Together with Creative Curriculum for Preschool, Wee Friends regularly incorporates Foundations to the Indiana Academic Standards for Young Children into the planned and emergent lessons each day. Three of the standards directly involve teaching our friends to follow directions.

F.7.4 Follow one-step spoken directions without prompts (e.g., Get your shoe).

F.7.12 Follow two-step spoken directions with prompts. (e.g., pick up your plate and take it to the kitchen)

F.7.31 Understand and follow a one-step direction. (e.g., get the red shoe)

Here are some ways this translates into our play-based/child initiated environment.

This morning Annie asked if she could continue working with beads. The one step direction to create art is well understood: please sit down on a chair or stool. The two step direction to produce beadwork is also clear: hold the pipe cleaner with one hand and place the bead onto the pipe cleaner.

 

During Creative Music we made a circle of dinosaur nests. As we sang the one step direction was: walk in a circle on the nests.

 

 

 

Missy Little brought in a new collection of stickers-Thank You!!! Melinda’s directive was clear: choose THREE stickers and stick then to your paper. Friends counted as they stuck stickers to the paper. When friends chose to stick more stickers on the reminder was “…I see you chose 6 stickers….remember the direction was to stick 3…let’s count how many you have on your paper…” and the lesson is further explored.

Early Childhood Today Journal contributor Susan A. Miller, EdD suggests “Preschoolers’ individual learning styles also influence how they receive, understand, and follow directions. Analytic children enjoy having directions broken down into small parts step-by-step; global learners need to see or understand the whole picture. A child who learns best visually says, “Let me see how to do it,” while the auditory child says, “Tell me the way to do it,” and the tactile child states, “Let me do it.” It’s important to give children directions that relate to their learning styles and involve open-ended questions and two-way communication.”

We are always working toward cultivating cooperation and developing listening skills in a variety of cross curricular opportunities as we guide our friends through their busy days! As language develops and vocabulary expands, comprehension increases and the benefits of these covert learning opportunities come to light!

For lunch we served cheese pizza on whole wheat muffins with homemade WF marinara! Along with the pizza we had watermelon (Thank You, Jennae G.!) and carrots.

Have a terrific weekend and remember WF is closed Monday! See you Tuesday!