Developing Your Child’s Writing

In order to write, children must have a combination of mental and physical development.  Children need the skills of concentration, memory, and language. They physically must have the strength and the use of muscles in their fingers and hands.

Here is an outline of the most important stages of your child’s writing to recognize and encourage:

Scribbling – This stage begins around 15 months to 2 ½ years. Scribbling is exploring space on paper, connecting the top and bottom, and the space in between. Children begin to understand that movements make scribbles.

Drawing – Around 2 to 3 years, children draw purposeful lines. They may draw open circles and diagonal, horizontal and vertical lines of all sizes. They hold markers between the thumb and index finger. Children like using a variety of colors and textures and working with scissors.

Phonemic Stage – At 3 ½ years, children begin to draw patterns, lines, dots, and curves. They imitate writing and know that drawing and writing convey meaning. They may name letters, and “words” will include consonants first and vowels after.

Transitional Stage – Writing begins to look like their native language. Spelling reflects how the word sounds rather than the spelling of it. This develops into correct spelling. In this stage, children explore words being written on more than one line. They learn to write their name before writing other words.

Pictures and Words – At 4 to 5 years a child’s writing includes words and pictures. They have the intellectual ability to hold images in their brains long enough to transfer it to paper. They make creations and label them, and may plan their writing or drawings ahead of time. Writing skills will continue to progress through schooling.

*Writing skills are developed best when parents and teachers guide their child in practice

Adapted from Rose Welton 1/13/17

Upper Room Early Learning Center practices curriculum to help your child build these skills in writing from an early age. For more information on our Early Learning Center click here.

Contact Bethann Roitz for details on how to enroll your child in our center today!

Seven Reasons That Music is Important to Your Child’s Development

When you send your child off to school you hope for the best educational experience that they can get. You want them to learn as much as they can in a way that is fun and engaging. There are several ways to motivate students toward learning, but music remains a key tool for encouraging enthusiasm in the classroom. Few people realize the benefits that music can have on our brain development and learning. That’s why Upper Room KC’s programs have always had a strong focus on music education. Recently, the National Association for Music Education (NAFME) provided a list of benefits of music. Here are just a handful of those reasons your child’s development can have a positive influence by incorporating music into their curriculum.

According to the NAFME, Students who study music have a more positive attitude about learning as a result of the direct feedback a child gets from learning music. Music can be a fun activity that everyone identifies with when they learn an instrument or song. This association of learning with enjoyable activities like music can influence a child’s excitement for school and make them more likely to excel in other subjects.

A musical ability can shape the character and personality of students. As students learn to play with others, they follow a common goal of something as simple as a rhythmic beat. Studies published on BachelorsDegree.org show that this social interaction results in students in band or orchestra being less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Musical education can also contribute to children’s intellectual and emotional development as it promotes their personal expression.

Music is often referred to as a language, and for good reason. The theory of music follows a structure similar to all languages. Music provides a way for students to express that language skill in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Studies from The National Association for Music show that students who include music curriculum with their education will develop the vital areas of the brain that relate to language and reasoning. This left side of the brain specifically gets better developed with exposure to music that promotes growth in young minds and leads to better language skills.

Musicians of all ages are tasked with using their memory constantly to recall and perform a given piece of music. Students of music use the skill of memorization even when performing with sheet music. This ability can quickly translate into all aspects of education and beyond. In fact, music is often used as a device to help remember complex lessons. Music jingles in commercials show proof that a simple melody can help us remember phone numbers and company slogans. If you’re prepping for a test, setting your study notes to a tune can be a great way to remember important details.

Rhythm and repetition are common themes in music. These rhythms are nothing more than a series of patterns that they comprehend more easily with the assistance of music. Children can often develop their pattern-recognition skills more quickly with the help of musical education. Pattern recognition also greatly increases a student’s ability in mathematics and geometry.

All of the reasons listed above show that music education is great for your child’s brain and development, but what are the results? Students who have experience with music performance or appreciation are more likely to score higher on the SAT. The last two reasons we provided talk about improvements in language and math as a result of music education. BachelorsDegree.org released a report that indicates 63 points higher SAT scores on verbal test scores and 44 points higher on math scores for students in music appreciation courses

Finally, kids who learn to play an instrument can quickly understand the value of a disciplined routine. In order to learn an instrument, students have to set aside time to practice and give the focus it takes to achieve the coordination and timing of mastering an instrument. The rewards come quickly as each new song is learned and a new opportunity of playing music with others is not far away.

Upper Room Music Education Programs

At Upper Room KC, we strongly believe in these benefits as they apply to our students. Whether your student already has an interest and education in music or not, we provide a fun musical learning environment in our after-school, summer academic program and early child development. Click Here to contact us today and see how we can partner with your child’s school!