Then I stumble on a technique as an afterthought and I am surprised about how it strikingly sticks in their minds. The first example was with my Sunday school class. We had a lesson last week about gratitude and I taught the story of the 10 lepers. I can't get away with just re-telling a story with my group of 4-5 year olds. I'll start and then a hand is raised and we are derailed by someone's dog that likes to eat ladybugs. So to get their attention I used hole protector stickers. Every kid got to put one on each finger to pretend each finger was a leper. Then they took all the stickers off to pretend all 10 lepers were healed. This week they were all able to tell me the story again. Turns out stickers make a big impact. When you want their attention, use stickers.
The second situation has to do with swimming. It took me a long time to learn to swim as a kid. I didn't want it to take that long for Charlotte. She took swim lessons every day for a month (2 sessions lasting 2 weeks). She was not what I would say an energetic learner. In fact she had to re-take level one after the first session. Then I found out that she desperately wanted swim goggles when we walked by them in the grocery store one day. I didn't want to buy them right then so I threw out, "You can have some when you can pick up the rings from the pool with your eyes open." I know, that's a weird goal, which I had no way to ensure she'd achieved, but it was unexpectedly very effective. Last Friday was the end of her swim session and she managed to pass her level 1 class. They said she was ready for level 2. (Though after a month of swim lessons we are all ready for a bit of a break.) That's why she got to have these babies:
(They even have interchangeable star shapes. The other ones are green.)
4 comments:
Yay, for Charolette and swimming lessons! That picture of her in her goggles made me laugh :)
Swimming is fun and a safety measure for kids.
g-jane
She looks just like a mermaid
Awesome,!!!!!
Great idea on the class,to.
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