Good afternoon families of KG1 students,
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the ‘Meet the Teacher’ event on Wednesday evening. It was lovely to see you and to share some important information. As you know, I have also shared the slideshow with you via email, for those who were unable to make it.
The children continue to settle in and learning the routines and expectations of the classroom. One important skill we are focusing on is listening. In a classroom, it is important for children to learn how to take turns speaking and listening to others, which is a key communication and also social skill. For many children, waiting for their turn to speak is challenging, especially at three or four years old. For others, the challenge is finding the courage and learning the communication skills to share their ideas with the group. It is important for children to learn not only to wait for others to finish speaking but also to listen carefully and actively to what others are saying and to consider the thoughts and feelings of others. We work on these skills by playing games, having discussions and sharing books. We encourage you to help your child practice active listening and taking turns in conversation at home, too.
Children love playing with playdough and we use it a lot in class. It’s great fun and easy to make at home. But it’s more than just fun, it is also a very useful learning experience for young children. While using playdough children are:
- developing fine motor skills and the small muscles in the hands,
- developing language and vocabulary as they find ways to describe what they see, feel and are making and doing,
- working on social interaction and developing social skills as they share tools and the dough itself,
- developing communication skills as they ask questions and discuss what they and others are doing,
- engaging in emotional regulation and relaxation -the very act of squishing, rolling and shaping playdough can be very soothing (try it yourselves and see!)
- involved in sensory play by engaging multiple senses which promotes sensory processing.
We hope you enjoy the photographs of some of the children engaging in playdough play this week in class. (I will share a recipe for making playdough at home next week.)
Swimming: Thank you all for ensuring your child came to school on Tuesday with all the necessary equipment. We kindly ask you to continue to encourage your child to learn to dress and undress independently, so that they can feel a sense of independence and accomplishment.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend,
Ms Kristina, Ms Buthaina and Ms Rahma
