Benchmarks for Helping your Child Develop Independence
FOOD PORTIONS FOR STUDENTS AGES 2-8
We see some beautiful lunches for children here at GLCP. We also see some parents packing and expecting their child to eat a great deal of food - too much food for their size and age.
As a policy, our teachers do not force or pressure children to eat. We gently encourage them to try another bite if they have not eaten much. It concerns us when parents insist their child eat every bite of their lunch every day, especially when the lunch is too big for the child. Anyone who does not eat at lunchtime is offered their food again after school, if they stay.
We also understand many parents pack enough food to give their child a variety of choices, and don't expect them to eat every bite. That is fine.
WHEN TO DROP THE SIPPY CUP
Drop the Sippy cups ASAP: Traditional Sippy cups are only supposed to be used as a short transition to real cups. Overuse of Sippy cups can cause more than dental cavities, they can also contribute to speech difficulties.
Encourage kids to drink from regular cups: The AAP recommends teaching children to start drinking from regular cups between 12 and 15 months. Once children master this, you might want to use regular cups at meals and straw cups for water on the go.
INDEPENDENT DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
Zipping, buttoning, snapping, and tying can be a challenge for young children, especially the preschoolers. Help your child be successful at school by choosing clothes that encourage independence during the school day. Elastic-waist pants, thick shoe laces or Velcro, and zippers with large pulls make getting dressed easier.
BEING INDEPENDENT AT SCHOOL
When children come to school, for preschool and older classes we expect that they will be able to feed themselves independently, put on their coats, and take care of their toileting needs if they are no longer wearing diapers.
You can help by practicing these important self-help skills at home. Some parents have asked us to feed their children at lunchtime by hand. You must remember it is important for children to develop their self-help skills and feed themselves. We have 16 children at lunch time with two teachers. It is impossible to hand feed each child and they are old enough to feed themselves. By age three, children should be able to feed themselves and feel proud in doing so.
Below is a resource for you on this topic:
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/teachingyour_child_to_feed_herself.html/context/23
HELPING YOUR CHILD BECOME INDEPENDENT IN THE BATHROOM
Sorry, delicate subject but it needs to be addressed
Betsy Braun, a Child Development and Behavior specialist says, "Toilet training, is much more than just learning to put your pee and your poop in the toilet. It is also a giant step towards independence and self-reliance when all the parts of the lesson fall into place. Not only does the child recognize the need to go while he’s building with Legos, but he makes it to the bathroom in time, pulls his own pants down, gets himself onto the toilet, releases his business there, wipes himself, pulls both his undies and his pants back up, and tops it off with washing his hands…with soap. That’s a whole lot of self- reliance!"
Not all the steps of toilet learning happen at the same time, but within months, most children are relatively accomplished at the task. We expect some 3 year olds, most 4 year olds and just about all 5 year olds to do this by themselves.
At preschool, teachers of four and five year olds do not expect to be helping children wipe. Occasionally someone may need help but not on a daily basis.
When teaching your child tell him/her to look at the toilet tissue after wiping. If it is clean, you are done. If it is dirty you must wipe again with a new tissue until the tissue is clean.
Continuing to wipe your child because he won’t or you won’t let him is a strong message about your faith in them. Learning to take care of all their bathroom needs is an important part of becoming a self-reliant person. - and an important part of growing up.
READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN
Getting your child ready to read is getting your child ready to succeed! Read aloud 20 minutes a day with your child from birth to at least age six. This enjoyable activity provides 600 hours of essential pre-literacy preparation. After reading with your child ask questions about what you have just read. This supports reading comprehension. Children whose parents read with them learn to read early and well. It's as simple as that!
We find many times, that we have children who know their letters and numbers but are lacking in their understanding of vocabulary. Children will develop vocabulary through interactions with parents, like trips to museums, helping around the house while the parent talks about what they are doing, and teaching children about the world around them. This can happen through hands on activities or through books.
I cannot emphasize enough that children who are not being read to, fall far behind those who are exposed to books.