Splashing Summer with Conversation

As we get ready to take on summer there is such an exciting feeling that the sun will come out and shine down lots of fun for all of us. We are preparing to soak it all up and really make this summer the best yet with lots of laughs and learning.

I am so excited to dive in and really create a summer of fun memories for my students. Some students will be traveling to visit family and see different parts of Colorado and other states. I want to take students on animal safaris, underwater with sharks, and dig deep for dinosaur fossils. Summer will be lots of fun spent learning about multiple topics from different parts of the world.

While children are creating memories within the classroom, there is a lot of conversation to be had with your child that can extend the lessons that they are learning at school. We try to make sure that parents know what the weekly lesson topics are.

A few places you can find updated information are located in the classroom where the entire lesson is posted, the hallway where the theme is announced, and daily updates are sent through LifeCubby. We want to make it easy for you to know what your child is learning at school so that you can carry on conversations with your child to make meaningful connections about their day.

When picking up your child from care, having discussions with them about what they learned at school is so exciting! You may find out something you didn’t even know! How awesome is it, that simply asking about your child’s day could result in full conversations about new topics that you might now discuss on the regularly. It could lead to you discovering common interests you may have with your child that you could explore together and activities you might want to recreate at home.

Some ways to help spark the conversation about your child’s day could include:

• Asking open ended and specific questions. Simply asking, “How was school” may not get in depth conversations. Asking “ During centers, what was something that you really enjoyed, was it about dinosaurs today?” Getting your child to focus specifically on one moment of their day will help them to remember details and really be able to discuss with you what was going on at that moment.
• Talk about their masterpieces! Check those folders and discover all the amazing wonders and ideas that are going on in your child’s mind! Take time to discuss their artwork at great lengths. Ask multiple questions about what they have taken time to create and are so excited to show you. Even when the picture might not make sense or look “perfect” to you, ask them anyway! Trust me, they remember what they drew, they know and will be excited to share the details with you.
• Let them stall at bedtime. Yes, I know when you say its bedtime, its bedtime. But sometimes bending the rules a bit for good conversations is okay, right? If your child is cuddled up to you as your saying goodnight and their busy mind has slowed down a bit, it could be a small window of quiet conversation to talk about their day. Getting a little chance to have your child open up for a bit and discuss the fun that they had is worth the extra 5 minutes before they fall asleep.

Lets all take the opportunity to make this the best summer ever and really connect with our children! Having meaningful and memorable conversations with them is a great way to start!

-Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Instruction Coordinator
Young Scholars Academy