What are you doing to for learning activities at your house? Share some ideas with us! Know of some great websites? Just finished a great art project? Got a great learning unit going on?
I could really use some great ideas on ladybugs.
We’ve been taking pictures. Pictures of just about all of Parker’s stuff. Each day we present him with two or three pictures each representing an item on his schedule for the day.
Block building? Markers? Trains? Stringing beads? Matching?
Parker can then choose which activity he wants to participate first. This helps to develop both speech and cognitive skills. It also gives Parker the feeling of having control of what goes on in his day.
The control is still really mine. It’s all more of an illusion. But, hey, it’s worked great with Reed the last 20-odd years.
But, shhhh. Let’s make this our little secret. k?
Did you know that a great way to cement a new concept into a cute little mind is to give a kid a chance to do a movement activity afterwards?
Something like swinging.
Or bouncing. On a great big ball.
Right now we are working hard on getting Parker to identify and sign the colors yellow and red by handing the yellow or red item to us when we ask and for it.
This is the outline we’ve been following:
Level One
*Present two choices. We are using yellow and red.
*Ask child to “Give me (red), please.”
*Wait five seconds.
*Repeat.
*Wait five seconds.
*Top the right hand object (in our case the color red), then repeat “Give me (red) please.”
*Wait five seconds.
*Then proceed to hand over hand.
Level Two
*Switch the placement of the two items. Repeat level 1.
Level Three
*Put the two colors down in front of your child. This time you will repeat the steps in Level One, except asking for the other object. (If I had been asking for red first, I would be now asking for yellow.)
*When one color is mastered use the first color (the one mastered) and present every other color one at a time consistently asking for the target color.
This stragegy can be used when learning almost anything. Shapes. Animals. Colors. etc.
I like the step by step approach it takes. Mastering one skill and then adding to it. It matches perfectly with my educational OCD.
Hey. We all have our weird.
Twitter: therextras
says:
Ah, ‘the illusion of control’. I know it well. chkl.
Movement and learning go together!
You are way to creative. I wish I had half of your creativity. That boy is going to be so dang smart:)
I just had a long talk with Nana’s SLP and it reminded me of your pictures. What she suggested was pictures of Nana (and I) actually doing the activities- complete with happy expressions- so that the pictures could create ‘discussion’ and build vocabulary (since Nana is VERY visual). She also said that I should print the pictures on regular paper and then write simple words on them (like ‘Nana play puzzle’), then point to the words, say the words and sign them- all together.
Your step program is very ABA. It gave me a flashback, lol.
I usually sing the alphabet song from ‘Sounds Like Fun’ (do you have that???) when I swing Nana, and she has gotten so she will sing it, too.
Hey, I shoulda just emailed, lol!
Chris
We use movement activities while doing vision therapy and it helps to really cement the new pathways in the brain. It’s amazing how the brian and body work, plus a little fun is always a good thing!
I would love to have you link up and join my new Life is Therapy Series. There are so many things that kids can learn and practice in day to day activities and with movement and things they like.
I followed your link from Twitter and I am so glad to have landed here to learn your story. What an inspirational and enjoyable blog. Keep up the good work.