In France, Parenting Patience is a Virtue

Guest Post by MeeGenius CEO, Wandy Hoh

I found some great parenting advice the other day in the Wall Street Journal on a rare Sunday morning where I actually snuck in some reading time instead of the usual running around to activities with my kids.  Pamela Druckerman, whose new book Bringing up Bebé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting came out last week, wrote an informative article comparing the different child-rearing approaches of French and American parents.

While living in France, Druckerman found that every time she and her husband took their new toddler out to a restaurant she became apprehensive and anxious. Within minutes of placing her 18-month-old daughter in the high chair, the carnage would start. Saltshakers would be spilled, sugar packets torn up; general chaos would reign. Druckerman’s main goal was to get in and out of there quickly and without causing any major trauma—to the wait staff or the patrons.

After many harried outings, she noticed that most of French children just sat contentedly in their seats—there was no shrieking, no foodstuffs flying, no carnage or chaos. She also realized that they weren’t just being good while sitting in the high chair at a restaurant. All around her, French kids were usually calm and perfectly fine to play alone or sit by themselves without raising a ruckus.

Though my husband and I are acutely aware of trying to avoid the trap of over-parenting, Druckerman’s observation that French children could play by themselves really made me think about my own daughter’s behavior. She is always, as she says, “bored.” She always needs one of us to do something with her. It became apparent that as our oldest child, she had the benefit of being our only child for a period of time—we were always all over her, giving attention to her demands and catering to her whims. Finally, we realized that she wasn’t capable of figuring out how to be happy by herself. We needed to remind ourselves that we didn’t have to be constantly servicing her and we needed to teach her the simple skill of waiting.

Druckerman reports that in France, babies aren’t picked up the minute they start crying in their crib, they are allowed to learn how to fall back asleep by themselves. When a child clamors for candy at the checkout line, they will buy them a piece but they don’t give it to them right away; they wait a few hours until a scheduled snack time each day and then let them eat it. If a child interrupts adults while they are talking, they will politely and firmly tell the child to wait until the adults’ conversation is over. French parents try to teach their kids to develop patience and the ability to amuse themselves.

With our daughter, we’ve started slowly. We encourage her to do more activities on her own a little at a time—drawing, puzzles, crafts, etc. She is becoming more capable of being independent and is more often happy with all that is around her. Eventually, with firmer pressure and more time, she will learn to sit and play and enjoy stories on her own—being “bored” will be something she reads about in a book.

Who knows, maybe I’ll start spending more Sunday mornings reading while my kids play nicely on their own.

Friendships: Why making friends can be hard for your kids

Every day I teach young children how being friends can mean so many things. Kids are developing the ability to share and take turns well into the 6, 7, 8th and even 10th years of life and this can reflect in their inability to navigate the challenges of friendship.

So when do kids begin to make friends? Very young children, usually 3 and under, still function often in parallel play where they are next to other children but not associating with them. The children I teach are beginning to associate with others, with the ability to take turns using concrete objects and trying out the notion of sharing.

Once they begin playing together regularly as preschoolers, kids are more likely to make regular friends. Keep in mind that who your younger child considers to be a “friend” will likely change very often. Even younger school-age children, until they are 10 to 12 years old, may have a new best friend every few months.

It’s important that as the adult role-models in our children’s lives wehelp them make friends. If your child doesn’t seem to have friends, it may simply be that he or she has not had enough opportunities to make them. Getting your child involved in activities with children the same age and with similar interests can be a great way to find friends for your child. Some good examples of places where your child may make friends include:

• youth sports and classes, including team sports (soccer, baseball, etc.) and individual sports (tennis, martial arts, etc.)
• noncompetitive activities, including music and art lessons, a chess club, etc.
• story time at your library or bookstore
• other kids’ clubs, including boy scouts and girl scouts
• the park or playground

Another way to help connect your child with others is to bring an ice-breaker, such as a toy, pet, or snacks, to help draw other kids to your child when you go to the park or to other activities together.

Good luck and have fun! Let us know of any fun ideas to help your kids connect with others!

Giving Thanks At School!

Tis the season for thinking of others! In my preschool classroom we are always taking time to think about each other and how we feel together. We are developing our listening skills and learning how to take on other people’s feelings, and it is hard work!

There are all kinds of crafty projects that have to do with turkeys, early settlers, and food but teaching children how to be thankful through artistic expression is another challenge. To start, I like to ask children what they know about being thankful or what it means to be thankful for what you have. This opens up conversation and allows me to get an idea for what children already know.

From there, we use our ideas to teach each other about what we are thankful for and what it means to give thanks. We can use our words in a thankful poem, write them down on individual cards for our families and let them inspire us to create open ended art for our loved ones. When children truly begin to take on the feelings of others and think about the important people in their lives,  their artistic expression can become a beautiful thing!

Here are some open ended art ideas we like to do in our class:

• Paint at the easel while talking about someone we love. have a grown-up write down the child’s dictated words and attach them to the painting.
• Make friendship necklaces or bracelets using a variety of stringing materials(beads, buttons, cardboard pieces, straws) have the children choose colors or materials that someone else would truly love!
• Make a friendship fruit salad! Each child gets to choose (or bring in from home) a fruit they enjoy. Everyone helps to cut and prepare the salad together and it makes for a very special snack!

Enjoy this time for celebrating what we have together at school and let us know the things you like to do to show that you care!

Being Thankful: How we can teach Empathy to our children

Thinking about being thankful for what you have can be an abstract concept for kids. So, as grown-ups, it’s our job to help children take on the feelings of others by leading from our example. How can we teach empathy to our kids? Do we have to create mini philanthropists in order for them to understand what being thankful is all about? Let’s first focus on showing our feelings to them they way we’d like them to show theirs to others.

I wrote a story called “Thank You for Thanksgiving” for our growing collection of holiday books that Mee Genius provides our readers. It’s my hope that this story inspires parents to talk with their children about what being thankful is all about.

Empathy starts at home and is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, because it helps them see the good in those around them. If we work hard to raise empathetic children, they’ll develop a sense of inner strength that will protect them against outside influences beckoning them away from the proper choices.

Self-directed empathetic children who rely on their own inner voices rather than outside influences, make the right choices concerning those around them rather than make choices tainted by their need for approval and acceptance. They develop this strong sense of empathy for other people by being taught how empathy works.

In general, I teach children that “if it feels wrong, it won’t work for anyone.” Kids need to be able to listen to the right choices in their hearts and their minds to keep their motives sincere. We can also help them analyze the motives behind their own acts towards others by helping them know if these motives allow them to only help themselves or if they are, in fact, helping others.

We can also lead by example when it comes to helping others. Handing out food or blankets to homeless people in need or helping an older neighbor with their lawn or their mail are ways we can show our kids how to think of others. By performing acts of compassion, whether at school, in the family or in the community, our children can’t help but think about the misfortune of those they help. When they do, they’re sure to think about how it would feel to be in those other shoes.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and let us know how you helped out someone in need this holiday season!

Halloween Math In the Classroom!

What’s a better time of year for fun math activities than Halloween? Costumes, candy and jack o’ lanterns are all fun things to think about, so why not use them to keep math interesting in your classroom! Math games, themed worksheets and graphing activities are all ways to connect the popular Halloween theme into your math program.

Here are some great math activities to do with young children during this fun fall season:

Candy Corn Math – Have your kids: count candy corn by 2′s, 5′s, or 10′s. After they group the candy they can eat some too!

Pumpkin Seed Estimation- How many seeds are inside the pumpkin? Estimate, scoop, dry the seeds and toast them for a delicious snack! Then count the actual amount before you eat them. Graph the estimations and compare with the actual number!

Bag of Critters Math Game- Fill a paper bag to the halfway mark with different colored plastic spiders. Try to have at least four different colors for this game. Taking turns, have the kids pick spiders out one by one, graphing how many of each color they get after they have picked ten. After the activity, children can compare their graphs to see who got the most of each color. Recording sheets can be prepared ahead of time.

This preschool number activity could also work with different colored gummy worms. In this case, the kids might enjoy the yucky feel of the worms as they reach into the bag. If the candy sticks together, try adding a small sprinkle of flour before the game begins.

Let us know some of the fun things you are doing in your classrooms as Halloween approaches!

How to Keep Reading in Your Child’s Homework

For years I’ve been teaching young children and watching the homework load increase as each fall semester goes by. Kindergarten children are now coming home with hours of worksheets and rote based work books. This has not yet equated to an increase in achievement rates or higher test scores, so why are we requiring it?

Many school districts have convinced teachers and parents that habits of homework in young children build skills necessary for the older grades when the expectations for heavy homework  kicks in. However, I still believe that young  children benefit from true down time after school and that instilling a love for reading during this time would benefit all children after long days in school.

In order to support your child’s success in school a key component is providing a structured routine for homework. Every family has their own schedules that work best for them, but the best time to complete your homework could be shortly after school has finished. That way your child is not too tired or hungry, and the day’s lessons are still fresh in their mind. Use your after school programs, if available, to help your child complete most of their assignments.

Once your child has completed their assignments, that’s when reading can help to create the down time you all need! Read together and independently and take time to chat about what you read. Take books to bed with you and keep reading to support your child’s work at home!

Five Finger Rule!

Find a “just right” book with the Five Finger Rule!

I went to my sons’ meet the faculty night last night and had a chance to listen to my sons’ first grade teachers talk about what they’re learning in class every day. Just an amazing time!

They had this great rule to help your child find the right book called the FIVE FINGER RULE. It’s so easy to follow.

• Choose a book and read the first page or two.
• Put one finger up for every word you don’t know.
• If five of your fingers go up while reading, choose another book.
• If only two or three fingers go up, you’ve found a “just right” book.

Happy Reading!

Back To School: 5 Ways To Promote Literacy In the Classroom

It’s that time again, Back to School for the teachers! With so much to do and lots of things to think about, it’s sometimes overwhelming to focus on decorating your classroom with respect to literacy. The good news is, it’s not that hard! Promoting literacy and language learning can come from the kids! Here’s a few ways you can lay the groundwork for your literacy program by using your students and self-designing your program.

Create Your Classroom Rules Together! Find out from your students what they know about respecting each other and their classroom. Post the rules you all create in a creative way using clear print and even photos of the children doing respectful things!

On-Going Word Walls and Literacy Centers are great language learning resources for students. Take your time to introduce your literacy center, and allow children to explore the space. A word wall is a wonderful way to help children feel success when facing the challenge of writing!

Create A School Community or Neighborhood Map! By identifying with the neighboring community you can promote authentic connections to people and places around your school. You can make a map of the school or the neighborhood and have the children draw and write about the important places that they know! This ongoing activity can help to fuel your social studies curriculum throughout the year.

Create Your Own Notebooks! Instead of giving your students plan notebooks or folders to store their writing samples, have them decorate their own! This type of creativity inspires ideas for writing and promotes ownership over their important work!

Write Your Own Class Newsletter! Have the students help to report about their learning in and out of the classroom through a newsletter to parents. When students feel that their learning is important they will be excited about sharing it with others! A class newsletter is a great way to get everyone involved in writing about the class curriculum!

Enjoy this time of new beginnings and let us know how you promote literacy learning at the start of school!

“Science Rocks” with MeeGenius!

With Hurricane Irene making her way up the East Coast, what better time than now to introduce ABDO’s “Science Rocks!” series. This series “provides a simplified look at earth Science. Dynamic illustrations pop off the page. Science has never been this groovy, and introducing the subject to the next generation of scientists has never been this fun!”- ABDO publishing. Check out the series below!

Science Rocks!
Awesome Air
Crazy About Clouds
Groovy Gravity
Wild Water Cycle
Radical Rocks

To download our newest releases on your device, log into your MeeGenius app and check out the featured books section!

Five new titles added to the MeeGenius library!

Summer’s coming to a close- time to help your kids put their thinking caps back on, and what better way to start than with ABDO’s “Our Nation’s Pride” series. In this series, children are taught to respect the symbols of America. The “Our Nation’s Pride” series provides children with easy-to-read picture books explaining the creation, history, and meaning of the icons that represent our nation’s identity. Check them out below!

Our Nation’s Pride

The National Anthem

The Statue of Liberty

The United States Flag

Veterans Day

The Pledge of Allegiance

To download our newest releases on your device, log into your MeeGenius app and check out the featured books section!

For more of MeeGenius’ most recent releases on the web go here for our new and noteworthy books!
Remember- if you login and purchase the book on the web, when you login into MeeGenius on your device, it will appear on your bookshelf, and vice versa!