Author: Rebecca Swartz

Early Childhood Education, Early Learning, Illinois Early Learning Project, Parenting

The Power of Open-Ended Questions

Rebecca Swartz

When talking with young children, it can be easy to fall into the trap of asking questions that encourage a “yes” or “no”or very specific type ofanswer. We ask these questions throughout the day with young children. “Do you want an apple or a banana? Do you like the book? Yes or no?”

These types of questions are part of typical conversations we have with people in daily life and represent an important opportunity for children to express their preferences and make choices. However, when adults pay special attention to asking questions or prompting children to express their ideas with open-ended questions, they give children the opportunity to build expressive language skills.

Open-ended questions and phrases allow children to provide a full and meaningful answer that conveys their thoughts and feelings. These questions and phrases can be used throughout the day. Play time, meal time, and times in transit are all opportunities for children to observe their world and share their growing knowledge of how the world works.

Sometimes, it takes adults a little time to get used to waiting quietly for an answer. Children are often thinking quietly as they observe their world. Caregivers and teachers also need to provide time for children to think and formulate a response. The reward of hearing children share their ideas and emotions will make the wait worthwhile. In time, adults and children will become comfortable with the natural pace of these conversations.

Adults create powerful early learning opportunities by changing the type of questions they ask. Rich conversations build background knowledge that will support children’s language and cognitive skills. These skills provide a foundation for success in early literacy learning. Starting a conversation with phrases such as “Tell me about …,” “What do you think about …” and “How can we …” encourages children to express their thoughts and feelings.

Let’s consider a typical time when adults and children can have longer conversations. A closed-ended question about the macaroni and cheese at lunch might be, “Do you like the macaroni and cheese?”Children might answer “yes” or “no.” The conversation would not provide much of an opportunity for children to express complex ideas and feelings.

However, if the adults change the formulation of their question, it changes the kind of response children might provide. Instead of asking a simple question such as “Do you like the macaroni and cheese?” at meal time, an adult might say: Tell me about your favorite foods. What do you think we could add to the macaroni to make it tastier? How do you think the macaroni and cheese got to your plate?

An open-ended phrase such as “tell me what you know about macaroni and cheese” could lead the conversation in many different directions. Children might talk about the shape of the noodles, the color of the cheese, or how the meal was prepared. There might be an opportunity for children and adults to talk about how the cheese is made of milk, which comes from cows, and the noodles are made of wheat, which grows in the ground.

Where will your next question to a young child take you? Try out an open-ended question or phrase and see what you discover.

Blog post written for the Illinois Early Learning Project: https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/open-questions/

Early Childhood Education, Illinois Early Learning Project, Parenting

Get Growing With Your Young Children

Rebecca Swartz

Spring is a wonderful time to “get growing” with young children. Children are eager to observe the outdoors during the change from winter to spring. Grass changing from brown to green and the buds appearing on the trees sparks children’s curiosity. You may have noticed racks of seeds, soil, and pots around your town. These simple supplies can be the start of a rich learning journey.

Gardening is a wonderful hands-on learning opportunity for young children. Children use their senses and discover the properties of soil, water, and plants. Children feel the textures of soil, seeds, and leaves with their fingers as they work in the garden. Children use their eyes to observe the different shapes and colors of the leaves and flowers. Planting flowers and herbs is a chance to explore the different fragrances of with their noses.

When growing vegetables and herbs, children have a chance to taste the fruits of their garden work. This multisensory experience provides many opportunities to have rich conversations with young children. Adults can talk about how some plants are tall and spindly while others are short and bushy. Some seeds are large or smooth while others are tiny or wrinkly. The hands-on, sensory experience helps children integrate these words into their everyday vocabulary.

Gardening experiences contribute to children’s cognitive development and contribute to early math and science skills. These conversations are also a time to engage children in thinking about how living things grow and develop. Gardening experiences can provoke children’s questions quite naturally. For example, children may wonder how a seed starts to sprout.

Adults can set up simple science experiments to help them understand the process. For example, one seed can be put in a zip-top bag without water. A second seed can be put in a zip-top bag with a damp paper towel. These bags can be taped to a window and children can watch and see the seed with the damp paper towel sprout while the other one does not. Children can observe the difference between the seeds and discover the importance of water to living things. Similar experiments can be done with seeds and sunlight by placing one plant in a dark closet and another by a window. Adults can help children use tools such as tape measures, rulers, and scales to measure the plant growth.

Gardening is a great way to build on this curiosity and allow them to observe the entire lifecycle of a plant. However, adults may feel overwhelmed in planning a gardening opportunity for young children. They may think they need a large outdoor plot or space to do this type of activity. Sometimes, outdoor spaces or permission to dig a garden can be difficult to secure. It helps to find ways to start small.

Remember that young children will learn even from only engaging in part of the process, such as sprouting a seed in cup. Try growing some herbs. Children can then enjoy smelling the different fragrances as they rub the leaves or use them in a cooking project. Draw faces on plastic cups and plant some grass seed. When the grass grows, children can give their planters a “haircut” with safety scissors. A small outdoor patio can be a good place to grow container tomatoes or other plants that can be successfully grown in planters. Start small and, like a seed, the learning from your gardening activities will grow and grow.

Originally written for the Illinois Early Learning Project: https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/getgrowing-yc/

Early Intervention, Early Intervention Clearinghouse, Parenting

You Are What Your Child Needs

Rebecca Swartz

Parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers often describe moments when they are watching, waiting, wondering, and worrying about their young children. They wonder whether their fussy baby is getting enough sleep or worry about whether their picky toddler is eating enough fruit and vegetables. They may find it hard to wait for a child to begin to crawl or talk and wonder about when their child may reach this milestone.

The love that parents and caregivers of young children feel for their rapidly changing infants and toddlers may be part of the reason this worrying and wondering begins. Parents and caregivers want to give infants and toddlers the best start they can. It is normal to worry whether they have enough resources or knowledge to help their child reach their fullest potential. They may wonder whether having more books, more toys, or signing their child up for more classes is what their child needs to grow and thrive. They may spend time worrying and wondering whether they are giving their child enough. This worry can lead to discouragement and feelings of inadequacy as a parent or caregiver. They may wonder: “Am I what my child needs?”

Each child in early intervention develops on a unique timeline. Early intervention families may find themselves worrying or wondering about whether their child is doing okay as they watch their child and wait for their child to reach particular milestones or skills. It can be difficult to avoid comparing your child’s progress to those of infants and toddlers who do not have a developmental delay or disability. This comparison can cause even more worry, which can be overwhelming.

In these moments, it is important to remember that you are what your child needs. He needs a loving caregiver who wants to help him grow. Every time you interact with your child by talking, playing, and doing daily tasks, you are building your child’s brain and helping his body become stronger and more skillful. You also are not alone. Reach out to your EI team, family, and friends for support and help.

Remember as a parent or primary caregiver, you have the most interactions and opportunities to watch your child discover her world. Share your observations and the things you wonder about with your EI team.

Sometimes you will need to wait to connect with an EI team member until the next EI session. While you wait, you can write down, video, or photograph the behaviors or skills you are wondering about.

Reaching out to your EI team can help you set aside worries about whether you are giving your child all that he needs. Remember, you are what your child needs! Involved, caring parents and caregivers working with their EI team to achieve outcomes give children a strong start.

Originally written for the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse Newsletter: https://eiclearinghouse.org/newsletter/2018spring/

Early Intervention, Early Intervention Clearinghouse, Parenting

Positive Talk Builds Confidence

Rebecca Swartz

Babies and toddlers tune into messages from their caregivers. They are aware of their caregivers’ emotions and listen to their words. Because very young children are deeply connected with and tuned into their caregivers, it is vital that parents and caregivers be mindful about sharing messages that are a source of encouragement and positive energy.

Turning “don’t climb on the coffee table!” into “let’s go find a safe place in the back yard for you to climb” or turning “stop screaming!” into “I hear you’re angry when I tell you there’s no more cereal” can help caregivers feel calmer. Young children also follow positive directions more readily than negative discouragements.

Positive talk is not only beneficial for babies and toddlers. Positive talk and positive thinking also are important for parents and caregivers of children receiving early intervention services. Negativity can rear its ugly head when we are feeling discouraged or feeling impatient. Families in early intervention may be coping with their child’s complex medical or educational needs. Their development may not follow the typical progression of peers their age. This can lead to a negative cycle of thinking that gets in the way of noticing the important progress an infant or toddler is making in early intervention.

We can mindfully acknowledge these negative thoughts and reframe them with positive thinking, which can help us keep a positive attitude as we work toward EI outcomes. Reframing doesn’t make our sadness or frustration go away, but it can help us be more resilient and optimistic about the challenges we face with our child.

Here are a few examples of reframing negative thoughts into more positive ones.

When you think “my child can’t hear my voice due to hearing loss,” reframe it by thinking, “I know I am connecting with my child when we look into each other’s eyes.”

“My toddler cries and falls apart because he can’t use words to tell me what he wants” can become “we’re working on learning important words in sign language to help him communicate.”

“My friends are celebrating their babies’ first steps, but my child can’t walk” can become “Let’s enjoy my child’s new crawling skills by trying to climb on a pile of pillows to help build her muscles.”

Originally written for the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse Newsletter: https://eiclearinghouse.org/newsletter/2018spring/

Early Intervention, Early Intervention Clearinghouse, Parenting

Set Me Up for Success!

Rebecca Swartz

The Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse has a new tip sheet called, “Set Me Up for Success!”. It is located here: https://eiclearinghouse.org/einotes/setup-success/.

Set Me Up for Success!

Families reach EI outcomes by making the most of everyday moments. In early intervention (EI), we focus on how children learn during everyday routines. Caregivers can help children successfully participate by encouraging infants and toddlers to be active participants throughout the day. As a caregiver, you can:

Take Turns With Your Child

  • You do, I do! Wet a washcloth and let your child take a turn wiping his own face.
  • Wait for a response and help your child learn the routine. For example, say “so big” and wait for your child to hold her arms up over her head or help her hold her arms up.
  • Take turns stacking blocks or throwing bean bags or rolled-up socks into a basket.

Match and Follow Your Child

  • Notice where your child is looking or turn your head toward the sound your child is reacting to.
  • Respond to your child’s feelings by naming emotions such as sad, happy, and mad.
  • Copy your child’s action or sound. Wave your hand back at her wave or clap along with your child.

Challenge Your Child

  • Give your child safe and interesting objects and toys to explore. She may enjoy banging on pots or looking through a transparent cup.
  • Add to routines. Sing a new toothbrushing song, let your child fill and empty a laundry basket while you fold clothes, or play peekaboo with a towel during bathtime.
  • Present “dilemmas” for the child to solve, such as hiding a toy in a box and encouraging your child to find it or putting a favorite toy further away to encourage her to pull up and reach for it.

Get in Place to Connect

  • Position a nonmobile child so he can hear and see well.
  • Physically support your child to allow interaction by using pillows or your hands.
  • Use all of your spaces, such as a blanket on the floor, a grassy patch, or playground as places for interactions.
Early Intervention, Early Intervention Clearinghouse, Parenting

New Tip Sheet Series: Everyday Early Intervention

Rebecca Swartz

The staff of the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse has started to work on a new series of Tip Sheets called, “Everyday Early Intervention.” The first in the series is called “Couch Time.” We hope that families find these to be practical and useful suggestions for integrating EI Outcomes into everyday routines. Find the tip sheet here: https://eiclearinghouse.org/einotes/couchtime/.

Everyday Early Intervention: Couch Time

Many families enjoy spending time relaxing on the couch together. The couch can be a great place to sit together to talk, read, and play.  Moments on the couch can also be times to work on early intervention outcomes. Here are some ideas to help you fit learning and development goals into everyday routines.

Climb a Couch Cushion Mountain

Stack two or three couch cushions or pillows and encourage your child to use his arms and legs to climb up the mountain. Reaching and climbing strengthens large muscles. As your child grows stronger, add another cushion to the stack for a bigger climb or encourage your toddler to build the stack.

Cruise and Play

Encourage the large muscle development of infants and toddlers that are not quite walking by encouraging them to cruise the lengths of the couch. Take the cushions off your couch and place favorite toys toward the back. This will encourage a child to pull herself up to stand and reach toward the back of the couch to get to the toys.

Build a Blanket Fort

Stretch a blanket or sheet between your couch cushions and chairs to create a blanket fort. Crawl in and out of the fort to work on large muscle development. Talk together about who is inside or outside the fort and how the blanket makes a little house. Using words such as on, in, out, and under builds children’s spatial vocabulary and conceptual knowledge.

Snuggle Up and Read

Keep a basket of books near the couch so you always have something for story time. Reading to young children is essential for building their language skills and conceptual knowledge. Read favorite books again and again. Encourage your child to point to the pictures as you read by asking questions such as “Where is the brown doggy?”

 

Early Childhood Education, Early Learning, Illinois Early Learning Project

Five Things Children Gain from Puzzle Play

Rebecca Swartz

Puzzles are a classic toy for young children. They come in a variety of types, materials, and levels of difficulty. Even infants may explore simple puzzles that involve fitting two pieces together. Puzzles are available with increasing complexity to challenge children as they grow. There are many life tasks that we do daily that are similar to puzzles. For example, fitting items into a box or bag is similar to fitting puzzle pieces into a puzzle form.

Puzzle play is a great time to build cognitive and fine motor skills, but it can also be a time to build social, emotional, and language skills when caregivers use time with puzzles thoughtfully. Here are five things children learn through puzzle play:

  • Spatial vocabulary: Use words such as turn, flip, and rotate when you are coaching children to fit puzzle pieces together. Children also learn words such as above, below, and beside when they describe the position of puzzle pieces in relation to each other.
  • Sequencing: There are some puzzles in which the sequence the pieces are put together is important. Children hear and learn ordinal numbers and words that indicate relative position in a sequence, such as first, second, third, and last. Children can also be encouraged to retell the sequence in which they put the pieces together to further develop their understanding of sequencing.
  • Problem-solving: Children learn to work through a problem and reach a solution as they fit the pieces together. They may need to learn to set aside the piece they hope to put in the puzzle while searching for one that fits in the spot they need. They also may learn there are multiple paths to the puzzle’s completion as they do a puzzle over and over. When they work on puzzles with peers, they also describe their strategies to one another and work through difficulties collaboratively.
  • Task completion and persistence: The process of putting together a puzzle has a finite end when the puzzle is solved. Children encounter frustration when they cannot easily solve a puzzle, and when they work through these emotions, they enjoy the success of task completion. Working through these feelings helps children develop persistence, or the ability to keep going in the face of difficulty.
  • Fine motor and hand-eye coordination: Children refine their fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills as they manipulate puzzle pieces to put the puzzle together. They develop the small muscles in their hand that allow them to grasp and move puzzle pieces with precision.

Older infants and young toddlers may enjoy knobbed puzzles that are easy to grasp. First, children may find success with puzzles that have one piece for each image. For example, a puzzle of animals might have cat, dog, and bird pieces that each fit in their own spot. Then, as toddlers and preschoolers become more skillful, they may try “tray puzzles” with multiple pieces fitting together to make a single picture. As toddlers and preschoolers grow, they may start to enjoy trying jigsaw puzzles and more complex tray puzzles. Three-dimensional puzzles, such as stacking rings or a nesting cup, also challenge their skills and thinking.

Young children need access to puzzles that are the correct level of difficulty for their current developmental stage to benefit from puzzle play. They should have access to puzzles that they can do independently. This allows children the chance to build their small muscles, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving strategies through repeated practice. They enjoy the feeling of accomplishing a task on their own as they put the puzzles together and take them apart. It is helpful to keep these puzzles in a place where children can access and clean them up independently. Rotating the selection of puzzles will help maintain their interest.

Children should also have access to puzzles that are a little bit challenging. Working on puzzles that are a little too hard to complete independently is a great time for young children to work with peers and caregivers to build new strategies for solving puzzles. Puzzles that are much too difficult may be a source of frustration for children and their caregivers. Young children may dump the pieces and mix multiple puzzles together because they have a difficult time engaging with puzzles that are too hard. Caregivers and teachers may wish to keep the majority of these more challenging puzzles in a location where children can access them with assistance and a smaller, rotating selection available so children are encouraged to build their skills with assistance.

Written for the Illinois Early Learning Project: https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/puzzle-play/

 

Early Intervention, Early Intervention Clearinghouse, Parenting

Build Skills While Exploring Outdoors

Rebecca Swartz

 

Warm weather means it is a great time to explore the outdoors. Outside play is a wonderful opportunity to work on early intervention (EI) outcomes. Talk with your EI team about strategies and activities that may be especially useful for your family as you work on your EI outcomes. As you talk, you can brainstorm how everyday activities can become opportunities to practice new skills.

For example, consider the fun warm weather pastime of blowing bubbles. Infants and toddlers love to see bubbles magically fly from a bubble wand. Did you know that when you are blowing bubbles you are working on many skills, including:

  • Oral motor skills: Blowing bubbles develops the small muscles in your child’s mouth as they pucker their lips and blow bubbles. Strengthening these muscles is important for developing their ability to form clear sounds when speaking and to eat and swallow safely.
  • Gross motor skills: Your child can reach to pop bubbles and build hand-eye coordination as they reach. Walking toddlers and infants may follow the bubbles on their feet and practice their moving skills.
  • Eye tracking skills: Younger infants and toddlers learn to follow the bubbles with their eyes.
  • Vocabulary and concept development: As you talk to your child about bubbles, you expose them to words such as clear, soapy, float, and pop.
  • Cognitive development: When young children touch a bubble, it pops, giving them a chance to explore cognitive concepts such as cause and effect.
  • Joint attention: Smiling and laughing together builds strong relationships and helps children learn to connect with others and discover shared interests. Who can help but smile as bubbles float by?

Be creative when you think of places for summertime play. The sandbox, the park, the community pool, the farmers market, and the zoo are all exciting places to explore in warm weather.

Let’s consider swimming. The pool is a great place to cool off and enjoy time together. Your EI team’s developmental or physical therapist can help you find the right equipment to help your child be safe in the water or teach you how to hold your child so you both feel safe and secure.

A trip the zoo or county fair might seem overwhelming, especially for a child with sensory challenges. Your EI team can help you find picture books to help your child become familiar with the upcoming experience and plan so the pace and timing of activities are enjoyable for all of your family members. Adaptations such as a picture schedule or noise cancelling headphones could help your child manage this new experience.

Your EI team can help you think of adaptations you may need to make to help your child successfully explore these spaces. They are a resource to help you think of equipment or strategies to add to your favorite summertime activities.

Through planning and teamwork with your EI team, you can be ready for a full summer of fun and learning!

This post was originally written for the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse. See the original post here: https://eiclearinghouse.org/newsletter/2018summer/