BabyReading.org » Childhood

The Value Of Imagination In Early Childhood

Michelle — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:08:43 +0000

As infants grow into toddlers and toddlers grow into preschoolers their imagination explodes. Everything around them suddenly becomes something they can transform into their “pretend world.” Necklaces become princess tiaras on their head, under the kitchen table in suddenly a cave to hideout in, and your whole household can be transformed into a jungle using their stuffed animals. A child’s imagination is an important learning tool in their growth. Through imaginative play they learn in-directly about real-life situations, develop their vocabulary, and develop the ability to create, organize and perceive.

When a small child holds a doll or stuffed animal in their arms and pretends it is a baby they are learning about a real life situation. They are learning how to nurture and take responsibility for others. The same goes for a pretend kitchen or a little boy using his Bob the Builder toy tools. These children are learning how their parents interact in particular situations and trying to mirror it in their play. In addition, when an adult encourages their child to pretend and somewhat leads them on their imaginative journey it is no longer just play, but a great opportunity to develop vocabulary, counting, and anything else that can be incorporated.

For example, you and your child decide to turn your house into a jungle safari. Place stuffed animals and pictures of animals all around the house to be discovered. Dress-up and use a flashlight to seek out different animals. Teach the child new animal names, count how many animals you find, look up fun facts about the animals on the computer or in a book. Once you find all the animals and you’re at the end of your pretend safari, read animal books together in a made-up tent. Really, there is no limit to what you and your child can do to develop their minds through imaginative play.

Through developing their imaginations, children also become capable of creating a concept, organizing their thoughts about it, and then perceiving it into their play. We, as adults use this tool in our everyday, especially at work. We create concepts, organize our thoughts, and make it happen. Who knew that simple child’s play when we were young could help us develop such useful knowledge. School and other methods help us fine tune it along the way, but it is when we are very young that our minds are so palpable and capable of learning lifelong concepts.

It has been said that “A child’s work is play.” If this is true, then their imagination is one of the most important tools in early development. Therefore, it becomes imperative to sharpen that tool and encourage children to create worlds of their own and to go on such things as pretend jungle safaris or on missions to find hidden treasure. And, as stated before, when an adult also takes part in their pretend world and leads them and shows them new things and concepts, the possibilities for learning are endless.

Prevent Your Children From — Early Childhood Caries (Nursing Bottle Caries)

Michelle — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:17:05 +0000

The term describes a dental condition which involves the rapid decay of many or all the baby teeth of an infant or child. The teeth most likely to be damaged are the upper front teeth since they are the first teeth to erupt and thus have the longest exposure time to the sugars in the feeding bottle. Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is caused by long exposure of a child’s teeth to liquid containing sugars generally when the baby falls asleep with a bottle containing milk or juice or a pacifier dipped in honey. By the time the condition is noticed by the parents it may be too late and extractions of the decayed teeth may be necessary. As a result, your child may suffer from long term disorders which include speech impediments, possible psychological damage, crooked or crowded teeth, and poor oral health.Early Childhood Caries (ECC) also known as baby bottle tooth decay or nursing bottle caries poses a grave threat to a child’s milk teeth and overall development.The term describes a dental condition which involves the rapid decay of many or all the baby teeth of an infant or child. The teeth most likely to be damaged are the upper front teeth since they are the first teeth to erupt and thus have the longest exposure time to the sugars in the feeding bottle. The lower front teeth tend to be protected by the tongue as the child sucks on the nipple of the bottle or the breast. Early Childhood Caries (Baby Bottle Tooth Decay) is caused by long exposure of a child’s teeth to liquid containing sugars generally when the baby falls asleep with a bottle containing milk or juice or a pacifier dipped in honey. The liquid pools around the front teeth. During sleep, the bacteria living in every baby’s mouth, turns the milk sugar or other sugars to acid which causes the decay.By the time the condition is noticed by the parents it may be too late and extractions of the decayed teeth may be necessary. As a result, your child may suffer from long term disorders which include speech impediments, possible psychological damage, crooked or crowded teeth, and poor oral health.A large volume of children we examine on a daily basis will fall under the category of early childhood caries hence a closer look at ECC is presented here.Causative factors:· Use of baby bottle at nap time(day or night)· On- demand feed ( both by bottle as well as breast feeding) especially at night.· Use of juices or aerated drinks in the nursing bottle.· Poor oral hygiene measures.Ramifications:* General discomfort and pain sometimes leading to swelling and fever.* Poor dietary habits as the child will prefer a soft diet. (And kids being kids most of the times this soft diet is sometimes sweet which adds to the problem).* Sub optimal nutrition leading to poor overall growth.* May sometimes affect the developing permanent tooth underneath (the permanent tooth may get discolored, deformed, etc.)* Difficulty in acquiring speech skills in some cases.* Probability of malocclusion on premature extraction of milk teeth.Advice to parents:* The first dental examination of a child by a dentist needs to be done when the first tooth arrives in the mouth and no later than the first birthday.* Cleaning of tooth/teeth must begin as soon as the first tooth erupts.* Use of nursing bottle at nap/bed time should be stopped as early as possible.* Nursing bottle to be discarded around the first birthday (easier said than done but an effort should be done).* Using of a cup for drinking to be done.* Mid meal snacks to be avoided (for older kids).* Child must be taught the use of dental floss as early as possible.* Give plain water after a bottle of juice, milk, or formula (or when awake, sip on it for long periods of time as a pacifier).For further reading you can log on to my website – www.delhidentalcenter.com.– http://www.delhidentalcenter.com/pediatric_dentistry.phpAuthors –Dr. Amit Goswami.Dr. (Mrs.)Vandana Goswami.

Emergent Literacy and Language Development: Promoting Learning in Early Childhood

Michelle — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:22:13 +0000

ISBN13: 9781606233009
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
This concise, accessible book explores the connection between language acquisition and emergent literacy skills, and how this sets the stage for later literacy development. Chapters address formative early experiences such as speaking and listening, being read to, and talking about print concepts and the alphabet. Written for early childhood professionals, reading specialists, and speech–language pathologists, the book describes effective assessment and instructio… More >>

Emergent Literacy and Language Development: Promoting Learning in Early Childhood

Early Childhood Lesson Plans: Start Reading Earlier

Michelle — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:16:21 +0000

It was just a short time ago an 18-month-old girl made the papers by demonstrating her grasp of the English language — she was actually able to read and iterate written words. While most babies are babbling and making a word or two at this stage, this child was reading cereal boxes at the store.
Many parents wanted to know what their secret was. Well of course it probably had something to do with genetics, it also had something to do with their early childhood lesson plans and habits they established. Both parents were linguists and decided to read and play videos on sign language with the child. Little did they know that these little lessons built amazing thought and speech pathways in the child’s brain, and before they knew it they were on Good Morning America having her read flash cards, blowing viewer’s minds.
Beginning Tips
So the previous lesson is definitely an extreme. Just because your child is not reading at 2 is definitely nothing to worry about. Fostering a normally bright child comes at a slower pace, and reading should be part of the good habit formation at home. Here are some tips when you first start:
- Start as soon as possible, the earlier the better
- Read as if you are excited about the story, it will fall over on the child engaging them
- Be habitual about the time you read, children remember this and find this groove to get into, possibly even reminding you when it’s time
- Talk to your librarian about books that are a good match for your children, they can even help you establish reading as part of your early childhood lesson plan
- Put the books in proximity with the rest of you children’s toys, ideally with the cover facing them so they will be consistently interested
- Books on the go is great, pull one out at the Dr’s office, riding on the commuter train, hanging out at the park etc.
It’s never too young to read. It may seem odd but some experts actually think that reading while the child is in utero may be a good shoe-in for reading as a baby, toddler and beyond. That may also be a good way for connecting the parent’s voices while still in the womb. At least it’s good habit for the parents, especially if one of the parents is not an avid reader. You know the cliche, like father like son, well this may be true regarding the parent’s reading habit, and if the child picks this up later in life by copying the example parent.