Christmas and its sensual richness and emotional warmth are full of learning opportunities that are as pure a celebration as can be. When parents base their approaches on activities that are age-related, they will be able to develop a sense of happiness in a family, but at the same time instill some of the skills that will make them become kindergarten-ready. This targeted focus of the involvement in the holiday is consistent with the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready philosophy, which regards learning as a part of meaningful experiences of the child. The festive season offers an ideal setting to test the skills that supplement the process of development that are structured in Kinder Ready Tutoring.
One of the pillars of the age-related celebration is the ability to use the senses and fine motor abilities of a child by means of straightforward crafting. Other actions, such as tying big beads to create ornaments, playing with cookie cutters in playdough, stamping and using stickers to decorate cards, etc., are festive, but on the other hand, they build hand strength, coordination, and pincer grip. It is a fine motor activity that is a direct antecedent to the writing preparation that is central to Kinder Ready Tutoring classes and is much treasured in the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready physical growth.
Another positive influence of the season is that it encourages sequencing, planning, and patience, which are major executive functions. With a simple Advent calendar with pictures or little items, one is able to teach counting down and delayed gratification in a tangible, everyday way. Engaging a child in the process of making simple cookies step by step (pour, mix, scoop) will ensure that they learn how to follow a sequence. Such activities develop the mental faculties of organisation and predictability, which are the core of the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley program and the essential key to classroom routine adherence.
The best opportunity to focus on such social-emotional skills as generosity, empathy, and gratitude is during Christmas. When a child is encouraged to assist in choosing or creating a gift for someone in the family, it is done so that they can think about another person. An act of charity, like picking food to give to people in need, brings the idea of community. Talking about emotions of happiness and thankfulness develops emotional vocabulary. This social mindfulness and empathy are part of the holistic development promoted by Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready and supported within the cooperative environment of Kinder Ready Tutoring.
Moreover, the holiday gives a good language background for developing stories and songs. Together reading classic Christmas stories and singing simple carols can improve the skills of listening, rhythm and vocabulary. Asking predictive questions about a story (“What do you think will happen to the little tree?), remembering the events of a favourite book, develops comprehension skills and narrative skills. Such a focus on collective literacy and verbal expression is an important part of the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley model of establishing a solid communication basis.
The families can make the holiday season magical and skill-centred by selecting joyful, manageable, and activity-centred activities, thus creating a developmentally beneficial holiday. These age-related celebrations support the main competencies of readiness in fine motor skills, executive functioning, social-emotional intelligence, and language, which are the same skills that are systematically developed by Kinder Ready Tutoring. This balance between celebration and learning is the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready vision, and the season makes sure that a child grows up confident, curious and a kind learner.
For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.
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