Show Notes
The human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells, all of which are present at birth, but have few links between them. Those links are formed by experiences children have. The idea that the right inputs can strengthen a brain's architecture informs much of the product design at Lovevery. But there's lots of debate around how early we should start laying the foundation for academic learning.
Jessica Rolph, your host, welcomes Sarah Chesworth to today's episode of The Perspective Series, to help us navigate Kindergarten prep in the baby and toddler years. Sarah is a former Kindergarten teacher and early childhood educator.
Key Takeaways: [1:43] How does Sarah explain the debate between academic and play-based learning for 2 and 3 year olds? [2:46] Should we be exposing our 2, 3, or 4 year olds to any academic skills? [3:25] What are some categories of concepts that Sarah feels like children need to have to be ready for Kindergarten? [4:48] What are some ways that math and spatial understanding can show up in play? [6:29] Sarah talks about the distinction between healthy brain development in early childhood and the role that academics play. [9:23] What early number skills might Sarah look for in children entering Kindergarten? [10:48] What are some ways that parents can build empathy skills? [12:04] Sarah speaks about the development of fine motor skills. [13:00 ] Sarah describes the space she created for her daughter and the ways that she's incorporated play and academics. [15:01] Sarah extends her advice to parents: Listen, read, play, sing, and snuggle.
Mentioned in this episode: Brought to you by Lovevery.com Learn more about Sarah Chesworth
More from My New Life
As you may know, Lovevery now offers The Reading Skills Set. It's a phonics-based program that makes reading fun, motivating your child to read through play. It covers skills from pre-K through Second grade. In this episode, My New Life host Jessica Rolph talks with Sprout Labs CEO Carla Small about the neuroscience behind dyslexia, and why it has nothing to do with reversing letters. Carla and Dr. Nadine Gaab created EarlyBird, an early literacy assessment used in school districts nationwide. Mentioned in this episode: Brought to you by Lovevery.com SproutLabs.com Receive weekly emails about your child's development, and stay in the know about new play essentials, promos, and more by signing up at Lovevery.com Follow Lovevery and Jessica Rolph on Instagram
This bonus episode features an interview with Spencer Russell, the dad behind Toddlers Can Read. Spencer struggled to learn to read as a kid, so when it came time to choose a career, he set out to help others avoid the same experience and took a job with Teach for America, continuing as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher in Houston, Texas. When he started teaching, Spencer's students were scoring well below average on national standardized tests. But by the time he stepped away from the profession, 60% of his students advanced 1.5 years in their reading skills, and over half scored at or above the 82nd percentile, earning him national recognition. After becoming a parent, Spencer focused on his son, teaching him letter sounds at 18 months. By 2 years old, his son was reading on his own! Which is the genesis of Spencer's program, Toddlers Can Read. So effective are his tips for teaching reading, his social channels have over half-a-billion views. We at Lovevery teamed up with Spencer to create the best at-home reading program in the world, The Reading Skills Set.
Math is all around us. When it comes to teaching it, the challenge lies not in creating the opportunities, but in recognizing them. Counting grapes while they disappear is a fun one! Around the age of 4, a child's mathematical knowledge takes a big leap forward. They go from counting and recognizing numbers, to understanding 1:1 correspondence and being able to complete simple addition. As parents, we can support them in this leap by providing things to count, line up, and compare. Lovevery's Montessori Math Bars & Number Tiles for months 43-45 are a great place to start. On this episode, My New Life Host Jessica Rolph is joined by the principal investigator for Boston College's Thinking and Learning Lab, which studies cognitive development with a primary focus on mathematical knowledge: Dr. Elida Laski. Dr. Laski is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Montessori Research.
The Montessori method is rooted in the idea that children can—and should—be empowered to do things on their own. On this episode of My New Life, we consider handwriting through a Montessori lens. But how much independence can we truly expect from a child who is forming words on paper for the first time? You may be surprised to learn that a toddler can start practicing handwriting as early as age 3. It all comes down to building the foundations through play! Host Jessica Rolph is joined by Julia Volkman, who wrote her thesis at Harvard on the moveable alphabet. Julia, founder of Maitri Learning, says writing comes online for developing brains before reading.
Even if your 3-year-old can recite their ABCs like a pro, they'll need to learn that spoken words are made up of individual sounds to succeed at reading. Hands-on activities that build this kind of phonemic awareness — and reinforce the connection between letter sounds and letter shapes — are the best way to teach them what they need to know. As with all kinds of hands-on learning, Montessori is a great place to start! Did you know that in Montessori classrooms, children learn to spell before they learn to read? Word building with the moveable alphabet is at the heart of this process. In this first episode in the Montessori series, My New Life Host Jessica Rolph is joined by Laura Saylor, co-author of Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom.