Fall is here and it signals change. This is my favorite season because of the cool (not cold) weather and the beautiful changing colors of this time of the year. While I enjoy the beauty of Spring and pleasant temperatures for this island girl, I appreciate Fall more because I don’t have to deal with the large amount of pollen that is typical during Spring in my area. Today is my birthday and I am filled with an attitude of gratitude. I’ve also been reminiscing about the people and experiences that have impacted my life through the years. It seems like I’m stuck on the Jamaican proverb mindset, so I won’t fight it. Readers, this week I want to remind you to “ben’ di tree when it young, when it ol’ it wi bruk”.
Let me start by explaining the proverb.
Translation: Bend the tree when it is young, when it gets old it will breakMeaning: Training children when they are young is better than when they become older.I want to focus on the formative years, especially the early childhood period. Most of my early childhood experience has been with my biological children. Although I am certified to teach K-6, I have never taught Kindergarten. I am amazed by how much I remember from when my boys were little and I figured that I should just share a few pointers that worked for me, with the hope that someone will find it beneficial. The proverb that I mentioned earlier is the foundation for my thoughts and will be woven into the tips that I will offer. I will focus on various aspects of child development and I will make applications to education. The thoughts expressed are based on my personal experience and will therefore not be exactly applicable to every child or family situation; however, I hope that the messages can be applied in other settings.
Translation: Bend the tree when it is young, when it gets old it will breakMeaning: Training children when they are young is better than when they become older.I want to focus on the formative years, especially the early childhood period. Most of my early childhood experience has been with my biological children. Although I am certified to teach K-6, I have never taught Kindergarten. I am amazed by how much I remember from when my boys were little and I figured that I should just share a few pointers that worked for me, with the hope that someone will find it beneficial. The proverb that I mentioned earlier is the foundation for my thoughts and will be woven into the tips that I will offer. I will focus on various aspects of child development and I will make applications to education. The thoughts expressed are based on my personal experience and will therefore not be exactly applicable to every child or family situation; however, I hope that the messages can be applied in other settings.
As a first-time mother, I was determined to ensure that my son’s every need was met. It’s amazing how instincts take over and now, in hindsight, I am proud of many of the choices I made and pleased with the results of those choices. As a teacher, I see value in reading to and with children frequently. I started reading to my child in utero (even though initially it seemed strange) and kept up the habit after he was born and through the years until he was able to read independently. Through this simple act, he developed a love for reading and was able to read before he started kindergarten. Friends and family members often commented that he was able to do so because I am a teacher --- thinking that I deliberately taught him many of the things he knew. I returned to work full time when he was six months old and didn’t have much time to engage him in formal learning activities. The good choice that I believe I made, was to create teachable moments in our everyday lives. These experiences did not require special planning or extra effort; but I capitalized on situations that presented themselves as we engaged in our regular routines.
My husband and I would do major shopping for groceries once per month to stock up on non-perishable foods, products for our toddler and other household items. We worked in the city and would drive home to pick up our son to take him with us. As his speech developed, we noticed that he would identify familiar items and we would also talk with him about them. I remember that the supermarket that we went to only had ten aisles and over time he started pointing out the numbers. Initially, we deliberately went through the aisles in chronological order at first just to reinforce what we thought was his rote learning of numbers. After a while, to our surprise, we realized that when we doubled back to an aisle to get an item that we forgot or couldn’t find, he would say that random number. Additionally, we realized that he started to make connections between television commercials and the items on the supermarket shelves.
My husband and I would do major shopping for groceries once per month to stock up on non-perishable foods, products for our toddler and other household items. We worked in the city and would drive home to pick up our son to take him with us. As his speech developed, we noticed that he would identify familiar items and we would also talk with him about them. I remember that the supermarket that we went to only had ten aisles and over time he started pointing out the numbers. Initially, we deliberately went through the aisles in chronological order at first just to reinforce what we thought was his rote learning of numbers. After a while, to our surprise, we realized that when we doubled back to an aisle to get an item that we forgot or couldn’t find, he would say that random number. Additionally, we realized that he started to make connections between television commercials and the items on the supermarket shelves.
Those monthly supermarket trips also gave him opportunities to picture read. I can’t forget the day he pointed to a billboard as we were driving downtown and said, “Century National Bank”. I was blown away, as was my aunt who was in the car with us. He had seen the commercial on TV and recognized the images associated with it. His interaction with his environment encouraged us to make a habit of pointing out signs, pictures and other images. He learned so much that way and it didn’t take any extra effort to support his learning.
The tip I want to offer to parents and caregivers of young children is to invest in quality time with your children. As working parents, we may not always have as much time as we would like; however, it will make a huge difference if we fill the time together with meaningful experiences. Engaging activities such as singing a song while brushing the teeth or during a diaper change, reading a book during their bedtime routine, or taking a few minutes to play with a favorite toy at a certain time each day are simple ways to connect with them.
The tip I want to offer to parents and caregivers of young children is to invest in quality time with your children. As working parents, we may not always have as much time as we would like; however, it will make a huge difference if we fill the time together with meaningful experiences. Engaging activities such as singing a song while brushing the teeth or during a diaper change, reading a book during their bedtime routine, or taking a few minutes to play with a favorite toy at a certain time each day are simple ways to connect with them.
I would also recommend engaging in rich conversations and modeling the behaviors that you would like your children to emulate. We read to our child and a reader emerged. I developed the habit of buying him a book at the end of the month when I got paid. As a result, we had a significant collection by the time his brother came along four years later and his reading level consistently stayed ahead of his grade level throughout his elementary years. Just in case you are thinking that he was just smart and the results are uncommon, let me add that his brothers were also able to read before they started kindergarten --- the first time they went to formal school. Our youngest went to preschool for about 3 months just before starting kindergarten but he was already 5 and was unable to start kindergarten the year before because he has a late birthday. It has been proven in our experience that using everyday activities to create learning experiences will positively impact language development and lay a good foundation for academic skills.
Many parents have gone through the challenge of dealing with picky eaters and sometimes grow to be very concerned about their children’s health and nutrition. This is another area in which my skills as a new parent were challenged and I second-guessed myself at times through the years. Something my husband said during the early years gave me a bit of comfort, even though I wasn’t totally convinced at the time. He would tell me that a child will not starve himself. Sometimes we may be tempted to give in to a child’s whim and fancy because their palates adjust to certain tastes and they become resistant to eating certain foods. As the adults, we know about the nutritional value of foods while the little ones are simply focused on their taste buds. Once again, in hindsight, I am happy that I stood my ground in that regard.
During my pregnancy, I had decided that I would exclusively breastfeed my baby for six month if I was able to. As challenging as that was, I stuck to it even amidst varying opinions about this choice. I was very methodical about introducing new foods because of concerns for allergic reactions and the diet that we chose for our family. Our children learned to eat the meals that they were given and were not given alternatives. I know this approach may not be widely accepted and many families choose to allow their children to decide what they want to eat. I am open to offering choices too, but I believe that the adults should determine what the options are. In doing so, we can ensure that the nutritional quality of their meals is not compromised.
Thankfully, our children learned to enjoy the variety of foods that we provide and continue to maintain good eating habits even now that they are teenagers. Each of them has food items that they do not like, and we accommodate that. I would therefore recommend that parents and caregivers maintain control of choosing foods for their little ones. This will have far-reaching effects even when they get to school age and are able to make their own choices. I see the effects of diet on my students in the classroom and that is why I would encourage parents to set their children up for academic success by ensuring that they consume nutritious meals.
During my pregnancy, I had decided that I would exclusively breastfeed my baby for six month if I was able to. As challenging as that was, I stuck to it even amidst varying opinions about this choice. I was very methodical about introducing new foods because of concerns for allergic reactions and the diet that we chose for our family. Our children learned to eat the meals that they were given and were not given alternatives. I know this approach may not be widely accepted and many families choose to allow their children to decide what they want to eat. I am open to offering choices too, but I believe that the adults should determine what the options are. In doing so, we can ensure that the nutritional quality of their meals is not compromised.
Thankfully, our children learned to enjoy the variety of foods that we provide and continue to maintain good eating habits even now that they are teenagers. Each of them has food items that they do not like, and we accommodate that. I would therefore recommend that parents and caregivers maintain control of choosing foods for their little ones. This will have far-reaching effects even when they get to school age and are able to make their own choices. I see the effects of diet on my students in the classroom and that is why I would encourage parents to set their children up for academic success by ensuring that they consume nutritious meals.
In addition to providing nutritious meals, another important thing that we can do for our children is to send them to ensure that they get adequate sleep. Once again, I will reference my own children. As soon as they started sleeping through the night, they had an established bedtime. I chuckle when I remember the first time they got to stay up until midnight. It was such a big deal to them. We were going to visit family members in New Jersey and they were still pretty young. Our firstborn was in elementary school and his brothers had not yet started school. We decided to drive during the night so they would sleep during most of the trip and we would have fewer complaints. They were delirious about being allowed to stay up so late and were fast asleep long before we even crossed the county line. I recently heard one of my sons reminiscing about the times when they had to take naps and he felt like he was being punished. He commented that he wished he could get those opportunities now. Hindsight is 20-20, right? There were some protests, especially during the middle school years, because their bedtime was 8:00 p.m. They told me that nobody in their class went to bed that early. I must admit that our oldest had to go through a major change in his senior year and when he went off to college and had to stay up late to complete assignments or study.
Sleep is vital for children… all of us for that matter. According to an article from Johns Hopkins Children’s:
“Sleep is an essential part of everyone’s routine and an indispensable part of a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health. Not getting enough sleep can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and even depression.”
What is the recommended amount of sleep a child should get?It varies based on age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/ACH-News/General-News/The-importance-of-sleep-for-kids
- Infants under 1 year: 12-16 hours
- Children 1-2 years old: 11-14 hours
- Children 3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
- Children 6-12 years old: 9-12 hours
- Teenagers 13-18 years old: 8-10 hours
There have been times in my teaching career when I have had to allow my students to sleep in class. A sleep-deprived child cannot function optimally and will not engage well in learning activities. I encourage all of us to ensure that our children get enough sleep because it is one of the best things we can do to facilitate good health for them.
I will close with the idea that I introduced at the beginning - “Ben’ di tree when it young, when it ol’ it will bruk”. We need to encourage good eating habits, ensure our children get in a routine that allows them to get enough rest and engage them in learning activities as part of their daily lives. It is best to introduce these habits when they are young and more impressionable.
“Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” ~Dr. Haim Ginott
Child-rearing is a tremendous blessing and responsibility. We should never take this opportunity lightly and I encourage you to give it your best shot. We will not do it perfectly, because we are practicing and learning as we go. People will always have opinions, as I have shared mine today.
”Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do.” ~Matt Walsh
Let’s resolve to make memories with our children today by showing up in meaningful ways in their lives everyday.
Until next time, walk good and one love.🖤💚💛
Until next time, walk good and one love.🖤💚💛