I have created an eBook of educational activities for 4-7 year olds, the seeds of which were sown by many of you. In the first few days that we heard about the changes to child care, kindergartens and schools, I had many parents contact me really worried about how to teach their children. I have the greatest respect for the role of parenting, and in this context of COVD-19 the challenges are greater. Having raised four children, working full time and studying, I know that parenting is the most rewarding, yet the most challenging learning curve we will ever embark upon. No two children are the same, we are unique beings flooded with emotions and hormones, growing in different contexts.
You are and always will be your child’s parent, and you are not expected to create the same context that kindergartens or schools do. Please let that expectation go. However, you can teach your child/ren, and they can learn with, and from you. You teach every day and you are the most consistent and committed educator your child will ever have. This I Can and I Will eBook provides a range of evidence-based learning activities for young children as they learn through doing. Remember play is your child’s work. The more fun they have, the more wonder and awe they feel, the struggle they experience and the challenge they overcome creates deep learning. Lifelong learning. All great innovations begin with an idea, trial and error, mistakes, and lots of them.
In this I Can and I Will series there are 3 English, 3 Mathematics, 2 Science, 1 Humanities and 1 Wellbeing activity. There is a structure for each session, which if consistently applied will become a habit. Your habit, for your family. It will provide security and because it’s habituated, it will become easier. We’ve had less than a month of this new norm and already it feels different. Own it, make it your norm, focus on what you can do within the restrictions. The familiarity and close bond you have with your child is a huge positive, but it does make learning a bit harder. It’s natural that they will push the boundaries much more with you than they would a teacher at school, and many of you are trying to balance working from home as well.
Take is slowly, just one activity a day. The slower and more self-regulated the learning process is, the more exploration of the content there will be and the deeper the learning. Deep diving into concepts will embed understanding. Enable wonder through asking lots of questions, and also provide opportunity for success. Look for the good, the strengths and what is right with your children, make it your focus. By building on what they can do, you can help them tackle and achieve the seemingly impossible. Strengths like Kindness, Teamwork, Love of Learning, Curiosity and Gratitude are very important and can guide your learning culture at home.
Enjoy! Available for purchase through the Products page.
Example of one of the Science activities:
