Children
Programs

Suggestions for the Parents

Web Site Design by Artisan
Web
Design

How a Child Feels about Him/Herself

How the young child feels about himself and his relation to the family and his environment is exemplified by his total speech pattern. If he has confidence and knowledge that those close to him love him and respect him and listen to him, then he knows what he has to say is important.

With these thoughts in mind, let us consider a few reminders to parents of the young pre-schooler.

1. Listen to your child. Children who are listened to, listen.
2. Provide experiences that encourage him to listen.
   • Read stories and poems.
   • Supervise TV and radio programs.
3. Train your child to follow simple directions, such as.
   • “Please take the paper to Mother.”
   • “Please call Daddy or Brother to dinner.”
   • Encourage him to say “Thank You,” “Please,” “May I,” and “Excuse Me.”
4. Help the child to identify sounds:
   • sounds that animals make
   • traffic sounds
   • musical instruments.
5. Encourage him to express his needs and wants in oral language (instead of pointing). Praise him for using completed sentences.
6. Include the child in making plans such as selecting food, arranging for special days (birthdays and holidays).
7. Keep old tales and nursery rhymes alive in the home. Tell stories such as the Three Bears, nursery rhymes such as “Little Bo-Peep.” Enrich his knowledge through information and stories concerning his heritage.
8. Try to interest him in books. If possible, provide simple books for him at home. The child who enjoys books is well on the road to reading. Help him find letters and words in newspapers (circle them).
9. Assist him when he tries to read pictures. Help him to discover the main idea and important details- what happened first, next and so on. Learning to read pictures is the first step to learning to read words with ease and success.
10. Accompany your child on fieldtrips and encourage his participation in co-curricular activities such as plays, contests, and performances at school, church and in the community.
11. Call the child's attention to likenesses and differences in objects, pictures and signs. (Point out to him the number unit and see the difference between yours and the one next to you.) If he has blocks, the parent can point out how they vary- how labels and grocery cans vary in size, shape and color. This will later teach him to see likenesses and differences.
12. Help him distinguish between left and right. Help him to recognize his right hand and left hand, his right foot and left foot, his right shoe and left shoe. Give him a book he likes and show him it proceeds from left to right.
13. Remember, you, his parents, are the most important teacher your child will ever have. Your help is invaluable in teaching in to communicate properly.

The Preschool Years

1. Talk to your child, not at him. Don't talk at your child. Give him the feeling that his ideas are important. He'll begin to learn that his thoughts are worthwhile and that he has two interested listeners.
2. In matters of discipline, be firm but fair. Discipline should be consistent. If your child learns that something is right one day and wrong the next he begins to doubt your seriousness in matters relating to behavior. Discipline should also be fair. In all cases, punishment should fit the gravity of the incident.
3. Remember to compliment your child. As he matures, your child needs encouragement and praise. He'll begin to understand that doing chores properly brings a reward all its own in terms of personal satisfaction.
4. Try to answer your child's questions. Your willingness to answer questions will indicate to your child that you care about him, that he is important, and that you wish to share knowledge with him.

The Early School Years

1. Prepare your child for school positively. Try to speak about school as something new and challenging, where friends are made and where the work is interesting. If you express confidence on your child's ability to adapt to new situations, he is likely to look forward to the first day. More than one child has gone off to school with the dread and fatalism of a condemned man because school was talked about as joyless and painful. In any case, don't let your conception or misconceptions color your child's thinking. Give him an even chance to investigate for himself.
2. Teach your child how to care for himself. If he doesn't know already, help your child to put on his jacket and shoes and how to tie his shoelaces. The teacher, of course, will be assisting all her students in matters such as these, but it never hurts for you to help at home.
   Particularly important is your child's knowledge of everyday safety practices. He should know how to cross with the light (or with the school crossing guard), to keep pointed, sharp objects away from his eyes and from classmates, and to learn how to react to strangers and animals. Your good example will help instill good safety habits.
3. Provide regular medical and dental checkups. Learning takes concentration, alertness, and energy. The child with poor health is neither alert nor energetic.
   It makes sense to provide your child with a thorough medical and dental checkup prior to his going to school. A large number of children enter the early grades with some physical disability that makes learning that much more difficult. You owe it to your child to see that he is on an equal footing with his classmates from a health standpoint.
4. Dress your child appropriately.
   Appropriate in this case means warmly in the chilly months, coolly when the weather is hot. It also means dressing him or her in something suitable for a long day, during which time the child sits, stands, jumps, runs, and walks. Frilly dressed and tight-fitting suits might win your child a best-dressed award, but it will certainly do nothing for his comfort throughout the day. Use common sense, your child will appreciate it.
5. Provide balanced meals - particularly a good breakfast.
   A good many doctors agree that breakfast is the most important meal. In the case of your child, it is essential that he be given the proper nourishment with which to start the day. If you're in doubt as to what constitutes a nutritious breakfast- or any other meal for that matter- consult your family doctor or school nurse. These professionals will be glad to assist you in planning balanced meals.

Continued on Next Column

How a child feels about themselves is exemplified by their total speech pattern

6. Insist on regular periods of sleep.
   Some adults may be able to get by on six or less hours of sleep a night, but your growing child needs more.
7. Learn something about the school. No one expects you to become an expert in early childhood education, or be able to debate with experienced educators on the fine points of the curriculum.
   You should, however, be familiar with the major areas of study that command your child's attention. You should be able to converse intelligently about the aims and objectives of a particular school. And you should know the name of the school principal, the school nurse or physician, the school psychologist or guidance counselor, if your school has these staff members, and the names of the PTA president.
   Familiarizing yourself with these people, and with the functions they perform, will give a better idea of the services available to your child. The entire team, with you as a member of that team, exists to help your child. It makes sense to know who plays what position.
   Schools do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of the community, reflecting community needs and community interests. In this respect, parents and other concerned people have a responsibility to provide teachers and school officials with input, with ideas and opinions that will help strengthen our schools.
   Parent's involvement, much discussed and now, fortunately, more frequently practiced, is one of the keys to better schools. You deserve to know what your school is doing with the children it is charged to educate. Make it a point to involve yourself as much as possible.
8. Provide a study area in the home.
   The average child will spend upwards of 10 to 12 years in school; many will be in school longer.
   Doesn't it seem fair to provide some area in the home that is conducive to concentration and reading? For some, this might be a corner to the bedroom, an area in the kitchen, a den or family room. It's important to understand that if you want your child to take school seriously, you should be willing to set aside some area, warm and well lighted, where he can get down to business at hand.
   Almost any area of the home will do, provided it is away from the television, and not near the playing area of other young children.
   A note about television-- set some regulations on viewing time. Television is an extremely valuable medium when it is used appropriately.
   Indiscriminate viewing, however, will create havoc with your child's study routine. As the youngster grows older and homework increases, you'll be happy you set the rules early in his school life.

The Middle and Upper School Years

1. Understand what's happening to your child during adolescent years. Myths and misunderstandings about the adolescent years abound. You owe it to yourself and to your child to understand what changes are taking place in his life, in order that you might be able to discuss intelligently and objectively some of the potential pitfalls.
   There are a number of good books on the market that deal with parent-child relationships in the adolescent years. I am not suggesting that you become an expert in adolescent psychology, but I do think it's wise to familiarize yourself with what authorities in the field have to say about growing up. A little knowledge can be considerably less than a dangerous thing; it can spell the difference between ill feeling and a maturing relationship based on mutual trust.
   If you have doubts as to what texts might be useful, consult your child's teachers. They'll be happy to assist you.
2. Be open to change.
   New approaches are constantly being devised to meet special learning situations. Teachers need your understanding when they attempt something new in the way of instruction.
3. Don't be over-protective
   Don't expect their growing-up years to be all tranquil and free of stress. Be helpful and understanding, but remember that struggle helps to build character and emotional stamina.
4. Get both sides of the story.
   When disciplinary actions are taken by the school involving your child, get both sides of the story. Try not to prejudge the actions of the school until you've heard the facts.
5. Encourage participation in school activities.
   Encouragement does not mean shoving your child into every imaginable extracurricular activity, or attempting to create interest in those areas that you consider worthwhile. However, you can communicate to him that you are proud of his involvement and that you are willing to assist in ways he considers helpful.

In Summary

The parent who takes the time to sit down with a child and go over his lessons with him, who takes the time to read to his child, to explain things, is a good teacher. The parent who is too busy to get to know his child, to work with him, to encourage him, to give him a feeling of success, is a bad teacher.

Give your child love and affection as a parent, when something is wrong. Remember that children need to have the experience of success. If a child is constantly being criticized, if he is constantly made aware that he is wrong, he may develop a psychological handicap that may plague him for many years of his life.

Parents should seek a balance of praise and correction, of approbation and advice.

Checklist for Parents

1. Do you talk to your child, listen to him, encourage his curiosity and help him to develop his vocabulary?
2. Do you ask about his oral language activities and encourage him to participate in all language activities including those outside of the classroom?
3. Do you read aloud and tell stories to your child?
4. Do you confer with your child's oral language teacher an your child's needs and/or progress in speech? Do you try to work with the oral language teacher on ways and suggestions to improve your child's speech?

Where Can I Get Additional Information?

Tustin Speech & Language Center
661 West First Street, Suite E
Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: (714)-838-2853
Info@TustinSpeech.com

Top of Page

Return To CHILDREN PROGRAMS

Last Update
9/23/03

Tustin Speech & Language Center  •  661 West First Street, Suite E  •  Tustin, CA 92780  •  Phone:(714)-838-2853  •  Fax:(714)-838-4533
Info@TustinSpeech.com