Learning Children’s Milestones

  Children go through many developmental stages as they grow to maturity. 

Support Language

Families can look for these stages and share progress with their doctor at every well-child visit.  Physicians stress that it is never too early to help our children learn at every developmental stage by talking, reading, and singing.
Support Language
  From birth to two months babies make gurgling sounds and turn their heads toward sounds.  Families can respond to babies and reinforce that behavior. When babies smile, gurgle, and coo they are talking to us and it is important to talk back and smile. Physicians encourage families to hold them, cuddle, smile, and read to them in soft friendly voices.
  At four months babies begin to babble with expression and copy sounds they hear.  Talk back to them in their babbling language and with adult language. They may often babble when you read to them like they are reading along.
  By six months babies respond to sounds by making sounds.  They will respond to their own name and start making the “m” and “b” sounds.
  They understand “No” by nine months and make many different syllables like “mamama” and ” bababa.” Families can see language developing and can help by reading, talking and singing at meals, while playing, dressing, riding in the car, preparing for nap time and before bed. Hold them by a window and tell them about their world.
  By 12 months toddlers shake their heads “no” and wave “bye bye.”  They will copy words they hear.
Read, Talk, Sing
Single recognizable words appear about 18 months and they point to what they want. When they point, fill in the words. “Oh, you want the red ball.” Help children turn pages of thick cardboard books and point out pictures while describing them.

Read, Talk, Sing

By two years, children will point to things or pictures when named. They will often say sentences with two to four words and follow one-step simple instructions.
  In the third year, children may follow 2 and 3 step instructions. They can carry on a conversation with two or three sentences.  Non-family members unaccustomed to their speech may understand them.
  By four years old they can tell stories.  They know some basic rules of language grammar as long as adults continue to use correct language around them.
By five years they mostly speak

Stages are Milestones

clearly and can use future tense like “Grandpa will be here soon.”
  If families are ever worried about milestones physicians urge them to discuss this with their physician. Acting early makes a difference.
  For more information check the cdc.gov/Concerned and cdc.gov/ActEarly websites. 
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Riding Google Maps Magic Carpet

Practice First

Take a magic carpet wide with children and Google maps. You will need an ordinary rug for a magic carpet, a computer, and Google Maps found by typing it in the Google search window.
  Explain that it’s time for imaginary magic carpet rides like the ones Aladdin takes.   Sit on a rug and pretend you are going around your neighborhood high above the trees rather than in the car. Lean to the right and left to make a turn and dodge trees, dogs, or any obstacles children can imagine.
  When it is time to use Google Maps with children use a laptop rather than a desktop, if possible. Bring it on the floor to the magic carpet so the experience is more realistic. Some grandparents have magic couches if the floor is a bit too low for the knees.
Practice First
 Navigating Google Maps may take a little practice before playing with children. Go to Google.com.

Type in an Address

Type in Google Maps in the search rectangle.
  Click on Google Maps and type your house address into the search rectangle in the upper left of your screen. Then click on the search magnifying glass. Click on the satellite picture on the lower left of the screen to see a satellite view.
  Explain to children that you are all going on a magic carpet ride to look at their house the way a bird sees it and pretend to drop a heart picture on the steps.
 Show your children the map that appears. You will see an aerial shot of the neighborhood with trees, roads, and water features.  Click the plus sign on the screen’s right side several times to see a close up of the rooftops. Click on the screen and move the mouse very slowly to get the feeling that you are hovering over the rooftops.  Find your house and pretend to drop the love note.  Family members might place the exact message on the doorstep ahead of time and later children can find it.
Find Famous Spots
   Slowly move the mouse arrow around to travel down the street to landmarks children might recognize like a playground, school, or parking lot. Street names will usually be labeled making it easier to follow a route. If you’re lucky, there may be cars in driveways or parking lots.

Find Famous Spots

  Continue moving the screen to find a gravel pit, river, or lake. Children will be able to see the light colored shallow water and the darker deeper water. They will also enjoy seeing Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Disney World, the White House, or relatives’ houses around the world. Satellites and thousands of planes crisscrossing the Earth have taken these images.
Screen Shots: Google maps
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Making, Raking, and Painting Leaves

 

Take a Walk to Collect Leaves

Young children’s minds are wondrous creative gifts. We sometimes forget how much they can absorb. Fall is an excellent season for science and art learning fun and they don’t take much time.
  You’ll need coffee filters, paper towels, child safety scissors, watercolors, a dinner plate, and leaves
  Take a short walk and collect some colorful leaves. Explain how leaves are nature’s food factories.  They take water from the ground through their plant roots.
  Introduce a few science terms. Young children learn long dinosaur names and master a DVD controller so why not a little science?
Science Concepts
  Leaves take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air (that we exhale) and use sunlight and water to turn this gas into glucose (sugar) for the plant and oxygen for us to breathe. A green chemical called chlorophyll helps make it all happen and covers up other beautiful leaf colors.  Plants use the sugar as a food for energy. This is photosynthesis meaning putting together with light.
  In fall the tree gets ready to rest for the winter and live off the sugar. There is less sunshine and no need for chlorophyll so the tree shuts off water to the leaves with  little walls and we get to see all the colors that were hidden by the green as leaves die and fall to the ground. Children can act this out.
Watercolor Fun
  Help your children identify all of the leaf colors before placing leaves in a heavy book to press.

Identify Colors Along the Way

Then take out a few absorbent coffee filters, watercolors, and a plate of rinsing water. Teach the kids to rinse off their bush to keep it clean.
  To make maple leaves, children can spread fingers and trace their hand on a filter. For oak leaves trace their foot or palm with fingers snug together.
  After checking that your children are grasping the scissors correctly, help them hold and cut out the filter leaves. If they cut out jagged leaves, no problem.  They are doing the best they can right now.
  On a paper towel make a few water colors they observed on real leaves like red, yellow, purple (red and blue) orange (red and yellow) brown (orange plus a little blue or green plus a little red.
  Children can now paint their filter leaves.

Continue to Use Science Words

The watercolors will blend together. Allow the leaves to dry and press in a book or gently iron, if curly. Tape them in a sunny window or glue on a cardboard circle to make a wreath.
 Use the science words at least six times on future walks and discussions together.  Encourage them to explain to someone else how leaves turn colors.
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Teaching Kids Anytime Anywhere

Name the Colors

Many young families are working in a little bit of reading and math teaching with children as they go about daily errands. They have great ideas to share. Here are a few....
Sneak in Reading
   While shopping, practice the alphabet and their sounds.  At the grocery store point out fruits and vegetables and ask for beginning sounds that are one consonant.  Ask children to find letters you name on signs or familiar words like in, out and checkout.
   A little of this goes a long way or you’ll never finish the shopping, but some teaching is a good habit anywhere. Soon young children will expect teaching while doing errands. 
  As soon as possible, teach children to read labels. One parent last week gave each of his three young children a box of cereal. They were expected to find the sugar, salt, and protein content in grams on the nutrition label. Then he skillfully guided the discussion to decide what cereal was best to keep them healthy. He also had the oldest child help write and read the grocery list. Impressive!
  Children can learn many words at the grocery. However, avoid saying, “Sound it out”

Lots to Learn Here!

for every word. Many English words cannot be sounded out. The individual sounds won’t blend together to make the word. “Through” is a good example. If children can sound out one or more syllables correctly and get stumped simply tell them the word and its meaning. They will learn that trying to figure out words is fun.
   Keep a variety of library books, a clipboard, drawing paper and colored pencils in a small plastic bin in your car so children can read and draw pictures. 
Stealth Math
  Family math teaching can also be done anywhere, any time. Back in the grocery store children can pick out fruits and vegetables based on characteristics you list for them. Picking out something based on certain traits and finding likenesses and differences are important math skills. Young children can choose ripe dark ripe purple plums and place six in a plastic bag, for example.
   They can also count out a nice bunch of five bananas based on your criteria. If you have time, place fruits and vegetables on the scale and

Count the Shapes!

have the kids read the numbers.
   Children can read the aisle numbers and simple money signs. They can count out small boxes or bags of goods for the cart.
  Help them understand what a gram looks like.  It weighs as much as a paper clip. If there are nine grams of sugar in a cereal serving show them a pile of nine in a spoon so they can picture and remember when they make food choices.  
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos ; sketch: Mark Nowicki
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest