The Power of Pre-Teaching

A walnut orchard at Ardenwood Farms.

The topic for our Mother Goose Time curriculum this month is In the Orchard.  We are out of town visiting family right now so we won't be starting our daily lessons until we get home but I have still been able to introduce the topic while we are gone in order to lay a foundation for when we start learning in earnest.  We are traveling through central California, an area renowned for its orchards. We were able to actually visit a walnut orchard and we have driven by acres and acres of lemon groves.  I used these quick little experiences to explain what an orchard was to Miss M.  Pre-teaching sets the groundwork so she already has an idea of what we are talking about and can move more easily to grasping the new concepts that are introduced.  Mother Goose Time teaches not only academic concepts but also gives children foundational information for later experiences.

This is important not only for academics but also for social and emotional development.  When children have good foundational information, they can spend their physical, mental and emotional energy in other areas.  It can help ease anxiety and decrease behavior issues, as well as making it easier and faster to pick up important academic skills because they don't have to spend that energy on learning the carrier information.  This is especially important for children who struggle with learning impairments, language disorders or who may be on the autism spectrum.

To give an example, Miss M had her first dental appointment a couple of months ago.  In order to prepare her, I pointed out the office when we walked past after Littlest's well child check up (they are in the same building) and talked about how the doctors in that office checked your teeth to make sure they were healthy and strong.  Daniel Tiger has a couple episodes where he talks about brushing his teeth so we watched those and talked more about taking care of our teeth and what would happen at the dentist office.  While brushing her teeth, I had her lie down so I could look in her mouth and explained that the dentist and his helper would do this as well.  I made sure she had the vocabulary she needed to understand what was happening and told her step by step what she would be doing. When her appointment came, she was a little nervous but complied with the staff and didn't get upset or scared.

Pre-teaching is helpful and can be as easy as pointing and describing, like I did with the lemon groves.  You can also check out books on the subject at the library, watch YouTube videos or take field trips or tours (especially helpful if your child will be seeing a new health care provider).  You don't have to spend days or even hours pre-teaching, although it is helpful for some children to have daily reminders of new activities they will be participating in in the near future.  Make a list of any special words/vocabulary that the child may not know yet (like dentist, hygienist, X-ray for the dental appointment example) and write down the steps of what will happen, if you are pre-teaching for an experience.  Try to look at the subject or experience through the eyes of a child and identify those points that are critical for understanding that child may not yet understand.  Review these points with your child, using pictures if possible, and you will be setting a great foundation.

An InLinkz Link-up