Posts Tagged ‘child play “Dr. Pruett”’

Playing with Your Child

Friday, March 5th, 2010

The importance of play is key to a child’s development at  The Goddard School.  Here are some great thoughts on this topic by Dr. Pruett.

Excerpt from Me, Myself and I
By Dr. Kyle Pruett

The best way to know what your child thinks about his world before he can tell you directly in words is through playing with him.  It is right there, in their play sequences and manipulations that we see and hear what they understand and think about the world we share.

Remember, however, that this is his play, not yours.  You are a partner and a facilitator, occasionally a “go-fer,” but you are not playwright, producer or director.

Fall - Mother Daughter

  • When you play make-believe with your child using simple dress-up (hats alone are great), narrate her play: “And now you get on your hat.”  Describe what you think she is feeling: “Don’t you feel fancy (snazzy, cool…)?”  And listen for when you are not quite on track: “So, then what?”  Children often love to have you with them in these imaginary explorations of role and role-play and usually will do their best to keep you from getting lost along the way.
  • Use reflecting surfaces (mirrors, windows) as you play peek-a-boo with your child’s image and then yours, or add a little face paint or make-up as he explores what happens to his face as he, or you, add a dot here or a line there.  It helps him define who he is by enjoying the reflection of his face and feelings back and forth between you.  Doing this together just feels different and better and usually more important.
  • Sit together in the dark with a flashlight and give your child a sense that he has some control over what appears, reappears, and disappears into the darkness.  Narrate the experience with him, and match his level of emotional interest, as you share the job of turning the flashlight on and off together.  Sara, at 22 months, loved this game and called it the “good-bye light game.”  She seemed to be sorting out the comings and goings of important things and people as the lights went off and on.

There are countless other ideas available from books and magazines.  Borrow, invent, and reinvent games just for the two of you.

Find out what we’re doing that’s educational and fun each month with the Goddard School monthly events newsletter SUBSCRIBE HERE

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Thumb sucking and Pacifiers

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Dr. Kyle Pruett AThe topic of thumb sucking comes up with our toddlers at The Goddard School.  Here are some ideas by Dr. Pruett, MD:

Thumb-sucking and pacifiers are guaranteed to evoke debate whenever the topic is raised with parents, especially new ones. We have no trouble remembering relevant stories in our own families about thumb-suckers and how old they were when they stopped. Fact: Many children choose to suck their thumbs from before they are born because it is an important form of self-soothing and comfort.

Here are a few considerations that shape this debate as you make your decision about skin versus plastic:

  • Contemplating germs?  Thumbs and pacifiers are about equally un-hygienic, but both can be washed frequently.
  • Concerned about teeth deformity? Dentists have found that genetic tendencies forecast the need for braces more often than sucking a thumb or pacifier in infancy. The exception may be “24/7-suckers” through kindergarten and beyond.
  • Pacifier versus thumb?  Your thumb is always with you – no late night 911’s to the nearest pharmacy.  The pacifier, however, is easier to remove when the day comes (typically first in a parent’s mind), and seems less self-indulgent to many parents.
  • Partner consensus?  Talk to your partner. Do not assume that your partner has an identical philosophy about thumb versus pacifier as yours.

This is an important conversation to have and revisit. Discuss this topic with your child’s teacher.  Most parent magazines also cover this issue regularly.

Try not to make this a big deal.  Very few children go to college with their pacifiers.  At the same time, denying your children their comfort at a time when they may need it most will backfire more often then not, increasing their attachment to it. Children who know when it’s time for their comfort are showing you they know a thing or two about their needs, not that they have a habit.

Kyle D. Pruett, M.D. is an advisor for The Goddard School®.  Dr. Pruett is an authority on child development who has been practicing child and family psychiatry for over twenty-five years.  He is a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale University’s Child Study Center.

Find out what we’re doing that’s educational and fun each month with the Goddard School monthly events newsletter SUBSCRIBE HERE

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Mom and Dad are Different

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

At The Goddard School, the subject of parenting differences comes up on numerous occasions.  Read the following for some great insight on this topic!

by Kyle D. Pruett, M.D.
Mothers and fathers care for their children in very unique ways.  Children can recognize the differences between mother and father care, which actually enhances their development.  This article focuses on the critical role fathers play in a child’s development.

Newborns can differentiate between mom’s voice and touch and dad’s voice and touch.  Although mom may have gotten a head start on the bonding process with the baby, dads have their chance, too.  By six weeks old an infant can distinguish a father’s voice from a mother’s, and while a quiet baby may pay more attention to mom’s voice, an upset baby will calm more readily to his father’s handling.  Mothers usually are very consistent in the way that they handle their children, often picking them up in the same manner, saying the same thing before they handle them, for example, at bath or bedtime.  Dads rarely approach the baby with such consistency.  Each time they pick up the baby, they usually do so in a different manner than before, but this helps the baby recognize that it is dad who is holding him.

Parents with child Statue, Hrobákova street, P...

Time with dad is typically less structured and more play-oriented than with mom.  Most of mother’s time with her children is dedicated to care-giving tasks or educational play, while dad’s time is less structured and full of impromptu play.  Where mom uses toys, dad tends to use his body.  Dads are typically more physical with the kids and they love it.  Physical play helps to stimulate both physical and brain development.  Dads also have a tendency to make any situation educational, even if they don’t realize it themselves, so that a father’s tasks around the house might be an adventure for the child.

Fathers challenge their children to learn.  Obviously, both mom and dad want to help their child learn in any way they can, but they do this differently also.  For example, when teaching a frustrated child, a mother tends to assist her in finding the answer; whereas, a father is more likely to guide the child through the frustration and challenge her longer to find the answer on her own.  Fathers also encourage more exploration and boundary pushing than moms do.  A father’s way of teaching his child persistence in the face of adversity results in positive academic and social performance in the long run.  Certainly, one style is not better than the other, and children absolutely benefit from both.

THE ROLE OF FATHERS
Recent research about the role of fathers and their approach to parenting include the following:

  • Fathers tend stylistically to encourage problem-solving skills by letting their kids struggle with frustration a little longer before stepping in to help.  (Of course, there is a huge personal variation here, as there is in mothers.)
  • Fathers permit a little more emotional autonomy during learning sequences with their young children, supporting and encouraging but without the same emphasis on intimacy that is more typical among mothers.
  • Fathers tend to mix play with learning a little more successfully, from the child’s point of view, allowing longer work periods.
  • Fathers’ more functional (‘do it because it needs to be done,’ rather than ‘do it because it will go better between us if you do’) approach to academic work builds in the child a larger range of problem-solving skills over time that probably contributes to more lasting self-esteem.

Kyle D. Pruett, M.D., is an advisor for The Goddard School®.  Dr. Pruett is an authority on child development who has been practicing child and family psychiatry for over twenty-five years.  He is a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale University’s Child Study Center.

Visit our website @ http://www.goddardschool.com//Schools/Cedar-Park-TX/Schools.gspx &  follow us on Twitter @  http://twitter.com/GoddardSchoolCP

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Fun Learning is Effective Learning!

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

When evaluating preschool programs, avoid ones which tend to be based on filling out worksheets and other rather tedious activities.  These fail to address one critical fact — learning works better when it’s fun!

Yes, the Goddard School is play-based, but our “play” bears no resemblance to random goofing around. Our FLEX Learning Program is based on the latest research indicating that child-focused learning in a creative and fun environment is more effective than simple “book learning” alone.  In the words of internationally known child psychiatrist Dr. Kyle R. Pruett: “Loving, responsive care-giving that includes play provides infants and toddlers the ideal setting for encouraging their own exploration of the environment – the royal road to learning.”

The FLEX Learning provides just such an enjoyable learning environment while applying strict developmental guidelines according to state standards. Parents can see the results on an everyday basis. We keep daily logs of what your child studied, what activities he took part in, and how everything went. You will see your child learn and grow, day by day, month by month. Simply put, our kind of play works.

Goddard School students aren’t just learning how to fill out worksheets — they’re receiving a regular, structured diet of new knowledge, skills training, cognitive development, and life skills. Our brand of structured fun is designed to optimize your child’s learning experience, not take away from it.

Out of all the things your child will learn at the Goddard School, the single most important thing may be the passion to learn more.

Our next blog will share some ideas about the Mathematical Thinking Domain.  For more information about our school, visit our website or email us.

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Child’s Play: It’s All in a Day’s Work In Choosing a Preschool, Experts Recommend Child-Centered Play

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

With so much information about preschools available to parents, it can be difficult to choose the right program. One approach to evaluating a school that can help parents choose is the level of emphasis on learning through play. For young children, play is the natural way to learn, according to the experts.

In fact, research studies confirm that children who are allowed to play function better later in life, both socially and academically.

“Young children who learn through play are more ready to make their own decisions, advocate for themselves and use creativity to solve problems as they grow,” says Dr. Kyle Pruett, a Yale University child psychiatrist and consultant to the Goddard School, the fastest-growing franchise preschool program in the United States.

Dr. Pruett points out that play helps children learn to solve problems, promotes flexibility and motivation, teaches regulation of emotions and builds resilience and confidence. Play is also essential to the development of the child’s brain, triggering trillions of neural connections that form the basis of healthy cognitive function and mastery of the child’s physical world.

Playing alone and with others not only builds brain development, it also helps children develop social skills and a sense of ethics. The most effective play is free of evaluation and correction (after all, throwing a ball shouldn’t be “right” or “wrong”), while promoting autonomy.

True play is actually hard work.  The child lost in play is exploring infinite possibilities. Caretakers and parents can assist the child’s growth by participating in play and creating an environment that encourages play as a means to meet new developmental challenges.

So after parents have checked the basics that are required for any preschool, how can they find one with the right emphasis on play?

Look at three things:
- Find a school that puts a priority on learning through play. For young children, play is unstructured and freeing. It’s not about expensive toys, in fact, the simpler the toy, the more ways it can be used by a child developing his or her imagination. Toys and equipment should be carefully chosen, first for safety and then for how they stimulate young imaginations and help children develop.
- Look at the total environment. Environment means having clean, safe and spacious places to play, as well as the resources to provide imaginative, rewarding playtime. It also means a caring and well-trained staff, a critical element for any preschool. “Remember, how children are treated is as critical to their development as what they are taught,” says Dr. Pruett.
- Ask about enrichment programs. Only the best preschools offer special enrichment programs at no extra cost, as part of the tuition. Enrichment programs – including yoga, manners and world cultures, for example – develop the whole child by encouraging their innate curiosity and imagination.

At the end of the day, parents know they’ve chosen the right child care program when their children are given time for child-centered exploratory play during the day.  For a child, play isn’t optional. The educational and other benefits of play are so important – in terms of healthy bodies and minds – that parents should put play at the top of their list when comparing preschool programs.

To find about more about The Goddard School of Cedar Park, visit their website or call 512-258-5292.

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