Welcome to another online addition of the Arizona Promising Practices forum. For those new to this service, each issue, which will now be sent to you on a regular basis, will focus on: (1) Recommended National Educational Websites; (2) A Local or Arizona Website/Practice of Importance; and (3) One promising practice article in condensed form. We welcome your recommendations for improvement to this forum or suggestions on future topics (these will be wide ranging to if nothing in this update interests you, hold on for future editions!) The Arizona Promising Practices Forum and website, www.azpromisingpractices.com is a FREE resource of the Arizona Department of Education.

Mary Urich, ACPE Director murich@mail1.ade.state.az.us

In this issue we focus on Promising Practice Research geared towards Assisting Preschool Children with Developmental Activities. With the emphasis in the No Child Left Behind Legislation on Early Development, this research offers practical strategies for both school and home aimed at assisting in the development of skills.

But first:

National Website of Importance - The Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC) has a new look, new content, and new features ready to assist you. The MPRRC exist to serve educators, parents and communities in a 13 state region and the BIA. Check them out at www.usu.edu/mprrc

Promising Practice Research and Tips

Helping Your Preschool Child

1 to 3 Years Old

What to Expect

Between their first and second birthdays, children:

·        Are energetic, busy and curious;

·        Are self-centered;

·        Like to imitate the sounds and actions of others (for example, by repeating words that parents and others say and by pretending to do housework or yard work with adults);

·        Want to be independent and to do things for themselves;

·        Have short attention spans if they are not involved in an activity that interests them;

·        Add variations to their physical skills (for example, by walking backwards);

·        Begin to see how they are like and unlike other children;

·        Play alone or alongside other toddlers;

·        Increase their spoken vocabularies from about 2 or 3 words to about 250 words and understand more of what people say to them;

·        Ask parents and others to read aloud to them, often requesting favorite books or stories; and

·        Pretend to read and write the way they see parents and others do.

Between their second and third birthdays, children:

·        Become more aware of others;

·        Become more aware of their own feelings and thoughts;

·        Are often stubborn and may have temper tantrums;

·        Able to walk, run, jump, hop, roll and climb;

·        Expand their spoken vocabularies from about 250 to 1,000 words during the year;

·        Put together 2-, 3- and 4-word spoken sentences;

·        Begin to choose favorite stories and books to hear read aloud;

·        Begin to count;

·        Begin to pay attention to print, such as the letters in their names;

·        Begin to distinguish between drawing and writing; and

·        Begin to scribble, making some marks that are like letters.

What Toddlers Need

1- to 2-year-old children require:

·        Opportunities to make their own choices: "Do you want the red cup or the blue one?";

·        Clear and reasonable limits;

·        Opportunities to use large muscles in the arms and legs;

·        Opportunities to use small muscles to manipulate small objects, such as puzzles and stackable toys;

·        Activities that allow them to touch, taste, smell, hear and see new things;

·        Chances to learn about "cause and effect"-that things they do cause other things to happen (for example, stacking blocks too high will cause the blocks to fall);

·        Opportunities to develop and practice their language skills;

·        Opportunities to play with and learn about alphabet letters and numbers; and

·        Opportunities to learn about books and print.

2- to 3-year-old children require opportunities to:

·        Develop hand coordination (for example, by holding crayons and pencils, putting together puzzles or stringing large beads);

·        Do more things for themselves, such as dressing themselves;

·        Talk, sing and develop their language skills;

·        Play with other children and develop their social skills;

·        Try out different ways to move their bodies;

·        Learn more about printed language and books and how they work;

·        Do things to build vocabulary and knowledge and to learn more about the world, such as taking walks and visiting libraries, museums, restaurants, parks and zoos.

Moving On
Toddlers love to explore spaces and to climb over, through and into things.

What You Need

·        Stuffed animal or toy

·        Large cardboard boxes

·        Pillows

·        A large sheet

·        A soft ball

·        A large plastic laundry basket

·        Elastic

·        Bells

Movement activities help children to gain control of their large muscles. They also help children to learn new words and important concepts such as locations: up, down, inside, outside, over, behind, beside and under.

What to Do

·        Pillow jump. Give your child several pillows to jump into. (Toddlers usually figure out how to do this on their own.)

·        Box car. Give your child a large cardboard box to push around the room. He may want to take his stuffed animal or toy for a ride in it. If the box isn't too high-you'll most likely find your toddler in the box as well.

·        Basketball. Sit about 3 feet away from your child and hold out a large plastic laundry basket. Let her try throwing a large, soft ball into the basket.

·        Table tent. Cover a table with a sheet that's big enough to reach the floor on all sides. This makes a great playhouse that's particularly good for a rainy day.

·        Jingle bells. Sew bells onto elastic that will fit comfortably around your child's ankles. Then watch (and listen) as he moves about or jumps up and down.

As you do an activity, talk, talk, talk with your child about what the two of you are doing!