishment and boosts self-confidence in young learners. This positive reinforcement encourages them to take on new challenges and build a growth mindset. We have this provocation (and several more) in our literacy packet (under activities for preschoolers) available on weskoolhouse.com - Access today via "Free Trial!"

Are you looking to incorporate more progressive approaches and practices in your home or classroom? We Skoolhouse has you covered! 1. Visit weskoolhouse.com 2. Click "FREE TRIAL" 3. Choose "Home" or "Classroom" 4. Sign-up & Access ALL of our resources, including this 15 page document as well as ALL of our previously recorded webinars that dive deep into Reggio Emilia Philosophy, the Power or Play, Repetition in Early Childhood, and so much more!

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OIN OUR FREE LIVE WEBINAR on Social & Emotional Learning! Wednesday, August 14th (12:00pm EST), we're diving into: - What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? - How can we help support SEL for our youngest population? We'll conclude our webinar with a LIVE Q&A - we want to hear from YOU! We are also giving away a FREE SEL Guide to all registrants, and a SURPRISE OFFER for all who attend live! No worries if you can't make the live session - everyone who signs up will receive the recording. Register for FREE: https://lnkd.in/eW7M9cwp Register & receive CERTIFICATION: https://lnkd.in/e99R4YmA

JOIN OUR FREE LIVE WEBINAR on Social and Emotional Learning! Wednesday, August 14th (12:00 pm EST), we're diving into: - What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? - How can we help support SEL for our youngest population? We'll conclude our webinar with a LIVE Q&A - we want to hear from YOU! We are also giving away a FREE SEL Guide to all registrants and a surprise offer for all who attend live! Register for FREE: https://lnkd.in/eW7M9cwp Register & receive CERTIFICATION: https://lnkd.in/entxzKXe

First, it's critical to remember that young children have short attention spans. This is very important to note because oftentimes, we're expecting children to play with a toy or sit for circle time for far longer than what's developmentally appropriate. With that being said, there are everyday experiences that can either support evolving attention spans or reduce the growth. What number do you think has the greatest impact on attention span? Anything else you'd add to the list?

Words Matter. Access our full in-depth resource on “Phrases to Remove (And What to Say Instead)” on the We Skoolhouse Platform. Simply visit weskoolhouse.com, click “Free Trial,” and choose from either the Home or Classroom Model to access the entire document Today!

Most children struggle with sharing, and for good reason! Actually there are several reasons why, with a big one being that it is indeed a developmental milestone that many young children are not emotionally and cognitively prepared for. If we're talking about a child's personal possession, e.g. teddy bear, scooter, etc. they should never be forced to share it. The same way you should never be forced to share your phone, your wallet, or your favorite necklace. Age should not make someone an exception to this rule. Boundaries are critical and we want children from the youngest of ages to feel supported in establishing their own. However... we can and should promote turn-taking of shared materials (classroom toys, common items in the home, etc.). So if Sally is using a truck in the classroom but John wants it, John is going to have to wait until Sally is done with it in which he can have his turn. This respects Sally experience with the toy, while contributing to John's ability to tolerate frustration, experience delayed gratification, problem-solve to seek an alternative toy/activity, increase attention span, etc. When your force a child to share something, they're not getting a moral lesson or feeling better about themselves. They're most likely going to feel resentment and disconnect towards you and the child who has what they were playing with, while also probably feeling anger, disappointment, sadness, etc. If you want to promote more authentic, self-directed sharing/turn-taking in your children, model it. Modeling, play, and relationships are probably the strongest experiences when it comes to how and what children learn. So when you demonstrate sharing your snack or giving your child a turn with something of yours, it's going to go a long way. Also, positive reinforcement. "Thank you so much for sharing your carrots with me!" That was so kind of you to give your sister a turn with the ball (high five)!" So if your child doesn't readily hand over their toys, remember it is completely developmentally normal and to be expected. They'll do so when they're ready and comfortable.

FREE LIVE WEBINAR: S.T.E.A.M. (Ages 0-6 Years) Wednesday, July 17th (12:00pm EST), we're diving into S.T.E.A.M. for infants, toddlers, & preschoolers, concluding with a LIVE Q&A. Register for FREE: https://lnkd.in/eNzXtHfi Register with Certification: https://lnkd.in/e5rbkkjE Can't make the live webinar? No problem! Everyone who signs up will receive the recording to watch at their leisure.