Category Archives: Early Childhood Education

Importance of After School Programs

Posted on July 30, 2011 by dhiekanya27

In the US today, there is an extremely strong, ever-growing need for quality after school programs primarily due to the good that these have done the children of this country. However, it has also resulted directly from numerous fundamental changes that have occurred in the lives and work schedules of the American parent today. In the last few decades, the proportion of families with single parents and working, two-parent families has grown significantly.

According to statistics that were recently compiled by the US Bureau of the Census, nearly 70 out of 100 children attending school come from households with a single working parent or in a home where both the mother and father are employed. In either situation, the parent or parents need for their children to be safely supervised once the traditional school day has concluded and up until about 6:00 pm. Whenever a parent does not have the financial means to afford an after school program, they have to wonder about their child’s security.

Why after school programs are so beneficial to children and their parents

One of the primary benefits to putting a child in an after school program is that it broadens your child’s interests and enables them to discover an innate and maybe unknown talent for a certain activity. It also provides them with the opportunity to develop that talent as well. Additionally, constant practice breeds more self-confidence and improves their self esteem in the process.

There are certain psychological and social benefits as well, such as reducing the juvenile delinquency rate. There is a direct correlation between the time that the child gets out of school unsupervised until their parents get home and a spike in the crime rate. These after school programs do not allow the child to participate in criminal or deviant behavior when they find one to attend.

There is a significant reduction in the amount of risk-taking that occurs especially where alcoholism and drug abuse as well as the dropout rate are concerned, just to name a few. Typically, the child will fall into bad company when they do not participate in some engaging activity after school. It is a well known fact, according to vast research on the subject, that the leading cause for alcohol use and substance abuse result from peer pressure.

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Reading: One of Life’s Most Crucial Skills

Posted on June 16, 2011 by dhiekanya27

The U.S. the National Institute for Literacy states that children who do not read by the third grade often fail to catch up and are more likely to drop out of school and face other negative consequences. Reading is not only one of the most vital things we can learn as humans, but it can also be one of the more enjoyable. But illiteracy is not a rarity in America; it’s probably significantly more common than we’d like to think. In fact, a 2005 United States government study shows that over 20 percent of American adults are functionally illiterate.

Reading is arguably the most important skill children can learn in school. Indeed, it is one of the most important life skills any person can gain. Reading helps us learn things about life that are extremely essential. Reading can show us more about ourselves and others; it provides many hours of fun and entertainment. Reading helps us learn step by step instructions to do thousands of different things. Reading opens the door to writing which is also crucial. So what are some ways we can make sure that the children we love and care about learn this all-important skill?

1. One of the most important ways to encourage children to want to read is to read fun, quality books to them at their particular age-range or level of understanding.

2. Let children see you reading. If the only thing they see you do every evening is watching TV, then they’ll probably do the same.

3. Stay in contact with your children’s teachers. Find out how well they read or if they’re having problems. Ask if there’s anything they can do if one of your children needs extra help.

4. You know phonics. In fact, it’s most likely the way you learned to read. If you think your child is having trouble, start teaching them words using phonics. Once that light bulb goes on in their head, they will usually want to show off the words they’ve learned to pronounce.

5. Let your child read a book to you, and saturate him or her with praise. Give some sort of reward if your child reads a book to you. Then give a prize for every book your child reads. (Of course, you might have to ask what the story was about, just to make sure).

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Steps In Early Childhood Development

Posted on May 9, 2011 by dhiekanya27

Childhood development is defined as the biological, emotional, and psychological changes that occur between the time of birth and when adolescence concludes. During this period in the child’s life, they progress from complete dependency to increasing levels of autonomy. Genetics and prenatal development are considered a part of child development studies because developmental changes are typically influenced by genetics. Additionally, these changes occur based on a genetically-controlled process that is referred to as maturation.

Since each period in a child’s development feature specific differences based on when these periods start and finish, they have their own separate definitions or descriptions such as:

o Newborn – 0 to 1 month

o Infant – 1 month to 1 year

o Toddler – 1 to 3 years

o Preschooler – 4 to 6 years

o School age – 6 to 13 years

o Adolescence – 13 to 20 years

As a child’s optimal development is vital to society, it is important that you understand the cognitive, educational, emotional, and social development of the child.

Developmental domains

In the area of childhood development, there are basically five distinct domains that are all interrelated. Oftentimes referred to as the “SPICE” of life, these domains are:

Social – this includes the ability to create long-term relationships, co-operate and share, form attachments, and play with others

Physical – involves the development of “fine” or smaller motor skills and “gross” or larger ones

Intellectual – the child’s processing and making sense out of the world surrounding them

Creative – the development of creativity by using special abilities and talents such as Art, Music, Reading, Singing, and Writing

Emotional – is the development of coping mechanisms for emotions and feelings in order to understand them while at the same time developing self-awareness and self-confidence

These are all critical facets of early childhood development which are groomed and nurtured with the formal care and education of children in their earlier years. In addition to what they are taught in the home, they are also influenced and taught by individuals outside of the home.

About early childhood

In this instance, the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) defines early childhood as “before the age of eight.” During this specific period of time, the child’s needs are quite different from those of schoolchildren who are in an older age bracket. This is due to the fact that the greatest amount of formative development and growth occurs during the first eight years of the child’s life.

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Hooked on Phonics (HOP) – How It Improves Children’s Reading Skill

Posted on April 14, 2011 by dhiekanya27

What is Hooked on Phonics (HOP)

HOP is an educational program for children designed to improve their reading skill. It was born in 1987 and has been one of the educational programs loved by parents and teachers.
It targets children from 3 years old to 8 years old with 5 programs for different age group.

Pre-Kindergarten program is for 3 to 4-year-olds, Kindergarten program is for 5 to 6 year-olds, 1st Grade program is for 6 to 7 year-olds, 2nd Grade Program is for 7 to 8 year-olds, and 3rd Grade & Up program is for 8 year-olds to older children.

Aside from its Learn to Read series, they also have Hooked on Math programs featuring addition and subtraction of small and large numbers, multiplication, and division.

Methodology and Materials

HOP uses “phonics”, a learning method with which children associate a combination of letters with a certain sound. By learning the basic rule of pronunciation, children can guess how a new word is supposed to be pronounced.

Children will use textbooks and DVDs to learn new letters and sounds, and practice until they fully understand, then use the knowledge by playing games and reading short stories. This process enhances children’s memory of new information, and the most importantly, children will experience how FUN it is to read!

Hooked on Phonics Reviews

HOP received high evaluation by parents who bought the programs. For example, 72% (53 our of 73) of reviews on Amazon.com gave 5 STARS to Hooked on Phonic’s “Learn to Read Kindergarten Edition”.(As of Sep 28, 2011) The total evaluation is 4.4 STARS. This is significantly high with so many reviews for one product.

Most people who liked the program say their kids loved the program, children were able to read advanced books, and they love to read. The program also provides parents time to spend with their kids and give them opportunities to see their kid’s learning habit.

The people who gave 1 star to the product referred to DVD/CDR’s compatibility with their personal computer’s operation system (Windows, Mac) and didn’t mention the program itself.

 

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Activities to Foster Your Child’s Multiple Intelligences

Posted on March 4, 2011 by dhiekanya27

In 1983, Howard Gardner proposed his *Theory of Multiple Intelligences, a group of seven (later expanded to nine) areas in which people, adults and children alike, could be said to show an aptitude for. While this theory is widely used in the educational arena to help foster children’s learning styles, it is equally as important for parents to recognize and embrace their children’s unique skills and interests as well.

1. Natural – This intelligence is indicative of those who have an eye for the natural world around them (plants, animals. rocks, clouds, etc). Many children, especially very young ones, have a natural curiosity about the world. To help foster this curiosity, try activities such as tree bark rubbings, planting a garden, trips to the zoo or local farm, walks in the park or local trails and visits to natural history museums.

2. Logical-Mathematical – People in this category are skilled at working with numbers, using symbols and using reasoning in problem solving. Kids who show an early leaning toward this type of intelligence may enjoy using everyday objects to create patterns (milk caps, buttons, seashells), creating and solving tangram pictures, participating in a back-yard treasure hunt, and playing games that involve strategic thinking. Cooking with kids is good as well, since recipes are full of math-related concepts.

3. Musical – Anyone with the ability to recognize, create and even mimic music, is said to have musical intelligence. A lot of children have an early love of music, and some of them grow to have a strong aptitude for it. Parents can encourage a child’s musical creativity by encouraging them to craft their own instrument out of supplies around the home or even providing them with age appropriate tapes and CDS they enjoy listening to.

4. Existential – This type of intelligence involves a curiosity about questions relating to human existence. Although it sounds beyond the years of children, many youngsters unknowingly ask existentially-based questions, such as: Where did I come from? It’s important for parents to encourage kids to never stop asking questions, and to provide them help in seeking the answers, whether they’re found in a book or by having a discussion.

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