By Erika Christakis and Nicholas Christakis, Special to CNN
(CNN) -- Every day where we work, we see our young students struggling with the transition from home to school. They're all wonderful kids, but some can't share easily or listen in a group.
Some have impulse control problems and have trouble keeping their hands to themselves; others don't always see that actions have consequences; a few suffer terribly from separation anxiety.
We're not talking about preschool children. These are Harvard undergraduate students whom we teach and advise. They all know how to work, but some of them haven't learned how to play.
Parents, educators, psychologists, neuroscientists, and politicians generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to preparing very young children for school: play-based or skills-based.
These two kinds of curricula are often pitted against one another as a zero-sum game: If you want to protect your daughter's childhood, so the argument goes, choose a play-based program; but if you want her to get into Harvard, you'd better make sure you're brushing up on the ABC flashcards every night before bed.
We think it is quite the reverse. Or, in any case, if you want your child to succeed in college, the play-based curriculum is the way to go.
In fact, we wonder why play is not encouraged in educational periods later in the developmental life of young people -- giving kids more practice as they get closer to the ages of our students.
Why do this? One of the best predictors of school success is the ability to control impulses. Children who can control their impulse to be the center of the universe, and -- relatedly -- who can assume the perspective of another person, are better equipped to learn.
Psychologists calls this the "theory of mind": the ability to recognize that our own ideas, beliefs, and desires are distinct from those of the people around us. When a four-year-old destroys someone's carefully constructed block castle or a 20-year-old belligerently monopolizes the class discussion on a routine basis, we might conclude that they are unaware of the feelings of the people around them.
The beauty of a play-based curriculum is that very young children can routinely observe and learn from others' emotions and experiences. Skills-based curricula, on the other hand, are sometimes derisively known as "drill and kill" programs because most teachers understand that young children can't learn meaningfully in the social isolation required for such an approach.
How do these approaches look different in a classroom? Preschoolers in both kinds of programs might learn about hibernating squirrels, for example, but in the skills-based program, the child could be asked to fill out a worksheet, counting (or guessing) the number of nuts in a basket and coloring the squirrel's fur.
In a play-based curriculum, by contrast, a child might hear stories about squirrels and be asked why a squirrel accumulates nuts or has fur. The child might then collaborate with peers in the construction of a squirrel habitat, learning not only about number sense, measurement, and other principles needed for engineering, but also about how to listen to, and express, ideas.
The child filling out the worksheet is engaged in a more one-dimensional task, but the child in the play-based program interacts meaningfully with peers, materials, and ideas.
Programs centered around constructive, teacher-moderated play are very effective. For instance, one randomized, controlled trial had 4- and 5-year-olds engage in make-believe play with adults and found substantial and durable gains in the ability of children to show self-control and to delay gratification. Countless other studies support the association between dramatic play and self-regulation.
Through play, children learn to take turns, delay gratification, negotiate conflicts, solve problems, share goals, acquire flexibility, and live with disappointment. By allowing children to imagine walking in another person's shoes, imaginative play also seeds the development of empathy, a key ingredient for intellectual and social-emotional success.
The real "readiness" skills that make for an academically successful kindergartener or college student have as much to do with emotional intelligence as they do with academic preparation. Kindergartners need to know not just sight words and lower case letters, but how to search for meaning. The same is true of 18-year-olds.
As admissions officers at selective colleges like to say, an entire freshman class could be filled with students with perfect grades and test scores. But academic achievement in college requires readiness skills that transcend mere book learning. It requires the ability to engage actively with people and ideas. In short, it requires a deep connection with the world.
For a five year-old, this connection begins and ends with the creating, questioning, imitating, dreaming, and sharing that characterize play. When we deny young children play, we are denying them the right to understand the world. By the time they get to college, we will have denied them the opportunity to fix the world too.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Toddlers: Learning By Playing
Encourage Activity
It might look like just child's play, but toddlers are hard at work learning important physical skills as they gain muscle control, balance, and coordination. Each new skill lets them progress to the next one, building on a foundation that leads to more complicated physical tasks, such as jumping rope, kicking a ball on the run, or turning a cartwheel.
Toddlers always want to do more, which can motivate them to keep trying until they acquire a new skill, no matter what it takes.
Take advantage of your toddler's natural desire to keep moving. Even at this early age, kids establish patterns of activity that carry through the rest of childhood. So an active toddler is likely to remain active later.
Developing Skills
Playing and learning are completely natural for toddlers, so mastering the skills below should be fun and games for them. Parents should give toddlers many opportunities to practice their developing skills while providing supervision so they stay safe while they learn.
In addition to these physical accomplishments, toddlers are developing in other ways. Provide opportunities for yours to explore, ask questions, use his or her imagination, and practice fine motor skills, such as stacking blocks or coloring.
a guide to the physical skills toddlers are working, by age:
Early Toddler Skills (12-24 months)walks independentlypulls/carries toys while walkingstoops and gets back upbegins to runkicks a ballholds railing up/down stairswalks backwardOlder Toddler Skills (24-36 months)balances 1 to 2 seconds on one footclimbs wellbends over easily without fallingruns wellkicks ball forwardboth feet on step, up and down stairsstarts to pedal tricyclethrows ball over headHow Much Activity Is Enough?For children 12-36 months old, current National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) guidelines recommend this much daily activity:
at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity (adult-led)at least 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)As a general rule, toddlers shouldn't be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time, except for sleeping. That's a lot of work for parents and caregivers, but a lot of much-needed activity for toddlers.
Encourage your toddler to be active, and remember how much he or she is learning along the way.
Here's a guide to the physical skills toddlers are working, by age:
Early Toddler Skills (12-24 months)
•walks independently
•pulls/carries toys while walking
•stoops and gets back up
•begins to run
•kicks a ball
•holds railing up/down stairs
•walks backward
Older Toddler Skills (24-36 months)
•balances 1 to 2 seconds on one foot
•climbs well
•bends over easily without falling
•runs well
•kicks ball forward
•both feet on step, up and down stairs
•starts to pedal tricycle
•throws ball over head
How Much Activity Is Enough?
For children 12-36 months old, current National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) guidelines recommend this much daily activity:
•at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity (adult-led)
•at least 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)
As a general rule, toddlers shouldn't be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time, except for sleeping. That's a lot of work for parents and caregivers, but a lot of much-needed activity for toddlers.
Encourage your toddler to be active, and remember how much he or she is learning along the way.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
It might look like just child's play, but toddlers are hard at work learning important physical skills as they gain muscle control, balance, and coordination. Each new skill lets them progress to the next one, building on a foundation that leads to more complicated physical tasks, such as jumping rope, kicking a ball on the run, or turning a cartwheel.
Toddlers always want to do more, which can motivate them to keep trying until they acquire a new skill, no matter what it takes.
Take advantage of your toddler's natural desire to keep moving. Even at this early age, kids establish patterns of activity that carry through the rest of childhood. So an active toddler is likely to remain active later.
Developing Skills
Playing and learning are completely natural for toddlers, so mastering the skills below should be fun and games for them. Parents should give toddlers many opportunities to practice their developing skills while providing supervision so they stay safe while they learn.
In addition to these physical accomplishments, toddlers are developing in other ways. Provide opportunities for yours to explore, ask questions, use his or her imagination, and practice fine motor skills, such as stacking blocks or coloring.
a guide to the physical skills toddlers are working, by age:
Early Toddler Skills (12-24 months)walks independentlypulls/carries toys while walkingstoops and gets back upbegins to runkicks a ballholds railing up/down stairswalks backwardOlder Toddler Skills (24-36 months)balances 1 to 2 seconds on one footclimbs wellbends over easily without fallingruns wellkicks ball forwardboth feet on step, up and down stairsstarts to pedal tricyclethrows ball over headHow Much Activity Is Enough?For children 12-36 months old, current National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) guidelines recommend this much daily activity:
at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity (adult-led)at least 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)As a general rule, toddlers shouldn't be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time, except for sleeping. That's a lot of work for parents and caregivers, but a lot of much-needed activity for toddlers.
Encourage your toddler to be active, and remember how much he or she is learning along the way.
Here's a guide to the physical skills toddlers are working, by age:
Early Toddler Skills (12-24 months)
•walks independently
•pulls/carries toys while walking
•stoops and gets back up
•begins to run
•kicks a ball
•holds railing up/down stairs
•walks backward
Older Toddler Skills (24-36 months)
•balances 1 to 2 seconds on one foot
•climbs well
•bends over easily without falling
•runs well
•kicks ball forward
•both feet on step, up and down stairs
•starts to pedal tricycle
•throws ball over head
How Much Activity Is Enough?
For children 12-36 months old, current National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) guidelines recommend this much daily activity:
•at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity (adult-led)
•at least 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)
As a general rule, toddlers shouldn't be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time, except for sleeping. That's a lot of work for parents and caregivers, but a lot of much-needed activity for toddlers.
Encourage your toddler to be active, and remember how much he or she is learning along the way.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Study nixes link between vaccines and autism
Local health care providers are optimistic that a report published last week will further their efforts to convince skeptical parents that autism is not linked to vaccines.
The British Medical Journal reported that a 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, which linked measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to autism in children, used fraudulent data. The report was published about a year after another journal, The Lancet, retracted the original study.
But even as those findings were published, critics said the original, fraudulent report has caused irreparable harm to public health. And in Wausau, pediatricians and county health officials said they still hear from parents concerned that autism is linked to vaccines, though few parents opt to not vaccinate their children.
Doctors said more credible reports, including the most recent from the British Medical Journal, give them more resources to share with parents.
"It has definitely helped with some (parents), but has not helped with everybody, which is a shame," said Dr. Larry Gordon, a pediatrician at the Aspirus Weston Clinic. "It's very hard sometimes to undo damage."
The anti-vaccine movement gained traction in recent years largely because of Wakefield's study and support from celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy.
In Marathon County, immunization rates for 2-year-old children have hovered around 85 percent for the past decade, according to county data.
But Eileen Eckardt, director of family health and communicable diseases for the Marathon County Health Department, said parents regularly voice concerns, even since the study was retracted and denounced by 10 of its 13 authors.
She said the county continues to try and educate the public that there is no evidence linking autism to vaccines, but that fear is a very tough factor to conquer.
"It's hard to undo what the anti-vaccine people have said," Eckardt said.
Dr. Jeffrey Lamont, a pediatrician at Marshfield Clinic's Weston Center, said parents often have good intentions but are misguided and have false notions that vaccines are only for diseases that no longer exist. The truth, however, is that only smallpox has been completely eliminated, he said.
"Vaccines are about prevention and one of the ironies about an effective prevention program is the more effective it is, the less evidence it leaves that it was ever necessary," he said.
Lamont said questions and concerns about vaccines are common, but most parents ultimately opt for their children to receive them. Along with fears of autism, parents also worry about the number of doses their children receive at one time. He usually only has four parents a year who altogether refuse every vaccine.
Doctors in the region for years have continued to support vaccines, believing long before any retraction of Wakefield's paper was issued that it was a hoax.
Lamont said the issue of not getting a child vaccine also becomes an ethical concern. If a child isn't vaccinated and gets sick, there is a chance that other children, and especially infants, could become ill. Then parents are not only putting their own children at risk, but others as well.
"We (doctors) would never advocate for something we don't feel is the right thing to do," he said.
By Jake Miller • For Central Wisconsin Sunday • January 9, 2011
The British Medical Journal reported that a 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, which linked measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to autism in children, used fraudulent data. The report was published about a year after another journal, The Lancet, retracted the original study.
But even as those findings were published, critics said the original, fraudulent report has caused irreparable harm to public health. And in Wausau, pediatricians and county health officials said they still hear from parents concerned that autism is linked to vaccines, though few parents opt to not vaccinate their children.
Doctors said more credible reports, including the most recent from the British Medical Journal, give them more resources to share with parents.
"It has definitely helped with some (parents), but has not helped with everybody, which is a shame," said Dr. Larry Gordon, a pediatrician at the Aspirus Weston Clinic. "It's very hard sometimes to undo damage."
The anti-vaccine movement gained traction in recent years largely because of Wakefield's study and support from celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy.
In Marathon County, immunization rates for 2-year-old children have hovered around 85 percent for the past decade, according to county data.
But Eileen Eckardt, director of family health and communicable diseases for the Marathon County Health Department, said parents regularly voice concerns, even since the study was retracted and denounced by 10 of its 13 authors.
She said the county continues to try and educate the public that there is no evidence linking autism to vaccines, but that fear is a very tough factor to conquer.
"It's hard to undo what the anti-vaccine people have said," Eckardt said.
Dr. Jeffrey Lamont, a pediatrician at Marshfield Clinic's Weston Center, said parents often have good intentions but are misguided and have false notions that vaccines are only for diseases that no longer exist. The truth, however, is that only smallpox has been completely eliminated, he said.
"Vaccines are about prevention and one of the ironies about an effective prevention program is the more effective it is, the less evidence it leaves that it was ever necessary," he said.
Lamont said questions and concerns about vaccines are common, but most parents ultimately opt for their children to receive them. Along with fears of autism, parents also worry about the number of doses their children receive at one time. He usually only has four parents a year who altogether refuse every vaccine.
Doctors in the region for years have continued to support vaccines, believing long before any retraction of Wakefield's paper was issued that it was a hoax.
Lamont said the issue of not getting a child vaccine also becomes an ethical concern. If a child isn't vaccinated and gets sick, there is a chance that other children, and especially infants, could become ill. Then parents are not only putting their own children at risk, but others as well.
"We (doctors) would never advocate for something we don't feel is the right thing to do," he said.
By Jake Miller • For Central Wisconsin Sunday • January 9, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
How does your child learn?
Understanding how your child learns can reduce frustration and improve achievement.
If your child constantly squirms and fidgets when he’s doing math homework or insists on listening to music while studying vocabulary words, take heart. Although it may seem like he’s trying to drive you crazy, he’s probably just using the strategies that help him learn.
“I like to study at a desk in silence, and my daughter can’t think that way. She likes to bounce around on a ball with music in the background,” says author Maureen McKay, whose website, Optimistic Outcomes, provides tips for parents based on a child’s learning style. “Sometimes kids are just doing what works for them.”
Educators have long been aware that learning is not one-size-fits-all. In a typical classroom, some kids process information best by hearing the teacher explain it, some learn by seeing what’s on the chalkboard, and others learn through hands-on exercises. Colleges have increasingly begun teaching new students about learning styles so they can develop effective study habits. And many primary and secondary schools conduct surveys to give teachers insight into the learning styles of their students. Three basic learning styles are auditory, kinesthetic, and visual.
Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities.
Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.
Most people use a combination of styles but have a clear preference for one. Understanding your child’s learning style can reduce homework frustrations and make it easier for families to communicate, says McKay. She observed different learning styles while working as a teacher’s aide, and she started researching strategies for working with different learning styles when her daughter began having trouble in elementary school.
Because her daughter had difficulty listening in class, McKay looked for exercises to strengthen listening skills. Her daughter especially enjoyed one approach, listening to an audio book and reading the book at the same time. She’s now doing well in middle school, and McKay attributes her success in part to the fact that her teachers and parents came to understand her unique style of learning.
Once you know your child’s primary learning style, it’s a good idea to let his teacher know what kind of approaches help him learn best. “I find that educators are much more willing to work with you if you’re giving them ideas that work for your child,” McKay says. “The great thing is that the things that benefit your child are really going to benefit all the kids, so you’re not asking for the moon.”
Although it may be tempting to stick with what works, keep in mind that a child’s preferred learning style may change as she grows and that people who can learn in a variety of ways can more readily absorb information. McKay advises parents to help their children practice using different kinds of skills.
“Really well-balanced students will be able to be comfortable learning in all ways. Knowing that and working on that when they’re young gives them a competitive edge,” she says.
Parents can use a variety of approaches to help kids learn math facts, for example. When a kid gets bored with flash cards, a visual and auditory strategy, McKay suggests letting him play a family board game that uses two dice and asking him to count how many spaces each player should advance. This is a more kinesthetic approach but may also appeal to visual and auditory learners.
“Being able to tap in to different styles allows you a lot of novelty and adds a lot of fun to homework and chores and interactions at home,” McKay explains. For example, if a child resists studying her spelling words, you can ask her to spell the words on a table using Scrabble tiles.
Being aware of your child’s learning style can reduce homework battles and strengthen parent-child relationships. “It’s very empowering for families to really understand each other and how they learn and how they think to work out problems,” McKay says. “This kind of involvement is a great way to bond with your kids and to impart knowledge, and it’s really fun.”
If your child constantly squirms and fidgets when he’s doing math homework or insists on listening to music while studying vocabulary words, take heart. Although it may seem like he’s trying to drive you crazy, he’s probably just using the strategies that help him learn.
“I like to study at a desk in silence, and my daughter can’t think that way. She likes to bounce around on a ball with music in the background,” says author Maureen McKay, whose website, Optimistic Outcomes, provides tips for parents based on a child’s learning style. “Sometimes kids are just doing what works for them.”
Educators have long been aware that learning is not one-size-fits-all. In a typical classroom, some kids process information best by hearing the teacher explain it, some learn by seeing what’s on the chalkboard, and others learn through hands-on exercises. Colleges have increasingly begun teaching new students about learning styles so they can develop effective study habits. And many primary and secondary schools conduct surveys to give teachers insight into the learning styles of their students. Three basic learning styles are auditory, kinesthetic, and visual.
Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities.
Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.
Most people use a combination of styles but have a clear preference for one. Understanding your child’s learning style can reduce homework frustrations and make it easier for families to communicate, says McKay. She observed different learning styles while working as a teacher’s aide, and she started researching strategies for working with different learning styles when her daughter began having trouble in elementary school.
Because her daughter had difficulty listening in class, McKay looked for exercises to strengthen listening skills. Her daughter especially enjoyed one approach, listening to an audio book and reading the book at the same time. She’s now doing well in middle school, and McKay attributes her success in part to the fact that her teachers and parents came to understand her unique style of learning.
Once you know your child’s primary learning style, it’s a good idea to let his teacher know what kind of approaches help him learn best. “I find that educators are much more willing to work with you if you’re giving them ideas that work for your child,” McKay says. “The great thing is that the things that benefit your child are really going to benefit all the kids, so you’re not asking for the moon.”
Although it may be tempting to stick with what works, keep in mind that a child’s preferred learning style may change as she grows and that people who can learn in a variety of ways can more readily absorb information. McKay advises parents to help their children practice using different kinds of skills.
“Really well-balanced students will be able to be comfortable learning in all ways. Knowing that and working on that when they’re young gives them a competitive edge,” she says.
Parents can use a variety of approaches to help kids learn math facts, for example. When a kid gets bored with flash cards, a visual and auditory strategy, McKay suggests letting him play a family board game that uses two dice and asking him to count how many spaces each player should advance. This is a more kinesthetic approach but may also appeal to visual and auditory learners.
“Being able to tap in to different styles allows you a lot of novelty and adds a lot of fun to homework and chores and interactions at home,” McKay explains. For example, if a child resists studying her spelling words, you can ask her to spell the words on a table using Scrabble tiles.
Being aware of your child’s learning style can reduce homework battles and strengthen parent-child relationships. “It’s very empowering for families to really understand each other and how they learn and how they think to work out problems,” McKay says. “This kind of involvement is a great way to bond with your kids and to impart knowledge, and it’s really fun.”
Welcome to my blog!
Hi All! I wanted to invite you to my blog because I want to educate you on the wonderful business I have started! I recently became and Educational Consultant for Discovery Toys! I chose DT because I want to teach my child through play and I want to inspire him to want to learn!
Discovery Toys are amazing. Each one leads to learning and you know you have made a wise decision for child when you purchase their products. All of the toys offered through Discovery Toys cannot be found in stores, and are backed by an unconditional guarantee. And dont worry...if you lose a piece or two, you can always get repalcement parts for your toys.
I also wanted to meet other moms who have the same mindset when it comes to raising our kids. DT is a great avenue to meet other parents who want to teach.play.inspire their kids.
Join me on my new adventure with Discovery Toys!
Discovery Toys are amazing. Each one leads to learning and you know you have made a wise decision for child when you purchase their products. All of the toys offered through Discovery Toys cannot be found in stores, and are backed by an unconditional guarantee. And dont worry...if you lose a piece or two, you can always get repalcement parts for your toys.
I also wanted to meet other moms who have the same mindset when it comes to raising our kids. DT is a great avenue to meet other parents who want to teach.play.inspire their kids.
Join me on my new adventure with Discovery Toys!
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