The Difference Between Wants and Needs for Preschoolers

“I need a Popsicle!” How many times do families hear about these kinds of needs from their young children? You can help children understand the difference between a need and a want, yes, even at their young ages!

First, be sure you are always modeling the correct use of the terms. A need is something like water, nutritious food, a place to live, comfortable clothing, clean air, along with proper heath and dental care. We can all make a difference by saying things like, “We need food that will make us strong.”  When it comes to that Popsicle or ice cream, use words like, “This is not something that we need. It will not help our bodies. It is a something we want.” Of course all children have wants and we can allow these but you will have fewer tantrums in stores if you help children understand the vocabulary.

One age-appropriate way to do this is to use animals in your activities and in your discussions about needs. Walking outdoors can be helpful when learning the difference between a want and a need.  You can point out birds that are looking for earthworms. Having a discussion about birds that NEED to eat worms is a way to help children understand needs. Talk about other animals that need to eat other food.

Show children pictures such as the ones below. You can print these and have children add the needs of each animal such as food, shelter, and proper habitat. This invites children to think about what animals really need. Not to mention, it stimulates critical and creative thought. They have the opportunity to consider the needs of various animals. 

You can then ask a child, “Do you really need a Popsicle or do you want a Popsicle?” the next time he or she is on the verge of a tantrum!

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.A.10; 2.B.02; 2.B.03; 2.D.06; 2.G.06; 2.L.10.

Head Start – I.B.4; II.A.1; VI.A; XI.B.1.

Creating and Seeing Simple Patterns

We often ask children to create and finish patterns, as with the cubes shown below.

The simple ABAB (red, blue, red, blue, red, blue, etc.) is easiest for children, especially if you end on the “B” part, like the blue cube and children must begin over. 

This is a simple ABAB pattern that preschoolers should learn to make and complete.

It is more difficult for children to continue the pattern if it ends on the A part (the red cube) as shown below. Often children redo the A and begin the pattern anew. This age group tends to start from the beginning. Below is a typical error made in patterning by preschoolers. 

You can see (in the break) where the child wanted to start the pattern new, from the red cube.

Saying the pattern out loud, “Red, blue, red, blue, red, blue…” often helps children find errors in finishing a pattern. Using interlocking blocks like these are helpful for making patterns.

But we can also invite children to see the patterns in nature. This develops observation skills. Encourage children to look for patterns in nature with questions like, “Do you see a pattern in the number of petals each flower has?

 Or, “Do you see a pattern in the color of the leaves?”

You can even encourage children to create and/or imitate sound patterns. They can use sticks and other items they discover on a walk to make their own patterns.

Children can create their own sound patterns. Families can play along!

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.B.04.; 2.F.08.
Head Start – IV.A.; X.D.

Planting Seeds: An Integrated Learning Experience

This time of year is a perfect time for helping children to understand sequence in a NATURAL way.  Planting seeds lets you use the important words: first, next, then, and finally. Children have a hands-on experience each day with observing their plant sprout and grow along with verbalizing its natural course of development.

First have children plant seeds in cups. * This is a good opportunity to talk about all the natural things a plant needs: air, soil, sunshine, and water.

Next observe the plant. When will it sprout? Have children make predictions. This gives them a real experience with time passage and the meaning of a day and a week. Make a chart of children’s predictions. It helps to let children know it is just fine to have made an incorrect prediction. The important part was taking the guess. This helps children learn an important lesson about how science works. 

Then watch the plant grow. What an opportunity to integrate measurement into this experience! Children can measure their plant using cubes or other handy items. Compare and contrast by stating, “Charlotte’s plant is 3 cubes taller than Elizabeth’s plant.”

Finally watch the plant bloom. Did you plant flowers or vegetables like beans?  Make the connection that bean seeds produce beans. Marigold seeds produce marigolds.

As you observe the plant, encourage children to draw a picture of each stage of development. You can put these together in a sequence book at the end of the experience.

*I always like to plant a few extra seeds.  When I was in kindergarten, my seed never sprouted. I still remember my disappointment. You can always change a cup after the children leave if a seed doesn’t “cooperate.”  

We encourage you to print out our drawings and have children add details like the sun, rain, etc. to show what plants need to grow. You may want to ask them to draw cubes to show the measurement of their own plant.

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.D.03, 2.D.06, 2.F.05, 2.G.02, 2.G.03, 2.G.05. 
Head Start – VIII.B., X.E., XI.B.

Kids Can Make a Difference!

We hope you will read emphasize to your children that children CAN make a difference in our world. Many children think of ways to raise money or awareness about important issues in our world. We suggest you read the book, Nights of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan, which is one story that illustrates how children can make a difference in their community. It tells how children in Iceland help young puffins to safely make their way to the sea.

Talk to your children about ways they can help in your community. Involve families in this discussion, too. Often it is easier and faster for adults to just do chores or tasks themselves than to include children. But it is important to allow children to help. They want to do this! It often takes patience on our part but it teaches children the importance of helping others and gives them a sense of pride.  Recently I watched as a parent took the time to explain to his four-year-old son how to roll the paint on a fence and then stood back while the child diligently did this. He cheerfully painted. Then he helped his dad clean up. He took great joy in telling the neighborhood how he painted the fence. I know his dad could have done the job quicker (and likely without as much mess), but he was teaching his son something important – the sense of accomplishment one gets by helping!

If you are a family member, make a list of ways you and your child can help your community. Get the mail for an elderly neighbor. Sweep the sidewalk for someone. Participate in community events like various “Runs for a Cause.” Your child can hand out water or snacks to participants. What else can be done?

Teachers can involve children in cleaning the playground, sorting books in a classroom library, or wiping tables. Children love to help! My own son came home crying from pre-school one day, as he was never asked to clean the tables. When I talked to his teacher she explained that he was always dressed so nicely that she didn’t want him to get dirty. But, soon he was thrilled when he became a table “cleaner.” We need to encourage and build on this natural desire to help others. It builds involved citizens! 

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC - 2. B.02, 2.B.06, 2.B.07.

Head Start -II.A., II. B., IV.C.

Geometry: Exploring 3D Shapes

What do these household items have in common? How can they help your child develop concepts about math?

These simple objects give children a hands-on experience with geometry. We often teach about shapes like circles, squares, rectangles, and squares. Children see them on television shows and use them in art projects. See our post Blast Off to Math Readiness for one idea. But these are 2 dimensional shapes. It is important for children to have early hands-on guided experience with 3 dimensional shapes, too.

Give children a ball. Ask them what they notice about the ball. They may begin by talking about color but will eventually discuss shape. You can ask questions like, "How is the ball different than a circle?" or "What other objects are like this?" "Can you think of food that is like this?" You can tell them that this is called a sphere. Ask children to discuss the ways a circle and sphere are alike and ways they are different.

Show children other objects like a can of food. After they handle this and describe it, share the mathematical term, cylinder. Have them find other examples of cylinders. They can draw these items or just tell about these real-life examples of geometry.

Continue on with using the word, cube, for the toy shown in the photo. You may have dice, blocks, etc. that you can encourage children to touch and then describe. Have them compare cubes to squares.

If children have an understanding of the term rectangle, you can show them a box, as pictured above. This 3D item is a rectangular prism. Children should be encouraged to describe it and find other examples.

Throughout this discovery time, children can be encouraged to use words like edges and faces. They may notice that one of the faces on a rectangular prism looks like a rectangle. The same can be done for other shapes such as square for cube or even circle for the end of a cylinder.

Some children will be able to verbalize more about these 3D shapes than other children. Everyone is at a different stage. The key is that all children have the opportunity to touch and talk about 3D objects!

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC: 2.D.03; 2.D.06; 2.F.03; 2.F.06.
Head Start: VIII.B; X.C.

Earth Day Community Helpers

Community Helpers: an important unit in any preschool program! Put a new twist on this popular theme by asking children to think about those in the community who help the Earth. Invite children to close their eyes and picture the events in their minds* while you tell a story like the one below:

This morning Ian woke up and looked out his window. The birds were chirping and the ground looked clean. Ian stopped to think about this. Who made sure the birds had a good place to live? Who made sure the street was clean?

Ian and his dad walked to a city bus stop to ride to school. As Ian and his dad got on the bus, they said, “Good morning,” to the driver. She smiled at them.

Ian watched the people walking on the sidewalk. He saw some people riding bikes. They were on a special bike path, built just for them. Ian especially liked passing by the community garden. Mrs. Bertrand was standing at the gate, giving people tools to help them care for their plants.

Suddenly Ian saw a fire truck. It was not making a sound but was headed to the park. . He saw many people standing around a tree. A cat was stuck in the high branches. Ian’s dad explained that the firefighters would get out their ladder and help the cat get down.

When the bus stopped in front of Ian’s school, he and his dad waved to the driver. They said hello to the high school students who were picking up trash that had blown onto the playground. Ian took his dad’s hand as they walked into the classroom. He wanted to show him the thank you letter he and his friends made for the shopkeeper who had given the class birdseed for their window birdfeeders. Then Ian was ready to start his day!

After reading this little story (and we hope you will change names, events, etc. to make it more relevant for your area), ask children to retell it to encourage sequential thinking. You can hold up fingers to represent the events. This visual helps children think about the order of Ian’s morning.

Use a chart paper to make a list of the community helpers. Some of these community helpers are implied and you may need to ask leading questions such as the following:

Do you think someone who walks helps the community by not using gas? This keeps the air cleaner.

Do you think someone who drives a bus helps the community? This offers people a chance to ride together and keeps more cars off the roads.

Would people who made a bike path be community helpers? Tell why.

Do you think someone who works at a garden helps the community? Explain.

Were you surprised that firefighters help animals, too?

How are the high school students helping the community?

Do you think the shopkeeper is a community helper? Why?

Do you think Ian is a community helper? Tell why.

This little story gives our children a window into those that might not readily be thought of as community helpers. It shows that everyone, even preschoolers like Ian, can make a difference in the world.  As a follow-up, make a list of those who help around your school and neighborhood.  As you know, anytime we make charts and lists, we are modeling literacy concepts for our children.

*It is important and necessary to tell children to picture a story. I always suggest ‘making’ a movie of it in their minds. Throughout the years many children have told me they did not know they were allowed or supposed to do this!

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.D.01.; 2.D.03.;  2.D.06.; 2.E.03.

Head Start – V.A.; V.B.;VII.D.; VIII.A.; IX.C.;XI.B.

Earth Day – Keeping It Local

Help your children to look around your town, city, and even neighborhood this Earth Day and see the wonders of the area in which they live.  We like to begin by encouraging children to talk about what they like in your locale. Some children may begin naming stores or restaurants but likely someone will mention a park, body of water, or even an animal recently seen. We like to accept all responses but dramatically congratulate those who begin talking about nature. Saying, “You really have the spirit of Earth Day because you are seeing nature,” will help others to begin thinking about and noticing the beauty of your area.

 Children may name big areas like lakes, ponds, forests, or nearby mountains.

Other children may think about small areas of beauty such as the petals on a blossoming flower.

We suggest providing children with a large sheet of paper, even some from a bulletin board roll or freezer paper to draw a mural of their favorite local natural sights.  Ask children to talk about their drawings, after which you can label them. This helps with sound/symbol relationships and even sight word development.

Make it a part of your morning routine to talk about something special children have noticed in nature. Asking children to describe local natural areas of interest to them, helps develop an appreciation for Mother Earth, especially when they know you value this type of discussion.

And who knows….your eyes may even be opened to a spot, tree, or flower that you had previously taken for granted!

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.D.03.; 2.D.04.; 2.D.06.; 2.G.03.

Head Start – V.B.; VIII.A. & B.; XI.B.