NUACHTÁN KINDER | June 2021
What is Creative Writing for Preschoolers
From the Academic Coordinators’ desk
Creative writing is a writing method that generates scenarios that are different from the usual ones. For children, it is very natural to elaborate stories allowing themselves to be carried away by their imagination. Thanks to this, they have a greater ability to reach the unexpected. Exercising a muscle that, as adults, will help them to solve problems and deal more audaciously with the surrounding reality.
Creativity is an inborn characteristic in children. But that does not mean that we should stop helping them to exercise and develop it.
I share and suggest ten exercises for children to improve their ability to write and create.
Exercise 1: Alternative endings.
Use known tales or stories or make up your own. The idea is to briefly tell the children a short story, from beginning to end. Then ask them to write a different ending to the one they have heard. Encourage them to make it very different and don’t be afraid to add an alternative ending to the story. Then, ask them to write a different ending to the one they have heard. Encourage them to make it differently and do not be afraid to put anything they can think of.
Exercise 2: Alternative beginnings.
Make up a different beginning to the story. We can also directly tell them the ending and ask them to elaborate on everything that happens before.
Exercise 3: Chain writing.
Hand out a sheet and a piece of paper with the beginning of a story, each child will continue to write whatever comes to mind. The last child will have to put an end to it.
Exercise 4: Joining stories.
Joining Stories is another creative writing exercise for children. In which the intervention will have to be larger or smaller depending on the age of the children. In this case, we will give them a sheet of paper. Then, we will ask them to write a short story in five minutes. When the time is up, we will ask the children to read their stories and build, together, a new one from what each one of them wrote.
Exercise 5: The bag of words.
Write several words on a piece of paper. Cut out and put in a bag or box, ask to take out some words. Once outside, they will write a story using them.
Exercise 6: Things that talk.
Ask the children to choose an object from those around them. On a sheet of paper, they will have to write the story about that object. As if the objects were the ones telling the story, and with as many details as possible.
Exercise 7: The three vignettes
Show the children a sequence of three vignettes without words. And ask them to write under each of them whatever is happening in order to elaborate a complete story.
Exercise 8: The world is magic!
Describe how your day has been. Include as many details as possible: what you did in the morning, what you had for breakfast, what activities you took part in, etc.
Turn everything you told into a magical story, adding all the fantastic elements that make it more fun.
Exercise 9: Inventing an animal
Make up an animal. Then, describe everything they can think of, in relation to its habitat, characteristics, food, etc.
Exercise 10: The theme park
Describe the concept surrounding a park: pirates, cowboys, aliens… The more imaginative the better! write down the attractions, characters and scenery of their park. Encourage them to create a real universe with experiences they would like to live.
Making Confident communicators
From the English Coordinator’s desk
PYP students learn to communicate confidently and creatively in more than one language, and with awareness of the power of language to have an impact on others. This is reflected in their language choices concerning style, tone, words, expression, gesture and how they relate to others.
Through language, students:
- express identity
- develop international mindedness
- become literate
- become effective inquirers
- communicate
With our Little Steps program from Cambridge, we encourage oracy.
Oracy is to speak what numeracy is to math or literacy to reading and writing.
It is our ability to speak confidently in a variety of situations, from presentations in front of an audience to participating in group discussions and collaborative activities.
Our oracy program developed with experts at Faculty of Education, Cambridge University focuses on helping very young learners to convey confidence when speaking to peers and adults.
The oracy activities are clearly labeled and include the following skills:
• Physical: Effective and appropriate expression and delivery (fluency, pace, voice projection, gestures and posture).
• Linguistic: Clear organization of thoughts.
• Cognitive: clarifying, asking questions.
• Social and emotional: Active listening and responding appropriately (turn-taking).
‘Dear community,
Creating confident communicators is a game changer for students.
When we hear children speaking, we can recognize their confidence on how well they transmit ideas. Some kids develop this ability faster than others and that is fine, the process of everyone must be respected.
Like Henry Ford said, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
It is important for our children to make mistakes and as their support we must help them to identify them, this will increase their confidence on themselves and acknowledge that making mistakes is a way to learn, as a part of the journey of speaking a second language.
Remember, a mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it.
With love, Miss Kari’
Bibliography:
Authentication Selector. (s. f.). Recuperado 13 de mayo de 2021, de https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/works/pyp_11162-51465?root=1.6.2.14.7&lang=en
Cita en el texto
Kaufmann, S. (2017, 24 marzo). Don’t Be Afraid To Make Mistakes When Learning A New Language. Recuperado 13 de mayo de 2021, de https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/steve-kaufmann/language-learning-tips_b_9526186.html
Research & Methodology | Product Details | Cambridge Little Steps | Young Learners. (s. f.). Recuperado 13 de mayo de 2021, de https://www.cambridge.org/us/cambridgeenglish/catalog/primary/cambridge-little-steps/product-details/research-methodology?
Use of Tablets and Cell Phones by children, is it convenient?
From Psychopedagogy’s desk
Keeping today’s children away from new technologies is totally unrealistic and unreasonable. They cannot conceive life without these devices, but adults must be responsible for setting limits on their use, in order to preserve their physical and emotional health in optimal conditions.
Nowadays, more than 90% of babies under 2 years of age have been in contact with these devices, and in most cases, parents use them to calm and distract their children while we try to have some silence at home, that is, they are a kind of glass pacifiers.
The following are a few recommendations to consider regarding the time of use of tablets and cell phones:
- In children under 2 years of age
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under 2 years of age should never be exposed to screens: no cell phones, tablets or televisions, not even to eat. At this age the child’s brain grows faster, and they need direct contact with people. Interaction and valuing the cause-effect that their gestures have on other people is crucial for their development. In addition, as if this were not enough, it will affect their sleep and attention, since the blue light emitted by the screens affects the melanin produced by the body to be able to sleep well.
- In children between 2 and 5 years of age
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under 2 years of age should never be exposed to screens: no cell phones, tablets or televisions, not even to eat. At this age the child’s brain grows faster, and they need direct contact with people. Interaction and valuing the cause-effect that their gestures have on other people is crucial for their development. In addition, as if this were not enough, it will affect their sleep and attention, since the blue light emitted by the screens affects the melanin produced by the body to be able to sleep well.
- In children between 5 and 12 years old
The maximum time of use should be 1 hour a day; leaving them longer favors sedentary lifestyles and obesity. Parental control should be exhaustive, and it is recommended not to let them be alone with screens in their bedroom, and much less to have computers, tablets, cell phones or televisions in it.
Knowing all the above, will you still not monitor your children’s screen time?
Is laughing the best medicine?
From CAE’s desk
Neuroscientist Robert Provine, Professor at the University of Maryland, USA, has specialized in the development and evolution of the nervous system and behavior, including social behavior, and states that «Laughter is primarily a social vocalization that brings people together. It is a hidden language that we all speak. It is not a learned group reaction, but an instinctive behavior programmed by our genes. Laughter unites us through humor and play.»
His research also shows that the fact that we can’t hold back laughter suggests that we have no deliberate control of that mechanism in our brains. It’s as if our genes are conspiring to make us more sociable and positive people. Also, the fact that laughter is contagious is related to a laughter-sensing brain mechanism that instigates us to laugh.
«There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.» Charles Dickens
Let’s look at some of the more concrete benefits of laughter for our physical, mental and emotional health:
- It relaxes the body.
- It benefits the heart and circulatory system.
- Improves respiratory function and increases oxygenation.
- It favors the immune system.
- It has analgesic effect due to the release of endorphins.
- Reduces anxiety and stress.
- Relieves symptoms of depression.
- Distracts from worries and cuts negative thoughts.
- Strengthens self-esteem.
- It helps to face positively the daily problems.
- Potentiates intellectual capacities.
- Allows to strengthen relationships, increase confidence and reinforce feelings of belonging, closeness, friendship and love. Predispose to cooperation and solidarity.
- Facilitates communication between people.
- Helps to prevent conflicts and decrease levels of aggressiveness.
- Strengthens the baby’s bond with the adults who satisfy his or her basic needs.
«If we couldn’t laugh, we’d all go crazy.». Robert Frost
Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales y Sociosanitarioshttps://www.isesinstituto.com/noticia/los-beneficios-fisicos-psicologicos-y-sociales-de-la-risoterapia
The importance of the IB in early childhood
From the IB Coordinator’s desk
For students ages 3 to 19. The IB programmes challenge students to excel in their studies and encourage both personal and academic achievement.
Students use their initiative to take responsibility for their own learning. By learning through inquiry and reflecting on their learning, students develop the knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and attributes of the IB learning community profile needed to make a difference in their own lives, in their communities and worldwide.
So, what is the IB profile?
The IB learning community profile represents a broad range of dispositions, abilities and characteristics that lead to intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. The development and demonstration of the attributes of the learning community profile captures the IB’s understanding of international mindedness.
The IB learning community profile is present in all facets of school life in the Primary Years Programme. All members of the learning community, from the youngest learners to members of the leadership team to parents, educators, and others, have a responsibility to be guided by the attributes of the profile and to demonstrate a commitment to its development. The programme recognizes the specific needs of learners from early childhood, ranging from ages 3 to 6. This is one of the distinguishing features of the programme, which considers that learners at these ages require developmentally appropriate approaches to learning and teaching, and that play is important as a vehicle for inquiry. Since early childhood experiences lay the foundation for all future learning, and early learning creates a holistic learning experience that integrates social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development. In the classroom, learning takes place in dynamic environments that promote play, discovery, and exploration.
The importance of the artistic approach at a preschool age; integral development beyond arts and crafts
From Miss Gaby Zesati’s desk
While it is well known that it is at preschool age when motor skills are developed in infants, it is also a fundamental stage for the cognitive and socio-emotional development of children.
The practice of arts and crafts in preschool undoubtedly brings numerous benefits to develop both gross and fine motor skills. These promote spatial knowledge by developing sensitivity to the relationships between objects, achieving control or the way they hold utensils and tools to perform specific tasks.
On the other hand, the approach to Art at preschool age develops the same motor skills with numerous additional benefits.
Through Art, the child develops the expressive capacity, acting as an ally in dealing with emotions, processing them, and externalizing their feelings. This is very favorable as a scaffolding for the development of emotional intelligence. Likewise, by perceiving artistic works and interpreting the artist’s feelings, Art contributes to the development of empathy, analytical capacity, and conceptual understanding. As a means of free experimentation, in Art the child will also find benefits such as the ability to innovate and develop its creativity in a safe and free environment, where he/she will also learn to plan, select, and make decisions while maintaining a flexible thinking and being open minded to consider different perspectives .
In June we celebrate:
20 – Muriel Javier | K2
27 – Andrés Sebastián Velázquez | K3
Happy Birthday!
Dates to remember
• JUNE 16th | Father’s Day
• JUNE 21st | CTE
• JUNE 28th | Portafolio Delivery week