Lots of lovely children (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 2 all at different ages and with different
needs
Slide 3
How can you provide the learning each one needs? (c) 2013,
Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 3
Slide 4
The good news: in multi-age settings Children learn from each
other. Children learn at their own pace, without comparison or
pressure. Children stay in the same setting for years, which
supports confidence and security. Caregivers enjoy variety and
challenge. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved.
4
Slide 5
The bad news Managing the needs of children at multiple ages
and stages is challenging. Caregivers worry that something will be
missed. Caregivers get stressed trying to individualize everything
for everyone. Parents get upset if they think their children are
being overlooked. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights
reserved. 5
Slide 6
But more good news Family childcare providers can easily
promote learning for every child in their multi-age setting. Lets
look at issues of Safety Scheduling Schooling and Satisfaction (c)
2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 6
Slide 7
Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 7 Author Long-time professor of Early Childhood
Education Mother of two Grandmother of four and someone very, very
interested in the development of your potential and of human
potential everywhere
Slide 8
Online and onsite STARS training 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 8 www.theskillfulteacher.org
Slide 9
Safety first, of course! Walks around the block, trips to the
playground, and other outings and activities can be too dangerous
for some multi-age groups. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 9
Slide 10
Safety issues kids outgrow are raised again by younger children
Part of having a multi-age group is understanding that some fun is
likely permanently off-limits. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 10
Slide 11
Managing different schedules Just as in a biological family,
children in your family childcare home have different sleep
schedules and feeding schedules depending on their ages and
individual needs. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights
reserved. 11
Slide 12
Stealing time for learning Naptime for non-nappers is a time
for activities that are best done when little ones arent around.
(c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 12
Slide 13
But no schedule for screens Avoid using educational television,
educational video games and other screen-time activities as ways to
manage diverse ages and needs. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 13
Slide 14
So (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 14
Safety is a given. Children must be protected at every age. And the
schedule can help us, but more about that later What about
learning?
Slide 15
Learning activities for everyone At every age, children should
be actively engaged in hands-on, real-life activities every moment
they are awake. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights
reserved. 15
Slide 16
Real-life activities focus on (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 16 Using the senses Increasing coordination
and strength Seeing how things work Solving problems Cooperating
with others Talking about whats going on
Slide 17
Are real-life activities enough? (c) 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 17 Will children who engage all day
in real-life, hands-on activities be ready for kindergarten?
Slide 18
WA-Kids and your kids What children need to know before they
move on to kindergarten 1. How to run, jump, and wiggle 2. How to
dress, feed, & use the toilet alone 3. How to use crayons,
pencils and scissors 4. How to get along with others 5. How to
carry on a conversation 6. How to make decisions and carry out
plans 7. How to use books, count, and identify a few words and
symbols Learning all this takes a full five years (c) 2013,
Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 18
Slide 19
Lets look at each of these, one at a time (c) 2013, Patricia
Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 19
Slide 20
Physical development For babies and toddlers, attention to
muscles and coordination are largely indoor activities. Rolling
over Sitting up Pull to stand Crawling Cruising Walking (c) 2013,
Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 20
Slide 21
Physical development For older children, attention to muscles
and coordination requires outdoor space or lots of room indoors.
Running Jumping Hopping Throwing & catching Skipping Climbing
(c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 21
Slide 22
Large motor development requires different times and spaces
Babies and toddlers practice large motor skills when everyone is
indoors and older children are playing. Older children practice
large motor skills when everyone is outdoors and babies are just
watching. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved.
22
Slide 23
Fine motor development For everyone, feeding time is a good
time to practice finger control and coordination. In addition, free
play time provides practice for all in grasping, placing, and
balancing objects. Older kids can also draw, paint, and write. (c)
2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 23
Slide 24
Life skills Always permit children to do what they can do. Take
the time to guide children in mastering life skills, even if it
seems like thats all you get done in the day. (c) 2013, Patricia
Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 24
Slide 25
Teaching life skills takes time (c) 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 25 Yes, you could do things quicker.
Yes, you often have to redo what children do on their own. But
teaching life skills is essential, both for the skills themselves
and for childrens feelings of confidence and competence.
Slide 26
Social skills: What kids need Infants need security and
trustworthiness Toddlers and Twos need support to do things on
their own Threes also need support to do things on their own and
support to take chances Fours need to feel capable and competent
but also supported when they feel overwhelmed (c) 2013, Patricia
Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 26
Slide 27
Model the social skills kids need All children need support and
safety Focus on people and feelings first. Take your time. Notice
when youre feeling stressed. (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 27
Slide 28
Provide practice for social skills (c) 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 28 Encourage playing together, even
across ages. Encourage older childrens impulse to care about
younger children. Teach and reteach how to be nice.
Slide 29
Provide practice for social skills (c) 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 29 Babies: Watching others and
engaging with them Toddlers: Watching, imitating, taking charge
Twos: Watching, imitating, taking charge, waiting Threes &
Fours: Watching, imitating, showing, helping, taking turns,
sharing
Slide 30
Lets recap WA-Kids says children need to know 1. How to run,
jump, and wiggle 2. How to dress, feed, & use the toilet alone
3. How to use crayons, pencils and scissors 4. How to get along
with others 5. How to carry on a conversation 6. How to make
decisions and carry out plans 7. How to use books, count, and
identify a few words and symbols (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 30
Slide 31
Learning to talk (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights
reserved. 31 Two activities are essential in childrens ability to
talk well: Listening to rich, interesting conversations Talking to
others and being listened to
Slide 32
Everyday conversations (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 32 Asking questions Listening to children Talking
turns talking Using encouraging speech Never using speech as a
weapon
Slide 33
Language skill is the most important indicator of kindergarten
success (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved.
33
Slide 34
Planning and problem-solving (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 34 Kids at all ages need opportunities to
decide what to do and how to do it. Free play with interesting play
options is important
Slide 35
Struggle is part of learning (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 35 Ask What is happening? What could you do
differently? What help do you need? Avoid jumping in too quickly to
solve problems.
Slide 36
Being persistent, resourceful, and able to think through
problems are also important indicators of kindergarten success. (c)
2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 36
Slide 37
Whats left? WA-Kids says children need to know 1. How to run,
jump, and wiggle 2. How to dress, feed, & use the toilet alone
3. How to use crayons, pencils and scissors 4. How to get along
with others 5. How to carry on a conversation 6. How to make
decisions and carry out plans 7. How to use books, count, and
identify a few words and symbols (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 37
Slide 38
Math (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. 38
Children are born mathematicians. Math includes Counting Sorting
Estimating Measuring Comparing Adding & subtracting
Slide 39
Everyday math is part of play (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 39 Ask questions: Which is more? How heavy is
that? How many are there? If you had one more, how many would there
be? What page number do you see?
Slide 40
Early literacy and reading (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 40 What children need to know: How a book works
How a story happens Why reading feels good That words on the page
tell the reader what to say
Slide 41
More that children need to know (c) 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 41 That different sounds make up the
words we say (baby starts with buh) That sounds we say are
represented by letters (buh is written b) That words are made of
letters that make sounds
Slide 42
Even more basic knowledge (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All
rights reserved. 42 What the childs name looks like What a friends
name looks like That words have meaning and are useful tools in
different situations
Slide 43
So Where are we? (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights
reserved. 43 What children need to know before kindergarten takes
five years to learn. Learning happens little-by- little in
conversation and play experiences Learning activities fit each
childs needs at every age
Slide 44
Meeting parents expectations (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 44 Take time to educate parents about
childrens learning. Be able to share the value of what children are
doing for kids at every age. Listen to parents concerns and
reassure them as best you can.
Slide 45
Planning for learning requires (c) 2013, Patricia Nan Anderson.
All rights reserved. 45 Knowing what children need at each age.
Adapting activities for children at different ages. Knowing that
quality learning is based in real- life, hands-on activities.
Slide 46
Thank you for thinking along with me 2013, Patricia Nan
Anderson. All rights reserved. 46 Find out more at
patricianananderson.com Courses and workshops at
www.theskillfulteacher.org