This month, we’re exploring pedagogy for children under 3 years old. Education for this age group is important, which is why it’s a new emphasis in our learning materials. In this newsletter, you’ll find the following:
Inspired by a recent study showing that Russian parents read books about negative emotions more than American parents, this blog post discusses why exploring negative emotions with children is important.
Our main takeaways:
Reading books about negative emotions gives children the words to express and handle their feelings
Parents can help their children develop emotional skills by letting them feel all emotions, both positive and negative
Parents should have open discussions with children about their negative feelings and how to deal with them
This podcast explores why babies babble and how they start learning language. A researcher in the field joins to give her insights.
Our main takeaways:
When babies babble, caregivers start to simplify their speech and provide more descriptions, which helps the babies learn
When a baby babbles, and if they look at something while they babble, it means that they are interested in the object and open to learning
Advice for teachers: don’t talk just to talk but talk to engage and remember that it’s still a conversation, even if babies don’t respond like adults
Conversations with babies are simple with lots of questions and descriptions. While it can be boring or uncomfortable, it’s a learning experience for babies!
On Thursday, February 24th, at 3 PM GMT+2, we will have a panel discussion with a parent, a teacher and a researcher about education for children ages 0-3 years old. Register to join us live and learn about topics like:
What early childhood education & care should offer children under 3 years old
The key elements and areas in 0 to 3-year-old pedagogy
Try this simple activity with your baby or toddler or implement it in the classroom!
Materials
Sheets of paper
Non-toxic paints or fruit purees
Paint brushes
Paper plates
Activity Flow
Put paint/puree on paper plates and place the paper on a flat surface
Help the child paint the palm of one of their hands with the paint/puree or do it for them
Place the paint-covered hand on a piece of paper so that it leaves a clear palm-print
Count the number of fingers and name each finger (index, middle, etc.) in the print aloud
Benefits for children
Hear words for ordinal numbers
Practice the names of fingers
Gain sensory experiences
Enjoy!
Next month's theme is social-emotional skills for children. If you enjoyed this newsletter, you're welcome to forward it to your friends so they can sign up below and receive it too!
