If you are unable to slow down to the children’s pace for most of the daily activities, I would ask you to take a hard look at why that is the case. It is very important to realise that opportunities to take part, like any planned activity, are for the children to learn and develop real-life skills. Lastly, many people tell me that children take too long to complete tasks, and don’t do them properly.
Tidy up song for early years how to#
Show them how to do things correctly.Ĭhildren want to be a part of our world – the real world, not the world that we have made for them, which, honestly, is aimless and does not take in to consideration how children actually learn. If children want to help to wipe the table or pick things up off of the floor, let them. As long as an activity is self-chosen and enjoyed, it is play. In order to do this they must practise and take part in day-to-day activities otherwise they simply will not understand why they should take care of their environment, or develop the skills to do so.Ĭhildren learn through play.
The task of children is to develop into adults. I’ve also heard it said that cleaning is an adult job and children should be playing. That way everyone can tell easily which things are for the children.
I tend to have spray bottles and cloths set aside for the children’s use, and colour-code them. You can also add either tea tree oil or lavender oil both are antibacterial and smell lovely. It kills germs and cleans well without leaving any chemical residue. I recommend using vinegar diluted in water, which is completely safe for children to use. Some fear that cleaning materials are not safe. Safe cleaning productsĭespite this, many practitioners I speak to are hesitant to encourage children to take part in ‘care of the environment’ activities. Children want to be actively involved, rather than merely imitating these tasks during their play. It really helps give children a sense of responsibility for their environment. This includes activities such as wiping up spills, putting rubbish in the bin, brushing and mopping the floor, putting learning materials away, helping to do the washing and so on.
This is evident not only in the written theory but in the way rooms are arranged with furniture that meets the needs of the children, and how children are heavily involved in said rooms’ upkeep. One of the things that really drew me towards the Montessori approach is the fact that it sees and treats children as valuable members of their communities. If you prevent children from participating in the upkeep of their environment, you are denying them valuable learning opportunities, says Amii Spark…
0 kommentar(er)
