Parenting With Teacher Nancy

What is early learning?  Believe it or not, it has very little to do with parents 'teaching'.  It's about the world around your child, her interactions with it and the responses she receives.  Your child's social, emotional and intellectual learning is completely interconnected. Mind In The Making:  The Science of Early Learning What is one way to set up this world that surrounds your child?  The three R's (I like to add a fourth). Rules, Rituals, and Routines (Rhythm- is the other R).  There is growing research showing that having rituals, routines, and a rhythm for each day, and even for the year, helps kids grow up more confident and happy. Rules, Rituals, and Routines:   The Three Rs of Behavior Management Extra Readings on Rituals: The Importance of Rituals in Families Family Rituals May Improve Health and Relationships Creating Family Traditions Family Rituals May Promote Better Emotional Adjustment BOOK CLUB This semester's book...

Welcome to those that are new to the class, and welcome back to everyone else!  I hope 2015 is off to a good start for you and your family. This week we'll be reading and discussing "Typical Behavior and Development," as listed as one of the Student Learning Outcomes for this class.  It's important for parents to understand what is developmentally normal in order to feel like a normal parent (if you know what I mean).  Born Learning has put out "Ages and Stages" handouts to highlight what's happening at this stage of your child's development: Born Learning's Ages and Stages Another helpful handout for parents: Five Key Ideas For New Parents In class, we will be taking time to do Quiet Observation of our children.  This is an ideal way to learn about child development, watching our children in action.  The principals used in class are taken from Magda Gerber's ideas of the RIE Approach.  Here is one mom's experience with it: Obs...