Pre Social Studies
Dad, Hunter, even joins in to the skating party with daughter, to help Courtlyn master her new skill... Thanks, Dad!!
Social Studies Standard 2: Demonstrates an understanding of basic geographic concepts.
Since we the 4th of July, we will include some activities that focus around him as well as the geographic concepts for early learners.
JULY PRE-SOCIAL STUDIES ACTIVITIES
Ages 0-1: According to the Creative Curriculum, “During the first three years of life, infants and toddlers are learning who they are. Through their interactions with you..., they gain answers to questions, such as: Do people respond to me? Who are the people I can depend on? Am I important to others? Am I competent? How should I behave? Do people enjoy being with me? What should I be afraid of? Is it safe for me to show how I feel? What things interest me? The daily interactions you have with your children help shape their sense of self and how they will relate to other people” (p. 23).
Ages 1-2: Focus on using words that show you care. Take a moment and think about the words you use and how you may say them. Although a young child cannot say very many words, they are very perceptive in our body language and how the words are being said.
Age 2: As your young child talks to you, try to give focused attention with eye contact and express back to them what you hear them saying. Squat down to their level, so you can see what they are talking about that might be in their hands, for example. Show them that what they have to say matters. If we don't value what they say, they grow up thinking that what they have to say has no value. As you believe in them, they will learn to believe in themselves.
Age 3: Before the children rise in the morning, try to take some time for yourself. Take a walk in the early morning hours, or spend some time in a quiet time to get yourself centered. Then when the family is up and going, you are better able to care for them once you have cared for your own needs. A 20 minute nap in the afternoon is great for a refresher while baby is sleeping; train your preschooler how to listen to a book on tape in their own room for 30 minutes so everyone has some time to rest by themselves. Being a mother is like a marathon race, not a short sprint. We find ways to endure for the long haul as well as keep balanced during the process.
Age 4: Is there a game your child enjoys playing, for example, a game of matching? Before beginning to fix dinner, sit down on the floor and focus on your child for a few minutes and play a quick round of their favorite game. Then when you are ready to begin making dinner, you have filled their little emotional tank battery with some positive emotions that can hold them over for a while. Dinner preparations will go a lot smoother.
Age 5: Help your child learn some new stages of learning this month; for example, focus on teaching them how to answer the phone. Role play how to do it and what to say. Have grandma or dad try calling and then acting it out together with them on what they can say. Coach them on what to say and also what not to say. Have them learn their address and phone number. If, by chance, they were ever lost, it would be helpful to know the information to share with the police officer.
TOOLS FOR MOTHERHOOD GRADUATES are sharing some of the Pre-Social Studies activities they tried with their own children.
Cooking Role PlayingHeather of Topeka
The other thing was not even planned but all pretend play for the girls. I cut open one of those red netting bags that apples and oranges come in and the girls put them on their heads as hair nets and then they “cooked” in their little kitchen. What a great social studies lesson where the girls got to pretend to be cooks or deli workers (like the deli people wear at Wal Mart Zoe said). It was a great, not even planned, thing where I got to actually use everyday things to teach them something. Soo much fun!!
9 Months old, Peek a boo By Joanna, Topeka
If you put a blanket over his head, he will pull it off and grin at you. He also likes it when I put my hands over my face, he pulls them down and I say peek a boo! If I'm around the corner and I say "where's Benny" he's looking for me when I come around the corner and say peek a book.
Recommendations: Yes, its fun because my son enjoye it so much.
4 Years Old, Chutes and Ladders By Heather, Topeka
I had Zoe "set up" the game board and then we picked out the player she wanted to be which was the little blond girl-of course. I was the little boy in overalls. Then she would spin and move. Then it was my turn and so on. Zoe tends to "get lost" on which way to go when she gets to an end as we tend to do thing from top to bottom-so this is backwards and then to go both left and right gets confusing too, so we really try to get her to "read" the numbers in order so its not as confusing, but still... (We stop and explain how doing good things get rewarded and bad things have consequences.) It is one of our favorite games to play.
Recommendations: Yes, great lessons and fun too.
9 Months Standing in front of a light switch, I showed him how to trn it on and off. Then I helped him, and pretty soon he figured it out himself. Whe we went to a different room, he was able to remember what to do at a different switch. He was not only learning cause & effect, but he was also proud of himself and what he could cause to happen. --Joanna
3 Years Old I painted my daughters hands with washable paint and had her do a hand print of each hand on a piece of paper. Then we wrote on the paper all the roles she has in her life and how much she is a very important person to God! She is a daughter, granddtr, greatgranddtr, niece, cousin, and most importantly a child of God's! This activity was fun but very messy. : ) She enjoyed having her hands pained through. Any recommendations might be: It was a great and an awesome opportunity to talk about Jesus with her. For Christmas, we could make handprints on tissue paper or white wrapping paper. Once the handprints were dry on the paper, we could wrap the gift to the grandparents. --Kahle
4 1/2 Years Old We made a book called "All about Me". Ahead of time, I cut out scrapbook pages of ideas for her to choose from. We stappled several blank typing pages together and at the top of each page we thought of a heading of things about her. Some ideas were: My favorite food, my favorite pets, my favorite toys, my favorite colors. Then she would take a pair of sissors and cut and glue what she wanted on each page. It was so fun to just sit down together and talk. She really had some great answers that really surprised me. This will become one of those keepsakes to cherish in years to come. It was sure fun to find out what their favorite things were.--Heather
Ages 0-1: According to the Creative Curriculum, “During the first three years of life, infants and toddlers are learning who they are. Through their interactions with you..., they gain answers to questions, such as: Do people respond to me? Who are the people I can depend on? Am I important to others? Am I competent? How should I behave? Do people enjoy being with me? What should I be afraid of? Is it safe for me to show how I feel? What things interest me? The daily interactions you have with your children help shape their sense of self and how they will relate to other people” (p. 23).
Ages 1-2: Focus on using words that show you care. Take a moment and think about the words you use and how you may say them. Although a young child cannot say very many words, they are very perceptive in our body language and how the words are being said.
Age 2: As your young child talks to you, try to give focused attention with eye contact and express back to them what you hear them saying. Squat down to their level, so you can see what they are talking about that might be in their hands, for example. Show them that what they have to say matters. If we don't value what they say, they grow up thinking that what they have to say has no value. As you believe in them, they will learn to believe in themselves.
Age 3: Before the children rise in the morning, try to take some time for yourself. Take a walk in the early morning hours, or spend some time in a quiet time to get yourself centered. Then when the family is up and going, you are better able to care for them once you have cared for your own needs. A 20 minute nap in the afternoon is great for a refresher while baby is sleeping; train your preschooler how to listen to a book on tape in their own room for 30 minutes so everyone has some time to rest by themselves. Being a mother is like a marathon race, not a short sprint. We find ways to endure for the long haul as well as keep balanced during the process.
Age 4: Is there a game your child enjoys playing, for example, a game of matching? Before beginning to fix dinner, sit down on the floor and focus on your child for a few minutes and play a quick round of their favorite game. Then when you are ready to begin making dinner, you have filled their little emotional tank battery with some positive emotions that can hold them over for a while. Dinner preparations will go a lot smoother.
Age 5: Help your child learn some new stages of learning this month; for example, focus on teaching them how to answer the phone. Role play how to do it and what to say. Have grandma or dad try calling and then acting it out together with them on what they can say. Coach them on what to say and also what not to say. Have them learn their address and phone number. If, by chance, they were ever lost, it would be helpful to know the information to share with the police officer.
TOOLS FOR MOTHERHOOD GRADUATES are sharing some of the Pre-Social Studies activities they tried with their own children.
Cooking Role PlayingHeather of Topeka
The other thing was not even planned but all pretend play for the girls. I cut open one of those red netting bags that apples and oranges come in and the girls put them on their heads as hair nets and then they “cooked” in their little kitchen. What a great social studies lesson where the girls got to pretend to be cooks or deli workers (like the deli people wear at Wal Mart Zoe said). It was a great, not even planned, thing where I got to actually use everyday things to teach them something. Soo much fun!!
9 Months old, Peek a boo By Joanna, Topeka
If you put a blanket over his head, he will pull it off and grin at you. He also likes it when I put my hands over my face, he pulls them down and I say peek a boo! If I'm around the corner and I say "where's Benny" he's looking for me when I come around the corner and say peek a book.
Recommendations: Yes, its fun because my son enjoye it so much.
4 Years Old, Chutes and Ladders By Heather, Topeka
I had Zoe "set up" the game board and then we picked out the player she wanted to be which was the little blond girl-of course. I was the little boy in overalls. Then she would spin and move. Then it was my turn and so on. Zoe tends to "get lost" on which way to go when she gets to an end as we tend to do thing from top to bottom-so this is backwards and then to go both left and right gets confusing too, so we really try to get her to "read" the numbers in order so its not as confusing, but still... (We stop and explain how doing good things get rewarded and bad things have consequences.) It is one of our favorite games to play.
Recommendations: Yes, great lessons and fun too.
9 Months Standing in front of a light switch, I showed him how to trn it on and off. Then I helped him, and pretty soon he figured it out himself. Whe we went to a different room, he was able to remember what to do at a different switch. He was not only learning cause & effect, but he was also proud of himself and what he could cause to happen. --Joanna
3 Years Old I painted my daughters hands with washable paint and had her do a hand print of each hand on a piece of paper. Then we wrote on the paper all the roles she has in her life and how much she is a very important person to God! She is a daughter, granddtr, greatgranddtr, niece, cousin, and most importantly a child of God's! This activity was fun but very messy. : ) She enjoyed having her hands pained through. Any recommendations might be: It was a great and an awesome opportunity to talk about Jesus with her. For Christmas, we could make handprints on tissue paper or white wrapping paper. Once the handprints were dry on the paper, we could wrap the gift to the grandparents. --Kahle
4 1/2 Years Old We made a book called "All about Me". Ahead of time, I cut out scrapbook pages of ideas for her to choose from. We stappled several blank typing pages together and at the top of each page we thought of a heading of things about her. Some ideas were: My favorite food, my favorite pets, my favorite toys, my favorite colors. Then she would take a pair of sissors and cut and glue what she wanted on each page. It was so fun to just sit down together and talk. She really had some great answers that really surprised me. This will become one of those keepsakes to cherish in years to come. It was sure fun to find out what their favorite things were.--Heather