Children of Faith Preschool

I am frequently asked about school readiness and even using preschool as a more academic “get ready for kindergarten” experience. This post is a summary of my general advise - slow down, let your child play and experience this big world.

I was changing out the bulletin board and this impression was left behind from last year. Each small heart was a name tag. I pray this imprint is left on the hearts of my children each year- God loves them always.

It is fun to run into former students around town or at the county fair or wherever. The recent students are likely to smile and call my name. The not-so-recent ones don’t even seem sure that I am who I say I am. The children don’t need a lifelong relationship with me; I’m only important for a year or two. Their relationship with God is the one I pray lasts all their life and into eternity.

Here comes another school year with more time to share God’s love with the children in my care. Thank you, God, and thank you, parents, for the privilege.

Do your kids know this joke yet?

Preschoolers telling jokes they make up on the spot is something to behold. The jokes likely do not make sense, often trail on for minutes before disolving into laughter for an escape, and oh the repetition!

Your child craves moving in a variety of ways by design; that is how they grow a healthy and fully functioning brain.
Movement should be an ongoing part of a preschool day and never a reward/bribe for sitting as a criss-cross statue for a 20-minute circle time, nor should it be taken away as a punishment for not being able to sit still during circle time.

Did you know that when astronauts spend time in space, they can develop ‘space dyslexia' upon returning to Earth? Until their body adjusts to gravity and they re-train their vestibular and system, reading can suddenly become the same laborious or even impossible task that it is for so many kids with reading disorders.

The vestibular system is most widely known for its role in balance, but balance is not achieved simply through this system alone. It is the engagement of all the senses such as visual, auditory, tactile, as well as information from the proprioceptive system and its muscle and joints that helps your child maintain balance.

The vestibular system sends information from the nervous system to the eyes which in turn regulates the movement of the eyes. Without a well-developed vestibular system, there will be poor hand-eye coordination which research has shown is a factor in , as well as other learning difficulties like and .

Imagine trying to read and write while on a ride that makes you constantly feel off balance and you will begin to know what many struggling students are experiencing on a daily basis. The cerebellum is both responsible for learning and movement and it is also connected with vestibular function. The vestibular system activates the postural muscles such as the core muscles. If these muscles are not strong or well developed then your child may have difficulty focusing their eyes on a target such as words on a page, copying information from the board or with coordination for sports. Since the vestibular system stabilizes your child's eyes, breakdown in reading, writing and learning content from literacy-based subjects can all occur when this system is weak.

When balance, coordination and stability of the eyes is poor, it is not uncommon for a child to reverse letters, numbers, have eye tracking difficulties or to complain that letters move or blur. Reading comprehension is often poor because these kids are using so much of their concentration and attention just to decode that there is room left for understanding the meaning of a text. So often these problems can go unnoticed because for these kids this is the only ‘normal' they know.

Addressing reading issues in a way that moves past limitations like IEP's and tutoring must begin with a bottom up approach by addressing weak lower brain levels. It is these areas of underdevelopment that are the very reason why so many kids cannot reach the same reading level as their peers. Phonics programs, tutoring and extra practice will only produce mediocre results if the lower brain levels are underdeveloped.

Below are just a few fun activities that can integrate vestibular information and help to improve balance:

🤹🏿‍♂️Balance on Tiptoes
This is a simple way to stimulate the balance and visual systems. Kids can hold their thumb out in front of them and watch it as they slowly move it back and forth to the sides.

🤹🏼‍♀️Rock Back and Forth on Feet
Heel to toe rocking is another easy way to work on balance. Once kids gain control and get into a rhythm, the hands can scissor in front of their bodies. (Arms straight out to the sides, cross in front. Back to the sides and cross again in front, opposite arm on top.)

🤹Balance “Beam” / Line Walking
Use lines on carpet or tile or place tape on the floor. Have kids walk heel to toe and focus on a target on the wall as they move along.

🤹🏾‍♀️Tap Feet on the Ground
A leader models rhythmical tapping of the feet (while standing) at various patterns and speeds (3 right-3 left, 3R-1L, 1R-3L, etc.) Add clapping hands for an extra challenge.

🤹🏻‍♂️Stand on One Leg
Balance on each leg for 5-10 seconds. Close the eyes as an added challenge. For added visual concentration, look at a clock on the wall and say numbers 1-12 as they look at each number. Older children can visualize a clock in front of them and move their eyes in a circle according to the positions of the numbers. (Point with finger if needed.)

🤹🏻‍♀️Jump Softly
Jump forward and backward over a line on the floor (or ruler, pencil, eraser, jump rope.) Really challenge kids with this one by having them close the eyes!

🤹🏼‍♂️Hop on One Leg
Hop forward then backward on each foot. Follow a leader's directions (right leg 3 forward-2 back, left leg 2 forward-3 back….)

🤹🏿‍♀️Spin Around
Students choose a visual target at least 5 feet away from them. They spin around and try to find and refocus on their target. Spins should start slowly and increase in speed as they gain control.

🤹🏽Jump Side to Side
A visual line of tape (or chalk on carpet) or a flat object can be placed on the floor. Start jumping side to side. The leader or partner can hold an object in front, or kids can count forward and backward. To add crossing the midline of the body, kids can clasp hands together and bring from the center of the body to each corresponding hip as they jump to that side. Modified skiing!

🤹🏽‍♀️Jump onto Targets
This is an easy exercise activity to add to a location that's frequently used (on the way out the door, in the hall, on the way to the bathroom, etc.) Tape can be placed on the floor or you can use rubber non-slip spotters.

🤹🏾‍♂️Windmills
Stand with feet wider than shoulder width. Arms are held straight to the sides. While bending at the hips (keep legs straight), touch opposite hand to opposite foot. Return to standing and repeat other side. Do 6-10 touches.

🤹🏾‍♀️Toe Touches
Reach down and touch toes, pause at the bottom. When kids return to a standing position, they can look at a target or chart and read a sequence of letters or words. Students can pair up for this activity to read a chart or read rotating cards held by the partner.

🤹🏼Head and Neck Movements
The leader calls out directions, or kids pair up with a partner and mirror the partner's movements. For example, right ear to right shoulder – look down – look to the left – left ear to left shoulder – look up – look to the right…

🤹‍♀️Infinity Loop
Imagine a figure 8 laying on its side. Trace the loop in the air- start in the center and go up to the left and continue around several times. Switch hands, use pointer fingers or thumbs.

🤹🏿‍♂️Side to Side Sways
Hands on hips and bend side to side. Vary the speed of the side bends. Focus on a fixed target.

🤹🏻‍♀️Bean Bag or Ball Tosses
Use bean bags or balls with letters, numbers or words. Toss up in the air and catch to recite what's on the bag or ball. Or use during partner pair ups.

🤹🏻‍♂️Bounce a Ball, Step and Catch
Use a tennis ball, bounce catch and recite parts of a lesson or items on a board / wall. Add a challenge by stepping in various directions before catching the ball.

These are just some of the simple activities we can do at school, or at home to help integrate vestibular information with other sensory systems. Happy moving, and happy reading!

References:
https://ilslearningcorner.com/2016-04-vestibular-system-your-childs-internal-gps-system-for-motor-planning-and-attention/?fbclid=IwAR2CqoEm60aYwtpywgul05Qo5k9MyfEqcYwLDcNaneJyY3PIDRNBP7lcB3Q

https://lorrainedriscoll.com/how-balance-is-connected-to-reading-fluency/?fbclid=IwAR2IPGF2HuSEzhWWtW56oiUNdZcpZxSgji27IwdV5ykfNsFpue6LYK2lyBo

https://dayswithgrey.com/how-balance-practice-can-improve-reading/

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Here's a little secret you may not have known...

☀️ Summer is not a break from learning.

☀️ Summer is where some of the deepest learning occurs.

☀️ So get those kids outside and they'll take it from there.

These children are playing a doctor game. They are tightly packed into a small area of the classroom. They are waiting for turns. They are making plans, explaining plans, and attempting to execute the plans. They are agreeing and disagreeing. They are communicating. They are setting boundaries and respecting those set by others...or not. They are being flexible with ideas...or not. They are having fun and frustration, enjoyment and conflict all wrapped into a playful learning experience.

Feelings rarely come one at a time, but in a mix with some rising to the front being strongest felt (or easiest to identify). The appropriate response to any particular feeling relies a lot on the nuance of a specific situation. This is the environment created by play and this is where the teacher's job is - to know each child, observe the play intently, and then guide a child when they need help identifying or responding to an emotional reaction to the play.

No teacher-led lesson is as effective as responding in real time with a trusting relationship as the foundation for the interaction.

Once a puzzle comes out, the idea spreads and the puzzlers unite.

Can you believe it?

The school year is over…oh, and the bubble is impressive ☺️

A cozy hiding spot for 1...
..or maybe 4...
..smiles all around!

Do you ever catch yourself thinking “he should be able to do this” or “she is going to be in kindergarten next year so she needs to start identifying letters and their sounds” or “everyone else is sitting nicely so he should too” or many more questions which put blame on the child rather than focus on connecting with the child to meet the current needs of the child?

Let’s stop and focus on what each child needs this day.

((Insert the importance of understanding & embracing developmentally appropriate practice)) ❤️💛

I will very strongly emphasis giving kids time away from adult-led activities. It is crucial for healthy child development that they have ample time to play; not be given playful activities or enrichment programs or anything else with an adult making the rules, managing conflicts, dictating how to use materials, etc.

Let the children play.

Here is another great breakdown of the learning happening while children play.

I love this. It is true that children find so much joy scribbling wildly, pausing, peering at their paper, and going back for more scribbling.

Every child is a born artist who should be allowed to scribble without oppressive guidance. Children begin to scribble. No one teaches them to scribble; they just begin by doing so. The pleasure of scribbling comes from the combination of vision and movement. The aim of art is not to produce artists but to encourage rather than suffocate the innate creative capacities of children for art. -Kellogg

Kids need so much more than “criss-cross applesauce.”

Some people’s brains can think of better, newer ideas when they go upside down. It’s one of the reasons why kids go upside down a lot. They may not know it, but their body has instincts and knows: “if I move upside down, it will give my body the sensations it needs to think a different thought about this.”

This knowledge comes from a sensory system, the vestibular system. That is the sensory system that keeps your balance, and also that tells your body if you are right side up or upside down.

Other ways to get the vestibular system some sensations are to rock, spin, swing, run, dance, or move! I rock back and forth while I talk, because it helps my brain keep making new thoughts. If I try to stand perfectly still, my brain can only think of the thought, “I need to stand still.”

Kids are pretty good at knowing that moving will help them think. Sometimes adults try to stop them because the adults are worried too much movement is chaotic. If adults can find ways for the kids to move that are safe for everybody, that helps a lot.

[image description: The upside down smiling emoji on top of a blue background, while white letters with black highlights read: “children instinctually know that their brains NEED to go upside down.” End description.]

This is the work of teaching young children, to build a relationship and know each child so that you can support them during all of their variety of moods and emotions because you know them. This is most effectively done through child-led play rather than adult-directed playful activities.

This was a part of a few of my conversations yesterday at our open house as I was explaining why we focus on play and building relationships rather than a teacher-led schedule with letter of the week and math time, etc.

It was a beautiful sunset view as I locked up after our open house. Thank you, God, for this wonderful world and for the privilege to serve these lovely families.

A little Eric Carle and then it is a Mo Willems month.

Why is the slide so scary for children? Well, it is higher than twice their height. And they go faaaassstt.
Why, since it is scary, do they love it so much? It is generally that good type of scary that is a combination of anxiety and excitement and determination to accomplish a self-set goal. Also, they get to F-L-Y!
This is what we call healthy risk taking and it is hugely important for healthy human development.

Just a girl living her best life, sitting in a hole and finding creative spots to deposit her shovel load.

Let this serve as a reminder that while the snow is mostly gone, the need for outdoor layers remains.

4 children, 3 cheers, 2 slides, and 1 lesson about success looking different at different times.
Please see each picture for a caption telling the full story.

Reading in a cave by lamplight, notice the no-teeth talking because the shark’s teeth fell out.

Who is the space for?
Do you notice the large empty space? These 2 girls were building a house. They needed a table, chairs, and kitchen in addition to the easel, puppet show, and cardboard. It was a big plan that took a lot of work as they moved furniture to make their plan happen.
The space is for the children so they get to change it as needed for their play.

Will children develop fine motor skills (think the ability to effectively use a pencil to write your name) if they just play all day?

Don’t we need a worksheet? Teacher-directed activity? All the kids doing the same thing at the same time?

These children are exploring the classroom on their own timeline following their own interests. The learning happening is so much more than an isolated fine-motor skill lesson such as stringing beads onto a shoelace or tracing shapes on a worksheet. Plus, each and every child is engaged and challenged at their individual level of development without shame of doing the activity the wrong way or failing to listen (think unable to do the task and so looking for something to do).

Once again play is the superior way for children to learn.

How do you provide sensory play for someone who is hesitant to touch the new texture?

Add a scoop!

This girl was very interested in the colorful “bubbles” in the bin. She reached her hand in, but retracted it quickly. She stared at her hand, now wet, and wiped her hand off on her pants with a look of dislike.

She carefully touched the beads with just the tips of her fingertips with the same result as the first time. She looked to me. I put my hand into the bin and explained, “The water beads make my hand wet.”

I took my hand out of the bin and rubbed my fingers together while I said, “My skin feels wet and slippery.”

She kept looking into the bin and not-quite-touching the water beads. I placed the scoop into the bin. She quickly grabbed it and explored scooping and dumping the beads with it. Eventually she incorporated pouring the beads into her other hand and even picking them up with her hands.

An extra tool + time to explore at her comfort level + limited interrupting comments/questions from the adult = a successful learning experience.