Today was a big day. This morning my mother in law came up and went to Scott's 2 month check up with me. He is actually 9 weeks and 1 day old today, but it was for his 2 month check up. He weighs a whopping 13 lbs 3 oz and is 23 inches long. He is in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height, same as last time for the percentiles. He had 3 shots today :( poor baby, but he was actually really good. He actually rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time today right there in front of the doctor!!! It was so awesome!
My mother in law then watched Scott while I went to Olivia's parent/teacher conference with her preschool teacher. I had some concerns that I wanted to talk to her about, but she kind of surprised me. I was worried that Olivia was not yet recognizing her letters and numbers or differentiating between a letter and a number, but she told me that they aren't even working on letters and numbers, that is next school year in the 4 year old program. They do work on letters and numbers in her little school, but that is a combination of 3, 4 and 5 year olds, so there is nothing to worry about there. The preschool program for 3 year olds work on:
Cognitive: colors, shapes, name recognition, rote counting 1-10, number recognition 1-5, and classifying. Olivia is doing well with this and recognizes her name every morning and knows the letter "O" and she is good with the grouping etc.
Gross motor: running, climbing, jumping, throwing, catching, hopping. Olivia is doing well in this as well and has gym every Tuesday which she loves.
Fine Motor: cutting, pasting, puzzles, crayon and pencil grasp, stringing objects, lacing objects, playdough, coloring, finger painting/painting, finger plays. Olivia is doing well here, needs some work in some areas. Needs to work on how to hold the pencil correctly and cutting, but nothing major.
Social & Emotional Skills: self control, co-operation, interacting in group situations. The teacher said Olivia has come a long way here, which surprised me b/c I didn't really know there was an issue, but she does lose her temper easily when something doesn't go her way or she gets frustrated when she can't do something, but the teacher said that she has made great progresssince she started.
Work Habits: listening attentively, following directions and completing projects and tasks. Olivia is doing well here.
Language Skills: songs & rhymes, circle time discussions, recalling story facts, sharing experiences and building vocabulary. The teacher said Olivia really excels here and has a great vocabulary and speaks extremely well and intelligently. She also noticed how when you read her a story, Olivia really likes to read the story then back to you and can remember facts of the story even after only hearing it once which is exactly what she does with Erik and me when we read to her each night.
I was happy to hear she was doing well and that I was worried about the letters and numbers for no reason. She will get there. The teacher also reminded me, which I seem to forget, that Olivia is very young and one of the youngest in her class. She just turned 3 last month and most of the children were already 3 when they started in September. There are kids now turning 4 this month since it is a new year and Olivia is just now 3. She was potty trained early and went through huge triumphs this past summer with the potty training, moving into a big girl bed, getting rid of her pacifier and learning that she was going to be a big sister, so I am very proud of her and I just need to learn not to push her and realize she is still just a little girl!
The teacher also reminded me of what children CAN'T do...yet:
They can't share: even though we burn into their brains & continually repeat that word "share", they don't. Children use possession of objects as a device to understand autonomy. Just as babbling comes before talking, so owning comes before sharing. To share fully, a child must first fully possess.
They can't say, "I'm sorry" and mean it. Saying "I'm sorry" has little meaning to the young child. To say "I'm sorry" & understand what you are saying, you must also be able to understand how the other person feels.
They can't remember what you told them. Most children remember only what is important to them. A child may not remember that you just told them to walk and not run while indoors. Adults often forget that children have trouble remembering.
They can't focus on more than one task at a time. "Pick up your toys, put on your shoes, & wash your face; we are going out to play". This command has 3 more tasks than a young child is able to focus on. Most young children will remember the last task or the task most important to them. With above command, all the child may focus on is that he or she is going out to play.
They can't measure. When you want a child to pour a glass of milk or juice & you hand them a full pitcher, expect the child to pour all the milk into the glass, even if it pours all over the floor or table. Young children do not understand that all of the milk will not fit into the glass & so keep pouring until it's too late.
They can't tell you the truth when you set them up. If you see a child do something inappropriate, & you ask if they have done it, the child will probably deny it. Don't ask the child if you know what happened. That only sets them up for failure.
They can't sit still for very long. Young children are often told to sit still while their bodies are telling them to move. When the large muscles in a preschoolers arms & legs are growing rapidly, they cry out for exercise. As a result, preschoolers feel a need to move about.
They can't play with other children until they are ready. Children go through different stages of social interaction. If allowed to grow at their own pace, they will begin to interact with other children when they are ready.
They can't tell the difference between reality & fantasy. When a child has a bad dream, it is very real to them. Telling a child not to be a "baby" does not help. Playing fantasy is real for the child & very important for control & development.
They can't express themselves in words very well. Children resort to physical means of communication because they often don't have the verbal skills to express furstration & other feelings. You can help by giving the child words to use.
They can't wait. Try not to put children in situations where they have to wait for long periods of time. Waiting often makes taking turns difficult.
They don't understand right and wrong. Because young children don't understand cause and effect relationships, they can't fully understand right and wrong. A young child does not understand intentional versus unintentional actions, can only see issues from their own perspective, and views issues as black and white.
They can't be ready until they are ready. Children all grow and develop at different rates. Don't compare children or force them to do things before they are ready.
