Supporting Christian Science families and their young children
Sliced, fresh strawberries
Fresh blueberries
Vanilla yogurt
Clear plastic cups or tumblers
Wash fruit and slice strawberries. Invite your child to spoon some vanilla yogurt into the bottom of the cup. Then add strawberries, followed by more yogurt. Next add blueberries and another layer of yogurt. Top with more strawberries and blueberries. Enjoy!
Cardboard toilet paper rolls (one for each color of paint used)
Red, white, and blue tempera paint
Large sheet of dark blue construction paper
Paper plates
Sponge brush or small paint brush
Scissors
Glitter (optional)
DirectionsUsing a pair of scissors, make a cut approximately two inches long from the end of the cardboard tube towards the center of the tube. Continue making two inch slits around the circumference of the tube approximately one inch apart. Press the tube on a hard surface to make the strips fan outward. On separate paper plates, pour different colors of tempera paint. Invite your child to dip the cardboard tube into the paint and press it onto the large construction paper. If needed, use a sponge brush or paint brush to cover the strips of cardboard. Press onto the dark construction paper. Continue making fireworks by using the various colors of tempera paint. Sprinkle wet paint with silver glitter. Hang when dry.
Materials
Teddy Bear Counters
Ice Cube Tray
Directions
Place several teddy bear counters in a small basket or container. If you are just introducing repeating patterns to your toddler, create a simple pattern using the teddy counters on the top row of the ice cube tray. Then invite your child to copy what you did by placing the same colors of teddy bear counters in the bottom row of the tray. Say the pattern together. Are they both the same? Continue to repeat this lesson until your child can easily copy patterns.
Next, you may want to start a pattern with the counters and invite your child to extend your pattern, filling the ice cube tray with a teddy bear in each section. Check the pattern by pointing and saying it out loud.
The last step is to encourage your child to generate his or her own patterns. Find other materials around the house that can be used to create patterns (e.g. buttons, silverware, old keys, cereal, etc.)
Have fun looking for patterns in the environment and discovering patterns on clothing, and in books, songs, and poems.
Ingredients
Brownie mix
Vegetable oil
Eggs
Bowl
Spoon
Baking pan
Directions
Follow the instructions on the box. Invite your child to pour the mix into a bowl, crack the eggs, add the water and oil, mix the batter, and pour it into the baking pan. Talk about the measurements, the changes observed in the batter as new ingredients are added. Bake the brownies. Serve when cool.
Materials
Play gym
Blanket
Directions
On warm days, take the play gym outside and place it on a larger blanket or quilt in the shade. Encourage your baby to reach for items on the play gym. Moving activities outdoors adds novelty to the experience.
Materials
Shaving cream
Tempera paints
Straws
Glitter (optional)
Directions
Cover the bottom of the tray or shallow dish with shaving cream. For a more even surface, spread shaving cream with a rubber spatula. Add various colors of tempera paint to the shaving cream. Invite your child to help choose the colors. You can even make simple patterns with the paint. Encourage your child to use her fingers to swirl and mix the paints. Observe what happens to the colors. If you child doesn’t care to place her hands in the cream, invite her to explore color mixing by using straws, silverware, twigs, etc. Try adding a sprinkle of glitter for a sparkly effect.
Sensory shaving-cream painting was so much fun! The children created interesting patterns that were intriguing and kept them engaged.
For the courageous, you might try having your child paint with their feet!
Materials
Large popsicle sticks
Dot stickers
Pompoms
Directions
Place dot stickers that match the colors of the pompoms on large popsicle sticks in simple patterns. Place pompoms in a small container. Invite your child to place the pompoms on top of the dot stickers to copy the patterns.
By Dorothy Halverson
For many years, parents and teachers were cautioned by some experts not to let a child get frustrated when learning new tasks or skills. They feared that the child might exhibit stress, insecurity, and low self-esteem. More recently, however, many have come to feel that a certain amount of frustration is essential to healthy character formation and independent growth.
Mary Kimball Morgan, founder and first president of The Principia, understood the importance of training children to be independent thinkers, even though it may take some struggling along the way. She poses this question in Education at The Principia (p. 57): “Are we helping them to gain the stamina, perseverance, and courage necessary to cope successfully with [world] conditions? Or are we weakening their character through personal indulgence and unwise protection—doing their work for them or shielding them from the consequences of their willful mistakes?”
When observing children struggling through a task and even exhibiting some frustration with a challenge, some of us may feel we’re helping out when we step in, but in reality we may be interfering in the opportunity for growth. Instead, it’s important to stand back in a supportive but non-interfering way, and let the learning experience occur. This gives the child room to develop initiative, resourcefulness, and problem-solving skills.
How can we be supportive yet non-interfering? Dr. John Rosemond offers these suggestions in his book entitled Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Heathy Children (Andrews McNeel Publishing, 1989).
In doing these things, we send messages of trust and personal worth to our children and allow them the freedom to discover their own capabilities.
Working in an early childhood environment, I observe on a daily basis children taking risks, trying new things, and yes, making many mistakes along the way. But, the children are lovingly supported and gently guided. I love to witness four- and five-year-olds persevere when learning to ride a bicycle. The children quickly learn that they need to be in control, both mentally and physically. Some children get very frustrated with this at times, but the teacher calmly talks each child through the steps, encouraging them to keep trying. Once they succeed, they feel such a sense of accomplishment and empowerment. Their confidence and self-esteem grow as they experience success by expressing persistence, patience, and perseverance.
These same qualities—patience, persistence, confidence, empowerment, and perseverance—are expressed each time children tackle a new skill, such as learning to walk, tying shoes, or zipping a coat. Before beginning to work on a certain task or skill, it is important to know whether the child is ready and capable developmentally. Also, children are much more willing to persevere when it is a skill they want to learn.
It can be helpful to break down larger tasks so that they experience successes along the way (i.e. starting the zipper or having your child work through the first steps of shoe tying while you make the loops.) Each success increases their confidence to cope with the next, slightly more difficult task. Offering guiding suggestions and letting them know that you are there if they need you can be comforting to children.
Remember not to do the task for them, but remind them that it is OK if they don’t succeed the first time. If you are patient and relaxed yourself and allow your child to work, he will be more apt to continue trying to successfully meet challenges.
As children learn to persevere, they discover their own abilities, become self-sufficient, creative, and resourceful; express confidence and courage; and learn to think independently. And as Mary Kimball Morgan states, “In childhood, it is very essential that right habits of thought become established—honesty, truthfulness, unselfishness, industry, thoroughness, perseverance, loving-kindness, and all noble qualities which make for Christian character” (Education at The Principia, p. 21).
Materials
Playdough
Plastic recycleables
Directions
Invite your child to roll playdough out into a pancake shape. Using a variety of plastic recyclables with interesting shapes, encourage your child to make prints with them into the playdough. What fun impressions and patterns than your child make? Have fun!
Materials
Patterned paint rollers
Construction paper
Tempera paint
Paint tray or paper plates
Directions
Pour tempera paint in paint trays or on paper plates. Tape a piece of construction paper onto the table. Invite your child to roll the foam paint rollers in the paint and then onto the construction paper. Allow the paint to dry. Display.