How to Engage your Child's Day

Many of you have expressed to me that your child really doesn't come home talking about school much at all. Children this age are very busy exploring, absorbing, and analyzing everything in their environment and do not generally seem to have a very good short-term memory because they are so busy processing all that they have experienced. It's really a massive amount of information so it is often difficult for them to recall specific events unless they really stand out. One of my parents commented recently that her son's memory only seems to kick in when he gets to the playground; he can remember every little thing that happened from that point on but cannot remember anything before that. This is a common phenomenon amongst preschool-aged children. Just like concentration and fine motor schools, memory needs to be "learned" and although much of this learning happens naturally, there are many simple techniques you can use to help boost your child's memory.

One technique that I recommend to help them learn to recall their day is by asking questions in "baby steps."  This can be started next week.  Ask your child one simple question about their day at their Montessori School that you know they will probably be able to answer - "What did you eat for lunch today?" The next week build on that question - "Who did you sit with at lunch today?" The next week - "Who did you play with on the playground?" The next week - "What was your favorite work from today?"  With a little patience, your child will eventually be able to discuss many events about their day and will be able to recall small details with much more ease. It will also help if you come in to observe and can use that information to ask questions.  

Wouldn't it be great if YOUR child asked these questions of you?

-Dragonfly Teacher