10 Principles of Self-Esteem

1. Children feel more confident in a setting that is conducive to their feeling cared for and valued.
2. Children’s self-esteem grows when they know you care enough to be with them.
3. A moment’s reflection about the wording of a question can make a significant difference in a child’s self-esteem.
4. Children are enhanced by the network of people, things, and events that make up their lives. When you accept children in their network, you accept them completely.
5. Growth in self-esteem is connected with children’s acceptance of their right to have strong feelings.
6. In a trusting and non-judgmental atmosphere, self-esteem can grow.
7. Success comes from acknowledging the positive in a nonevaluative way.
8. Humor can be a great antidote for low self-esteem, especially when children want to get out of their depressed state quickly.
9. Children’s self-esteem grows when they know that you want to share something you value with them.
10. Self-esteem thrives on success. The bridge you build for the child can provide a successful "crossing."

Noise!

An active child is a happy child!

As teachers, we believe activities that actively engage a child are worth having. Often that means our classroom may sound a little noisy. This kind of noise is music to our ears because it means the children are learning. One of the reasons active learning is so good for young children is because they are investigating an object or activity themselves. Investigating helps children develop interests in various subjects, self-confidence to figure out ideas on their own, language development, social interaction, and many more exciting things. How many times have we understood an idea simply because we have been able to touch or experiment with it? Children learn the same way.
We develop our classroom activities so the children can do lots of activities that help them develop many useful skills. Try a hands-on activity at home with your child and you may be surprised by how much they can learn–even if it is noisy!

A Time To Be Silly

One of the pleasures of working with young children is observing their humor. What a delight! What four and five-year-olds see as funny often seems strange to you and me, but it doesn’t stop the depth of their laughter. Here are some ideas to encourage humor with your child:

1. Read funny stories and sing silly songs together. Read nonsense or "just for fun" books. Help your child make the connection between humor, imagination, language, and creativity. Let them write their own stories and act them out.
2. Use humor to deal with frustrating or difficult situations. Sometimes we can turn a stressful situation into a funny one.
3. Support silly, make-believe play. Encourage your child to try out different voices and roles with the help of puppets, props, dress-up clothes, etc., to bring out their humor.
4. Join in the fun by being silly yourself. This sends the message that being humorous is okay while reinforcing the necessary limits. You need to show your fun side to the children.
5. It is important to listen to children’s humor because it offers insight into their concerns. For example, too much joking about bad dreams may indicate a fear that needs to be dealt with.

Family Storybook Reading: Do We Have to Read It Again?

Any parent with a preschooler at home has inevitably asked themselves, or maybe their child, this question. Children enjoy hearing the same book again and again, never growing tired of the story. Should these stories be read over and over?

Researchers have found that children who read early have been read to by their parents. Many of the same books are chosen time and time again. These repeated readings are beneficial for the child. Story re-telling becomes more elaborate, vocabulary increases, and comprehension is furthered with each read.

To add variety and depth to repeated storybook readings, try these simple adaptations:
* Have your child "read" the story to you. Even if they have not fully developed their reading skills, children who are familiar with a particular story can retell it vividly.
* Make puppets together and act out a favorite scene.
*Ask "What would happen if..." questions about the story. For example, "What would happen if the wolf in The Three Little Pigs had asthma?" or have your child ask his or her own questions.
*Illustrate new endings to familiar stories
*Visit the local library and help your child find a book by the same author or on a similar theme.
*These adaptations can extend storybook re-readings, which may further the vocabulary and comprehension skills of the child.


Learning to Read and Write (2000, p. 10)
Much More than ABC’s (1999)
Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (1999, p. 74 and 76)