Tupelo Distance Education - aired June 10

June 10, 2020

>> they begin learning how to tie their shoes in kindergarten.

They develop and some come into kindergarten knowing how to tie their shoes but this is usually the year they start learning how to type your cap man, putting theno carrierringringconnect 57.

>> do you think that helps with issues come if they come to school knowing how to do these things and take care?

>> i do.

I can't unzip this, it starts escalating into a behavior issue.

And so like if you go swimming with someone.

Okay, you are home, have them responsible for taking their wetsuit out or if there at the park and have a frisbee, let's go put our stuff back where it belongs.

Those responsibilities.

Can our classroom every child has a job.

So, when they start leaving i have a sweeper, i have cleaner, they can pick up the pencils and they love their job.

>> to rotate those responsibilities?

>> yes.

And something like.

>> welcome to the world.

>> and so they all learn how to do it.

And they are fine with it.

>> they take ownership.

>> that's it.

That's when you start seeing positive behavior because when they take responsibility for it they do a good job.

>> and when school returns in august they will be responsible for their own stuff.

In kindergarten in the past we had more community supplies.

Now in august we are going to have more of their own supplies that they need to be responsible for and keep up with.

>> and parents will not have to by supplies this year if you're going to provide those to make sure everything is safe.

And hopefully prevent spreading of germs and.

>> exactly.

They will have it in their own container that will be by them at all times.

With things coming in it will just make that transition smoother.

>> exactly.

>> so that is independence and responsibility.

Easy, but at the same time you have to have a lot of patience.

They are not independent.

When they are walking out the door and putting other shoes -- >> we talk about coming up, anything specific that might help parents during this training time the summer?

Like added specific time?

I would imagine you have a jobs for the kids and to help with that routine would you suggest we are going to learn to tie the shoe today.

Every day we will do this or should you my to a routine like that because sometimes you can change the course of the day.

>> especially in the summer when they're not set to tight schedules.

I would suggest in the summer as it lends itself and then in your head, were about to go to the park take another ten minutes before we get ready to go and say, okay, we are to go to the park let's get ready and will have been more independent and responsibility.

Every time you get ready to go somewhere it's not going to be like that.

There will be times we know.

>> if you go to the park you can pack your lunch.

>> practice having them opening and close that that's huge when it comes to lunch.

>> alright now now we have a public social foundations.

What social foundations are is basically appropriate interactions with others.

It is something you may not think of but it's important for both students and the teacher.

>> basically social skills.

>> that's exactly why today's.

In kindergarten that's one of our big focused is the social foundation, making plans, keeping plans on how to interact with each other.

One is that sharing with others.

When we share we are not necessarily talking about sharing things but we are sharing time, sharing space, those kind of elements.

>> would you say particularly sharing toys is a difficult thing?

>> yes, it's my.

Or when i am home the blocks are mind but when i am at school they are for everyone.

That can be a learning curve for some.

>> i just remember my kids, that's my stuff.

>> yes.

Also, having a conversation with others as a speaker and listener.

As children they tend to always be the speaker and not necessarily the listener.

Engage in the conversation i let them know when they are not talking you need to actively listen.

That is something we go over a lot.

>> it is such a key skill to have.

>> yes.

And just being polite to other students and adults and being able to talk about those feelings versus showing action.

Sometimes they want to just meltdown or get frustrated and they will say i'm upset because i want the blocks instead of having a meltdown.

Even the word of no or, you have to wait.

Sometimes for a 5-year-old that is hard.

And following basic directions.

You may have to start with one step.

>> would you suggest to parents may be someone in the house having -- to follow.

>> at least like brush your teeth, wet the toothbrush, put the toothpaste on.

You can draw a little picture.

>> we are going to take a quick break.

When we come back we are going to have more >> welcome back to distance-learning 101 here on 32 wtvh.

We were with a kindergarten teacher.

We are talking about the kindergarten and to come ready made.

>> a little better prepared.

And probably a lot of parents are doing maybe not even this without realizing.

If you are not, let's go and make it an easier transition from home to school for your child.

So, we talk about -- now what?

>> a little bit about routines.

That can be a natural things for some kids in for some kids routine can be different.

And so children to thrive with routines.

>> and adults.

>> ants adults.

As we know, the last few months everybody has lost all routine and all schedules.

At our house they don't even try anymore.

So before school start preparing them with earlier bedtimes.

You want to make sure they go to bed at the same time on school nights especially.

Sunday through thursday night let's have a consistent bedtime, 7:30 or 8:00.

Wake up the same time on school mornings.

>> this may not be a fair question to ask, are there research that shows the amount of sleep that is ideal for a four or 5-year-old?

>> it is more than you think.

They need to be at five and six years old they need to be in bed about 7:30 and their natural wake-up time is around 6:00, 6:30.

It is a longer span.

Also we don't take naps in kindergarten.

In preschool they may have.

They are going to be tired because they may be used to the nap they won't have.

We are going to nap and have earlier bedtimes.

So establish that morning and tonight routine.

That will help and make going to bed easier.

If they know, my show is over maybe they watch a little show before they go to bed.

This should be a daytime to incorporate a bedtime story.

Take a bath, brush teeth, read a story, now it is time for bed.

The brain will start transition to, okay, i have to start going to sleep.

When you wake up in the morning always allow enough time for a little bit of interaction.

If they eat breakfast at home, it even if it is just a cereal bar, sit down with them for a few minutes while you are drinking your coffee.

He breakfast at school, have a conversation with them come i want you to have a good day at school.

I can't wait to see you this afternoon.

Just to get their brain transitioned into, okay now i have got to going to school mode versus home mode.

It is a good way to get them settled into a good school routine.

We are all about routines at school.

>> they will pick up on that.

>> they will.

And now, we will talk about academic things.

We want to talk about awareness.

Get is being aware of what is around you, not just in a book.

Of course one of the most important things you can do is read, read, read all the time.

Anything you can read to them.

It can be a bedtime story or what we call environmental.

Road signs, billboards, restaurant signs.

They are going to recognize the word walmart and mcdonald's.

Just talk to them as you are in the car.

Or at the stop sign, make them a way that print is not just in books, it is everywhere.

They will pick up on a lot naturally.

>> it will help their vocabulary.

>> exactly.

You can also go to the library in go to local library and they are open again, have them pick a few books for you to read to them.

Once you do it a couple of times they see they have that book and they are retelling it.

There is a confidence thinking and with also on the book when they turn the page and then there is always e-books available.

You can get them at your library or your school library.

You can search online that you can get on your ipad or on the phone.

There are a lot of free programs, especially right now.

There have been a lot of free programs for e-books.

>> you can do it on your phone or ipad, you have so many avenues.

>> exactly.

It does not have to be a certain device.

You can even have them write out to go to list and sent pictures.

It may be scribble.

They can write a thank you note or note to their grandmother.

Or an aunt or somebody that is special and you can see drawing isn't writing, it's just early steps.

>> it's expressing yourself.

>> exactly and sometimes it is a hard thing to help gain confidence in writing, they know what it is supposed to look like but they can't get there.

And so they struggle with that.

They say, i can't.

But if they have a little experience even just a scribble or if they drew an apple and an orange for a grocery list.

That's great.

Now i want to talk about their names.

Names are very important, they have special, unique names but being able to recognize their name in isolation is important.

It's going to be on everything they own, on cubicles, the door outside the door.

And so, there is an excitement when they come in the first time in their name is there and they can see a ten recognize that.

That helps build excitement.

And so, you can have them practice writing their name.

If they don't know how to write their name, don't panic.

It is okay, we work on that a lot in the beginning of the year.

If they can recognize the first letter or may be the letters are there but not in the right letter.

We are going to fix all of that.

That is why we have school.

But it does come ready to write your name on stuff.

To get their brain ready for what is to come.

>> so almost halfway through the month of june would you suggest.

Start practicing their name and doing things now if their child is not already at that level.

>> i would.

This would be the perfect time.

A gives you a solid month, month and a half to get ready for that.

They can count the letters in their name, they can know there are five letters in my name, they can make it with plato.

Have fun with it.

Write it in the sand.

Anytime you have that opportunity.

Also, we talked about how they got their name.

Why did you name me what you name to me sometime a really special story behind and we give ownership to that and we like to talk about that in our names.

How did they get that.

>> especially if you are named after someone.

>> it gives you a background.

And you also need to get motor skills.

You have gross motor and fine motor skills.

>> are you going to tell us the difference?

>> i am.

It gross motor skills are your large muscles.

It's white you use one exercise, jumping, hopping, riding a bike, anything with large muscles.

And so, that is key for them to get energy out and also it makes brain connections.

That is an easy one.

A 5-year-old naturally does a lot of those things.

And find motors more grasping.

I tell my kids we have to exercise our fingers just like we have to exercise our arms, legs, and heart.

That helps them hold a pencil.

It helps them put puzzles together, anything that you manipulate.

At school they might use letters, you might use counters to count, those are manipulatives.

Plato, anything they can move from one thing to another or used to count.

>> and i have some examples, some good examples.

So, these are i got from my house.

It's not anything you have to go out to him by.

So out, i have some flowers because i have more -- sugar, salt, anything like that and you can just write their name and it may not be perfect, they can write they're not looking for perfection.

>> they're not.

The motion, they need the motion of it.

You can also take plato and they can roll out their name.

Or you can take stampers and get a toothpick and they take a toothpick and they can write it's where they can mold and make the letters and shape it and that gives the fine motor.

Plato and clay helps with both fine motor getting those fingers together and then anything you have to pinch.

You can also use a paper plate.

You can also use shaving cream.

Put some shaving cream or some whipped cream and then they can write inside.

It doesn't have to say their name it can be shapes, numbers, anything.

Or just numbers in general.

>> they are going to make a mess.

>> yes, it is.

As long as it's a little contained.

>> it's going to happen, that is part of being a kid when their responsibility to clean it up.

And then anything that is pinched.

It seems so simple but for 5-year-old who doesn't have good grip, you could use a chip bag.

You could use a clip to cliffords and it's also good hot eye hand coordination.

Taking some close pins and clip it to a bowl which seems easy to us but for little ones it's not easy.

>> you can show people about having let's have three or five.

>> or you can make a pattern.

There is endless what you can do.

>> it is going to be a little bit different been away from school for so long, everybody just needs to be a little bit more patient.

We talk about routine and getting everyone in the household to participate in.

>> thank you for having me.

I hope the kindergarten year starts off