section 10
Preparing to read and write
5 years
60 meeting
Let’s review:
Once the meeting starts, welcome everyone and ask the participants: • Who can help us remember what we talked about in our last meeting? • Who was able to do the activity at home that we asked you to do at the end of the meeting? How did it go? • Does anyone have questions or concerns after doing the activity?
What are we going to learn?
We are going to learn how we can help develop the language, writing, reading and mental development of a 5 year-old. LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! We are going to look at some pictures, so we can talk about what we all know about this topic.
What things can you do during daily household work to create spaces for 5 year-old children to learn? Why do you think it is important to listen attentively to stories that children tell?
What things should a 5 year-old be able to do? Read? Write? What else?
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Activity:
“Their first letters” We are going to practice a few activities with a group of 5 year-old children to help them develop their language, writing and reading.
What we’ll need: • A group of 5 year-old children • Paper to write on
WHAT WE’LL DO: • Newspapers At the last meeting make sure you asked everyone • Pencils to invite a 5 year-old child to this meeting. • Welcome all the children and explain that you • Seeds are going to do some activities to help them • White glue learn to read and write better. • Ask each participant to sit with the child they invited and help them with the following activities: • Sing the vowel song. Repeat the words that start with vowels, clap when they hear a vowel at the beginning of the word and say which vowel they heard. • Glue small seeds to outline each vowel and mention words that start with the vowel you are working with. The seeds can be of beans or corn. • Look in the newspaper for different vowels and circle them. For each vowel use a different sheet of newspaper. • Glue pieces of paper over larger letters and numbers – for example, use a stick to write in the dirt or water on brick, pavement or on the wall. Practice writing the name of the child with a stick in the dirt. Other Suggestions: • These exercises can be difficult for parents that don’t know how to read and write well. This can be a good opportunity for them to learn, invite them to classes so they can practice with their children. • Older siblings or cousins are great partners to play these learning games with their younger siblings.
Summing Up:
What did we learn today? Now, we’ll review what we discussed today. • How do you feel after this meeting? Why? • What are the two most important things you’ve learned today? • What will you do differently based on what you learned during the meeting? • What did you like the most? Are there things you didn’t like? • Do you have any remaining concerns or questions about what we talked about?
Facilitator’s Manual
35 To finish, what would you recommend to improve today’s meeting when we do it again with another group. (Explain that answering this question will help the meeting be even better in the future for parents with small children.)
To do at home:
Tell parents to practice at least a one of the activities with their children.
Basic information for the facilitator: Learning more about preparing to read and write: 1- Reasoning:
• A child that has received previous stimulation will be better prepared to face the challenges of school. • Parents should reinforce what their children are learning at school. The best way for parents to do this is through games, not acting like their child’s schoolteacher, but helping in a way that brings them closer to their children and stimulates learning. • Parents should continue with the eye, reasoning and body movement exercises that are suggested for 4 year-old children. Increase the difficulty level according to each child’s ability. Giving children challenges that are too difficult for them just frustrates them and makes it less likely that they will learn. • Suggested Activities: • Increase vocabulary (especially if they are learning a language other than their mother tongue at school) • Continue with reading skills • Start teaching about how to use money (for example: how a ten-cent coin has the same worth as 2 five-cent coins or 10 one-cent coins).
2-
Oral Expression • Encourage children to express themselves: making speeches, doing plays, puppets, telling stories, etc. Give them activities that allow them to use the vocabulary they are learning. • If their mother tongue is different than what they are learning at school, help them correctly pronounce new words. • Let them listen to music that will help reinforce their vocabulary.
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3- Written expression:
• At this age if a child has been stimulated they will have an easier time tracing letters and numbers. • Parents should give children the opportunity to draw, trace, scribble and cut with a scissors. • Other activities can help with manual dexterity like sewing, using tools, kneading or using both hands for activities like writing. The better children are at using their hands, the easier it will be for them to learn to write and trace letters and numbers. • If a child has not been stimulated parents should start with the activities for 3 or 4 year-olds before starting on the activities for 5 year-olds. If they work daily with their child, in 5 to 7 months she can catch up with her classmates who have already been stimulated.
4- Social abilities:
At this age it is important for parents to reinforce the 3 A’s (Attention, Acceptance and Affection) so that a child feels parent’s support and trusts them. Here are ways to do this: • Parents can show their children they have confidence in them by: • Not labeling them in negative ways • Not allowing anyone else to label them negatively. • Not comparing them with other children from school or with other children in the family. • Parents can develop more realistic expectations if they ask themselves the following questions: • Does my child have the maturity to understand what I am asking her to do? • Are my expectations and my hopes realistic or too harsh? • Does my child share my expectations or am I just placing my desires on them? • Are my unrealistic expectations causing me to doubt my children and my confidence in them? • Parents can encourage their children to think positively about themselves: • Parents should give positive messages to their child. • Parents can invent a secret signal, like touching their ear or nose every time they says a negative comment to remind their child that they are not supposed to speak like that in front of other people. • Parents should help their child avoid saying negative things about themself. For example, if the child says, “it is hard for me to read”, tell them instead to say, “I am very good at reading.” • When a family member makes a negative comment, ask them to turn it into something positive. • Parents can remind their children to complement each other whenever possible. • Parents should teach children to believe “they can do it!” • Each week parents should ask their child to pick the school work they feel most proud of and hang it somewhere in the house and compare it to past work so they can see their progress. • Parents can give their children a notebook where they can write down their weekly successes. At the end of the year they can see what they have learned. • Parents should always reinforce the confidence and faith they have that their children can accomplish what they set their minds to.
Facilitator’s Manual