Speech Weekly Notes from Stacy Torrence:

LISTENING AND FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS WITH PRESCHOOLERS

There are really two separate issues to discuss when we are looking at a preschooler’s ability to listen and follow directions. The first is about building skill — developing the ability to take in auditory information, process it, and do something with it. There are lots of fun ways we can work on these skills, but ultimately each child’s developmental readiness is going to guide the process. The second issue is in regards to cooperation and compliance. Your child may be processing the directions you gave her just fine, but not choosing to act on them. These are strategies to (hopefully) increase cooperation as well!

Fun Ways to Practice Listening Skills

. Start with something simple: Talk with your child a lot. Have conversations. Interview each other. Tell jokes. Talk, talk, talk.

. Read and read and then read some more. Audio books are fun, too.

. Sing, too! Nursery rhymes, finger plays, made-up songs, Play Simon Says (or Mommy/Daddy Says!)

. Play I Spy or other guessing games in which you and your child take turns giving each other clues.

. When you are reading or telling a familiar story to your child, make a mistake, such as, “When Goldilocks arrived at The Three Frogs’ house, she went inside without knocking.” See if your child catches your mistake!

Giving Good Directions That Your Child Can Follow

. Get down on your child’s level – eye contact is good, and it is also less intimidating to your child.

. Make sure you have your child’s full attention before giving directions. Be straight-forward: “I am going to tell you what to do now. Ready?”

. Keep your directions short and simple

. Use visual cues if you can — point the direction you want him to go; touch her feet if you want her to get shoes on.

. Ask your child to repeat back the directions.

. Have appropriate expectations. Don’t give your child a three-step direction if you know she is not capable of remembering three steps. Break it down step-by-step until she is ready.

. When possible, give choices instead of commands. “It’s time to clean-up. Would you like to start in your bedroom or the living room?”

. Acknowledge good direction-following! A high-five, pat on the back, or thumbs up can be just what a busy preschooler needs to keep working on this skill.

Making Directions Fun

. Scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, etc. with verbal clues.

. Have fun with silly, unexpected directions: “Go to the kitchen and quack like a duck!”

. When you cook together, talk about the steps. “First, we pour in the flour. Then, we add the sugar.

Now, we mix it all together.” Use those sequencing words (first, next, then) so your child becomes familiar with them. We will be working on sequencing in upcoming language groups.

Stacy Torrence M.S. CCC-SLP

The Penguin Class

This week was full of fun in the Penguin Class! We grabbed some cool books from the bookmobile, and did a lot of activities and projects. We played kick ball, played body rolling, which is when the children get on the floor and roll around. We also made glitter stars; finger painted a candy cane, made some free art, and put on a puppet show! We also had a great time pretending to cook with pots and pan from the kitchen! The children also participated in a cooking project this week, and we made holiday cookies by using various holiday cookie cutters!

As a review this week, we talked about things that start with the letter “Ff,” and reviewed our colors, animals, numbers and shapes. The children and I really had a great week. Please do not forget about the Holiday Parties that are taking place next Monday and Tuesday. We will be closed for the holidays from Wednesday the 23^rd to January 3rd 2010!

From Ms. Danielle and the Penguin Class

The Sea Turtle Class

Hello, and nice to see you all again. This week was packed with lots of fun activities. The letter “Ff” made its way. We learned how to pronounce it and came up with a list of words that began with “Ff,” such as: fire engine, food, friends, and frost. The students and I also talked about our families and what we do during the Christmas season. For Project Green, we learned about non edible plants. In art, the Sea Turtles made glitter starts, colored the letter “Ff,” and made a candy cane with peppermint paint. We also enjoyed making ornaments, our own mittens, and made reindeer prints! For our cooking project, we decorated holiday cookies, which were delicious! What a week!

See you all on Monday!

From Ms. Erin and the Sea Turtle Class

The Starfish Class

It was part one of the elf-abet this week in the Starfish Room! We are working on the remaining pages for our alphabet books this week and next week. We are also using our Art and Humanities time to celebrate the holidays. We have made glitter starts, snow angles, gingerbread men, and peppermint candies, (please smell the hallways cork strip). The green and red collages we made are fabulous and truly reflect the creative personality of each Starfish. We invite you to come look at the poinsettia “bouquet” on the bulletin board in our classroom- it is dazzling. We have further honored the season by baking sugar cookies, gingerbread shapes, and jello-jigglers. In math and science, we have continued to practice counting, and our cooking projects were the perfect opportunity for impromptu chemistry lessons. A favorite math activity was the “three times hat,”- a directive, like hand clapping or feet stomping, is pull out of a hat and that action is done three times. The children have a blast with this activity!

Please remember to sign up for the Holiday Party!

The Seals Class

Hello again from the Seals Room! Hope everyone had a great weekend! The holiday season is on our door step. During this time of the year I would like to incorporate some of your family’s traditions in my classroom. Please email or talk to me sometime with some of your traditions you use during this time of the year. My email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please feel free to email me anytime. This week we talked about how to ask for a toy and how to use gentle hands. We also talked about some of the holidays that people celebrate this time of the year.

During our gross motor time I had them practice counting. We took a ball and counted how many times we bounced it. I quizzed the children on their colors by asking what color another child was wearing. While doing this I also tried to associate colors with objects so the children could remember them. For example I asked them what color the grass is. They answered green. I had the children help me do a LEA for winter. This is where I ask the children about winter and I write what they say down. The children learned a new rhyme this week it’s called Kookaurra. A copy was sent home with our child.

In art we made glittery stars to hang up. The children put foam stickers on it and colored it if they choose to do so. Then we put glitter on them. We also made candy canes using pipe cleaners and painted with dot painters. Another day we painted with cotton balls and white paint. We made a picture of it snowing and put foam snowmen on it. We also made reindeer using our hands. Finally we made St. Lucia Hats. These art activities help the children with their fine motor skills.

For gross motor we did follow the leader. We pretended we were different animals, were walking through a cave, going over bridges, and jumping across holes. We also rolled around on the carpet. The children helped me count how many times we bounced a ball and every time the ball bounced the children and I jumped. When time allowed we would also do some exercises and stretches.

Hope everyone had a great week. Have a great weekend! See everyone next week. Remember parents we will be closed December 24, 2009 to January 3, 2010. We will re-open January 4, 2010.

Ms. Cheri and the Seals Class

The Dolphin Class

This week, the Dolphin Class slipped right into some wintry holiday fun! We did everything from making reindeer, counting presents, learning “F” words, and learning about different holidays! The students also did some eating with our cooking project!

Pizza day is another fun time for all the kids to be able to eat pizza together, so if you want your child to get pizza, please make sure you sign up at the front desk! This is very important because it lets us know your child wants pizza and it lets us plan ahead on how much to make. Thanks so much!

In math and science, we talked about pinecones, made New Year’s Resolutions, sorted edible and non-edible plants, and also made a chart of the activities we do with our families during the holidays! The students also enjoyed counting presents with number cards!

In letter’s, we learned about directionality and picture versus print. We made a list of “F” words, wrote “F’s” in our journals, and read our “F” Sesame Street book.

In art, we painted candy canes, made glitter stars, colored ornament cut outs, decorated St. Lucia hats, and made reindeer prints!

In social studies, we learned what holiday’s people celebrated around this time, which included: Hanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa!

Overall, we had quite a busy week!

Ms. Kimberly and the Dolphin Class

The Walrus Class

Hello!

The Walrus Class is so excited for the holidays and we started our celebration early with some sweets during our Pre-K Holiday Party and Cookie Exchange! Thanks so much to everyone who was able to come out Monday night. The kids did a wonderful job and Ms. Jennifer and I are so proud of them! I was able to sneak away some cookies for the students who were not able to make it that night, and everyone has really enjoyed them!

Pinecones were a big hit this week. The students painted with them by painting them first with a paint brush and then rolling them onto some paper. Afterwards we put some great glitter on them and tied some string around them to make an ornament! We continued our discussion this week about communities, and the children are really starting to get a grasp of what a community is. The Walrus Class made some great peppermints, which are now hanging in the hallway, so make sure you check them out!

Family is extremely important and the students and I had the chance to talk about our families. We discussed who was coming for the holidays, how many people were in our families, and the students were able to recognize that all families are different.

The children continued with their letter sounds, and really focused on the ones that Ms. Stacey recommended. Writing is always a big hit in the Walrus room and the children were able to recognize and find different letters and write them as I called various ones out. Our Ready Reader of the week was titled, "A Wig." Please practice these over the weekend!

Our cooking project this week was an absolute blast! We made reindeers out of triangle bread, peanut butter, pretzels for the antlers, and M&M's for the eyes and nose!

The Walrus Class is really going to take advantage of these last couple of weeks together and really have a blast!

As a reminder, everyday around 3:30 or 4:00 I will be helping at the front desk. Ms. Jennifer does some great things in the afternoons with the students and I always peek in to see all the fun! If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with me or Ms. Jennifer. I may miss a few faces because of other things I am doing but I am going to try to catch up with everyone as I see you come in!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Ryland and the Walrus Class