Parent Teacher Conference 2015 Focusing on Early

Childhood

Speaker: Carol A. Newman

Meeting Focus

• I will discuss how to create and sustain partnerships with families and the community and how these partnerships influence the learning and development of children.

• Periods of Developments • Child Development Professional’s

Role

10 Characteristics of Early Childhood

• Language – by age 1 responds to his name and at age 2 he will be able to say more than 50 words and start combining sentences.

• Walking and Running – As an infant, your baby will roll over, sit up, crawl and pull to a standing position. By his first birthday he should be able to take his first step. When he begins to walk, he will learn to run and climb by age 2. As a preschooler, he will be able to jump, hop and walk up and down stairs independently.

• Concepts – As a toddler, he will be able to recognize similarities and differences. He will begin to sort objects by color or shape. He will understand position words such as over, under, around and beside. As a 3 year old, he will be able to name the colors and have an understanding of the concept of counting.

10 Characteristics of Early Childhood (Cont.)

• Pretend Play – toddlers will imitate adult actions by stirring a spoon in a play pot or holding a toy phone to their ears, which is the first step in pretend play.

• Fine Motor Skills – the small muscles of the hand develop during the early years, thus, fine motor development. Babies use their fingers and hands to pick up small pieces of food or dump out containers. Toddlers will build towers of blocks and use crayons to scribble. By the time your child is a preschooler, he will be able to copy lines and simple shapes, and will begin to use scissors to snip paper or magazines.

10 Characteristics of Early Childhood (Cont.)

• Independence – toddlers learn to assert their independence quickly and you will surely hear the words, “I do it myself” at some point. HealthyChildren.org states, as he grows into a preschooler he will enjoy being more independent and be proud of his accomplishments.

• Tantrums – toddlers and some preschoolers are often fond of the word “No.” When they do not get their way, it can sometimes lead to a temper tantrum, which is a normal part of early childhood development according to KidsHealth.org. Young children are learning to manage their feelings and their frustrations can sometimes seem like too much to handle, resulting in those strong feelings boiling over into tantrum.

• Separation Anxiety – Once babies develop an understanding of object permanence – knowing that something still exists even though you can’t see it – they might start to show signs of separation anxiety when you leave the room. This develops from 4 to 7 months of age, according to KidsHealth.org. When your child realizes he can’t see you, he understands that you have left him, and because he doesn’t understand the concept of time, he doesn’t know when you’ll come back. Some children continue to have separation anxiety through the preschool years, but with calm and consistent goodbyes, children learn that you will always come back.

10 Characteristics of Early Childhood (Cont.)

• Potty-training – Many children show signs of potty training between 18 and 24 months, according to KidsHealth. These signs usually include following instructions, keeping a diaper dry for two or more hours, and expressing a need to use the toilet. Though they might show some signs of readiness, many children do not become fully potty-trained until months later, and even longer to remain dry at night.

• Curiosity – Curiosity is the driving force behind most learning that young children do. As an infant, your little one will crawl to the objects in his environment that interests him – even if those are the objects you don’t want him to touch. Toddlers explore the concept of cause and effect by watching what happens when they push, pull, bang and shake objects. When you have a preschooler, you will often hear the word “Why?” which demonstrates his natural curiosity and desire to learn more.

Inspiration!

More Early Childhood Information…

• Physical - from age 2 through 5, most children gain about 3 pounds to 5 pounds a year.

• Children grow about 3 inches taller a year.

• Language - by age 3 children can speak about 200 words and can follow two-part directions, such as “Wash you face and put your shoes away.”

• Most 5 year olds can conduct a conversation.

• Cognitive – thinking and reasoning skills, progresses from a simple to a more complex understanding of time, letters, counting, and colors.

Reading is Knowledge

Middle Childhood Development

• Physical – hand-eye coordination is well developed• Has good balance, and can execute simple gymnastic movements,

such as somersaults.

• Language – uses a vocabulary of several thousand words. Demonstrate a longer attention span.

• Cognitive – Thinks in a more organized, logical fashion about concrete information, as indicated by gradual mastery of Piagetian conservation, class inclusion, and seriation problems, including transitive inference).

• Displays more effective spatial reasoning, as indicated by ability to construct well-organized cognitive maps and give clear direction.

Math is Fun!

The Teacher’s Role

Elementary and middle school children describe good teachers as caring, helpful, and stimulating. Their behavior is based on the quality of motivation, achievement, and favorable peer relationships. We tend to have higher achievers and fewer learning and behavior problems when the teachers are more sensitive and supportive toward their students. Children may adopt teachers’ positive or negative views and start to live up to them.

Fine Motor Skill Development

The Mesosystem for the Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System

This system provides the connection between the structures of the child’s micro-system, i.e. family and their morals and beliefs, school, neighborhood and it’s condition good or bad, or childcare environment. The connection between a child’s teacher and his parents, between his church and his neighborhood, etc. For example, a child’s academic progress depends not just on the activities that takes place in the classrooms but also on parent involvement in school life and on the extent in which academic learning is carried over into the home (Gershoff & Aber, 2006). Similarly, parent-child interaction at home is likely to affect caregiver – child interaction in the child-care setting, and vice versa. Each relationship is more likely to support development when there are links between home and child care, in the form of visits and cooperative exchanges of information.

Family – neighborhood connections are especially important for economically disadvantaged children. Affluent families are less dependent on their immediate surroundings for social support, education, and leisure pursuits. They can afford to transport their children to lessons and entertainment and even, if necessary, to better-quality schools in distant parts of the community. In low-income neighborhoods, in-school and after-school programs that substitute for lack of other resources by providing child care and art, music, sports, scouting, and other enrichment activities are associated with improved school performance and a reduction in emotional and behavior problems in middle childhood (Peters, Petrunka, & Arnold, 2003; Vandell & Posner, 1999; Vandell, Reisner, & Pierce, 2007).

Be Happy!

Epstein’s Types of Involvements

• These are six steps of involvements were established to help teachers, parents, students, and the community work more closely together for the betterment of all involved. These involvements are designed to have a positive influence on the children’s learning and development. It also attempts to implement ideas that coincide with the cultures that are represented at the school.

1-2 Epstein’s Types of Involvements & Ideas

• 1. Parenting – Help all families establish home environments to support children as students.

• Idea – Home visits at transition points. Neighborhood meeting to help families and schools understand one another.

• 2. Communicating – Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and children’s progress.

• Idea – Weekly or monthly folders of student work sent home for review and comments.

3-4 Epstein’s Types of Involvements & Ideas

• 3. Volunteering – Recruit and organize parent help and support.

• Idea – Parent patrols or other activities to aid safety and operation of school programs.

• 4. Learning at Home – Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning.

• Idea – Summer learning packets or activities.

5-6 Epstein’s Types of Involvements & Ideas

• 5. Decision Making – Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.

• Idea – Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees, i.e. curriculum, safety) for parent leadership and participation.

• 6. Collaborating with Community – Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development

• Idea – Participation in alumni in school programs for students.

References:

Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

 

Gershoff & Aber, 2006.

Growth and Development, Ages 2 to 5 Years What to Expect – WebMD. www. m.webmd.com/children/…/growth-…

HealthyChildren.org

KidHealth.org

Peters, Petrunka, & Arnold, 2003; Vandell & Posner, 1999; Vandell, Reisner, & Pierce, 2007).

Ten Characteristics of Early Childhood Development – Everyday Life…everydaylife.globalpost.com/ten-characteristics