Structured vs. Non-Structured Activities

We received an email a little while ago asking how many structured versus non-structured activities your child should participate in throughout the day and what type of activities these should be.

First of all, I view a "structured" activity as one that is planned with the intention to further your child's education. A non-structured activity is basically everything else....it's like "free play." It's the time when your child is just roaming freely, playing with toys by himself or wandering around. There's no planning behind it (which is okay too ofcourse!)

So, how many structured activities should you plan for your child?

I feel that you should try to have a few structured activities a day. However, "planned" activities don't necessarily mean you have to go out and buy something new or spend 30 minutes planning one activity for your child. A structured activity can be spur of the moment or random, as long as it's educational and enhancing the skills of your child. For example, each day I try to have a few structured activities that will work on areas that are on my 16 month old's level. We read 15 minutes a day but right now he doesn't have the attention span to sit for all 15 minutes so I break it up into 5 minutes (or less) increments throughout the day. Some of my structured activities are small, like counting the goldfish on his highchair tray. Even though he cannot pronounce the numbers he still points to them as I sing a counting song. We like to go on nature walks, and when we do I am involved. I point to things and help him say their names...t t t tree or r r rock. Or when we feel things I help him use his senses by asking questions like "Doesn't this rock feel smooth?" I try to plan trips to the library weekly to explore new books and try out new toys. I love the story time class and try to attend it as often as possible. I also love taking him to The Children's Museum or the Zoo. These are all "structured" activities that can be small or big...either way they are all focusing on Owen's education in some way or another.

This past week Owen and I worked on stacking to help his dexterity and motor skills...not to mention his creativity.

Art is a great structured activity that can be done with all ages and in many different forms.

Cooking is another great activity. We made homemade poptarts found here. They were delicious.

Water play is always a fun one and doing it in the bathroom when outside isn't an option works just as well. This was one of our "texture bins" for the week. Those of course are always a fun structured activity!

Some other activities we might do include: dancing, singing songs, reading Nursery Rhymes, learning about our body parts, going to a pet store, going to swim lessons, or talking about our family and church related things. Not all may seem mainstreamed "educational" but they are enriching in all different ways. We also have MANY activities for all ages on our blog that you might also enjoy.

As long as you are exercising your child's mind and body, you are providing him with the enrichment he needs.

These activities mentioned can be tailored to meet your child's needs and of course there are countless ways to do this for ALL ages. Get creative and search blogs, read books and ask questions to find the right activities for your child. I have always felt that there can be a limit to too many educational activities. However, I feel that as long as your child is having fun AND learning you can do as many activities as you want. But once the fun is gone and it becomes a boring task, enough is enough. :)

So, what do YOU do with your child throughout the day?? We would love to post all of your ideas and link them back to you!! Please share!

Joy Reading

My goal for Owen is that he will LOVE to read. I want reading to be a JOY for him. This was also my goal when I was teaching first grade. So every morning we had JOY READING. My students knew to come quietly into the classroom, put their backpacks on a hook, put their home lunch (if they had one) in the bin, put their homework and "green go home" folders in their cubbies and then quietly sit down and read. Each group of desks had a small tub with various books inside. They could choose any book (one at a time) and read as many as they could in the 10 minutes that I gave them. 

I did this for a few reasons:

1. It reminded my students that once they entered my classroom, they were there to learn.

2. It helped get their minds ready for learning.

3. It helped them forget about how they lost their place in line when lining up outside and begin to focus on the day ahead.

4. It gave me some quiet time to take their homework out of their folders and take attendance, as well as speak to any parents who might be lingering at the doorway. :)

5. It helped my students love to read and understand that it is important that we do it daily.

I rotated their tubs daily and then switched the books out weekly. I tried to stay organized. :)

It was also important that our classroom always have a comfy place to read where there are plenty of books to choose from.

Now, how do we do this at home?

First off, we need to be organized and have books easily accessible to our children. Owen doesn't have many that he's interested in quite yet, but there is a basket underneath an end table in our front room filled with his favorites.

There is also a bookshelf with some classic picture books in his room.

Next, you need to make a comfortable and inviting place for your child to read. Whether it's a fun bean bag chair or fort, make it enjoyable. 

Last, you need to be involved. You need to read to and with your child as often as possible. Cuddle while reading or let your child read to you. Make it a special time. This way your child will have positive feelings when she thinks about reading and her love of reading will continue to grow as you help her nourish it.

I can't wait to continue to do this with my son! 

What do you do with your children to foster a love and joy of reading?

Routines

I think children do best when they have structure in their lives. Not all the time, but most of the time. The way to build structure into a child's life is through daily routines. As a teacher I learned quickly that students do best when they have structure and daily routines that are predictable. Most, if not all teachers have a daily routine in which they live by. From the minute the students enter the door of the classroom, to the final bell ringing at the end of the day, the routine helps the child to know what is expected of them. The same idea can be implemented at home. 

Two routines to live by:

Morning & Night

Already with my 4 month old boys I can see a pattern in their mood and demeanor on the days that we stick to our routine. When babies are thrown out of schedule it is easy to see and hear when they are unhappy. I have read several books on the proven fact that babies/children (and I believe people in general) are happier when they have a predictable routine set in place. So my advice to all parents is if you can have only TWO routines in the day make them first thing in the morning and before bed time. 

The key to a good routine is to try and perform the same tasks at the same time each day. Most parents have a morning routine that works well, especially when kids are in school because they have somewhere to be. Nighttime routines can be trickier for kids. Many children do not want to go to bed at their designated "bed time". Is this a fight in your household? Here is when setting up a FUN & CONSISTENT nighttime routine will help you.

Example of a nighttime routine for a 7 year-old.

  If your child's bed time is at 8:00p.m. Your nighttime routine should begin around 7:00p.m. Start by turning off the T.V. and any other stimulation. Have your child take a bath to help him/her calm down and get clean from the long day. Don't forget to have them brush their teeth. Next is P.J. time! Let your child pick out their P.J.'s and a few of their favorite books to read. Of course I am a HUGE fan of reading at night with your kids! Cuddle up to listen to your child read aloud in their bed, your bed, or with blankets on the floor (but NOT in front of the TV). This is where the FUN part comes in...ask your child to use their imagination and think of where they might pretend they will be reading tonight? Possibly in a dark cave (under the blankets with a flashlight), or at the top of a castle with the Princess (get out a wand and crown and wear them while reading), or in the forest surrounded by animals (bring out all the stuffed animals and have your child read to them as if it were his/her audience). Make reading time FUN and EXCITING! Then it's time for bed. Lights out every night at 8:00p.m. 

If your child knows that this routine will happen every night, then hopefully you can avoid the fight at bed time. Make it exciting and something to look forward to. Most of all be apart of the routine with your child. It's a great bonding time for both of you! You might even give them the chance to arrange the order of the tasks performed in the morning and at night so that they have some ownership to these new routines!

Please share your morning/nighttime routines with us below and ideas or questions you might have about your routines? What works well or what doesn't? 

Being the ULTIMATE teacher

I believe that a mother is truly the most important job in the world. Along with being a mother comes many other titles as I have learned in the past 4 1/2 months of my boys lives. The title of  teacher is one that goes hand in hand with being a mom. In fact, parents can be the world's greatest teachers. From the minute a child is born that infant depends on their parents/caretakers to nurture, care, and TEACH them the basics of life.

As I have been contemplating the purpose of this blog, I have had several ideas, thoughts, "a-ha" moments running through my brain. I want this blog to serve as a place where mothers (and fathers) can learn from one another and grow as we all strive together to be our child's greatest teacher.

Thank you to everyone who has commented and voted on the topics that they would like to learn more about. I appreciate everyone's support and look forward to this journey together. PLEASE always feel free to leave comments, suggestions, advice, or questions under the comment section. I hope that the comment section will serve as a networking tool for everyone who visits this site.

How can I be involved in my child's education?

This is a question that many parents would ask me during my teaching years. I thought that this blog would be a great place for a once busy 2nd grade teacher to answer the many questions and concerns that you parents out there might have. This blog is intended to serve as a network to support those parents out there that are seeking answers and advice from an experienced teacher. I do not claim to know the best way or the right way of doing anything, but I do have a LOVE for teaching and for children and hope that my experiences can help you do the most important job in the world...TEACH YOUR CHILDREN!

In order to make this blog helpful to you please vote on the topics you would like to read more about. If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Please post comments below.