Colours of Family

THE SNOW FORT BUILDERS’ SKILLS!

BY HEATHER BAIN BEHAVIOURAL TEACHING ASSISTANT

One day a grade one teacher called me and reported that two of her students hadn’t come back in after recess. She could see them, and called them from the steps of the portable, but they didn’t respond. It was a sunny, cold, winter day with a fresh blanket of packing snow covering the school yard as I headed outside.

I found them at the back of the school field, perfecting a massive snow fort. They excitedly showed off the walled rooms and a cache of snowballs for ammunition in case the older kids wanted their fort. They were quite surprised when I told them recess was over and they were late for class. Both began to cry because they thought they were in “big trouble”. As we walked inside, we discussed safety and strategies to use. We explained what happened to their teacher and they shared their recess plan. Happily there were no further issues like this one.

Years later, when the same two boys were in grade eight, they ran in the student council election, and both won leadership positions. They brought their focus, communication, work ethic and the teamwork skills they had displayed that day in grade one building a snow fort, to their new Student Council roles.

When I was a child, my sister and I attended a weekly ballet class. Our mother would drop us off at the front door, go to park the car and come inside. We always arrived dressed and ready to join dance class with our street clothes packed in our dance bags. We were expected to get changed and meet our mother by the front door right after ballet was over.

What do you see and identify as your areas of intelligence?

One day when my mother was waiting to take us home, my sister met her at the door. Mom asked where I was, then came into the change room. I was half changed, working my way around the room as I chatted to friends. My belongings were scattered. Mom rounded up me and my stuff and asked why I wasn’t ready to leave. I shared detailed comments about my friends and how I hugged my classmate and her mother goodbye who were going to be away from dance class on vacation. My mom told me that I needed to be more organized like my younger sister. I was 6 and she was 4.

In the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner proposes that intelligence can fall into multiple areas of human ability that are not necessarily able to be measured by standard intelligence tests. They are broken into several categories and people may have more than one area of strength of varying degrees. (*Please see the chart above and the reference article for more details.)

What do you see and identify as your areas of intelligence?

Which ones do you see in your child/children and other family members? Educators often deliberately design the activities within their lessons to assist each student learn in a way that best fits multiple areas of intelligence and a child’s learning style.

Some questions for parents to think about are “How do we encourage and support our children to be their best selves? How do we help them develop their potential?” My answer: children learn what they see! Encourage them to be true to their authentic selves even when it’s hard. And do it yourself too! A read-aloud story I found on YouTube that clearly and simply explains this concept is “ A Kids’ Book About Belonging “ by Kevin Carroll.

It’s amazing to see how the combination of time, maturity, social and emotional growth enables children to become a wiser, more able, confident versions of themselves. The same can also be true for adults. As my college Gerontology Professor once stated, “The rat becomes rattier!” By that she meant people become more themselves and find a way to use, practice and polish their innate skills, abilities, and personality traits. The student who doodles to escape classroom routines could become a talented artist. The high school track star may be the student who used to do laps in the halls to deal with anger issues!

*article reference Marenus, M.(2020, June 09). Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Simply Psychology. www. simplypsychology.org/multiple-inteligences.html

To this day, my younger sister is more organized than me. I always envied her ability to focus, work hard and get great report cards. She envied my ease in socializing and making people feel comfortable. Honestly, I haven’t changed that much from the half dressed, chatty little girl keeping my mother waiting! But now I make my living (completely dressed) using my strong interpersonal and communication skills to support students, staff, and parents.

Want to show your children that you are being your best self??? Experiment and praise the effort taken to explore new skills, hobbies, situations, and experiences. Lead by example and model the positive character traits you want your child to have like honesty, cooperation, respect, loyalty, kindness, and compassion. Teach your child that mistakes happen, that they are normal and can be a learning opportunity. Reframe it from a growth mindset point of view. Show them that you are still excited about learning new things! Accept successes and challenges as part of life. Have them notice, acknowledge, and appreciate the caring people in their lives. Find joy in everyday wonders like a pretty flower, jumping in a puddle, or cuddling a beloved pet.

Most importantly, take the time to notice the effort and skills your children bring to building a terrific snow fort! It could be the start of a wonderful story!