Building Math Skills for Future Success Numeracy is the ability to understand and work with numbers, and something we work on daily in our Head Start classrooms.
The National Research Center has identified the three most relevant principles in early childhood, and there are things that you can do daily to help your child build foundational skills. The one-to-one principle: Instead of just counting aloud, a child needs to understand that counted items each get their own number. Count daily! To make sure your child understands one-to-one correspondence, have him or her touch each item as they count. The stable-order principle: “One, three, two,” tells us that we need to help the child understand that times, children will begin counting the items again. numbers have a set order. Start with one to three and Recalling and understanding that last number is a higher work your way up as your child shows mastery of the order thinking skill and takes some practice to develop. sequence. Children love to count, especially if you make a game The cardinal principle: After counting items, a child of it. Count the steps it takes to get from the car to the needs to understand that the last number represents the house, count the whiskers on the cat, count the squares quantity in the set of objects. After your child counts on the window. Your child will love it; you can count something, ask, “How many did you have?” Many on that!
Shape Behaviors with Ohio Guidestone Sessions LCCAA Head Start partner Ohio Guidestone is offering a series of free sessions for parents who want to expand their parenting tool box.
Shaping Behaviors: Tools of the Trade began Oct. 20 with a session on the Power of Play. All sessions are free and available via Zoom. Sessions typically run for one hour, with extended time given for discussion and questions. Zoom links and passwords are posted on ClassTag. The sessions are presented by
Donna Jezewski, M.Ed., LSW strategies for setting limits. a therapist and mental health Dec. 1, 12 p.m.: Reducing consultant with Ohio Guidestone, Misbehavior. This session includes Lorain County. a discussion of calming skills and effective consequences. Upcoming Sessions: Sessions are independent of each Nov. 3, 12 p.m.: The Art of other - tune in when you can. Material Effective Praise, Encouragement is taken from The Incredible Years, a and Incentives. This session will curriculum for parent education, and help you shape the good behaviors Conscious Discipline, the discipline you’d like to see more of. philosophy used in LCCAA Head Nov. 17, 12 p.m.: Preventing Start classrooms. Misbehavior and Meltdowns. Jezewski plans to repeat the series This session will share effective this winter as well.
Book of the Month: Dear Zoo
Dear Zoo by Rob Campbell is a classic, lift-the-flap book that naturally lends itself to making predictions while reading. For any child who has ever wanted a wild animal for a pet, this book simply explains why zoo animals wouldn’t be a good pet. It builds vocabulary with the use of adjectives such as “fierce” and “naughty.” After a couple readings, children can begin to “read” it themselves!
