Imagination in the Young Child

Imagination is the ability to visualize something that is not physically present.

Infants have little, if any, imagination. If the familiar is gone, distress and tears usually follow. A new situation, such as being left alone, can be painful to the child until the child learns that this situation is safe or parents return.

Experiences, positive and negative, create a certain level of expectation in the young child. The child is learning: If I'm hungry, will there be food? If I'm tired, will I be able to rest peacefully? If I'm wet and uncomfortable, will someone come and change me? Experiences create what the child can visualize with objects not being in sight.

As a child's basic needs are met, or not met as the case may be, the child learns to picture things that are not with him or her. The child learns that food appears when he cries, at predictable times or haphazardly. As physical needs are met, the toddler begins to learn to imagine.

Imagination in the child under six is experience-driven. To help the child build correct images of the world in his or her mind, reality and language content around those experiences need to be accurate.

We can be of great assistance to the young child by giving them fact-and reality-based experiences involving all senses—seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling.

Until about age seven the child is in a sensitive period of growth for taking in information. The child's mind perceives every event as real. For example, the emotional and mental impact of seeing violence on television or video games affects the child's brain as if the incident had occurred right in front of the child. The child's mind cannot differentiate between real and make-believe. A murder on the T.V. screen is perceived as real.

The young child needs a diet of accurate information and facts in order to help the imagination develop effectively. After age seven, learning is fueled by the imagination. As adults, we must draw on our imaginations to decide the lives we want to live. These seeds of imagination in the young child need to be protected and nurtured.

We protect the child from violence and hostile images. We use the right word for objects in the child's environment. Water is not ''wa-wa.'' A rubber duck is not a ''duckie-poo.'' We model acceptable behavior with our movements and our words.

We can nurture the imagination with a fun and simple game called ''What's Missing?'' To play, gather six to ten small items: for example, a comb, a pencil, a fork, a spoon, a clothespin and an eraser. Name each item with the children, so they will know the correct names. Ask the children to turn around or hide their eyes for ten seconds by counting to ten. For an added challenge count in another language, or lengthen attention by counting to twenty or thirty.

While the children are looking away, take one item and hide it behind your back. Ask, ''What's missing?''

If the children have difficulty, bring the item out and say, ''The comb was missing. Let's do another object.''

Most children from age 2 1/2 to 6 years love this game and will play everyday for months with a variety of items. Increase the number of items every few days, or take multiple items away to increase the level of difficulty. Kit Carson, of Pony Express fame, purportedly could recall a hundred items after viewing them for one minute. That's imagination!

The imagining mind of the child younger than six years needs to be nurtured and protected. We need to protect the child from hurtful and violent incidents, real or make-believe. The child needs accurate experiences and correct language to nourish imagination. We need to offer games like ''What's missing?'' to help the child learn to visualize things that are not physically present.

A vivid and accurate imagination will help our children design and create a marvelous life with the resources they have available.

Next week: The Positive Psychology of Childhood

This is the seventh in a series of articles focusing on a child's perspective.

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

Ask your local newspaper to carry Kids Talk. Call, write or e-mail your local newspaper editor and recommend Kids Talk.

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©2006 KIDS TALK™
25877 East Bright Avenue
Welches, OR 97067
503.550.3143
maren@kidstalknews.com

Kids Talk is published in conjunction with Scribe Marketing

Ten Little Words

As soon as my southern drawl is detected, I am usually greeted with something like, "Aren't you from the South? Southerners are so polite.'' Folks from all over the world marvel at our use of ''Yes, ma'am'' and ''No, sir.''

My imagination is not large enough to consider growing up and not saying ''Yes, ma'am.'' As I entered my teen-age years, I found that among my peers saying ''please'' and ''thank you'' was reserved only for authority figures. The older I got, the everyday grace and courtesy of saying a few kind words seemed to all but disappear.

Twenty-five years ago, I made a radical departure from my Southern roots. Instead of teaching my children ''yes, ma'am'' and ''no, sir,'' we used the phrases, ''yes, please'' and ''no, thank you,'' as I considered these words to show regard across intergenerational lines. My desire was for these phrases to communicate respect and kindness not only to elders but also to family members, friends and associates for a lifetime.

Being savvy in the social graces is called emotional or social intelligence. Emotional awareness and interpersonal skills are seen as significant factors in successful relationships of all kinds. Knowing the right word to say at the right time to the right person--well, wouldn't that be fabulous?

Stephen Covey in The 8th Habit says that when he visits with children he encourages them to learn ten words, or four phrases. When used in a desire to be of service to others, these words will help guarantee that the children will get what they want from other people.

Covey's four phrases are--please; thank you; I love you; and, how may I help?

Ten amazing words. When we use these words, the rough edges of a situation seem to go smooth.

Next time you are in line at the grocery store or fast food restaurant, notice how many people say please and thank you, how can I help, and I appreciate you (which is a way to say I love you to those who need it but whom we might not know that well).

There are times we might be lucky enough to hear all four phrases at once.

It was a late jammed packed holiday shopping night when the discount store's computer system decided not to accept any credit cards from the long lines of customers. Tempers flared, while customers and clerks looked worse for wear by the second. I thought it might be best to leave, quickly.

From the back of the lines, a man's voice, an alto tenor, a Nat King Cole kind of voice, began to rise over the grumbling.

''Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm...''

With a few notes, we all remembered the important stuff of life. ''All is bright, '' we joined in.

By the end of the first verse, the computer systems didn't magically start working again, but all was calm. Everybody was smiling at everybody else.

How effectively this gentleman communicated please, thank you, how may I help and I love you.

Let's teach our children and ourselves to use these four phrases, these ten little words, on a daily basis. We could change the world.

Next week: Imagination in the Young Child

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

Ask your local newspaper to carry Kids Talk. Call, write or e-mail your local newspaper editor and recommend Kids Talk.

Would you like to send Kids Talk to friends and family or receive Kids Talk e-mail updates in your own inbox? Sign up for FREE here:
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©2006 KIDS TALK™
25877 East Bright Avenue
Welches, OR 97067
503.550.3143
maren@kidstalknews.com

Kids Talk is published in conjunction with Scribe Marketing

Children Seek to Create a Flow of Activity

Up. Down. Up. Down. Eight-month-old Dana stood holding onto the coffee table doing deep knee bends. Day after day, over two hundred at a time, perhaps thousands a day.

In amazement, I watched as Dana tirelessly exercised. There was no way I could do a thousand deep knee bends in a day, or at least get out of bed the next day.

Mentioning Dana's gymnastics to my mother, she told me ''It won't be long before she walks.''

Mom was right. Dana was walking within two weeks.

Young children repeat an activity over and over again for several reasons: to perfect the movement, to create learning and knowledge within that activity or to gain a natural high or an ''in the zone'' feeling of perfecting a challenging skill.

When given the opportunity to repeat self-selected activities, children under the age of six will do so until there is some inner satisfaction of accomplishment.

Researchers who look at learning see this repetition of challenging activity as being in ''flow.'' True learning occurs at all ages as we grasp a new skill or concept and then repeat the experience--be it riding a bike or doing a division problem. True learning occurs at that moment when we finally ''get it'' and can repeat an activity independently.

As we get older, starting at around age six, we continue to create moments of deep satisfaction through learning new activities, but we require a novel twist to create the challenge that will put us back in the zone.

The key to learning for the older child, and for the adult, is to present activities with an added twist or challenge, building upon previous learning while creating a satisfying flow of activity.

For example, perhaps we start to learn to shoot baskets with the hoop lowered. Little by little, we raise the hoop to standard height. We might begin shooting free throws in front of the line, stepping back day-by-day until we can shoot from the line. Adding challenge incrementally and spicing things up by using different methods keep us in a flow of activity that makes learning a new skill exciting and rewarding.

As adults, we are responsible for challenging ourselves. As we become more responsible and self-directed in our learning and personal growth, we need to remain committed to personal development and learning. Not being open to new experiences causes us to become bored, depressed and discontented.

Young children show us the way to create a pattern of challenging growth for a lifetime. That template looks something like this:

1. Choose an activity.
2. Repeat it until you ''get it'' and can do it easily.
3. Once you master an activity, repeat it often in order to solidify learning and create the ''flow zone'' for learning.
4. To create new learning, add variety and challenges to mastered skills.
5. The more time you spend in zone, the more apt you are to have the confidence to take on larger or more difficult situations.

Athletes, such as runners, experience being in the zone or in flow usually after only twenty minutes of activity. To add to their personal best, athletes challenge themselves by trying to go faster, longer, stronger or higher than before. Understanding that repeated activity leads to learning and self-satisfaction helped an athletic shoe company pick their slogan of ''Just Do It.'' That's how we learn and enlarge our experiences; we just have to do it.

As you watch your youngster repeat activities, remember that this is how we learn. The successful repetition of challenging activities is the way our children lay a foundation for a lifetime of fun-filled learning.

Next week: Ten Little Words

This is the sixth in a series of articles focusing on a child's perspective.

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

Ask your local newspaper to carry Kids Talk. Call, write or e-mail your local newspaper editor and recommend Kids Talk.

Would you like to send Kids Talk to friends and family or receive Kids Talk e-mail updates in your own inbox? Sign up for FREE here:
Click here for a free subscription.

©2006 KIDS TALK™
25877 East Bright Avenue
Welches, OR 97067
503.550.3143
maren@kidstalknews.com

Kids Talk is published in conjunction with Scribe Marketing

A Child's Actions Are Development Driven

''What's that? What's that?'' two-year-old Joshua asked about every new person, place, item or sound encountered on a shopping excursion. Tim and Marcy, Joshua's parents, began to realize that their hopes for a conversation or a cup of coffee on this outing were futile. Joshua's behavior made it truly ''out of the question.''

Joshua fussed to get out of his stroller, and as soon as he was free to walk, he ran towards items of interest. As soon as his ''What's that?'' question was answered, off he went in another direction in pursuit of the next novel experience. Trying to keep up with Joshua exhausted Tim and Marcy.

As we watch our children, we can see that they are attracted to activities in these five areas: language; movement; sensory perception; understanding of the order of people, places and things; and developing social skills and relationships.

These five time-sensitive areas for learning in the child create a driving force for the child's actions, demeanor and conduct. When we can recognize these forces of development within the child, we can be of genuine assistance as the child creates his or her unique personality and grows into an individual who contributes to the whole.

When we consider Joshua's behavior by looking at these five sensitive periods of learning for the child between birth and age six, we begin to see how a child's actions are based on these distinct developmental needs.

With Joshua's ''What's that?'' question, we can see his need to learn new vocabulary while understanding the order of these new items and how they relate to his previous experiences. Joshua frequently would continue asking ''What's that?'' until a color was named, thus helping him learn the words for various colors.

Joshua had a need to move as he ran to see new things. Being a quiet observer was not part of Joshua's learning style. Joshua's shopping trip helped broaden his social experience, as well as strengthen his relationship with his parents as he learned to trust their input.

Frustrated and tired after this shopping expedition with Joshua, Tim and Marcy had almost decided not to take Joshua on any more outings. When they discovered that Joshua's behavior was driven by his natural development to acquire critical skills, Tim and Marcy took a fresh approach to family excursions.

Instead of trying to include Joshua on their errands, Marcy and Tim decided to design outings that would focus on Joshua's need to have experiences that aided language, movement, sensory skills, social development and understanding of the order of the world.

Tim and Marcy, instead of being impatient with what could be seen as Joshua's demands, refocused on Joshua's conduct as exploration necessary for him to build new skills.

Tim and Marcy learned to see situations from the viewpoint of a child, a child trying to create his unique personality. This perspective helped Tim and Marcy anticipate Joshua's behavior in various situations. When they saw Joshua's behavior as a way to meet his learning needs, family outings became fun for everyone. On the outings when they found time to sip lattes, Tim and Marcy enjoyed discussing Joshua's progress, instead of complaining about his behavior.

Next Week: A Child Seeks to Create a Flow of Activity

This is the fifth in a series of articles focusing on a child's perspective.

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

Ask your local newspaper to carry Kids Talk. Call, write or e-mail your local newspaper editor and recommend Kids Talk.

Would you like to send Kids Talk to friends and family or receive Kids Talk e-mail updates in your own inbox? Sign up for FREE here:
Click here for a free subscription.

©2006 KIDS TALK™
25877 East Bright Avenue
Welches, OR 97067
503.550.3143

maren@kidstalknews.com

Kids Talk is published in conjunction with Scribe Marketing

The Child Has Time-Sensitive Opportunities for Growth

''No.''

If we could have one word to associate with a two-year-old, it would be the word ''no.''

When a two-year-old realizes that he or she has the power to decide by saying a simple ''yes'' or ''no,'' we can observe a time-sensitive period in a child's development. Establishing independence around age two and exerting a self-directed will are an inherent growth pattern in all of us.

We can expect two-year-olds to express their wills both verbally and physically. This expression is part of the natural human process of realizing that you are an individual, with particular needs. Around age six, children begin to develop a sense of belonging to a group and become aware that the group has specific needs and desires, outside each individual. Until that juncture in development, it is unrealistic for us to expect a child to understand others' needs.

There are natural times in a person's life when learning about how to become an individual, how to walk, how to talk and how to become part of a group are part of the innate process of human development. When a person fails to acquire certain skills at these important times, the effects can have long-term significance.

We know that if a child doesn't speak by the age of six, the chances are the child will never speak. This is due to a sensitive period of language development in children from birth to the age of six.

Before the age of six, children are in a period of growth when learning appears effortless. The child absorbs information and learns from interactions with the world. We don't have to teach a child how to walk or talk because of these instinctive periods of development for language and movement.

Through their sixth year, children are in five developmental periods. What are these periods of growth and how can we support this development?

We can support this time of learning by being aware that this developmental growth is driving children's behavior. As we watch our children, we can see that they are attracted to activities in these five areas:

1. Language
2. Movement
3. Sensory perception
4. Understanding of the order of people, places and things
5. Developing social skills and relationships

Children are drawn to activities that help them create language, both spoken and written. They are acquiring motor skills, both large and small, and have a need to be involved in actions that use their whole body and/or hands. Hand and eye coordination are developing, along with the senses of taste, smell and touch.

Understanding what noises to pay attention to is also part of children's normal process. For example, the child is learning to discern which is more important, the voices on the television or the adults in the room?

Understanding the order to everyday life, the significance of people in the child's life and the physical orderliness of the surrounding world guides the child's behavior, and a disruption in that perceived order could create disturbances in the child's behavior.

The child is interested in how to interact with others and easily learns a multitude of socials skills, such as saying ''please'' and ''thank you.'' The child is also creating a foundation for interpersonal relationships, while learning how to treat family and close friends.

These five time-sensitive areas for learning in the child create a driving force for the child's actions, demeanor and conduct. When you can recognize these forces of development within the child, you can be of genuine assistance as the child creates his or her unique personality and becomes an individual who contributes to the whole.

Next week: A Child's Actions Are Developmentally Driven

This is the fourth in a series of articles focusing on a child's perspective.

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

Ask your local newspaper to carry Kids Talk. Call, write or e-mail your local newspaper editor and recommend Kids Talk.

Would you like to send Kids Talk to friends and family or receive Kids Talk e-mail updates in your own inbox? Sign up for FREE here:
Click here for a free subscription.

©2006 KIDS TALK™
25877 East Bright Avenue
Welches, OR 97067
503.550.3143
maren@kidstalknews.com

Kids Talk is published in conjunction with Scribe Marketing

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