“Principal Thoughts” is hosted by the founder and principal of Shelanti Private School Deirdre Kempen.
We would love to hear from you. Send your questions, thoughts, suggestions or experiences to principal@shelantiprivateschool.co.za
Physical and Motor Development – School Readiness
In this article we will be exploring the importance of Physical and Motor Development for school readiness.
Physical development is the development of body, brain, muscles and senses. Physical development determines a learner’s ability to explore his environment. It influences cognitive development, social development and emotional development.
Motor development consists of both gross-motor skills and fine motor skills.
Gross-motor skills involve the mastery of large muscle movements as well as the building of strength in muscle groups like the arms, legs, and core. Why is this an important element of school readiness?
Fine-motor academic skills refer to the small muscles in the hands. Why is this an important element of school readiness?
Gross Motor Skills
- Trampoline
- Hopscotch
- Martial Arts Classes
- Playground Play
- Balloon and Bubble Play
- Tricycles, Scooters and Pedal Cars
- Dancing
- Obstacle Courses
Fine Motor Skills
- Play dough
- Puzzles
- Drawing, colouring in and painting
- Using kitchen tongs or tweezers
- Cutting with scissors
- Bath time play
- Sand play
- Opening and closing of lids
- Art with macaroni, beans, peas
- Finger paint
- Threading
- watering plants
Language Development – School Readiness
Language Development
Parents often struggle with the question of when their child is school-ready. In my experience of many years of teaching at an inclusive teaching school, the one thing I can say with certainty is that there is no “one size fits all” answer. Some parents think it’s a question of maturity; others that their child should be able to recognise numbers and letters, but this is actually a very small part of it.
Let’s look at core aspects of school readiness.
- Language Development
- Physical & Motor Development
- Cognition
- Emotional & Social Development
- Approaches to Learning
Below is a visual representation
A guide to School Readiness
This week we will delve into Language Development which is one of the core skills that needs to be in place before entering formal schooling. When talking about Language Development we need to consider three aspects:
- Receptive Language (understanding)
- Expressive language (using language)
- Articulation (pronunciation of sounds in words)
Receptive language is the understanding of spoken language. Receptive language is the first communication skill a child learns. From the womb babies respond to familiar sounds and voices. Receptive language can also be seen as the input of language.
Why is this important at school? It is important in order to:
- communicate successfully
- follow instructions
- learn sounds, then build words
- access the curriculum successfully
- engage in activities and academic activities
- respond appropriately
Difficulties with receptive language may lead to concentration and language difficulties and behavioural issues. It can also lead to difficulties in forming friendships.
Expressive language is a very broad term. In short, it refers to the child’s ability to use language to communicate thoughts, feelings and ideas. Expressive language skill is one of the most powerful predictors of a child’s ability to learn to read and succeed at school. A child with a limited vocabulary will find it difficult to write good sentences, produce creative writing pieces and deliver orals of good quality.
Articulation: Articulation can be described as the act of speaking clearly. It is important to be able to pronounce sounds, words and sentences clearly in order to be easily interpreted and understood by others. Unclear speech can impact significantly on how well a child interacts with adults and peers, and can affect the development of language and social skills. A child who is having difficulties being understood can become frustrated and angry, which may lead to behavioral issues. It also impacts self-esteem, self-confidence, reading and writing. Articulation is also important in literacy skills such as reading and the correct spelling of words.
What can I, as a parent, do?
Research demonstrates the importance of a rich environment for infants. Infants’ brains are developing rapidly, and that brain development is strongly influenced by what is going on around them. The more that these infants are embedded in a complex language environment, the more that their language abilities develop. That early development gives them a huge advantage as they start school. You, as parents, are therefore the primary source of this development.
- Tell stories
- Read stories
- Encourage curiosity
- Have conversations
- I spy….
- Encourage full sentences
- Expect more: don’t use baby language
- Talk, talk, talk (also listen)
- Encourage an opinion
- Take trips and do research prior to the trip
- Have discussions
- Model a rich vocabulary
- Play magic bag: describe what you feel, give clues about the bag.
Deidre’s letter to pupils
This week I want to dedicate my letter to all the learners of Shelanti Private School.
The teachers of Shelanti are incredibly proud of you.
We know the past couple of weeks haven’t been easy. You had to adjust to a new routine and structure and for some of you is has been really difficult. Suddenly, you can’t spend time with your friends, get a hug from your teacher or attend any of the extra-mural activities that you love.
Your home became your school and your parents your teachers. This has been incredibly hard as mom and dad still needed to work and maintain the household. In addition, some of you have siblings, demanding more time from your parents and play dates are out of the question.
You are expected to sit in front of a screen and have the same dedication, enthusiasm and work-ethic that would be expected from you, if your teachers were there to guide and encourage you.
We also acknowledge that some days are just too hard and that it all seems too much.
At Shelanti, you have been taught that with perseverance, grit and hard work you can overcome anything. That when things get tough, you can make good choices.
Just remember that we are still here, still planning and creating inspiring lessons for you. You are the reason that we will be here, for as long as it takes, and we will do whatever is needed to get you through this.
Covid-19 will be written in History books and in years to come you will be able to tell your own story.
May your story be one of bravery and grit.
Hang in there.
A letter from the Principal
Have you ever thought who you would take with if you, should you be stranded on a deserted island? You would likely choose people with a specific skill set, that would be most advantageous to the rest of the group. Skills that would ensure not only the survival of the group, but also ensure that they all thrive.
We cannot predict how we will act in extreme and testing times, but what we can do, is choose those who we surround ourselves with.
In the past couple of weeks, I have been both proud and humbled by my Staff’s dedication to the learners and parents of Shelanti. The staff planned, prior to Shelanti closing for the holidays, for online teaching and any eventuality. They spent two additional days at school, planning, testing and retesting our platforms. They started teaching online from the 6th of April from 8:00 to 14:00.
They are doing this despite being single parents, having their own children that need to learn online, coping with their own anxieties and running a household. They have acquitted themselves admirably! In addition, they communicate with one another as a group, and make allowances for those learners who are anxious and uncertain about online learning.
To every staff member of Shelanti Private School, I am PROUD to call you my family, my people.
Kind Regards
Humanity vs Adversity
Who would’ve thought when we started 2020, that we would face one of the biggest health crises the world has ever seen? This virus reminds us that we are all equal, regardless of culture, religion, occupation or financial status. It reminds us that we are all connected and of how precious our health is. It brought our families home and reminded us of the things we have been neglecting.
I have been in awe, during the first few days of lockdown, of how creative, flexible and innovative we as humans are. You only need to look on social media to see how people are finding creative ways to sustain their income. From our own home-grown DJ doing shows online, to small businesses taking off and delivering fruit, veggies and meat to your door. This crisis forced all of us to step out of our comfort zone, think outside the box and venture into previously uncharted waters.
It’s also as if humanity and kindness has returned. Never has there been the support that most animal welfare organisations experienced. People willing to foster hundreds of animals within 3 days. Something not seen in 64 years. People offering food to others who don’t have, money to pay rent and prayer for those on the frontlines of this pandemic. There are thousands more examples of this on social media.
Humans can never be the same again. We can never treat nature the way we have been. Our footprint is evident now that nature can just be. Changes need to be made.
It is also a time that will define all of us. In the words of Charles Dickenson:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
As a staff we are keenly aware of that fact that some parents feel overwhelmed, are single parents, have financial pressure, have more than one child to homeschool, must work from home and keep the household going while doing all of this. The only assurance I can give you is that we are here for you every step of the way. We are a family of people with one goal in mind and that is to see this through and be victorious in the end.