Working With 4-Year-Olds

1. Working With 4-Year-Olds Presented by: Debbie Fanning Parenting/Early Childhood Coordinator Scottsboro High School

2. Curious Imaginative Talkative Inquisitive Affectionate Energetic Sponges Eager Explorers FUN FOUR-YEAR-OLDS ARE

3. 4-Year-Olds Need Teachers Who: • Creative • Energetic • Enthusiastic • Organized • Prepared • Loving • Patient

4. What I know about teaching 4’s What I want to know about teaching 4’s What Do You Need to Know Before you teach? ?

7. Snowball Fight Now!

8. Stop • Read one near you • Share with the rest of us

9. Preschoolers Need to Learn • To follow rules and routines • To listen • To share, take turns, cooperate • To express their feelings and needs in appropriate ways • To develop early literacy skills • To develop early math concepts • To become familiar with the world around them • To write their name

10. Language Objectives • Attention span should increase- listening for a few minutes at a time. • Interpret gestures, and actions as modes of communication • Recognize letters • Retell simple stories from memory • Increasing vocabulary and carry on basic conversations. When he sees or creates a picture, he should be able to draw simple conclusions or tell simple stories about it.

11. Motor Objectives • Develop a sense of balance that allows them to stand on one foot for a few moments and walk backward several steps, throw and kick a ball • Improve coordination- enough to perform jumping jacks correctly, climb without falling and hop on one foot • Fine motor control development-hold a pencil or crayon, copy simple shapes, open a door and operate a pair of scissors

12. Social Objectives • Develop an awareness of others' feelings and an ability to form and maintain friendships with peers • Respect others' space and learn to share • Gain a strong awareness of cause and effect, • Follow directions, and rules • Control strong emotions, • Express herself clearly with a variety of mediums such as actions, facial expressions, gestures and words.

13. Personal Care and Self-Help Objectives • Button or zip clothing with minimal assistance, • Use Velcro correctly and pull on his shoes. • Use a spoon and fork and decant liquids from one container to another. • Hygiene -wash his hands and face regularly, • Practice independence-help himself whenever possible instead of asking for help • Know first and last name

14. Problem Solving • Promoting curiosity and basic problem-solving skills. • Try out a few different options to solve problems and perseverance is encouraged. • Learn the simple skills associated with figuring out how to fix or work through any problem.

15. Math • Counting and number recognition. For example, children learn to count to 20 and can recognize numbers from one to 10 in written form. • Understand math concepts in words like near, between, around or behind. • Shape recognition, like identifying squares or triangles

16. Self-Awareness • Learning concepts about how people differ, starting with self-awareness. • Know the basics of myself versus others. • Recognize emotions and feelings and how to stand up for their personal rights. • Understand family relationships and responsibilities within the family

17. Resources • Read more: Objectives For Preschool | eHow.comhttp://www.ehow.com/info_8723520_objectives-preschool.html#ixzz1p8fxKFjK

18. I believe we do this by: • Literature (reading to them) • Music • Creative play • Meaningful conversation • Opportunities to Explore • Rotating Centers

19. Organized Chaos? Paint, glue, scissors, dictation Teacher Intensive Activity Rotation 2 Rotation 3 Lacing activity Play-doh

20. Theme of the week: • Find books with title, character, or subject matter that starts with topic • Moncure books • Music • Classroom resources • Brainstorm session

21. L show and tell Lions Lizards Leap frog Limbo Letters Lips Love Long Legs Logs or Legos Listening Healthy Lunches Likes/dislikes Lick Laser Library Lazy Ladybug Lightning bug Light Lemon or Lime London Laugh Lincoln Left/right Follow the leader Lake Lamb Brainstorm “L”

22. Take words and make into activities and lessons • Math concepts: charts/graphs of likes • Lego count to determine # blocks used • Sort by color, size, measure height of towers • Counting laps around the wildcat in gym • Science concepts: compare lizards to lions (reptiles vs. mammals) • Concepts of light with prisms etc. • What you would find at the lake • Social studies: Abraham Lincoln story • Art/crafts: lines, Letter shaped cookie cutters dipped in paint, lion masks

23. Activities Continued… • Fine Motor: writing L’s, lacing L’s, play-doh l’s, sign language “I love you” • Music and Movement (cooperative play/gross motor): London Bridge, Libby Lou, Electric slide (left/right), Hokey, Poky, Parachute Launch, Follow the Leader • Health: Packing a healthy Lunch • Self-concept: Likes, I love my ________,

24. Language Activities • Books with L themes • Field Trip to Library to check out books • Dictate love letters to parents, or letters of appreciation/encouragement to lunch room ladies or our adopt a soldier • Vocabulary is growing and they are hearing the initial sound everywhere • Mary had a little lamb

25. Outside play • Climbing the ladder on slide • Parachute launch and left to right • Leap frog • Follow the leader • Run, hop, skip, jump laps and count them • Gather leaves for leaf rubbings

26. Let’s Pretend • Play charades • Lovely lady • Lazy lion • Leaping lizard • Long legged clown on stilts • Little lamb • Large leopard • Loud/soft • Little/large

27. What do you do with a 4 year-old class? • Do anything, you can’t do everything, but do not expect 4 year olds to sit at the table and do worksheets with some free play thrown in all day!

28. Appeal to all the senses • Let them to hear, see, touch, sing, and smell the letter L • Reach the whole child • Appeal to all learning styles • Immerse them in the theme

29. Transitions • Attention getters? • Line up? • Go to tables? • Come to circle? • Clean-up? • Center time? • Washing hands? • Few children finish activity too quickly?

30. Waiting times • Quiet Mouse, Still Mouse • Heads up 7-up • doggy doggy who stole your bone? • Charades • Simon says • I spy • Review by asking each child 1 thing they learned today • Listening games • Make me laugh • Drawing on backs and guessing what letter or shape was drawn • Going on a trip taking an _______ • Telephone (gossip) game.

31. Interruptions? • During story time relevant questions are answered because we want to involve the children in the story • Repeated interruptions or questions off subject we ask that they hold it to the end of the story. • Story time should involve the children and be an exciting time. • The key is the motivator that makes the children eager to hear the story/lesson.

32. Behavior? • We recognize and praise appropriate behavior • Minimize the attention given to those who don’t • A disruptive/uncooperative child is consulted with in private • apple is moved • then removed from activity until they decide they can return and follow the rules.

33. Classroom Management/Groupings • Change table tags monthly rearranging children’s groupings and tables as well as rearranging circle seating as needed • Limit #’s in centers use a chart with clothes pins to determine who belongs in which center (really helpful at clean-up time) • Established routines help tremendously with behavior and classroom management. • Keep them engaged and they won’t have time to cause disruptions.